If you’ve ever had to keep your hands raised for even a few minutes, you’ll know that your muscles and joints will eventually feel like they’re on fire. That’s why it’s almost incomprehensible that anyone could have kept their arm raised up for over 5 decades, but this one man did exactly that.
His name is Amar Bharati, and he’s from a small village in Delhi, but a revelation he had as a 23-year-old led him to make the greatest commitment of his life. He realized he needed to give up worldly attachments and devote himself to the Hindu deity Shiva, so he raised his right hand to the sky and never brought it down again. This might make him an expert at high-fives, but it also turned him into a symbol of peace for the entire world.
Read on to find out more about him, and what exactly pushed him to do such an incredible thing.
Sacred commitments can be the toughest promises to follow through with, but also the most spiritually rewarding
Amar Bharati was just a simple middle-class man before an epiphany changed the direction of his life
He was born in 1950 in India and worked as a bank clerk in New Delhi, while also looking after his wife and 3 children. One morning in 1970, he had a revelation: none of his worldly luxuries mattered, so he decided to leave everything and everyone behind and devote his life to serving Lord Shiva.
From that moment on, Amar Bharati began wandering through villages, dressed in simple clothes, as he had become a sadhu, a religious ascetic who focuses only on his spiritual path. He also carried a Trishula, a metal trident usually associated with Shiva, with each prong representing creation, preservation, and destruction.
However, in 1973, he realized that he was still too connected to the pleasures of mortal life and decided to push his devotion even further by raising his right arm and never putting it down. He claimed that this action was also his way of promoting world peace.
Bharati’s physical act of raising his arm was a symbolic gesture of renouncing all his worldly desires
He left his family behind because he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Shiva, known as the "primordial yogi," who attained enlightenment atop the Himalayas 15,000 years ago. Essentially, Amar Bharati had to adopt the life of a religious ascetic, which calls for utmost simplicity and intense devotion.
The Center For The Study of World Religions explains that sadhus can be recognized by their external appearance: they usually have a tilak (sacred mark) on their forehead, malas (prayer beads) around their necks, and often chant certain prayers repeatedly.
This simple man’s devotion earned him the title of the “one-armed baba,” as he could no longer use his right limb
When Amar Bharati decided to keep his hand raised in 1973, he struggled with intense pain for the first two years after that. Eventually, he lost all sensation in that arm, and his muscles wasted away to the point that he couldn’t even move his fingers anymore. His right limb is now half the size of his other hand, but that hasn’t deterred him from his spiritual path.
Bharati’s followers say he lives as if his right arm were missing and has learned to sleep, eat, bathe, and dress without moving it. It’s possible this sadhu can't lower his limb even if he wanted to, as there is no longer any blood circulation in it and the arm’s cartilage has dried up.
Despite his fingers curling into an almost claw-like position with spiral fingernails, Bharati’s devotion never wavers, and he refuses to go back to what his life used to be like before. It seems he truly believes his way of living will bring him closer to Lord Shiva and bring peace to everyone.
“Why is there so much hatred and enmity between us; I just want all Indians and the whole world to live in peace with each other"
In an interview with History of Yesterday, Amar Bharati said he couldn’t understand why people were engaging in wars and violence, and that his devotion was therefore a symbol of penance. He also urged people worldwide to live in harmony rather than strike up discord.
Apart from this, his decision to devote his life to Lord Shiva isn’t unique in Indian culture; in fact, surveys have found that nearly 44% of Hindus feel more connected to this deity than others. This may be because Shiva is known as the destroyer and transformer in the holy trinity, which consists of Brahma, the creator, and Vishnu, the preserver.
This God is believed to destroy the universe and recreate it, which is why he is seen as a source of both good and evil. This role is also thought to symbolize the destruction of illusions and imperfections in the world, so beneficial change can occur. This is probably why Amar Bharati also left his family behind so he could begin a new life, free from any worldly connections.
This sadhu may have performed one of the most intense devotional acts, but many believers in India have found unique ways to show their commitment too. One such person is Baba Maheshanand Giri from Uttar Pradesh, who took a strict vow to stand or hop on one leg 24/7 without ever lying down, to demand better living conditions for people in his village.
Whether folks learn something from this sadhu or even believe in his cause, it’s clear it means a lot to him. Every sacrifice for peace and spirituality is definitely powerful, which is why Amar Bharati’s decision has had such a ripple effect across the globe. Few people have even tried to raise their arms in devotion like him, while others have used it to learn more about the Hindu deity Shiva.
What are your thoughts on his arm being raised for more than half a century? We’d love to hear your perspective on his unique situation.
Folks were divided on the story, with some feeling he had mental health issues for keeping his hand up so long, and others commending him on his determination
