Jesus Christ: The Compassion Incarnate

The idea of the incarnation of God is prevalent among Hindus and Christians. Both believe the ‘Word’ to be the source of incarnations and the created beings— sentient and insentient.

- Swami Atmashuddhananda

St John, in his Gospel, calls the ‘Word’ as Logos, which corresponds to the ‘Vāk’ of the Vedas, the oldest literature of Hindus. Divine Incarnation is a special manifestation of the ‘Word’ in human form. But there exists one basic difference between Hinduism and Christianity. The Christians believe Jesus Christ to be the only incarnation of God, while Hindus believe the incarnations of God to be many including Jesus Christ.

Sri Ramakrishna once said: ‘The Avatara is always one and the same. Having plunged into the ocean of life, the one God rises up at one point and is known as Krishna, and when after another plunge, He rises up at another point, He is known as Christ.’ This means that Jesus Christ, who appeared on this earth about 1800 years before the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, and Ramakrishna himself were two gigantic waves of spirituality in the ocean of Sat-Chit-Ananda. The sole purpose of their advent was intended to lead the erring humanity towards the goal of their lives.

Let us now discuss in short, the life of Jesus Christ, the compassion incarnate.