A Living Hope for a Hopeless Hindu Brahmin

I am from a very religious Hindu Brahmin family. My father is a Hindu priest in a very large temple in northern India. Our caste are the scribes of Hinduism and so we are trained in maintaining the Hindu scriptures.

When I was 16, my mother became very ill and died. Her death was the turning point in my life. I just couldn’t possibly understand why my mother died. “Why hadn’t lord Shiva saved her?” I asked myself over and over. She was one of the most wonderful and kind people that anyone knew.

After she died, I became very argumentative with anyone who said it was Karma. I said, “Karma?! She was born a Brahmin and she was a wonderful person. Karma would say that she was blessed not that she should die young!” My worldview was being challenged by my experience.

People started to tell my father that I was crazy and that I should be taken to a mental hospital. My life was in such despair that I attempted suicide on 3 occasions. After the 2nd time I tried, my father told me that it would be better if I just died.

My life was completely hopeless.

On the 3rd occasion that I tried to commit suicide, a relative came to me and told me that I should try asking Jesus for help. I was not interested; in fact, I was opposed to it. The family members went to find some Christians and brought them to me. I didn’t want to hear anything that they said. They said they wanted to pray for me and they said I should close my eyes. I was thinking, “what kind of curse are they going to perform on me now?”

Skeptically, I closed my eyes and as soon as they began to pray for me, I opened my eyes to see what they would do. I was so surprised by the loving words which they prayed for me. They prayed as if they were speaking intimately with this Jesus who held all power and authority, the only Saviour of the world, who was loving and compassionate. I felt a tremendous heavy burden lift off of me and I began to just weep profusely. When they finished praying, they asked me why I was crying and I said, “I don’t know”. So, they continued to pray for me.

After they finished praying, I ask them, “what did you do to me?” They said, “nothing, we just prayed”. I told them, “I felt a heavy burden lift off of me and now I don’t feel the effects of the medication any more” (that is, the overdose medication which I took). They told me that Jesus did a miracle and I now understand that it was the Holy Spirit who began his work in my life that day.

I started secretively meeting with Christians and I came to believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and was raised to life to offer me a living hope.

When my father learned of my conversion I was driven out of our house and I had to leave my home area.

I traveled to another city and found some Christians who were studying at a Bible School. “A Bible School?!” I asked them, “You have a school to study the Bible?” I was so excited and I asked if I could join.

The principal was reluctant to let me join because I was a Brahmin, so he asked for a reference from the church where I was baptized. He was satisfied after hearing from the pastor who baptized me and then I began to study the Bible and began learning so much about what Jesus has done for me.

I was granted a full scholarship at another school when they heard my testimony and I continued my studies.

By God’s grace, today I serve as a pastor and we have started a church in a city in North India.

Editor’s note: Many of our partners have indicated that the Brahmin caste are difficult to reach. Brahmins are the highest caste in Hindu societies. Those who are not of the Brahmin caste are despised and don’t get an ear with the Brahmins. Please pray with us for more Brahmins to hear and receive the gospel.