News abound on the internet today about an 83 year Indian yogi by the name of Prahlad Jani, a sadhu or holy man, who claims that he has survived without ingesting any food or water for the last 70 years.

He has bravely subjected himself to medical study to prove a point, although one has to wonder why he feels the need at all to prove a point about the matter. Is this not a function of ego, something that the yogi devotes energy to distancing oneself from? Maybe there is more to the story that is not being told.

Mr Jani spends most of his time in a cave near the Ambaji temple in Gujarat state. He states that he was blessed by a goddess at the young age of 8, and took on the role of sadhu, devoting his life to meditation and devotion, and as a result has no need for physical sustainance.

He has subjected himeslf to a 3 week stay, under constant observation, in Sterling Hospital, in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. During that time, he did not consume anything and "neither did he pass urine or stool", according to the hospital's deputy superintendent, Dr Dinesh Desai.

Most people can live without food for several weeks, with the body drawing on its fat and protein stores. But the average human can survive for only three to four days without water. Yet for Prahlad Jani, after his 10th day under observation, his health couldn't be better, and his body is in fine shape.

"A series of tests conducted on him show his body mechanism is that of a normal person," said Dr Desai.

Followers of Indian holy men and ascetics have often ascribed almost supernatural powers to them, but such powers are seldom subject to scientific inspection. This is a rare time for science to delve into the mysteries of the yogi's. I have read much on this subject over the years, and tales of the amazing feats able to be performed by the seriously devout yogi's seemed to be a thing of the past. Perhaps he feels the need to test our collective abilities to believe in more than the desire to have the lastest flatscreen, or the new Twilight movie....
Read more to see the video of this amazing man.

The Life of a Yogi.

To define a yogi is a rather hard thing. There are all sorts of levels of yogis, but it is generally accepted that the sadhu is an deeply spiritual man that has forgone all attachments to what has become the modern way of life. Sadhus engage in a wide variety of religious practices. Some practice extreme asceticism while others mainly focus on praying, chanting or meditating.

The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man") and sādhvī ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society in order to focus on their own spiritual practice.

The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha (liberation), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. They often wander the countryside, devoting themselves to meditation and spiritual advancement.

Prahlad Jani grew up in Charod village in Mehsana district, but left for a holy life at age 8 after a visit from a goddess whom bestowed him with the ability to exist solely from air alone, by giving him the ability to absorb an elixir that the goddess delivers to him via a hole in his palete.
He wears the dress of a devotee of the goddess Ambaji - a red sari-like garment, nose ring, bangles and crimson flowers in the hair. He also wears the vermilion "tika" mark on his forehead, more often seen on married Hindu women. His followers call him "mataji" or goddess.

According to Dr Sudhir Shah, who examined him in 2003, he went without food or water for ten days in which urine appeared to be reabsorbed by his body after forming in his bladder. Many hindus fast, sometimes for up to 8 days, but water is generally drunk during this time.

For those of you that find this very interesting may I suggest this wonderful book, "The Autobiography of a Yogi".
One of the best books I have read on the subject.