KOLKATA: His devotees were worried because he was having headaches for the first time in his life. Not bad for a 120-year old. So, the monk walked in for the first medical check-up of his life. To put it in perspective, when Swami Sivananda was born, it had only been a year since X-ray was invented, and on Saturday, he didn’t bat an eyelid when he was wheeled into an MRI machine.
Born on August 8, 1896, in Behala, then a village, the swamiji could be the oldest living person. In fact, he is about five years older than Japan’s Jiroemon Kimura, who holds the Guinness Record now. Though based in Varanasi, he moves around the country and abroad for spiritual discourses.
“As a child who had to sleep on an empty stomach many nights, even boiled food is a fancy . I stuck to boiled food as a habit and not because I was conscious of my health. Fruits and milk are a fancy for the hungry so I avoid them,” said Swami Sivananda. While many `Godmen’ or gurus live in palatial houses, Swami Sivananda lives in a 600 sq ft flat in Varanasi donated by his disciples. Anyone who wants to approach the swamiji with their problems can walk in any time of the day . He sleeps on a mat with a wooden block for a pillow. He performs yoga, pranayama and freehand exercises for two hours daily. The rest of the day he reads, chants and speaks with devotees from any religion.The good days are when he gets to help someone.
Great going.
Good grief. Living like that, boiled food and a wooden pillow, I would have offed myself many years ago. Fuck the chilies.
What’s the evidence that he’s 120 years old? Most sources say that the oldest person in the world is 116 years old. Note also that the article gets it wrong about who’s generally accepted as being the oldest person. Jiroemon Kimura died three years ago:
This is a list of tables of the oldest people in the world in ordinal ranks. To avoid including false or unconfirmed claims of old age, names here are restricted to those people whose ages have been validated by an international body dealing in longevity research, such as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records (GWR), and others who have otherwise been reliably sourced.
The longest documented and verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997)...
Smapti
August 5, 2016, 7:58am
4
I’ve heard that in parts of the world where births and deaths and the like are not thoroughly documented, that the practice exists of a person assuming the identity of their deceased parent in order to reap whatever government benefits the departed might have been entitled to.
I’m not saying that that’s definitely what’s going on with the revered swami, but it’s certainly a possibility.
(Green chilies are danged good, in any event.)
It is late,I am tired and cranky. that given, I am a bit sceptical of an article reporting a 120 year old human and the only photo is a crappy picture of him getting a medical procedure.
I tried to paste Google search for "Swami Sivananda " and “Sivananda Goswami” my dang iPad would not cooperate.
How can we doubt this story, given the secret of the green chiles?
At least the swami didn’t swear by urine-drinking, like the former prime minister of India .
astro
August 6, 2016, 12:00am
7
Smapti:
I’ve heard that in parts of the world where births and deaths and the like are not thoroughly documented, that the practice exists of a person assuming the identity of their deceased parent in order to reap whatever government benefits the departed might have been entitled to.
I’m not saying that that’s definitely what’s going on with the revered swami, but it’s certainly a possibility.
(Green chilies are danged good, in any event.)
This. Most 110+ year olds are hanging onto life by the barest thread. It’s unlikely a 120 year old is “fighting fit”.
astro
August 6, 2016, 12:03am
8
Interesting list here. No men in the top ten!
This is a list of tables of the oldest people in the world in ordinal ranks. To avoid including false or unconfirmed claims of old age, names here are restricted to those people whose ages have been validated by an international body dealing in longevity research, such as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records (GWR), and others who have otherwise been reliably sourced.
The longest documented and verified human lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997)...
He’s been exposed to the medical profession? His days are numbered.
I’ve heard that in parts of the world where births and deaths and the like are not thoroughly documented, that the practice exists of a person assuming the identity of their deceased parent in order to reap whatever government benefits the departed might have been entitled to.
I’m not saying that that’s definitely what’s going on with the revered swami, but it’s certainly a possibility.
(Green chilies are danged good, in any event.)
I’d guess something along these lines.
However, severe caloric restriction has been shown to improve health and prolong life so living on a bit of boiled food now and again may indeed make you healthier. The question is whether you want to live a long time that way.
Right. Not everyone gets the expected outcome/experience from a doctor or from medical field. Many times it is very bad. Prevention is much better than cure…
No stress n negativity. Trying to be happy. Eat less. Trying to eat boiled rather than fried food, green chillis, exercise, being conscious abt health… The swami has been doing all the right things.
So the final answer is Green Chillis? Half of new Mexico is gonna be pissed that they were wrong.
Biotop
August 6, 2016, 3:13am
14
That would be a cayenne shame!
Seriously?
You’d really prefer weed-paste poultices, water scooped from the stumps of trees struck by lightning, Ivy garlands picked at midnight from 100% Christian grave yards, and Possums swung by the tail over your head until you’re cured of your “Vapors” or any “French Pox”?
Biotop
August 6, 2016, 3:52am
16
Swami: Would you like to live a long time? Here, eat this chili pepper.
Tommy: Ancho?
Swami: You’re welcome.
Is the sole metric used to determine good health simply longevity?
I saw a program a few years ago about people trying various life extension techniques.
They had a 40 something guy who’d been on calorie restriction for years.
He looked terrible, had zero sex drive and amongst other issues his bone density was that of a 80 year old.
DeptfordX:
I saw a program a few years ago about people trying various life extension techniques.
They had a 40 something guy who’d been on calorie restriction for years.
He looked terrible, had zero sex drive and amongst other issues his bone density was that of a 80 year old.
Does it count if you *feel *like 120?
There is no 120-year-old man in India or anywhere else. I am more familiar with the Times of India than I would like to be, and I would not believe anything they report. Only a very naive and gullible person would believe that story.
