A Breatharian Yogi

Most of our grandmas tell us to eat as much and as healthy as we can. Some may even feed us till food reaches our chest. Though nobody usually goes a day without water, we are constantly reminded to have at least 8 glasses of it. The constant social media pings, one of which may also include, “Stay Hydrated” and food bloggers enticing us to try almost every food outlet in the world and gulping frantically without realizing to breathe, is what we are surrounded by.

Prahlad Jani Aka Mataji, Source: Pinterest

At such times, where delicacies are served from footpaths to renowned hotels, how can someone resist the desire to try them out? But we must not forget that the exception proves the rule. A yogi named Prahlad Jani claimed to be blessed by the three most powerful goddesses (Maa Kali, Maa Laxmi and Maa Saraswati) in the Hindu religion who gave him the miraculous ability to survive without food and water. It was the eighth day of Navaratri and he was only seven years old when these goddesses appeared to him. He followed them and since then hunger never bothered him.

Today, he is no more among us and died on 26th May 2020 at the age of 91. He had been a breatharian, since 1940 and the term 'breatharian' is something which is also talked about in the book 'Star Signs' by Linda Goodman. She claims that it is a way of life which is far away from our reality because of the lifestyle choices we make in this modern world. And yet it is not something impossible.

The mind-boggling details do not end here. Born on 13 August 1929 in Charada Village, which is now in the Mehsana district of Gujarat, Prahlad Jani left his home and went to the jungle at the age of seven. Since he was 12 years old, he was a true devotee of goddess Amba and decided to dress like a female devotee wearing a saree, jewelry and beautiful flowers in his hair. Due to such attire and appearance, his followers started calling him Mataji.

He used to live in a cave in the forest and only visited his family once a year on the day of Navaratri to celebrate with them. Another enigma to his life story is that he believed that the goddess used to provide him water through a hole in his palate. Which indeed is unbelievable!

When such news came to the awareness of more people, doctors ran some tests on him to see if what he claimed was true or not. In the presence of Dr Sudhir Shah, two studies were conducted on Mataji in 2003 and 2010. In the former year, tests were conducted on him in the Sterlings Hospital for 10 days. He was kept under 24/7 monitoring so that no room for cheating can be given to him. The doctors kept him in a sealed room under CCTV surveillance.

Mataji Under 24/7 Observation, Source: Pinterest

During the testing, he was given no food or drink and surprisingly, he passed no stool or urine and yet his condition have been absolutely normal. DR. Sanjeev Mehta, a radiologist, examined Mataji and did sonography twice a day for seven days. And what he found defied science. During his observation, he noticed that there were ups and downs in urine from 400 ml to 200 ml, then 300 ml but at the end of the study there was no urine in his bladder. When asked the yogi, he claimed that he was absorbing the urine in his body. Unimaginable! Adding to our surprise, the hole in his palate was also found by the doctors.

In 2010 observations and testing one more fascinating truth was found that the yogi’s brain resembles the brain of a 25-year-old person.

These inexplicable discoveries which humans call miracles could be science beyond the understanding of modern science itself. It is globally known that yogic practices do transform our mind, body and soul. The more sincere we will be toward them the more unusual wonders we are bound to encounter. There are things which can’t be explained in words, but can only be experienced and such was the life of Prahlad Jani, a true breatharian.