About me
A little recap of my life journey..
In the 'Being' that counts
when the Master returns
Rev. Ravi Sankara Rao
Storyline
- The name 'Sankara'
My name is Sankara Rao, born on Sat and on the festival of Sankranthi, harvest festival of Hindus that comes in January,1954. Sankara is one of the names of Hindu trinity _Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh (sankara) we are five siblings to our parents. Three brothers and two sisters. I lost my father while I was just four years old. Not able to afford for higher studies but completed my 10 th class.
- Restless Question
Later I began to search for my bread and doing some job in AP itself. While I was 25 years two of my friends met with an accident on the road and died on the spot. Then a question came to me ‘where I will go if I die in the same manner’. In general when we are travelling we think we will go to certain place, complete our task and come back’ but no one think that we will die on the way. But the death will come when, where and how no one knows.
This question made me restless. Because Hinduism also says that if you do good you will go to heaven if not hell. At that time I certainly knew that I am not doing right rather go to hell. But I donot want to go to hell for there is a torture and suffering. How to escape hell.
I began to increase my way of Hindu worship of polytheism. Still the fear remains.
- Introduction to Jesus
At that point one of my friends told me believe in Jesus Christ and he will answer your question.
Till then my understanding of Christ is that he is God of low caste (since I came from Chowdary caste one of the high csastes in AP) and he is ‘foreign god’.
But at this moment I have decided to give a chance to him, if he is god let him answer my question- where will I go if I die?
- A 'dream'
Then God by His mercy revealed himself in a dream. In the dream I was walking with one of my friends. After some time I look back and found someone coming to kill me with a rifle. Then I told my friend who is walking with me,’let us run and escape’ for someone is coming to kill me. As we were running, he came faster than us and stood before us. At that time, my friend snatched away the gun from him to so that I may not be killed. In that struggle the bayonet of the riffle pierced my friend’s arms and blood gushed out. When I saw the blood I woke up and two questions came to me immediately.
Who is the person coming to kill me and the who is this friend saved and wounded himself.
There were none in my room at that time, but God spoke to me saying the person coming to kill me is no other than but my ‘sin’. We commit sin and forget about it but sin will not forget us, it follows us. Then I realised its true and I have accepted it. The second question is that who is this friend wounded for me, the answer is that ‘he is your creator’. I said I have many creators in my home whom I am worshipping daily. God said no. I asked why? The answer is that all Hindu gods are married and also some practiced polygamy. God is above sensational pleasures.
Then I realised there is no one except Jesus who wounded for me. Then I said ‘Lord I’m sinner forgive me’ then and there a great burden was removed from my heart. Peace and joy filled within me.
- Impact of the Bible
Then next day I told my friend about this. I was given a bible. I read the bible from cover to cover within one week of time by keeping myself in the closed doors. But in my first reading of the bible I didnot understand anything but one verse. It is found in 2 Sam 18. 33 when Absalom died his father David wept saying, I wish I would have died for you’. As we know Absalom was a cruel person but still Father wants to die for such kind of son.
This took me of my childhood. As I told earlier I lost my dad in my child hood but I have no memory of him. But when I was ten years old I also lost one more of my uncle and I remember my grand ma crying,’ oh god you are taking my sons, instead take me’.
The vision I had, my friend was wounded to save me; the test I read, father wants to die for his son so that he may alive, and in my real life my grandma‘s wish that she could be taken out instead of her sons.
All these are one line of revelation that God in Jesus name came down to this world and died for me and rose again on the third day and He is the living God.
- Life from then on..
Praise the Lord since then my question was answered, since Christ died for me, I have no more death but with God for eternity.
Hinduism also believes that if a person has one birth and he has to face two deaths.
If a person has two births (Brahmins are called ‘dvijas’ means two birth, the sacred thread around their neck is the symbol.) he will have only one death, which is physical, the temporary separation from the near and dear.
But the second death is eternal separation from God, it is hell.
God saved me from this eternal hell and brought me to himself to live with him eternity for which I am grateful and committed my life to serve Him and His people in the most unreached parts of North India.