AUTHOR(S): Dr. Kanchi Vijay Srinath

ABSTRACT:
The Indian Mythology, let alone the world literature is replete with search for, and sometimes even claims of eternal youth. Some claimed there is an island bubbling with sacred mystical waters that could make the old and infirm youthful. Even the motive behind the voyages undertaken by explorers such as Columbus was said to have been in part, to locate the Garden of Eden and/or the Fountain of Youth. Buddhist mythology’s claim of Shambhāla somewhere deep in Himalayas also inspired the western explorers, particularly after the publication of the novel titled The Lost Horizon by James Hilton which talked about the people who live at Shangri-La as almost immortal, living years beyond the normal lifespan and only very slowly aging in appearance. There is also this interesting claim of seven Ciranjeevs like Aswatthāma who are supposed to have been living eternally defying death, and there are even many claims of sighting them in Satpuda mountain ranges of western and central India as well as in Himalayas. What’s more! Bhāgavata talks about even transference of youth between king Yayāti and his son Puru! There are several accounts in India, of Yogis who were said to have lived 250-300 years and even more. The longest life expectancy can be found in the Amami Islands of Japan where the signs of old age appear very late. Scientists claim Easter Islands in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean has the key for everlasting youth. A news item in Times of India on 13th July 2012 suggests that liver transplantation has rendered an old man to grow young by losing all sign of old age! Prahlad Jani of Gujarat baffled the scientific community with his claim that was partly verified, that he has not been eating for over seventy years and that he could live as long as he liked that might extend to even thousands of years! This paper intends to examine whether there is any validity in these claims and whether the ancient system of Yoga has any clue concerning eternal youth.

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