Sunday Blessings ; Chundra Lela

My blog friend Dr Elizabeth Mahlou invited me to write guests posts on her blog in Febuary. I did a series ofn prominent Indian christians who touched my life. Here is the concluding post.

Chundra Lela, A Priestess in Search of God

Chundra Lela was born in Nepal in 1840, married at seven, and became a widow when she was nine. Chundra’s father taught her to read Sanskrit and educated her as a Brahmin. When she was thirteen, Chundra began a pilgrimage to worship at India’s four great temples. After the seven years she spent visiting these holy places, Chundra was still not at peace, so she continued to visit holy places and shrines. She tried a variety of spiritual disciplines and served as a guru to other seekers.In her search for God, Chundra Lela endured much suffering and penance. She spent a long time reading and thinking about the holy scriptures. She said, "I felt that for all the outlay of money and time and for all my sufferings I had found nothing soul-satisfying. No knowledge of myself, nor yet of God for a vision of whom I had been willing to endure so much."When Chundra Lela met some Christians, she read Christian scriptures. She compared the Bible with her holy books and made a deep study of them.One day she prayed ,"O Jesus if thou art the true God, grant me a vision of Thyself." She says, "While I was still praying, my little house was full of light and a vision such as I am not able to describe. It was the Mighty and Glorious One. I fell on my face before Him and remained thus, my heart overflowing with joy. Then and there I resolved to become a Christian."Chundra professed faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized. Chundra continued her pilgrimages with a difference: she preached about Jesus. Like Saint Francis of Assisi, Chundra Lela lived by begging. The little she had, she shared.As she began to preach the message of Christ, she faced severe opposition. She was beaten several times. Once, a man approached her with a sword and threatened to cut off her head. She bared her neck and said, "I will go to God, and you will be accountable for your deed." He didn't kill her, and she went on preaching. Later he came to ask her for forgiveness, and she forgave him.Chundra Lela traveled all over India and Nepal, spreading the Gospel of Christ. Many times she would teach for hours without food or drink until people reminded her it was time to take rest and refreshment.Chundra Lela spent her last years living with a disgraced Hindu woman near a road so she could continue to preach to those who passed by. When she grew old, she sat in front of her hut and preached to those passing by. When her final illness took hold of her, her dying words were, "Four bright angels have come to take me to Jesus." Chundra Lela died on November 26, 1907.