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The Sri Guru Isa or 'Lord Guru' icon as
portrayed here dates back to the 7th century and was probably first used in
this form by devotees who were captured and sold as slaves to Eastern
European kings and rich folk. The rise of the bloodthirsty Islam
pounded the Church to death in Parthia and devotees who were exiled as
slaves roamed eastern europe for ages as a 'lost tribe' often referred to as
gypsies. This particular form of the icon is very suited to the
lifestyle of one who needs to travel a lot, or who lives in cramped quarters
and has space only for a small (mobile) home shrine.
The most extraordinary feature of this icon is
most probably the unconventional Ohm symbol on top. Scholars are never
short of speculation to answer such questions but one explanation to keep in
mind is that Sanskrit was very new in the lives of the unschooled devotee
from Parthia / Persia at the time. It could be that the original icon
made a mistake or it is entirely feasible to consider that this copy of an
Ohm may well be the oldest such symbol in existence. Was it perhaps
proper to write Ohm in this way in 7th century Partia?
The icon is placed in front of a double dorje
and backed by the nimbus of the Holy One. The two squares, one on each
side of the Lord carry depictions of the two stars the Magi followed--the
one foretelling the incoming of the man who was to become Perfect (the end
of Pisces) and the other star being the one ushering in the New Era of
Aquarius, the Water Bearer.
The icon Lord Guru depicts the Lord during His
wandering phase. It was during this time that The Magadalene followed
Him from Srinagar to Jerusalem. We estimate the age of the Lord to be
about 29 years old at the time of the icon.
The striking deep blue eyes is noteworthy and
extraordinary for a middle eastern man at that time. A fact noted by
various authors of antiquity. The particular headband worn by the Lord
in this icon is pregnant with deep meaning worthy of the research (we cannot
deal with everything here). |