When I was in Allahabad I would go regularly to a yogi sadhu, Swami Vishnudevanand Saraswati, to learn yoga. He had his ashram where he lived next to the Ganga bandh.
He was a Bengali and had become a sadhu at a very young age. He travelled to many places in north India looking for a guru, and had come to Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela of 1930, where he settled down there, becoming a disciple of another sadhu, Handia baba, who is said to have lived till he was 104 ( Swami Vishnudevanand told me he wanted to live longer than his guru, but he died when he was about 94 ).
Swamiji used to teach hath yoga in his ashram. Once Dr Sur, an eminent physician of Allahabad, came to Swamiji and said he had not been able to sleep for several days. Swamiji taught him a yogic kriya, which put Dr Sur to sleep continuously for 48 hours, after which he got up refreshed, and became normal. Thus, Swamiji was the doctor of even doctors.Similarly, Swamiji helped many people who would come to him.
Unlike ordinary Hindus whose bodies are cremated on their death, the body of a sadhu is not cremated, but is either buried ( the burial place is called a ‘samadhi’, or is immersed in a river ( called ‘jal samadhi‘ ). This is because when a person becomes a sanyaasi he has to perform his own funeral rites. So funeral rites cannot be performed twice. Swami Vishnudevanand’s samadhi, as well as that of his guru, are near the Ganga bandh
Swami Vishnudevanand had a lot of NRI disciples who lived in America, and who often invited him there. He told me a story of what happened there once.Swamiji was giving a religious discourse to NRIs in America, and during this discourse he said “ You people living in America have your brains in your pocket “.
At this, one gentleman in the audience got up angrily and asked “ How do you say we have our brains in our pocket ? “.
Swamiji replied coolly “ I will tell you. Suppose President Reagan ( who was the American President then ) gave you a cheque of 40 million dollars, and you put that cheque in your pocket. Where will your brains be ? “.
Everyone in the audience spoke out loudly “ In his pocket. Well said Swamiji. Jai ho aapki “
Author Justice Markandey Katju is former Chairman , Press Council of India and former Judge , Supreme Court of India.
