‘Christ Jesus was a Hindu’, Puri Shankaracharya sparks debate

After asserting that Jesus Christ was originally a Hindu, Puri Govardhan Peeth’s Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Saraswati stirred up controversy on Tuesday.

The statement was delivered by Shankaracharya as he was speaking to a crowd in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Shankaracharya asserted that the Prophet Mohammed was a Hindu as well, in addition to Jesus Christ.

He asserts that the Bible has no references to Jesus’ ten years of life. The truth is that Jesus was in India at that time, and as a result, he spent three years in Puri, where he met the then-Shankaracharya. Shankaracharya said he was a Vaishnav and performed all the rituals.

The Shankaracharya said, “Ancestors of both Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed were Sanatani Vaidic Aryas,” in a statement to an IBC24 reporter.

In response to claims that he adhered to the RSS’s teachings, Shankaracharya stated, “I do not adhere to RSS. They can follow me if they want to. Even Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the RSS, is seated in front of me like “Bal Gopal” (Baby Krishna).

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Govardhan Peeth, Matrudatta, defended Shankaracharya’s assertions by saying, “This is not the first time, in fact, Shankaracharya has many times declared that Jesus Christ was in India for 10 years and that his forefathers were Hindus. Hinduism is much older than Christ if you take his birth into account. His ancestors being Hindus is only natural.

The Christian community, however, did not view these comments favourably. Father John Barua, the archbishop of the Satyanagar Church in Bhubaneswar, refuted the reports, saying, “No one has ever claimed this and the Bible does not contain such things. If Jesus had actually been a Hindu before converting to Christianity, how would Christianity have come into existence?

The Bishop remarked, “If he (Shankaracharya) has any proof about his statements, then he should make it public.”

Manoj Rath, a cultural expert, recommended the Christians to speak with Shankaracharya directly and address the issue without directly disputing his assertions.