Matthew 5:1-12 is the most simple as well as the most appealing part of the Sermon on the Mount. In India people like Mahatmaji and Rajaram Mohanroy offered their own interpretations of it. In the context of Onam and the story of Mahabali the text becomes more meaningful. Onam is primarily celebrating the myth of annual return of Mahabali, the Asura King, to his country after being pushed down to the netherworld by Vamana, the Brahmin incarnation of Vishnu. Popular stories and songs picture Mahabali as a noble and righteous king who sacrificed his kingdom to keep his word given to a boy who begged three feet of land, enough for sit in prayer. Under his rule there was no caste or social or discrimination among people; no kind of fear or fraud, treachery, oppression or violence in the country. There was perfect harmony between humans and animals as well as with nature; no one trespassed the rights of others and every one enjoyed perfect freedom and security. Yet Mahabali was deprived of his power and position under the pretext of the higher good of salvation by the Aryan God. Maha Vishnu who came in disguise as a Brahmin boy to protect the interests of the Devas (Aryans). Later this act of atrocity was justified by charging Mahabali with pride and immorality, challenging the supremacy of Devas (gods), and leading people away from the true religion of Brahminism and the act of sending Mahabali to patala was held as an act of kindness to secure the Asura (Dravidian) kings's salvation.
Matthew 5: 12 says, happy are those who are insulted, persecuted and accused of all kinds of evil falsely, for their reward is great in heaven, "for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Do Mahabali resemble some of the persecuted prophets, or one of the "many and various ways" by which "long ago God spoke to our ancestors" (Hebrews 1:1) or like Melchizedek, the Canaanite "king of righteousness and peace, "resemble the Son of God" (Hebrews 7:3). Mahabali is Maha(Great) Bali (Sacrifice), one who sacrificed his life to keep his word, though his Guru Sukracharya, tried to save him from performing the jaladanam, ritual pouring of water to finalize the land deal with Vamana. Mahabali is a vanquished king, defeated and rejected by the Brahminic priesthood and the Aryan hierarchy, but has been eagerly awaited by the Malayalees to welcome him to their homes and to their land year after year, in remembrance of his sacrificial life and death, his noble values and impeccable reign. Keshub Chunder Sen, the great renascent leader of Bengal has said that what India needs is not more religious sacrifices but self sacrifce. He cited Christ as the supreme example of self sacrifice. Rabindranath Tagore has congratulated Christianity for introducing the idea of vicarious suffering into Indian religiosity. Mahatma Gandhiji was also very much moved by the self offering of Jesus to humanity on the cross. The story of Mahabali who lost his Kingdom to the Aryans who invaded Kerala beginning from the third century CE onwards is an example of the values of self sacrifice and vicarious suffering.
Matthew 5: 12 says, happy are those who are insulted, persecuted and accused of all kinds of evil falsely, for their reward is great in heaven, "for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Do Mahabali resemble some of the persecuted prophets, or one of the "many and various ways" by which "long ago God spoke to our ancestors" (Hebrews 1:1) or like Melchizedek, the Canaanite "king of righteousness and peace, "resemble the Son of God" (Hebrews 7:3). Mahabali is Maha(Great) Bali (Sacrifice), one who sacrificed his life to keep his word, though his Guru Sukracharya, tried to save him from performing the jaladanam, ritual pouring of water to finalize the land deal with Vamana. Mahabali is a vanquished king, defeated and rejected by the Brahminic priesthood and the Aryan hierarchy, but has been eagerly awaited by the Malayalees to welcome him to their homes and to their land year after year, in remembrance of his sacrificial life and death, his noble values and impeccable reign. Keshub Chunder Sen, the great renascent leader of Bengal has said that what India needs is not more religious sacrifices but self sacrifce. He cited Christ as the supreme example of self sacrifice. Rabindranath Tagore has congratulated Christianity for introducing the idea of vicarious suffering into Indian religiosity. Mahatma Gandhiji was also very much moved by the self offering of Jesus to humanity on the cross. The story of Mahabali who lost his Kingdom to the Aryans who invaded Kerala beginning from the third century CE onwards is an example of the values of self sacrifice and vicarious suffering.
Bible is emphatic about the need of recognizing our spiritual poverty. Spiritual complacency is hypocrisy. Jesus condemns it. It keeps you away from God and others. To feel one's spiritual nothingness is important in Christian spirituality. On the cross Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Eli, Eli lama sabachtani, Matt.27: 46). On the night before his capture Jesus felt spiritual darkness all around him and requested the prayer support of his disciples (Matt:26:37-38). All honest Christians will certainly recognize such spiritual helplessness. There is a danger involved in our spirituality: the moment we are confident of it, we lose it. When others praise our goodness and righteousness we are in the danger of being carried away by it and succumb to our spiritual pride.on the other hand, when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me, you are blessed" (Matt.5:11). When we begin to think of our own importance, their starts our spiritual fall. The recognition of this spiritual poverty is what the Greeks consider as the supreme wisdom: knowing yourself. Job during the several of his trials began to doubt his own faith. M.M. Thomas titled his commentary on Job thus: Faith Confirmed through Doubt. Dr. Valson Thampu, who has been a member of the Minority Commission of the Government of India and now the Principal of St. Stephen's College, Delhi, has written an article in the Deccan Herald (September 10,2008) on the occasion of the 11th death anniversary of Mother Teresa. The article was titled, "Mother Teresa shows the way: Faith in scepticism." He started his essay by quoting from Mother Teresa's diary notes: “Where is my faith? Even deep down…there is nothing but emptiness and darkness… If there be God —please forgive me. When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my very soul … How painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith. Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal…what do I labour for?" These personal notes have embarrassed the Roman Catholic hierarchy in their efforts at beatifying her. Dr. Valson Thampu calls her an honest Christian. Sermon on the Mount shows us the blessedness of having a self examining mind, self critical spirituality over a boastful, over confident and self-righteous spirituality. While Jesus had his moments of doubt as seen in his prayer at Gethsemane and on the Cross, by contrast, his disciple Peter was so confident of his spiritual prowess and faith, which in turn proved to be empty boast of a shallow faith as he denied Jesus three times before the enemies. In the history of world more wars were fought by people who were cocksure of their faith and wanted to defend it by any means, not considering seriously for a moment what that faith really meant or whether they have faith at all. It has been said of Mohammed Ali Jinna, who got the division of India on religious grounds, that he had no religion at all in his personal life. In the recent Orissa violence, innocent people were killed and put to all types of torture on account of religion by people who want to protect the "tolerant" nature of their religion by poisoning of the minds of Kandh tribals against Pana Dalits, a large number of whom happened to be Christians. Playing one group against another, divide and rule poloicy, was not invented by the British, but it was an age old method of exercising the Brahminic supremacy in India, by which some castes were put against some others. Brahminical heirarchy has always been clever enough to maintain their superiority over Indian society first by defeating and manipulating the anti casteist indegenous movements of Jainism and Buddhism and accommodating their founders in their pantheon of avataras.Today the same ploy is now used by the radical Hindutva groups to destroy those who support Dalit resurgence. Mahabali's story is such another example of Brahmin Dalit conflict in which Brahmins were able to posses the land of Kerala from its Dravidian King.
During my ministry in Kayamkulam area I learnt about another tradition of Onam known in and around Onattuakara which includes the present Kayamkulam, Karunagappaly Mavelikara taluks. This local little tradition gives much light to what makes Onam memorable. Onattukara means the land of Onam. Mavelikara means the land of Maveli, the more popular shortened form of the name, Mahabali or Maveli was the king of Onattukara. Mahabali was a Buddhist King. Even now the remnants of Buddhist culture is present in Mavelikara and nearby places. Bali, Palli, Maha, katha and several other Malyalam words come from Pali, the pre-Sanskrit (prakrit) language of Jainism and Buddhism. It is to be noted that Christians and Muslims in Kerala, who were converted from Buddhism when it declined at the hands of Vedic revivalists beginning from Sankaraharya, called their worship places Palli. Christians call their central religious ritual, Qurbana, as the great self-sacrifice, Maha Bali. Bali is the sacrifice of a great King. Several important princes of ancient mythologies were known as Balis (King Bali who saved a dove by offfering the vulture meat from his own thigh, and Bahubali, the great Jain Prince of Sravanabalgola, in Karnataka are examples), This liitle tradition, probably comes from the Kerala's Buddhist past, tells that Sabarimala Sasta, the most important deity in Kerala, has been a Buddhist prince, who later turned out to be an incarnation of Vishnu. Even Buddha, who taught atheism, himself was made into an incarnation of Vishnu. The seated Buddha statue outside the Mavlikara Temple resembles the Sasta of Sabarimala. The sitting posture of Sabraimala Sasta is undoubtedly a Buddhist Lotus posture. The special chantings during the pilgrimage to Sabarimala also resemble the Buddhist Saranam chants. (compare the Budham Sarnam, Sanghom Saranam, Dharmam Saranam chants with the Swami Saranam, Ayyappa Saranam of Sabarimala pilgrims. More over the earliest reference to Onam celebration come around AD 800 after the decline of the Buddhist Sanghom period, in South India. This also marks the time of the resurgence of Hinduism under Sankarachaya. Hence for all probablity Onam is the celebration of the ideal rule of a Dalit indigenous Buddhist King of Kerala who was defeated by the Aryans. The only Vamanamurthy temple in Kerala is in Thrikkakara, near Cochin, the earliest Brahmin settlement in Kerala. Two of the most prominent events in Kerala, Onam as well as Sabarimala pilgrimage, are associated with Kerala's Buddhist past and are observed by people of all religious traditions. Onam celebrates the return of the good King who established a Kingdom with justice and equality as the corner stones, and sacrificed his life, emptied his power and authority and descended to hell (patala) and comes again to see his people; something which the Christians are also proclaiming as the truth of Christ. Mahabali makes an ideal symbol of Christ and Onam brings the hope of the just and peaceful Kingdom of God.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said: "Do unto others what you want others do to yourself." All persons have the right to profess what he or she believes or considers significant in his or her life and finds beneficial to others. At the same time there is no meaning in propagating faith in places where it is not welcome. Jesus said: "If you're not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."(Mark 6: 11 The Message Translation) Those who consider their religion sufficient for their salvation need not be disturbed just as Christians are not comfortable to be preached that what they believe is not enough for salvation as some of the sectarian Christians do even among Christians who do not subscribe to their sectarian views.Those who see their spiritual need, recognize their spiritual poverty, are the people who are blessed, irrespective of their religious affialitation. Jesus mission is God's mission. People in all lands and religions are God's people. God is working in them. Christian missionaries can only witness to what they know of God. They do not have any monopoly of God's truth, which is more than we know about God. Jesus said Holy Spirit will guide the disciples in all truth. Truth is a search. Christians must be prepared to meet witnesses of truth in other communities. Onam is such a cultural festival which speaks much gospel to Christians. The Gospel as God's will for creation is eternal. It is entrusted not only to Christians. Justin Martyr, the second century philosopher who courted martyrdom of Christ, believed that where ever reason is acknowledged Christ is present. The seed of the logos is universally present (logos spermatikos). Hence he believed that philosphers like Socrates and Plato were Christians before Christ. Gospel is not outside of even atheistic traditions such as Buddhism, where mercy and justice are held as the supreme values. We should remember that early Christianity was accused of atheism in the Roman Empire, because of its humanistic character. Christians must take the risk of showing Christ's love towards the poor and the neglected of our country, the Dalits, tribals and women. In doing good we need not be afraid of any one and risk ourselves courageously. Those who work for peace and justice will be counted as the children of God and inheirtors of the Kingdom of God. It must be recognized that many Hindu friends in India are thretened by the organized evangelization of several groups of Christians with western economic support. We do not have any right to threaten or cause fear among people of other faiths by our preaching or even social actions. It is only in humility and knowing our own imperfections can we proclaim Christ. Christians have to search for what makes peace between communities without forgetting our commitment to Dalits and tribals in their search for human dignity. Mahabali is still remembered as a king who courageously laid down his life for the values he held.
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