Chapter 2 “A Ridiculous Story”: Sri Sabhapati Swami’s Flight to the Celestial Mountain

This historical analysis examines the life and teachings of Sri Sabhapati Swami (ca.1828-1923/4), a yogin who traveled from Madras to Lahore in 1879 to deliver lectures on 'Royal Yoga for Śiva' (Śivarājayoga). The author describes Sabhapati's claim that successful practitioners could transform their bodies to have 'one eye to the universe' and achieve extraordinary feats, including a 'flight' to the celestial mountain abode of the god Śiva in the Himalayas. The article situates these claims within the broader context of yogic practices that produce physiological changes, noting that controlled breathing and postures can induce calm, but treats Sabhapati's more extravagant assertions as claims requiring scholarly analysis rather than empirical fact.

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Abstract

Ridiculous Story": Sri Sabhapati Swami's Flight to the Celestial MountainIn December of 1879, a yogin named Sri Sabhapati Swami (ca.1828-1923/4) traveled from his birthplace near Madras (now Chennai) to Lahore, British Punjab (now Pakistan). 1 There he delivered a series of lectures, which were first published in 1880 along with additional material and an account of his life in English published by an anonymous "Admirer," most likely his Bengali editor Shrish Chandra Basu (1861-1918).These original lectures were subsequently translated and greatly expanded upon in a variety of languages, such as Bengali and German, and new works in Tamil, Hindustani (a precursor to modern Urdu and Hindi), Telugu, as well as multilingual editions, were also produced.The main contents of these lectures and published books were teachings on the "Royal Yoga for iva" (or ivarjayoga), which I have treated at length in a previously published chapter and my book. 2 However, another aspect of these works worth considering are the extraordinary experiences that the yoga claimed to produce in Sabhapati's life as well as the lives of his students, the most exemplary of which is Sabhapati's "flight" to the celestial mountain and legendary abode of the great god iva in the Himalayas.One doesn't have to be a "guru" or "mahatma" to realize that closing the eyes, assuming certain postures, and breathing in a controlled way can bring calm and provoke certain physiological changes, otherwise "modern postural yoga" (MPY) and mindfulness meditation would not be billion-dollar global industries. 3 However, what of Sabhapati's seemingly extravagant claim to the reader that a successful practitioner of his yogic techniques will be able to transform their body so as to have "one eye to the universe [. ..] embracing the sun, moon,