Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19
FAMOUS ASCETIC DEAD.
A Rrahmin Fanatic, Who Sat in a
Painful Posture for Years.


From the Philadelphia Times
Swami Bhaskarananda, the famous Hin
du ascetic of Benares. is dead. This de-
vout Brahmn, who kept himself naked and
self-immured. was visited by nearly all the
Indian tourists during their stay at Ben
ares. including the Prince of Wales. He
spent his life in a rigid posture. giving no
heed to visitors, and patiently waited for
death in the holy city. which. according to
Hindoo belief. means life everlasting.
Although Swami was a celebrity little was
learned by his visitors of his actual life or
of the beliefs that dictated his peculiar
asceticism. He was either a Udasi or Di-
gambar devotee, more probably the latter.
The Udasi live in monasteries, but they
eat in the houses of Hindoos of all castles,
and accept food cooked by other persons.
AT the creation of a new Udasi they dis
tribute a sweetmeat called habua Some
of them are called Maya, from nauga.
naked, because they go naked. This is
also true of some other Hindoo sects, in
Guiding the Gosains and Bairagis. The
latter are inordinate beggars Many of
these sectaries lead immoral and criminal
lives, but the Digambar devotees, while
they go naked like the others, lead pure
lives They live separately from society
and from all family connections.
A Digambar is one who has all the world
for covering In his manner of life
Swami Bhaskarananda practiced even more
than the customary asceticism of the Di-
gambar. and he entirely avoided the greed
mess and gluttony of the Udasi. Living
apart from all the rest Of the world. he be-
came celebrity In his retirement and his
place of retreat became as much an OBJ
ject of curiosity to tourists as the historic
show places of Benares.
Benares Is to the Hindu what Mecca is
to the Mahometan. Jerusalem TO the Jew
and Calvary to the Christian. 1t is the
holy cit nf Tp1t is holy hat
distant rajahs always had delegates liv-
ing there, who performed for them the
requisite services and additions It's an
cent name is Cast the Splendid which the
Hindus still retain. 1t was the ancient seat
of Braminical learning and it is still the
home of many Of the priests of Drama and
the resort of pious pilgrims from all parts
of India, who come to make their additions
in the sacred river the Gauges. 1t has
many temples and holy wells, but the
streets are narrow and unsavory and
stenches assail the noses of visitors at
every turn.
When the Prince of Wales visited Ben
ares he went to the so-called temple of
the monkeys and the wells of SILVA and
Nishnu as we'll as to make call upon the
deVOtee, Swami Bhaskarananda. Little was
said of the princes visit TO the recluse by
the special correspondents of the London
papers but his presence at the shrine of
the monkeys was told with great minute
ness of detail.
There is good reason for the nickname
that Europeans have applied to this shrine
of Indian superstition-the monkey temple.
There are monkeys everywhere-up in the
neighboTing trees. the walls and roofs
of nearby houses, on the fronts of the
shops, in the roads ard streets that serve
as approaches to the temple. This part of
EeEares is city Of monkeys nischievous
monkeys that sometimes hurl stones at
passerS-by. 1t is said that band Of mon
keys once did valiant battle for mythical
hero of Hindu tradition-hence this temple
which is sacred to the simian.
When Wales arrived at the temple he
was supplied with plate of parched epas
and number of white sweetmeats of
which he assured the monkeys had
many times signiiied their appreciation.
The princes arrival WAS the signal for a
gathering of the simians in whose special
honor this great monkey house is MAIN
tainei. From every direction these agree
able animals rushed 10 welcome the prince,
who will some day become Emperor of In
dia. They came running over and across
the walks reserved for the passage of his
royal highness: they tumbled down from
the minarets of the temple; they wriggled
through holes and crevices known only to
the monkeys of this monkey minister; they
hurried in through the doorwayS. Forum
ately they happened to be peaceaby in
clined at the time of the princes visit, and
so royalty escaped becoming the victim of
their miscellaneous FRANKS. 1t was observed,
however. that the lace on the princes coat
was a great temptation to the sacred ST.
mians of the monkey temple-they looked
at his uniform with glistening eyes. II is
probable they had been We'll fed in
ticipaiion of the princes visit. and so We're
restrained from trying to make dinner of
the insignia of royalty.
Swami Bhaskaranandas whole life was
devoted to one object-that of obtaining
emancipation for the imprisoned spirit by
such bodily austerities he believed would
annhilate its conscious connection with the
body and with material things. He sought