Kochi (VSK). Padma Shri Sivananda Yogi aka Swami Sivananda (127), renowned Yoga Guru, came to Kochi on February 22. According to Chhandogya Upaishad, life span of man is 116 years. When Yogi came to Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, Vyttila in Kochi, he climbed the staircase sans any help or strain for offering namaskar before the shrine upstairs, before interacting with the visitors.
Yogi was born in Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh) in 1896. History reads, Swami Vivekananda ji founded Sri Ramakrishna Mission one year after this. Yogi’s parents had to beg in the households for their daily breads, thanks to their acute poverty. Both the parents and Yogi’s sibling died when he (Yogi) was 7. Thereafter he lived, in Varanasi, with Omkarnath, his guru. He learnt yoga during his childhood; then he started to teach it.
Yogi lives in Ashram in Kabeer Nagar, Varanasi. He gets up at 3am; then he walks for an hour. After that, one and half hour long Yoga practice. After yoga, he starts his prayers. He strictly avoids salt, oil, milk and fruits. No snooze (during the day). Hand-made mat, woven with screw pine leaves, is his ‘luxurious’ bedding. It is spread on the floor, no cot at all. Wooden plank is the pillow for him. Doctors have examined him to trace the reason for his long life. His yoga practice on the bank of Ganga is viral in social media. Padma award was conferred on him in the wake of his contributions towards the propagation of yoga and his charity activities. He has been providing food and other facilities for 600 leprosy affected beggars.
Yogi, accompanied by his followers, visited Shringeri Adisankara Janmabhoomi temple and Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, both in Kaladi, the birth place of Adisankara. Yogi visited Mata Amruthanandamayi Devi (Amma) Ashram in Kollam also and received Amma’s blessings. He is expected to participate in Kanyakumari Vivekananda Memorial Foundation’s annual conference as the chief guest.
