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 "God, I have been born in sin,� chanted young Chellappa. “My deeds are that of a sinner. Through my mouth I sin. With my eyes I sin. Through my speech I sin. My stomach leads me to sin. . . Lord, I do not know how I can escape from sin. Come yourself and free me from the bond of sin."
Chellappa faithfully recited his mantras every morning. It was part of the family legacy. His grandfather was a guru and his family part of the order of priests or Brahmin--the highest caste in India. But the Second World War had hit India hard. Food was scarce and so the young Chellappa worked in the temple in exchange for meals and an education.
He tried to follow the temple rules as perfectly as possible, but often, when he had a quiet moment to reflect, one question haunted him: "Where does my soul go when I die?�
His grandfather’s death shook the ten-year old boy. Finding no solace in the uncertainty with which the gurus and priests explained the soul’s final destination, Chellappa flung himself into his studies. He wanted answers and started learning Sanskrit so he could read the holy books.
“Swami, when I die, where does my soul go?� he asked in class one day.
Annoyed at this intrusive inquisitiveness, Chellappa’s teacher told him to go read the Rig Veda, the oldest Sanskrit text, regarded as the holiest Hindu book.
Even in the first chapter Chellappa encountered teachings that puzzled him. The deities were all natural powers, including fire, air, rain and dew--very different from the Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva his Hindu mentors worshipped as the highest gods.
“Master,� he asked, “if the Rig Veda is the holiest book, shouldn’t I better worship Varuna (rain) and Agni (fire) instead of Vishnu and Brahma?�
His master ignored him. Chellappa was left to find answers for himself.
“Everyone who worships gods and their images will go to a place of darkness,� he read one day. Chellappa felt deeply disturbed. If that’s true, he thought, shouldn’t we rather close the temple? He searched the different Veda (Rig, Yazu, Sama, and Athara Veda), as well as the Upanished (commentaries), the Agames (laws) and Ariniakas (philosophies). One day he came across the god Prajapati, also known as “God of the people,� or Purusha, the large man.
Chellappa read that Prajapati’s offering took away the guilt of all mankind. He didn’t know this god, but the text explained that when Prajapati visits the world in the form of Purusha, he will have ten distinctive characteristics: he will be a sinless man; divided from his family; his own nation will reject him; a plant of thorns will be placed upon his head; he will be tied to a tree that looks like a three-pointed spear; blood will flow from his body; he will die, but his bones will not be broken; he will return to life; he will offer his flesh to the sons of god; and all forms of mankind will build his body.
Chellappa did not know any god in their temple that fit this description.
By this time, however, the priests had had it with Chellappa’s questions and dispelled the 22-year old from the temple.
Disappointed and disillusioned, he joined a group of atheists. His life soon veered downhill. He started gambling, his debts grew and he was finally taken to court. He was also diagnosed with tuberculosis. Since Chellappa didn’t have money for treatment, death became just a matter of time.
One day, on the way home from work at the railway station, he thought: “Why should I wait until poverty and illness waste me away?� He decided to jump off the train. Chellappa went to the carriage door, stood on the foot board and looked outside. He was one small step away when he heard: “Whoever keeps his wrongdoings secret has no success; whoever acknowledges his faults and surrenders, finds God’s mercy.�
The words were loud and clear and resounded in his heart. In all his years of studying he had never come across anything like it. Curiosity got the better of him. Eager to find out more, he got off the train at the next station and walked back to where he’d first heard the words. Chellappa couldn’t resist the faintest feeling that something greater than coincidence kept him from taking that last step.
A large crowd was gathered at the spot. They were Christians, a group of people Brahmins never mixed with. Chellappa stood at a safe distance beneath a tree, listening to the voice that rang out over the loudspeaker. It was the same voice that had met him on the train.
The man was telling the story of a god who had created everything, but did not stay as god. He became man and lived a simple life. And although he never did wrong and helped many, his own people rejected him. He was arrested and dragged before court and the judges knew no pardon. The god was whipped and beaten, spit on and ridiculed. But he did not complain. A crown of thorns was placed upon his head and he was fastened to a cross with nails driven through his wrists and feet. He died an agonizing death and was placed in a grave.
Chellappa was fascinated. Memories of the god Prajapati came flooding back. Could it be that Jesus Christ was the answer? That he was Prajapati... Perusha?
When the speaker finally asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus, Chellappa ran to the platform.
“Me! Me!� he yelled, panic-stricken. He thought there was only one Jesus to give away, and if he didn’t get there first, all would be lost.
But Truth saved him. Chellappa had finally found his Prajapati. He’d found the power to change.
Chellappa’s tuberculosis was healed and slowly but surely, he worked his way out of debt. Fourteen years later he started his ministry to Indians and Tamils. Millions have been impacted by his teaching, which combines his knowledge of the holy Hindu books with biblical truth. Still, whenever he shares his faith, Sadhu Chellappa proudly wears the orange-yellow colours of his Brahmin caste.
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