When we think of blessing and good fortune our minds go to Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, success and wealth. She blesses hard work when it is not done in greed. In the story of the Churning of the Milky Ocean, Lakshmi left the devas and entered the milky ocean because of the disrespect that Indra showed when he threw away the sacred flowers. However, after one thousand years of churning the ocean for her return, she blessed the faithful with her re-birth.
When we think of destruction, desolation and annihilation our minds go to Bhairava, the fierce incarnation of Shiva, or even to the third eye of Shiva. It is almost always closed but he does open it to destroy evil doers. Both Lakshmi and Shiva receive much attention from devotees, because people desire the blessings from the one and fear the curse or destruction of the other.
Blessings & Curses … to the Israelites … for instructing us.
The Creator God revealed in the Hebrew Vedas was the author both of such blessing to rival that of Lakshmi and of curse and destruction as terrible as that of Bhairava or Shiva’s third eye. This was directed to his chosen people – the Israelites – who were his devotees. They were given after God gave them the Ten Commandments – the standard to know whether sin controlled them or not. These blessings and curses were directed at the Israelites but were announced long ago so that all other nations would take note and realize that he offers us blessings with the same power He bestowed on the Israelites. All of us who want prosperity & blessing, and avoid destruction & curse should learn from the experience of the Israelites.
Sri Moses lived about 3500 years ago and he wrote the first books that make up the Hebrew Vedas. His last book, Deuteronomy, contain his final words written just before he died. These were his Blessings to the people of Israel – the Jews, but also his Curses. Moses wrote that these Blessings & Curses would shape world history and should be noticed, not just by the Jews, but also by all other nations. These Blessings & Curses have affected history in India. So this was written for us to reflect on. The complete Blessings and Curses are here. The summary follows.
The Blessings of Sri Moses
Moses began by describing the blessings that the Israelites would receive if they obeyed The Law (ie the given here through a timeline. Read it and assess for yourself if the Curses of Moses came to pass. This explains why Jewish groups migrated into India starting 2700 years ago (eg. Bnei Menashe of Mizoram). They were scattered to India as a result of Assyrian and Babylonian conquests followed by mass deportations – exactly as Moses had warned.
The Conclusion to Moses’ Blessings and Curses
Moses’ final words did not end with Curses. Here is how Moses made his final pronouncement.
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors (Deuteronomy 30:1-5)
After being exiled for thousands of years, in 1948 – within the lifetime of many alive today – the modern nation of Israel was re-born from a United Nations resolution and Jews started immigrating back to Israel from nations around the world – exactly as Moses’ predicted. In India today, the thousand- year Jewish communities in Cochin, Andhra Pradesh and in Mizoram are dwindling rapidly as Jews depart to return to their ancestral land. Only about 5000 Jews remain in India. The Blessings of Moses are becoming fulfilled before our eyes, as certainly as the Curses shaped their history.
This has several implications for us. First, the blessings & curses had their authority and power from God. Moses was simply an enlightened messenger – a Rsi. The fact that these curses and blessings reaches down thousands of years, across the nations of the globe, and affects billions of people (the return of Jews to Israel has created turmoil – regularly causing events making global headlines) – is evidence that this God has the power and authority that the Bible (Veda Pusthakan) says He has. In the same Hebrew Vedas sacrifice of Abraham’s son, God reiterated that ‘all nations would be blessed’. The striking location and details of that sacrifice help us know of our Curse. Why not receive the gift of Blessing?