The Yogi Who Has Not Eaten For 70 Years

Prahlad Jani who prefers to a called ‘Mataji’..notice the red sindoor in his hair parting, tikka, ornaments and red clothes,

Watched awestruck the unfolding of a story on IBN live yesterday that informed about the presence of a Yogi in Gujarat , Prahlad Jani, who claims to have not eaten a morsel of food or drunk a sip of water since the last 70 years.

It came as no surprise though. Mention of such ‘miracle men’ in the ‘Autobiography Of A Yogi” helped. It remains one of my favourite books, although to merely consider it one would be trivialising its core. Its more a synthesis of our culture, replete with magical men and saints who have graced our planet and yet continue to do so. The authenticity of the Maharishis and Divine souls mentioned therein with their photographs, increases a thousand fold when you keep in mind the identity of the author, Paramhansa Yogananda, the yogi whose body , after his earthly demise remained fragrant for days. No further proof needed to substantiate the level of his purity and stage of divinity achieved in his short span of life.

Coming to Prahlad Bhai or ‘ Mataji’ as he is referred to since he is a devotee of Mother Goddess, who he avers blessed him at the age of 9 susequent to which he has never felt the need to eat or drink. A hole in the palate , he continues, internally supplies him with water. One recalls reading about saints who lived on for hundreds of years solely on this nectar which seems to be produced only on the awakening of the Kundalini, beyond which all material concerns vanish.

Prahlad bhai though appears less divine, in that sense. Although he is touted to have meditated  in the Himalayas for 12 years, following which he came down to the banks of the Narmada and meditated in its waters.

A team of 300 Doctors kept him under strict vigil for 10 days in the hospital with CCtv cameras to follow his every move so as to validate his claims. That he was in good health throughout, with no apparent discomfort or loss of health is what they have reported.

What is the possible explanation? is it a case similar to that of plants where absorption of oxygen creates chlorophyll internally? Perhaps the required carbohydrates and minerals are being self produced. If so, how? Is it really a divine blessing or an indication and spurring on granted by Nature to us to study deeper into the phenomenon and explore for answers?

If a day does dawn when this mystery is solved and Man is able to replicate the occurrence, one cannot imagine the extent of positive fallout. The present food crisis, disease, would be as archaic as the stone age. Longevity a birthright.And.. a piece of information that may serve as food for thought. People die more of over eating than of starvation :)

Nonetheless..Now that this reality has hit a high note, what will be worth watching is the further investigations into unravelling the enigma or rather will there be any such investigation at all or will this just be another instance of breaking news which will be relegated to the back burner once the initial outburst of excitement has died down? We are so cynical presently that even miracles fail to keep us agog for long. Or lets say so starved for excitement and thrills a minute that nothing really captures our attention over a prolonged period.

Also one doubts that the ‘food lobby’ would encourage this story to make rounds in the upper echelons. An Industry which is growing by the minute with no signs of abating, this phenomenon will serve it a blow which would be fatal. Of course, I hasten to add it is not as if this is going to e a rampant occurrence from the first of next month..But all the same the biggest discoveries were made with baby steps..the trickle of water in a dam is enough to create a terror of its impending collapse!

The point is that if Prahlad Bhai can be the recipient of this unusual occurrence, what stops this from happening to any of us? Enlightenment, Grace, Blessings? Or merely a scientist hitting upon the right gene?

Till such time as the tablets are available off the counter.. I might as well book my table at Yokos for a delectable sizzler. Tomorrow..will look after itself.