Indian man 'survives without food or water for decades'

Flamed Diving

A team of doctors in western India is carrying out a study on a hermit who claims to have survived without food and water for 70 years.

The holy man claims that he derives energy through meditation.

Sanjoy Majumder reports from Delhi.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8652837.stm

Ok, I reckon something is up here. You can't just break the laws of nature like this. What do you guys reckon?

Mr.Nice Guy

Yeah I read about this. Interesting thing is his claim is standing up to scrutiny so far and that he hasn't urinated or passed a stool since being under observation?

bogwalrus

i saw a documentary on the dali lama a while back. He has a very scientific mind and knows all about quantum mechanics etc. EVery time he makes a trip abroad he makes arrangements to meet top physicists for a chat...........

But anyway one thing in the documentary, he talked about the Yogi's who live in caves and he made a point that he wanted them to be scientifically studied to show the world the power of the mind. His logic (being the dali lama and all) was that these trained/disciplined men could meditate into a state where they would not need to eat or drink for very long periods of time...years etc. He says its mind over matter and that the mind is so powerful that it could prevent the body from knowing that it needs to eat/drink. Very interesting but i think we will have a clearer picture in a few weeks when we see the state this guy is in under study.


I personally am skeptical but feel the mind is very powerful and would not be completely surpirised to hear that a mind can alter reality in the physical world.

5uspect

It's a simple matter of energy. Your organs need energy to function just as the engine in your car does. You can meditate all you want, you're only wasting energy.

Akrasia

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Yeah I read about this. Interesting thing is his claim is standing up to scrutiny so far and that he hasn't urinated or passed a stool since being under observation?

neither did David Blaine

silverharp

the guy still has to be radiating heat? measure the heat loss and draw some conclusions from it. I would doubt that the body is a perpetual motion machine?

Capt'n Midnight

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Yeah I read about this. Interesting thing is his claim is standing up to scrutiny so far and that he hasn't urinated or passed a stool since being under observation?

athletes who cheat on drugs are skilled in a similar discipline


Kangaroo rats don't drink, they rely on the water produced when they break down carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and water. They still need to eat but they can eat totally dry food which reduces it's volume a lot. Also if you live in a climate where the air temperature is near body temp then you won't burn a lot of calories keeping warm. Yes you will still need to repair protein but it's possible to live on a low calorie diet if you can keep energy expenditure to a minimum.

Also it's worth noting that the people from Pategonia evolved to allow their body temperature to fall at night and so could stand greater extremes in the open than we could.

nozzferrahhtoo

Alas from what I am reading about the "study" of this man, they are not controlling it very well. Apparently they let him "Go outside" though they claim he is followed by "mobile cameras".

This sounds rigged to me. This opens it up to cheating, accomplices and more. If the man is serious then leave him in the room without freeing him at all for one month.

longshanks

there was a programme a few years ago about some young fella(in a remote part of india i think) who sat under a tree and meditated for weeks without moving. in that programme they briefly showed this chap and he claimed to get his energy from the sun.

Nabber

Akrasia wrote: »

neither did David Blaine

Good one

longshanks wrote: »

energy from the sun.

Solar powered, now that is a commitment to saving mother Earth.

Even if this guy does do it, there will be still skeptics. So it gets to the point where it really doesn't matter weather he can or can't. If he is happy knowing he can, then that's fine with me. I went 40days without a pint, if it wasn't for my wife no one would believe me.

[-0-]

I did some research and found an article dated 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3236118.stm

Funnily enough in the 2003 article he says it's because of a hole in his palate... however in the latest article he says he was touched by a Goddess.

Shenanigans!

monkeyfudge

bogwalrus wrote: »

But anyway one thing in the documentary, he talked about the Yogi's who live in caves and he made a point that he wanted them to be scientifically studied to show the world the power of the mind. His logic (being the dali lama and all) was that these trained/disciplined men could meditate into a state where they would not need to eat or drink for very long periods of time...years etc. He says its mind over matter and that the mind is so powerful that it could prevent the body from knowing that it needs to eat/drink.

They're just nicking picnic baskets on the sly.

longshanks

Nabber wrote: »

I went 40days without a pint, if it wasn't for my wife no one would believe me.

i've gone three and a half weeks without one, its doing my head in.

bogwalrus

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=360671&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

Dave!

“(Jani’s) only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period,” G Ilavazahagan, director of the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), said in a statement.

Why on earth would they let him gargle water?! How exactly do they prevent him swallowing any?

And he was only observed for 2 weeks, there's nothing extraordinary about going that long without food, though the hunger pains would be a motherfvcker.

Akrasia

I was thinking when I heard about this guy that someone should get James Randi on the case.
He's just uploaded a video and he's not too impressed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0u6eJB9GLY&playnext_from=TL&videos=jBpBPpGDg4k

phelixoflaherty

He must stink like fcuk with no water to flush out his body.

Joey the lips

Perhaps it was de vine intervention

Gerard.C

what match?