By Abigail Sanchez Aguilar —
Sarma Velamuri proposed to do exegesis to the Bible, comparing it to Hindu scriptures, just to prove that Christianity is no better than Hinduism.
“I wasn’t ambivalent about Christians like most Hindus are,” the Houston doctor says. “I thought they were morons. I had this idea: I’m going to read the Bible and prove to you that it says the exact same thing as every other religion on the planet. In fact, I’m going to write a book. I started reading the Bible because I was angry.”
Unusually, he picked Ecclesiastes, in the middle of the Bible, to start.
“I discovered that Ecclesiastes actually answers a lot of questions that were raised by Hinduism,” he noted, specifically the pointlessness of life in Hinduism. If you die tragically, it doesn’t mean much because you instantly reincarnate elsewhere.
“Then I started reading the biographical account of Jesus in the Gospel of John,” Sarma says. “And that’s when the trouble really began.”
Of course, Jesus said all the expected things, like Hinduism, such as taking care of the poor. But Sarma saw there was a higher narrative arc with a much more profound meaning.
“The point of what Jesus was saying was now’s the time. The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” he explains. “Change how you think. Believe in me and you will be the son or daughter of God. That’s it. It’s not based on your actions. It’s not based on your karma. is not based on anything else but your belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus.”
As he read John, he interacted with the scripture, praying his way through.
I was dismayed at what he was saying because he was not saying what I wanted him to say,” he elaborates. “So I reluctantly start praying to Jesus. In John he says that my sheep hear my voice they know my voice, and I start praying in response to hearing this Jesus, I want to be your sheep. I want to know your voice. I want to hear your voice.“
It was unlike anything he had ever read in Hindu scriptures: the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana/Mahabharata, Puranas.
What sealed the deal was Psalm 138: “Before I was formed in my mother’s womb, you already knew me. Before a word came on my lips, you already know. Where can I flee from your presence — if I were to rise on the wings of dawn, if I were to settle on the far side of the sea?
“I can’t run away from this anymore,” he realized. Today Sarma is a Christian working in the Houston area.
In addition to being a physician, Sarma works in administration in Houston-area hospitals. He’s the co-founder and CEO of AI company Luminare, which cans patient data for signs of danger, coordinates hospital teams and improves workflow rather than just predictions.
