The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-14
STOPS HEARTS ACTION
Mahatama Suspends Beating
for Five Seconds
FOR NEW YORK DOCTORS
His Religion Enables Him to
Do Many Things.
FOR NEW YORK DOCTORS

This IS certainly wonderful tninS,
said DR.. 5. Barnett This man has IN
questionably established an exhibition
yes that is the right word-an inhibition
of the action of his pneumOgastric nerve
His pulse only a minute ago was full
strong and regular, beating at the rate O
seventy-four per minte. Then il weaken
ed and slowed down for about five sec
onds, until it ceased altogether for a per
, iod of five seconds more. Then appar
emily by his own volition, it started beat
| ing normally again. L have never seen OF
heard of anything Of the kind before, ex-
cepting in the stories of the Hindoo won
I der workers, and l hive never put faith
in them before.
DO you mind" he continued, address
ing the gentleman who had just given
this remarkable exhibition of his powers
DO you mind my using the stethoscope?
Certainly not was the reply. You
are here to see what 1 can do. You can
make any test you like
Accordingly. the doctor adjusted the
stetchoscope and listened intently When
/ he gave the word the INFLAMMATION it
was a real Mahatma that he was testing
again suspended the beating of his heart
for a period of full five seconds, SO far as
| the pulsing of the blood was concerned.
Il heard his heart beating normally,
said the physician when he had concluded
this test, It'll ] told him to stop. Then it
grew weaker, as j had felt his pulse grow
weaker until there seemed to be no cir
culation of the blood. / could hear a very
Fol { 6iSf1
all the time. but it did not appear to me
that there was any pumping of the blood
being done
This test was an actual one, made in the
presence of reporter for the New York
Herald in furnished room in lodging
house of the poorer class in West TWEEN
ty-eigth street The precaution had
been taken of securing medical testimony,
so that it should be satisfactorily proven
whether this man, who claimed to be able
to suspend the beating of his heart at
will, was. in fact. able to do so or not.
There is abruptly no question what
ever that he can do it. AS to the char
acter of the feat, as a piece of wonder
work physicians are better able TO judge
than laymen, but ninety-nine physicians
out of every hundred would be likely to
pronounce it an impossbility.
Not so Mahatma Agamya Guru, Para
mashansa. He smiled in a superior sort Of
way and said it was nothing. Such
things are for the little people-the chill
dren," he said. Il did not come TO Amer
lea to do things like that. 1 can do many
such things They are the practical sci
D,,t
came here not TO excite the wonder of
the foolish. but to teach the wise
The breath is the strength" he said,
I'VE take fifteen breaths a minute
Eighteen We reckon as the normal
respiration interrupted DR.. Barnett
NO. it is fifteen" said the Mahatma,
and there was some argument.
That makes q, 500 breaths a day con-
tinued the Mahatma. clinging to his own
figures Now | decide to take the
strength Of a certain number of breaths
into myself and hold it. first held my
breath in the belly. then in the throat
and then in the retna-'
In what?" asked the physician.
in the retina," repeated the Mahatma.
pointing straight inward through the
bridge of his nose. In the place where
the eyes meet
He means the commissure Of the optic
nerve. explained the doctor
Then, by holding my breath, ! pass
from the physical body to the think body.
and from that to the casual body. Then
all things are possible. can see things
far off can hear things far off. l can
go far
Even to the stars?" he was asked.
YES. everywhere through space
rs this what the theosphists call the
astral body?"
Yes. that is the think body. Beyond
that is the casual body. But when l am
there the functions of the physical body
cease. ] can do this. if ! prepare for it.
for whole day; but I have eaten to-
day and if l prolong this condition the
chyle will iniure me-
Beyond this the Mahtma did not care
TO discuss the physical aspect of his reiig-
ion There is. however. further evidence
of his ability to do what is here stated.
for in the life and Letters of Fried
rich Max Mulled.' on page 4l5. there is
an account of the A[ahatma's visit to the
great English scholar. in which it is re-
corded that the Rev J. Estlin Carpenter.
a friend Of Max Muller. tested this sus-
pension of his heart ac,ion, ana That F. w.
Myers and DR.. Hodgson. at Cambridge
verified it during u suspension of thirty
seconds.
Moreover. the standing Of the Mshatma
IS fully Acknowledged in this same book
~ NH
fessor Muller found him TO he "a first
rate Sanscritist" and unquestionably q
man Of the HIGHEST order of intellect. he
ing the only genuine saint or yogin who
was ever in ENGLAND As he Is today be-
yond question the only ore who was
ever in America. And he established in
a curious way The fact that he occupied
a most exalted rank in his own country.
II appears that Mr Mozoomdar. Babu.
and a leader % the Somai. was In Eng
Hard nj the time. and the Mahatma or
dered the Babu 10 cali on him al certain
time IN London. The Babu had an en-
sagemont 10 leeture al that time and dis
obeyei but when 1t was sternlv rebuSel
by the Mahatu,a in the presence of sew
era. persons who knew tn facS he at
tempted no defense. bat accepted the re
huSe humbly
Asamya Guru does not appear. 10 those
who are familiar with the word Guru. tn
be name, for The wor1 Guru means
teacher but The Mahatma insists that
this * his name II Is possible however
that h. does not use the word in The
sense that is customary hare. becsuze
when he was in England h. was canad
Asamys Nogiadra. re has no lack Of
titles however. for Mahatma Is title as
well as Yogindra and Guru. and Parama-
hansa Is tho highest title known amcng