Could you imagine not ingesting a single food for a whole day? The answer is certainly negative, because no one can do without food. Nobody, except this man who has not swallowed anything for 75 years ...
To nourish oneself is the thing that animates all the motivations in the living being in general. Without food, there would simply not be life on Earth, and if we could do without it, we would not need to work hard. But this rule does not seem to apply to Prahlad Jani, an Indian who naturally abstained from eating and drinking for three-quarters of a century. Its history has caused a lot of ink and touches the irrational.
The history of Prahlad Jani
His name may not tell you anything, but his story is just incredible! Prahlad Jani is an 89-year-old Indian sadhu who is disturbing the world's greatest scientists. Indeed, this practitioner of respirianism affirms that since 1940, neither the shade of a food nor a single drop of water have crossed his palate. His secret? His source of energy would be the Prana, which he would simply absorb by breathing.
He explains this phenomenon by recounting that at the age of 7, he left the family home to seek a sacred secret after being honored by three Hindu goddesses. He tells :
"Three goddesses appeared to me, Ma Kali, Ma Lakshmi and Ma Saraswati, who gave me a mission never to feed myself again. I was 7 years old and since then I have never drunk or eaten. "
Respirianism or the unpublished
Respiriasnime or unpublished is a practice of living without drinking and feeding for years. This practice would have a religious or mystical character and attracted more and more followers around the world. These include Marthe Robin, Hira Ratan Manek and Ellen Greve.
In some countries, the unseen is perceived as an extreme fast, assimilated to a form of charlatanism. However, it remains unexplained from a physiological point of view, which precisely aroused the curiosity of doctors. Because a normally constituted human can not do without water for more than 5 days and food more than fifty days, otherwise it is death assured.
What physicians think
By learning the story of this extraordinary man, a team of 35 doctors wanted to look into this very special case. They subjected Prahlad Jani to medical tests for 15 days. They deprived him of food and water to ensure his abstinence. On the other hand, he had the right to bathe, to gargle his mouth and when he felt the need, he was going to urinate. He also reportedly lost weight during the study. The doctors officially confirmed that this man had neither drunk nor eaten for two weeks.
This study was described as a hoax by the Rationalist Indian Association supporting their comments by a lack of publication of the results of the medical analyzes.
Not so bad, fasting
Fasting does not prove so dangerous to health, provided it follows a number of conditions. It would initially be a religious practice to refrain from eating and drinking during a period of the day, and that must be broken off for food.
From a medical point of view, fasting would be excellent for health because it allows the body to purify itself of toxins and waste, to regenerate itself, it gives a period of respite to the organs and improves their functioning. It also improves the quality of the skin, helps to lose excess weight, prevent cardiovascular disease, and ensures serenity and psychic calming.
Fasting provides unparalleled well-being, but only if it is done properly. It should not last more than a few days, with daily breaks to quench and to eat very little. It is a sort of diet which consists in giving a second breath to the body. But know that the case of Prahlad Jani is neither a fast nor an example to follow!