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News India Live, Digital Desk: If you are asked to stand still for just an hour, within half an hour you will probably be moving your legs or looking for a place to sit. But there is also a tradition in the spiritual soil of our country, which is called ‘Khadeshwar Tapasya’. In this, sages and saints perform penance for years and years, without sitting for a moment, just by standing.
What is this Khadeshwar penance?
As the name suggests, ‘Khad’ means standing and ‘Ishwar’ means God. The saints who perform this penance are called ‘Khadeshwari Baba’. Their resolve is so strong that they do not allow their body the luxury of sitting still for months or years. For them, standing is worship, and this is their yoga.
How do they sleep and eat?
This question comes in everyone’s mind that how can a person sleep without lying down? The life of these saints is very disciplined. To sleep, they often take the support of a high table or a bag (cloth rope), on which they rest their elbows and take light sleep. But the feet still stand straight on the ground. Be it food or bhajan-kirtan, everything happens in this same situation.
This is a test not just of the body, but of the mind
Often people consider it to be just a physical pain, but from the spiritual point of view it is a part of ‘Hatha Yoga’. The purpose of Khadeshwar penance is to control one’s mind to such an extent that no body pain or laziness can come in the way of devotion. This sadhana teaches us that human willpower is greater than any physical obstacle.
What is the effect on the body?
Due to standing for a long time, there is a lot of swelling and pain in the feet in the beginning, which is gradually learned to be tolerated with ‘control’ and practice. Devotees consider it to be God’s grace that they get this power. Many sadhus can be seen standing in this posture for years in the Kumbh Mela or on the banks of the Ganga.