'JESUS', HIS NAME - THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION

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The Vedic Shadow on the Silent Years: Etymological and Historical Links Between Jesus and Ancient India

1. The Enigma of the Missing Years

The unknown years of Jesus—often referred to as his silent, lost, or missing years—generally span the crucial period between his childhood and the commencement of his public ministry. Left entirely unrecorded by the New Testament gospels, this eighteen-year vacuum has long intrigued historians. Over the decades, a fascinating body of literature has explored a profound hypothesis: that Jesus spent these formative, missing years traveling the Silk Road, absorbing the spiritual and mystical traditions of ancient India.

The concept of profound Indian influences on early Christianity was famously detailed by the nineteenth-century French magistrate and orientalist Louis Jacolliot in his seminal work, La Bible dans l'Inde, Vie de Iezeus Christna (1869), translated as The Bible in India, or the Life of Jezeus Christna. Jacolliot argued that the striking, minute parallelisms between the life narratives of Sri Krishna and Jesus Christ could not be dismissed as mere coincidence. He concluded that the framework of the Gospels drew heavily upon the older spiritual allegories of ancient India. Central to Jacolliot's thesis was that Jesus’s close disciples bestowed upon him the title "Jezeus"—a term he linked to a Sanskrit concept of "pure essence"—while the title "Christ" echoed the phonetic and spiritual resonance of "Krishna" (कृष्ण).

This cross-cultural overlap was similarly noted by the occultist H.P. Blavatsky in her monumental work, Isis Unveiled (1877). She observed:

"Why not accept truth in all sincerity, and reversing matters, admit that St. Thomas, faithful to that policy of proselytism which marked the earliest Christians, when he found in Malabar the origin of the mythical Christ in Christna, tried to blend the two; and, adopting in his gospel... the most important details of the story of the Hindu Avatar."

Following this historic integration of Vedic knowledge and localized memory, St. Thomas, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus Christ, is traditionally recorded to have arrived on the shores of Kerala, establishing the Syrian Christian Church in Malabar in 52 AD.

2. Linguistic Echoes: From Apāsta to Apostle

Fascinatingly, the etymological underpinnings of early Christian hierarchy mirror Vedic roots in unexpected ways. Consider the word apostle. While standard etymology derives it from the Greek apostolos ("one sent forth"), it shares a striking phonetic and semantic cognate with the Sanskrit term apāsta (अपास्त), meaning “sent off, cast away, or set aside.”

Rooted in the prefix apa- (“away, off”) and the verbal root as (“to throw”), the term apāsta appears as early as the Rigveda to denote that which is “driven away” or “repelled” (often describing light casting away darkness or enemies being repelled). It resurfaces in the Atharvaveda within prayers meant to expel malevolent influences or diseases, and in the Mahābhārata to describe warriors who have been set aside. The parallel between a spiritual messenger "sent off" into the world and the Sanskrit concept of being "cast forth" presents a remarkable linguistic intersection.

+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------------------------+

| Ancient Term     | Linguistic Origin     | Core Meaning                          |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------------------------+

| Apostle (Greek)  | Apostolos / Apastellein| One sent forth / set apart            |
| Apāsta (Sanskrit)| Prefix Apa- + Root As | Sent off / cast away / driven forth   |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------------------------+

Deconstructing the Philological Shift

When the famous German orientalist Max Müller attempted to debunk Jacolliot’s findings, he focused heavily on philology. Writing in the Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute (Volume 21, 1888), Müller argued that "Jezeus" was not an authentic Sanskrit term, going so far as to imply that Jacolliot had simply invented it to suit his thesis.

Yet, the linguistic transition from Sanskrit to later vernaculars tells a more nuanced story. "Pure essence" can be traced through the concepts of yagyasara or yagyarasa. The prefix is rooted in yagya (यज्ञ), meaning sacrifice, prayer, or devotion—giving rise to derivatives like yajin (याजिन्, worshipper) and yagyiy (यज्ञिय, divine, pious, or sacred).

In Indo-Aryan and derived regional dialects, the initial Sanskrit phonetic sound "Y" (य्) frequently softens into a "J" (ज्). For instance:

• Yadu—the historical clan of Sri Krishna—is widely spoken of in vernacular dialects as Jadu.
• Yadav—the derivative lineage—frequently distorts to Jadhav.
• Yajamana—the Sanskrit term for a sacrificial patron who employs priests for a ritual—mutated into the localized Jajmani system, a socio-economic structure well-documented by Western encyclopaedias.

Applying this exact phonetic shift, the name Jezeus emerges as a natural vernacular distortion of the Sanskrit title Yagyin—signifying "one who abounds in sacrifice" or "the sacred one." This aligns seamlessly with how Jesus is widely referred to across India and parts of the Middle East today: Yeshu, Yesu, or Isu.

This phonetic fluidity extends across cultural borders. In Arabic, where the definitive origins of the honorific Haji (one who completes the pilgrimage) remain a subject of discussion, the term may well align with the Sanskrit yaji (यजि, worshipping) or yajin. Alternatively, if one pursues Jacolliot’s literal definition of "essence," the Sanskrit yūs (यूष)—meaning an extract, broth, or juice—offers another curious linguistic pathway toward the concept of a vital distillation.

4. The Syncretic Horizon

Beyond pure linguistics, alternative structural interpretations offer deeper metaphysical ties. In Shiva: A Rediscovery of the Holy Spirit, researcher G. Ananda connects the name Yeshua to the Hebrew Yeshiva (a sitting or gathering for sacred study). He further posits that a Hebrew phonetic variant of Jesus, Yah-Shva, maps directly onto the title Lord Shiva—the ultimate ascetic.

Such Vedic-Christian correlations have long been championed by alternative historians. In his classic, sweeping treatise Anacalypsis (1836), the English antiquarian Godfrey Higgins asserted that historical Christianity integrated the remnants of much older, global mythologies. Higgins argued that early Gospel records were compiled from the writings of the Essenes—an ascetic, monastic Jewish sect residing in Egypt. These Essene libraries, he maintained, were deeply influenced by India's Gymnosophists (the "naked philosophers"), who traveled the ancient world bound by solemn oaths to protect sacred texts that Higgins argued were none other than the Hindu Vedas.

Ultimately, whether through the physical travels of Jesus during his silent years or the ancient trade routes that carried ideas across empires, the deep linguistic and philosophical parallels point to an undeniable truth: the foundations of Western faith remain deeply intertwined with the ancient, enduring wisdom of the Vedic world.

KUTUB MINAR - ITS NAME - THE SANSKRIT CONNECT

In the year 1977, Professor M.S. Bhatnagar flew over the top of Kutub Minar in a helicopter to get a close glimpse of the tower from the skies. A study of the pictures that were taken revealed that the top of the column was shaped like a 24-petaled lotus. He found that, like the base of the column, the entire column is shaped like a lotus flower. Each of the 24 petals represents what is known in Sanskrit as a  'hora' (होरा),  which is the same as the English 'hour'. Around the tower lie the ruins of a 27 temple-complex, each temple dedicated to the 27 nakshatras or star constellations. Obviously, the tower is an observatory.

That there are major discrepancies in the popular beliefs regarding the construction of the tower, its origin, its name and so forth is well known. One of the myths is that it was built by the slave dynasty ruler of Delhi, Kutubuddin Aibak - which is absolutely unconvincing especially because the site predates the birth of Kutubuddin Aibak by many centuries!! Besides, Aibak only reigned from 1206-1210, and that was not ample time for the construction of the tower. What was attempted during the reign of the Allaudin Khilji, another Turik Afghan invader who ruled from 1296-1316, was the construction of a column, which Khilji ambitiously wanted to be double the height of the ancient stambh. which stood at 72.5 metres. But unsurprisingly he failed, the column design was a disaster and could not reach beyond a height of 27 meters though he reigned for 20 years to the 4 years that Aibak had stayed in power. Every ruler of the times wanted to claim that he was the builder. Illtutmish, the successor of Aibak who ruled from 1211-1236  was no different. 

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan states in his book 'The Monuments of Delhi', "There is a controversy about its (Kutub's) construction. It is famous amongst the Mohammadans that this minar was built by Illtutmish and often in the books of history, e.g. the Tarik-i-Fiiruzshahi of Asif and in fact in the inscription of Sikander Lodhi, son of Bahlol Lodhi, carved on its entrance, its construction is ascribed to Iltutmish....". There are even more theories. Sir Syed Khan notes, "Some books, e.g., Taqvim ul Baladan mentions it as madhana (Madhina - the tower from where the call to prayer  is given) of the mosque. The Futuhat-i-Firuzshahi of Firuz Shah  Tuglak refers it to as the Minar of Sultan Mu'izz' uddin (Mohammad bin Sam)." Mohammd bin Sam is more commonly known as Mohammad Ghori. To summarize, every Muslim invader of the time claimed to be the builder of this pillar.

In his analysis of the history of Kutub, historian P.N.Oak quotes Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (the founder of Aligarh Muslim University) who had in his own research come to the conclusion that the Kutub tower was a Hindu building. There are many who are skeptical about what Prof P.N. Oak, and vehemently oppose what Oak has written, but here are the actual passages quoted from Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan's Urdu Text 'Asar-ul-Sanadid' translated into English by Fatima Quraishi who works as Assistant Curator at the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi.

Sir Sayyid Khan writes, "The Kutub cannot be a minaret because the column’s door is north-facing similar to Hindu temples, while the doors of minarets are always east facing.... The structure’s first level also shows evidence of stones being placed at a later stage and there is evidence of the bell-and-chain motif of Hindu temples on the first floor. Additionally, the inscription on this pillar is similar to that of Qutbuddin Aibak and Muʿizzuddin’s conquest on the converted temple-mosque."

The text also states," ...there is nothing odd in the fact that epitaphs have been inscribed where idols once were.....when the Muslims conquered the temple, they added their own epigraphs upon the building'."

About the so-called Islamic inscriptions carved on the Kutub Minar, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan wrote, "..... Often, the shape of letters has been made out, but close inspection reveals that they are incorrect, in some cases just imitations of alphabets, and in other cases words which have little to do with the subject of the inscription. Until today, the inscriptions of this monument have not been read. I have read all of them with the aid of a telescope".

But even more glaring is what Professor P.N.Oak points out and states hence, "The frieze patterns on the tower show signs of tampering, ending abruptly, or in a medley of in-congruent lines. The Arabic lettering is interspersed with Hindu motifs like lotus buds....". This is a fact that can be easily verified.

Here is a Hindu 'Bell and Chain' Motif inscribed on the walls of the Kutub Minar that Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan had written about:

Notice the 'Hindu 'Bell and Chain Motif on the
Kutub Wall that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan wrote
about in his book 'Great Monuments'

The Bell and Chain Design
on the Temples Columns of Kutub Complex

The Bell and Chain Motif on Kutub Temple Walls

The Bell and Chain Motif on the ruins of ancient temples of Kutub

The same 'Bell and Chain' motifs that are seen
on the ancient temples of the complex are seen
on the walls of the Kutub Tower.

Scholars who have read the Surya-Siddhanta have, in their writings, explained the concept behind the construction of this column-shaped observatory. Kutub Minar is a model of Sumeru. Sumeru is a mountain that one may imagine to be located on the axis of the earth.

The semi-vertical angle of the column is equal to the difference between the true and mean latitude of the point at which the column stands. According to Surya-Siddhanta, a pillar divided into 12-units, known as the 12-angula Shiva Linga or the Shankhu, can be used to measure the latitude and the time at any point on the surface of the earth. The smallest shadow of the Shankhu or the column will obviously occur at the time when the sun is directly over the tip of the column. The shape of the shadow will be like a funnel or like the 'kutupa' as a funnel is known in Sanskrit. The time or the muhurut at that instance is known as the kutupa or the kutuba mahurat. The word kutupa was therefore always linked with this pillar or stambh.

The 25-inch tilt of this stambh ensures that on 21st June, the day of the summer solstice, at the time of the kutupa mahurata, there is no shadow of the tower anywhere. This is a claim that can be verified by observation.

Originally. this kutupa-mana, (mana मान, is Sanskrit for measure) or the Observatory of Kutupa, was named Vishnu-dwaja or Vishnu-Stambh meaning Vishnu's tower. This name is inscribed in Sanskrit in the Bramhi script on the non-rusting pillar in the temple Complex of Kutupa-Mana which Islamic rulers had tried to blast at least once but luckily for present day researchers, had failed to do. The temple complex hillock was called Vishnupad Giri. Many of these names had died a temporary death at the hands of the then rulers but are now being reinstated. 

In any case the Islamic rulers of India were masters at creating deception by distorting words and giving them new meanings. And there are many such examples. One such example of this is the name Qutubbudin. As mentioned above, the word 'kutupa' was always associated with this structure. It is only a myth that Vishnu stambh got its name Kutub Minar from that of so-called ruler Qutubuddin Aibak. That Aibak, who was of Turkish descent, gave himself the name Qutubbudin after seizing Vishnu Stambh, is obvious from the fact that the Turkish word for pillar or pole is 'kutb'. He undoubtedly gave himself the name Qutubbudin, after he captured the 'pole' or 'kutb' while at the same time camouflaging under 'kutb' the Sanskrit 'kutupa'. No matter what the history books say, it is highly unlikely that Aibak was called 'pole' as a child. The name only makes sense in the form 'Qutubbudin', meaning 'the conqueror of the pole'.The name Mehrauli, the location of the tower, is said to be a distortion of 

the Sanskrit Mihiravali - named after astronomer Varahamihira. who is regarded as the architect of the ancient Kutub. Unlike the word 'Mehrauli', which has no meaning in any language, Mihiravali is a compound Sanskrit word; 'mihira' (मिहिर) means 'sun' and 'avali' (आवलि) means a 'row', 'a line', or 'lineage'. Mihiravali is known to have been astronomer Varahamihira's residence. Varahamihira is one of the most prominent known Vedic astronomers and pre-dates Aryabhatta by a few centuries.

A diagram made from the picture takenby Prof. M.S. Bhatnagar 
flying over the Kutub Minar in 1977, reveals
the 24-Petal Lotus shape of the Tower.
To read more about it, click here. 

Above Plates: Courtesy: Satyashodh.com/kutub.html

Suggested Links:
1.Great Monuments by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
2. Mihirawali - The original name of Mehrauli
3. About the Temple of Kutub
4. Meru
5. Kutub Minar - Its Origins

Footnote: The rotation axis or the spine of the earth is known as 'meru' (मेरु) in Sanskrit, just as our spinal nerve is known as meru-cheta (मेरु-चेता). The eighth muhurut of the day, when the sun is right on our heads, is known by many names, including Abhijit Muhurat, Chaturtha Lagna, Kutub Muhurat, Kutupa Mahurat and Swami Tithiyansha Muhurat. And herein lies the explanation for the name of the column-observatory known as Kutub-Minar.