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Why I am a believer inJesus A Story of a Hindu Devanga Brahmin



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Why I am a believer inJesus

A Story of a Hindu Devanga Brahmin

Devaprakash R. Shampur



NotionPress

5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600005

First Published by NotionPress

Copyright © Devaprakash R. Shampur 2013

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 978-93-83185-26-9

This book is sold subject to condition that it shall not by way of trade or

otherwise, be lent, resold or hired out, circulated and no reproduction in

any form, in whole or in part (except for brief quotations in critical articles

or reviews) may be made without written permission of the publishers.

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the authoris original. All efforts have been taken to make the material error-free.

However, the author and the publisher disclaim the responsibility for any

inadvertent errors.



"Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter of soul?”

(Job 3:20)

This book is dedicated to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ.



CONTENTS

iPREFACE

1PRELUDE

18MY PERSPECTIVE

21IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH

41COMPLEXITIES OF VEDAS53EPICS, MYTHOLOGY AND GODS

73PARALYTIC CASTE STRUCTURE

82MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND TRUTH

88COMMUNISM AND CONFUCIANISM

92RITUALS, TRADITIONS AND DEVIATIONS

107DOCTRINAL ABERRATIONS

117PRESENT ZIONIST ISRAEL

128SPIRITUAL GROWTHS IN RELIGIONS

133COMPARISON AND CRITIQUE

140BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

144MINISTRY OF JESUS159MY VISION AND MISSION

164CONCLUSION

179 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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PREFACE

This book has been written with an intention of making an

honest attempt to know the unbiased, universal and ‘Absolute

Truth’ that holds good for all peoples of the world. In doing

so, some statements may appear either appealing or repulsive

depending on the religious and cultural background of readers!

Nevertheless, truth will be known only when other distractions

from it are made known without any prejudices even when

they sound harsh and offensive! Such statements are meant

for introspection by the people concerned for the truth; they

are not meant to deride or condemn the beliefs that are held

commonly by various communities.

My sincere apologies to all those who feel that they are hurt

and that their sentiments have been affected by this book! Truth should not become a casualty in the process! I sincerely

urge them to keep an open mind for the sake of the truth,

freed from selfishness and self-centeredness, being confined to

a small world of their own!

There is a well known adage in Kannada language: “Iddid

iddange helidere, eddbandu edege oddha” which maybe translated tomean that‘for telling the truth as it is, listener got angry; he

rose and kicked the chest of the narrator’! I hope, with my

frank discussions, I will not be at the receiving end! Truth is

not always palatable!

With the background of Hinduism, from the land of Buddha

and the ministry of St. Thomas in India about 2000 years ago,

I believe, I have the right perspective to dispassionately discussmatters related to sublime spiritual matters which are generally

taken for granted in their diluted conditions by many! In a

fast paced world, people are too busy to pause and rethink on

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many issues that affect them whether they like it or not! These

are days when people prefer easy and customized salvation

for convenience. Routine religious trends seem to offer that

against any demand, business-wise! The religious environment

appears to encourage sale of spurious spiritual packages made

to any order!

Primarily, both Hinduism and Buddhism encourage everybody

to verify the truth before acceptance. It is the case with

Christianity too.

“And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and

for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures”

and “Now these were more noble-minded than those in

Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,

examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were

so” (Acts 17:2 & 11).

I have not stopped learning about the truth with this book. I

have continued to grow in the knowledge of the Supreme God

with His infinite attributes.

To quote from Rig Veda:

"Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions, " and "Let us live in harmony, let us share the harvest let our thoughts and deeds create synergy

to illuminate the Globe."

My work is meant to embolden the spirit of the above verses!

I pray for Godspeed in my humble and sincere effort!


(March 2,2013)

Why I am a believer in Jesus

ii



†.†.†

PRELUDE

I was born on March 25,1944 at Dodballapur, Bangalore

Rural District, Karnataka, India, to a rich Hindu Devanga

Brahmin family. By caste, we were weavers of cloth. Our

family had obtained a knowhow of dying of fabrics from

Germany before World War II. This technique brought richesto the joint family along with the traditional weaving. The war

ended in 1945. My personal struggles started after my birth. I

was born with an ulcer in my right ankle. There were no

effective antibiotics available in Bangalore where I was taken

for treatment since my grandfather’s brother was the chief

medical officer in a government hospital there. The doctors

had decided to amputate my leg as they were not able to

control the infection. This information was conveyed secretly by the medical officer’s daughter to my mother who was her

cousin. My mother ran away with me back to our native place,

unable to bear the condition of seeing her only baby son about

to be made physically handicapped for the rest of his life!

What was found incurable by expert allopathic doctors was

cured by a less recognized Ayurvedic native doctor in our town

with his herbal medicines! I should remain ever grateful to thesystem of Ayurvedic practice that saved my leg! Nevertheless,

my right leg remained weak, slender and little shorter than

my left leg. However, the difference was hardly felt till my

middle age, except for a mild limping effect. I remained a good

sportsman participating in many outdoor games. The game of

cricket was my favorite, and I was representing our engineering

college in Mysore as a student later in volleyball! I was the

winning captain both in Cricket as well as in volleyball in

hostel annual sports!

My mother was a pious woman, a second wife to my father

whose first wife had passed away leaving four sons and two

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daughters. The loss of his beloved wife was unbearable to him,

so being very rich, he handed over the affairs of the estate

to his brother-in-law and left on world tour in 1932 taking a

friend who was well versed in English at his expense.

After his return from the foreign tour, which was

something extraordinary at that period and in that small town,

he was welcomed back to the caste and community with

traditional cleansing process arranged by my grandfather’s elder

brother who was a highly respected and reputed leader of the

town. My mother who was unmarried at that time participatedin that function. Observing a shy and modest approach of

my mother who was pretty with fair complexion, my father

decided to marry her. Though my mother’s joint family was

highly respected for social works in the community and also

for its leadership, they were not that rich compared to my

father. The marriage took place, in a way, satisfying the

demand of a rich bridegroom! At that time, the first son of my father from his earlier marriage was about the same age as

that of my mother!

My mother started living in a house with her husband

along with six children of his first marriage. She had been

brought up in a joint family known for charity of helping

poor students in their education. In fact, their home was like a

hostel accommodating students from nearby villages with food

and shelter as a part of a charitable work. A few elders of the joint family were teachers. The environment now in her

husband’s home was totally different. It was business driven.

Her stepchildren, as if by nature and right, became hostile

to her. One of the stepsons played a dirty trick of stealing

her necklace that she had forgotten to take back from the

bathroom after bathing, accusing her of transferring that to her

parents’ home for money! Of course, the truth came out tothe open subsequently with enquiries.

My mother bore three daughters first. This did not affect

the psychology of her stepchildren because the civil law did

not grant inheritance to daughters after marriage in Hinduism


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in those days. So, naturally, it did not affect their share of

immense property. However, the moment I was born as a son,

they immediately shifted to another house taking all important

cooking utensils and other items expecting my mother to

manage and build her family from scratch! I still remember

earthen pots my mother was using to cook our food since the

metal pots and pans had been taken away by the stepchildren

to their separate house!

The stepsons, being well educated, started scheming on

how best my mother and her children would be deprivedof the share in the vast property. Meanwhile, my father had

become a theosophist and handed over the business affairs of

managing our power-loom factory to the care of his first wife’s

sons. And I was too young at that time. I was a primary target

for them, and they hoped and wished that I would not rise up

well in life!


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AS A HINDU BEFORE THE SUMMER OF 1977

(Summer season: June to September in the U.S.A.)

The author is at the extreme right in the front row with his

kith and kin. Occasion: a happy sendoff to his maternal uncle

(wearing suit and tie) a few days before his departure to USA

for higher studies in Civil Engineering at Lehigh University,Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Photographed in Bangalore (August

4,1955). Baby Shalini, who became my wife, is in the arms of

her mother seen near my uncle


4



The group that visited Pikes Peak, Colorado, (USA) Interaction

with people belonging to different races (White and Black

people) The author is at the extreme left of the front row

(September 6,1975).


5



AS A CHRISTIAN AFTER THE SUMMER OF 1977

With the Bible study group and other acquaintances of the

Church at Corvallis, Oregon, USA, before leaving for India.

Author standing at left in the second row (January 3,1980).


6



Outside of Shanti Church, Tumkur. The author is at the

extreme right with his wife, Shalini, to his right (February

3,2013).


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Meanwhile, influenced very much by mother, I tended to

be orthodox in my relationship to god. I used to worship our

gods joining her in singing devotional songs in the evenings. I

used to listen to her supernatural experiences in awe!

One incident was about when she left home to commit

suicide by falling to an open-well because of ill-treatment

meted out by her stepchildren when they were living together.

It appears an angel like person caught hold of her and led

her back home! She also had seen a vision of angels speaking

to her in upstairs-room when she went up on one of theevenings! With these experiences and with my birth as her

only son, she clung on to life barely managing the family! We

had become second class members of my father’s big family!

The stepsons’ children started to boss over us whenever there

was an opportunity! However, my eldest half brother’s second

daughter and eldest son of my half sister were great friends to

me! We got on really very well together!In my middle school years, I used to arrange worship

to goddess Saraswati (of knowledge) in a cradle with special

lightings to the photo of the goddess, and the distribution of

prasada (eatable offered to the deity) to the invitees present.

I was much concerned about acquiring knowledge right from

my young age. Later I became a frequent visitor to Sringeri

Sharada peetam established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya, the

proponent of advaita philosophy. As if to bless this devotion,my first son was born on Saraswati Pooja day that is celebrated

especially during Dasara festivities in Karnataka.

My mother was not happy with primary public schools

of our town. Consequently, first five years of my primary

education was arranged at home by employing a private tutor

who was a Brahmin. Consequently, much to my dislike, I was

made to study Sanskrit. Later on in high school I studied thesame as second language, not because I liked it but for getting

easy pass in the examination! It was difficult to score good

marks in our native language, Kannada!


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Reading through regularly ‘Life’, ‘Time’ and ‘Reader’s

Digest’ magazines published in America—subscribed by us--

and with good family library of our own, I began to write

short poems and articles to both Kannada and English dailies

during my high school years. My uncles recognized my talent

and encouraged me whenever there was an opportunity!

During high school final examination, I fell ill. I was

thinking of taking the examinations later on thereby losing one

year. But my teacher who was coaching me privately wanted to

appear anyway. So I went to take the examinations in a tanga (2-wheel horse carriage) and with a hurriedly packed lunch.

I managed the morning examination, but vomited the food

I had eaten by coming out of the hall during the afternoon

session. However, I managed to write the remaining part of

the examination. By God’s grace, I passed the examination in

first class clearing all subjects!

My mother had firmly decided that I should study furtherand not join the rich business of the family that required

interaction with my half brothers. All her brothers and cousins

on her father’s side were well educated and had become

engineers and doctors of good repute. Our small town offered

only education up to high school level. So I decided to

join reputed St. Joseph College in Bangalore to continue my

studies. I also stayed in its hostel even though my eldest

married sister was staying in Bangalore. My father preferredthat I should stay outside and get exposed to the world,

developing interactions with people from different places.

Our Devanga communities have their own temples

managed by their people. Devanga means organ of god, so our

caste people think that they are superior to other Brahmins

because they have simply come out of the mouth of god

whereas Devangas are a part of an organ of god! My father’srelatives had priests amongst them, not so in case of my

mother’s side. This made the stepchildren feel superior over

my mother and her children irrespective of character and

conduct!


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My eldest half brother was absorbed by politics during

country’s independence movement. The second one remained

a bachelor and had become a kind of a recluse. Therefore, the

third one was put in charge of running the family business.

The fourth one had some psychological problems, and he went

to the U.K. for higher studies in commerce, and he married

my maternal uncle’s daughter, and, therefore, became close to

us to a certain extent!

Mahatma Gandhi had visited our town before

independence. It was made possible by my father’s friend, who was taken on the foreign tour by my father and who had

become the first president of the congress party of our state.

My grandfather’s elder brother, who was a leader in the town

municipality, was also responsible in inviting Gandhi to our

native town. Gandhi gave audience to many freedom fighters,

(based on non-violence) volunteers et al sitting at an open

place that belonged to our family. Many very young children were taken to him for getting his blessings. He would bless

them and suggest names for them. My mother remembered

those names and christened us with what she had heard in that

meeting. My name now at that time was common with North

Indian boys.

The half brother who was looking after our factory was a

believer, to an unusual extent, in sorcery and witchcraft. He

along with his wife and children used to wear all kinds of talismans and magic bands. They used to visit sorcerers and

astrologers frequently.

My stay in St. Joseph’s College hostel just for a year of pre-

college courses helped me a great deal in developing all round

abilities both in sports as well as in studies. Undeterred by

my short stature, I used to lead others in sports, especially in

tennis-ball cricket in the hostel. After one year, I got admissionto an engineering course in Mysore. This was too much to bear

for my jealous half brother’s second son who had discontinued

his studies after high schooling to take care of the lucrative

joint family business. He remarked to my sister that I might


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have passed high school in first class, but no way can I manage

an engineering course! His sister who had studied high school

with me had passed with a second class and had discontinued

her studies.

My poor physique and health were of great concern to my

mother. To her great delight I passed clearly the first year of

engineering while other relatives in Bangalore had failed. I took

a first class in second year that surprised and embarrassed my

half brother’s son with his caustic remarks about my ability

for progress in engineering studies! It was ironic that insteadof feeling happy on the success of his near relative, he was

harboring envy: a typical mindset of worldly and unspiritual

people!

Unfortunately, when I was in the final year of mechanical

engineering degree course, most unexpectedly, my father

passed away. It was a bolt from the blue! While dying, he

expressed his anguish to my mother who was looking afterhim in the hospital that he was leaving with nothing in her

hands to manage the family! She had one younger daughter to

be married and still studying in a college, so also her only son.

Much of the property that belonged to us had been sold away

by stepsons in the guise of business loss. We had no proper

place to stay since the house we were staying with father

had been given to stepsons in the divisions of the property.

The stepsons were not even prepared to pay the medical billsof their deceased father to the doctor at Dodballapur who

was attending him before he was admitted to the hospital in

Bangalore though they were enjoying the major part of the

inherited property!

My father after handing over the business interests to

his sons was engaged in money lending transactions with

reasonable interest to keep himself busy. To my mother’s surprise, she found my father wearing

talisman when the body was bathed before cremation. Perhaps,

he was all along been under the bad spell of the talisman,

and he would listen to her stepsons out of the way that were


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Why I am a believer inJesus A Story of a Hindu Devanga Brahmin

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