The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Levi H. Dowling
lifted up; above all want he stood; he had no need of toil.
7. And he was called the priest of Brahm, the holy one to act for Brahm in all affairs of earth.
8. The second man was red, and from the hand of Parabrahm he came; and he was called shatriya.
9. And he was made to be the king, the ruler and the warrior, whose highest ordained duty was protection of the priest.
10. And from the inner parts of Parabrahm the third man came; and he was called a visya.
11. He was a yellow man, and his it was to till the soil, and keep the flocks and herds.
12. And from the feet of Parabrahm the fourth man came; and he was black; and he was called the sudras, one of low estate.
13. The sudra is the servant of the race of men; he has no rights that others need respect; he may not hear the Vedas read, and it means death to him to look into the face of priest, or king, and naught but death can free him from his state of servitude.
14. And Jesus said, Then Parabrahm is not a God of justice and of right; for with his own strong hand he has exalted one and brought another low.
15. And Jesus said no more to them, but looking up to heaven he said,
16. My Father-God, who was, and is, and evermore shall be; who holds within thy hands the scales of justice and of right;
17. Who in the boundlessness of love has made all men to equal be. The white, the black, the yellow, and the red can look up in thy face and say, Our Father-God.
18. Thou Father of the human race, I praise thy name.
19. And all the priests were angered by the words which Jesus spoke; they rushed upon him, seized him, and would have done him harm.
20. But then Lamaas raised his hand and said, You priests of Brahm, beware! you know not what you do; wait till you know the God this youth adores.
21. I have beheld this boy at prayer when light above the light of the sun surrounded him. Beware! his God may be more powerful than Brahm.
22. If Jesus speaks the truth, if he is right, you cannot force him to desist; if he is wrong and you are right, his words come to naught, for right is might, and in the end it will prevail.
23. And then the priests refrained from doing Jesus harm; but one spoke out and said,
24. Within this holy place has not this reckless youth done violence to Parabrahm? The law is plain; it says, He who reviles the name of Brahm shall die.
25. Lamaas pled for Jesus' life; and then the priests just seized a scourge of cords and drove him from the place.
26. And Jesus went his way and found shelter with the black and yellow men, the servants and the tiller of the soil.
27. To them he first made known the gospel of equality; he told them of the Brotherhood of Man, the Fatherhood of God.
28. The common people heard him with delight, and learned to pray, Our Father-God who art in heaven.
Chapter 25
1. When Jesus saw the sudras and the farmers in such multitudes draw near to hear his words, he spoke a parable to them; he said:
2. A nobleman possessed a great estate; he had four sons, and he would have them all grow strong by standing forth and making use of all the talents they possess.
3. And so he gave to each a share of his great wealth, and bade them go their way.
4. The eldest son was full of self; he was ambitious, shrewd and quick of thought.
5. He said within himself, I am the oldest son, and these, my brothers, must be servants at my feet.
6. And then he called his brothers forth; and one he made a puppet king; gave him a sword and charged him to defend the whole estate.
7. To one he gave the use of lands and flowing wells, and flocks and herds, and bade him till the soil, and tend the flocks and herds and bring to him the choicest of his gains.
8. And to the other one he said, You are the youngest son; the broad estate has been assigned; you have no part nor lot in anything that is.
9. And he took a chain and bound his brother to a naked rock upon a desert plain, and said to him,
10. You have been born a slave; you have no rights, and you must be contented with your lot, for there is no release for you until you die and go from hence.
11. Now, after certain years the day of reckoning came; the nobleman called up his sons to render their accounts.
12. And when he knew that one, his eldest son, had seized the whole estate and made his brothers slaves,
13. He seized him, tore his priestly robes away and put him in a prison cell, where he was forced to stay until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
14. And then, as though they were but toys, he threw in air the throne and armor of the puppet king; he broke his sword, and put him in a prison cell.
15. And then he called his farmer son and asked him why he had not rescued from his galling chains his brother on the desert plains.
16. And when the son made answer not, the father took unto himself the flocks and herds, the fields and flowing wells,
17. And sent his farmer son to live out on the desert sands, until he had atoned for all the wrongs that he had done.
18. And then the father went and found his youngest son in cruel chains; with his own hands he broke the chains and bade his son to go in peace.
19. Now, when the sons had all paid up their debts they came again and stood before the bar of right.
20. They all had learned their lessons, learned them well; and then the father once again divided the estate.
21. He gave to each a share, and bade them recognize the law of equity and right, and live in peace.
22. And one, a sudras, spoke and said, May we who are but slaves, who are cut down like beasts to satisfy the whims of priests--may we have hope that one will come to break our chains and set us free?
23. And Jesus said, The Holy One has said, that all his children shall be free; and every soul is child of God.
24. The sudras shall be free as priest; the farmer shall walk hand in hand with king; for all the world will own the brotherhood of man.
25. O men, arise! be conscious of your powers, for he who wills need not remain a slave.
26. Just live as you would have your brother live; unfold each day as does the flower; for earth is yours, and heaven is yours, and God will bring you to your own.
27. And all the people cried, Show us the way that like the flower we may unfold and come unto our own.
Chapter 26
1. In all the cities of Orissa Jesus taught. At Katak, by the river side, he taught, and thousands of the people followed him.
2. One day a car of Jagannath was hauled along by scores of frenzied men, and Jesus said,
3. Behold, a form without a spirit passes by; a body with no soul; a temple with no altar fires.
4. This car of Krishna is an empty thing, for Krishna is not there.
5. This car is but an idol of a people drunk on wine of carnal things.
6. God lives not in the noise of tongues; there is no way to him from any idol shrine.
7.