The notion of an Indian guru brings to mind a romanticized vision of an enlightened, otherworldly being swathed in ocher orange robes and followed by hordes of devotees. It is not a “profession” that we give much credence to in today’s world, especially in the West where the concept of an enlightened being guiding and teaching thousands of followers is often viewed as bizarre and cultish. In the classical Indian view, a guru is an enlightened being who guides others to their own self-realization; a concept that is questioned each time it has entered our Western world. So it’s no surprise that as Indian teacher Baba Ramdev is making headlines as a modern day guru, his claims of healing incurable diseases and foretelling the future are causing some to question his authenticity.
Baba
Ramdev asserts that the practices of pranayama and ayurveda can cure health
concerns from high blood pressure to HIV. He talks of corruption from the West
and claims to foresee major events like an Indian civil war. Though the
proclamations seemed far-fetched, yogis for millennia have carried the same
beliefs in the powerful healing properties of breath practices. In addition,
the Bombay head of
equities trading for a leading Western bank shared similar thoughts about an
impending civil uprising due to growing inequality. So is this man a serious
yoga adept or a just a seasoned yoga practitioner seeking attention ?
In
defense of his claims, the Guru has chosen to use science to back up his health
claims. Under the scrutiny of university observation, Baba Ramdev plans to
scientifically evaluate his methods of yoga and pranayama in order to
substantiate its benefits. Ramdev is not the first yoga guru to submit himself
to this type of scientific observation. In 1970, another yoga guru, Swami Rama,
participated in experiments at the Menninger Foundation, which included
voluntarily stopping his own heart pumping for 17 seconds and affecting his own
body temperature by as much as ten degrees. And he received doubt and criticism
from people all over the world.
The
fantastic abilities of yoga adepts can be traced back to the ancient texts. In
the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali chronicles numerous physical and mental feats that
can be achieved by the accomplished yogi (siddhis), but he is also quick to
warn that these feats are not the equivalent to the end goal of yoga, Samadhi,
or liberation. A true “guru” is one who removes darkness, a light of wisdom on
the path of another. So, regardless of how many cool tricks a person can do,
the real judge of a guru is their ability to remove the veil of darkness and
illusion in others through right action and wise teaching. If Baba Ramdev is a
true guru, it will not be shown in a battery of scientific tests or in his
ability to prophesize the future, but in the authenticity of his teachings and
his love for his students.
What
do you think of Baba Ramdev’s claims of healing incurable diseases and
foretelling the future?
