Thamaso Ma Jyothirgamaya
A Novel & Unique Christian Perspective
by
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Be ready to be surprised because in this monograph, I posit that the Shanthi Mantha, composed by the writers of the Upnishads as an incantation to an “unnamed” god, has already been granted by a “named” God in human history. Yes, one man has delivered on this prayer. It is for all to see, yes it is there only for those who have eyes to see, all those who have ears to hear and for all those who have hearts to believe. Believe it or not, this prayer was already answered by one man who came to this world, for the singular purpose of bringing truth (sathya), shining his light (jyothi) on the untruth (asathya), giving us life everlasting (amrutham) by his own death (mruthyu) and thereby bringing us peace.
Yes this one named God, born as man answered the prayers to an unnamed god by the sages of ancient India who created the Upanishads. This legendary prayer, this sublime supplication that embodies the sum and substance of the morality of the Nation of India and the desire of the hearts of its fathers for peace has already been granted. He that carried out this task himself is the truth (sathya) who removed untruth (asathya) as he himself testified, “I am the truth, the way and the life”. He himself is the living bread sent from heaven who gave us the living water, and died for our sins and by his death (mruthyu) conferred everlasting life (amrutham) to all, after which he ascended into heaven leaving his peace with us. After fulfilling all three of the pleas (the first 3 lines of the chant), he left his earthly body, leaving his peace with us, a peace that “passeth (all human) understanding”, not like the ephemeral and evanescent peace that the world gives us but as he (God) only can give. As he left us, after delivering on all three exhortations of the manthra by the writers of the Upanishads, his predestined mission, he left with the admonition to his disciples to “let not your hearts be troubled”, to “believe in him”, “to not be afraid” and entrusting his followers to pass that peace (shanthi) on to posterity.
Who is this man and what is the proof, you are sure to ask me. In this expose of the one who, I propose carried out this humanly impossible task, I have dealt with it in a slightly different order, than in the chant, before I get to the last (fourth) line, the invocation for peace. First, I discuss how he is the one who delivered us from darkness (thamas) and led us to light (jyothy). Then I analyze how he disposed of our death and bought us eternal life (amrutham) by shedding his own blood and embracing his own death (mruthyu) on our behalf. Finally, in this discourse on the one who brought the passion of the ancient sages for peace to fruition, I address how he led us from Satan’s lie (asathyam) to the first man and woman on earth that brought death to mankind, to the everlasting truth (sathyam) and how he delivered us form eternal damnation. Finally I demonstrate that how he, being the “prince of peace” brought peace (shanthi) on earth, and goodwill toward men by his birth predicted by the prophets and proclaimed by the angels themselves before, to his mother and father, and after his birth to some shepherds.
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About the Book
Thamaso Ma Jyothirgamaya is about a unique interpretation of the most commonly chanted Shanthi Manthra from the Upanishads, an ancient compendium of literary works that date back from 1000 BC to 700 BC. The chant is taken from the Vedic literature, specifically, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28. It represents the spiritual cravings and the moral fabric of the soul (atman) of India, the land of peace. Author Dr. KJ Oommen takes you through a study of this beloved and much-venerated four-liner from Indian literature, which reveals the yearnings of its ancient sages for truth over untruth, light over darkness and life over death. The four lines (phrases) of the chant have reverberated in the corridors of Indian history for at least 2,700 years, as the best estimates of the origin of the Upanishads would suggest. Inside, Dr. Oommen analyzes the meaning of the mantra line by line, in the literal sense, and then interprets how and when the spiritual plea contained in this sacred chant was granted and fulfilled to the fullest extent by a most unexpected deity who came to the earth as if for the sole purpose of fulfilling it! Read more about what the manthra means from a Christian perspective, as Dr. Oommen presents his unique views in a novel and heretofore unraveled manner.
About the Author
K. J. Oommen, MD, FAAN, FAES, FACNS, was born in Alappuzha, Kerala, India. After receiving his doctorate in medicine from the Trivandrum Medical College, and completing further training in the United States, he served as a neurologist and epileptologist in the Universities of Georgia, Arizona, and Oklahoma. Dr. Oommen became the Crofoot Chair of Epilepsy at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock, Texas, in 2008. He moved to the private sector in 2010 and continues to serve the Lubbock community at present.