Pavhari Baba
Pavhari Baba was an ascetic born near Varanasi of Brahmin parents.[1] As a youth he had demonstrated mastery of Hindu philosophy. In his adulthood he renounced the world, particularly those people who seek to serve only themselves, and built an underground hermitage.
It is there the Yogi Baba is said to have meditated for days on end and was known by the sobriquet as the "air-eating holy man".[2] People from far and wide sought to visit Baba, and he was known to have intellectual powers so great they were only surpassed by his humility. It is said he communicated with visitors through a wall.
Baba is attributed with saying "those who are dirty enjoy wallowing in mud."[3]
Swami Vivekananda visited him during his life, seeking some guidance for Hatha Yoga techniques.[4] Baba is noted for having a wide base of knowledge on all of the practical elements of Vedanta while remaining humble and thus influenced Vivekananda's theoretical fraweworks but also his day to day living.[5]
Like many ascetics, Pavhari Baba's life is shrouded in mystery. His death is rumored to have been caused by his own hands, when he was near 100, while other sources have him dying peacefully in his cave.[6]
References [edit]
- ^ As a Wandering Monk
- ^ Prose: Sketch of the life of Pavhari Baba - Frank Parlato Jr
- ^ Respect As Service
- ^ Touched by God
- ^ Vedanta for the West: the Ramakrishna movement in the United States CT Jackson - 1994
- ^ The Ramakrishna mission lights the lamp of knowledge: A critical review of the educational enterprise of the Ramakrishna mission. K Orr - South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 1993
External links [edit]
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