Jesus In India — Page 101
J e s u s i n I n d i a 101 Among the testimonies contained in Buddhist records is the evidence mentioned on page 419 of Buddhism by Oldenberg. It is recorded on the authority of the book named Mahavagga (page 54 section 1) that a man called Rahulta 49 was a successor to the Buddha. This Rahulta has been described not only as his devoted disciple, but also as his son. I am convinced that Rahulta of Buddhistic records is none other than Ruhullah, which is one of Jesus’ titles and reads as Rahulta due to phonetic variation. To say that Rahulta was the son of the Buddha, who abandoned his child in infancy, went into exile and, wishing to part from his wife for good, left her asleep without informing her or saying farewell, and fled to some other land, is altogether absurd and derogatory to the high spiritual station of the Buddha. It portrays him as a cruel and hard-hearted man who had no compassion for his poor wife and left her asleep and slunk away like a thief without saying a word of consolation to her. He altogether ignored the duties he owed to her as a husband, neither divorcing her nor asking her permission to proceed on an endless journey, wounded her heart by disappearing so suddenly and did not care to send her even a single letter and took no pity on his child who grew up to manhood in his absence. Could such a man, who had no respect for the morals he taught his disciples, be righteous? Conscience refuses to accept this story, just as it refuses to accept the story of the Gospels that once Jesus failed to show regard for his mother, that he did not attend to her when she called on him and uttered words which were disrespectful. 49 Also known as Rahula. See Appendix, extract 5. (Translator)