Amar Bharati is known as the Man whose hand has been raised for almost 50 years. For a very long time Amar has held his right hand up in the air and has never brought it down for any reason.
According to history, Bharati used to work in a bank in India in the 1970’s. He was also married with a wife and they both had (three) kids. One day Amar made a decision to leave his whole family, his friends and even his job. He left all these behind to follow his calling as a Monk, he decided to live a holy life away from material things. Amar made a decision to dedicate his whole life to the hindu god Shiva. It was not easy for Amar to be a monk (sadhu) at first, he was tempted to go against his belief many times. It was due to these temptations that Amar had to do something different to show his solidarity to the god Shiva.
As the years passed, Amar Bharati felt that he was still too attached to worldly comforts and sought to make a more significant sacrifice to demonstrate his unwavering devotion to Shiva. In 1973, Amar decided that he would raise his hand up for the rest of his life. This act alone made him famous around the world and people came to see him. Amar explained that the reason he keeps his hand up that way is because he is against war. He raised his hand up in the air to show that he wants world peace, and also to show respect to his god.
Amar Bharati practices Shaivism; in the form of Hatha yoga (‘Discipline of Force’). Hatha yoga uses physical force to channel the vital force or energy of the body.
Shiva is the Lord of Yoga, and Shaivism traces it’s roots of Shiva worship back more than 8000 years to the advanced Indus Valley civilization. Historians date the religion to have been formed between 200 BC – 100 CE, and fully recognized as a branch of Hinduism during the early Gupta period (320 CE). The worship is to Shiva as the central deity, a monotheism combined with panentheism, similar to mystical Judaism. Shiva is portrayed by Shaivites as the compassionate One present everywhere and offering grace or liberation to those who serve Him. “The Lord is one. He is the supreme of all existences and pervades all….He is kindness and love. His kindness is bestowed upon the suffering souls through the medium of His grace.” Shiva is ultimate reality endowed with omniscience, omnipotence, independence, freedom from sin, benevolence, blissfulness, and purity. Shaivites hold that Lord Shiva performs five actions – creation, preservation, dissolution, concealing grace, and revealing grace. For spiritual progress and to earn Siva’s Grace, Saivism encourages everyone to develop good qualities such a love to all beings and to imitate Lord Siva who is seen as a personification of wisdom, love, and all good qualities.
When Amar raised his hand for the first time, it was not a great experience for him. Even though he felt pain, he still did not bring down his hands from the sky. As years went by, Amar began to loose feelings in the band and the pain disappeared slowly. His extraordinary act of devotion garnered widespread attention, inspiring thousands of people around the world. In a rare interview, when asked about the reason behind holding his arm up, he humbly expressed his desire for peace among all Indians and people globally. He yearned for an end to conflicts, hatred, and enmity, envisioning a world where everyone could live together in harmony. The only thing that Amar wants is for everybody to stop the war and live in peace. Amar is still alive and holding up his hands as promised, he has also inspired alot of people to become monks just like him.
Quite alot of Monks have tried to hold their hands up for long, but nobody has been able to beat the record of Amar Bharti. He is still the only person that has been able to keep one hand up in the sky for years. It would not be easy for Amar to bring down his hands, this is due to some health reasons and some spiritual reasons.
#archaeohistories
