Japanese 'Yog Mata' takes 72-hour 'Samadhi' for world peace

Ardh Kumbh Nagar , Allahabad, Jan 18 (UNI) Japanese 'Sanyasin' Keiko Aikawa, rechristened 'Yog Mata', went into a 72-hour 'samadhi' inside a pit at a camp here this afternoon, in keeping with her vow of taking samadhi at every Kumbh for the sake of ''world peace''.

After becoming a disciple of Maha Yogi Hari Baba 15 years ago, Aikawa went into the underground 'Samadhi' at 1300 hrs in the presence of a curious crowd that included over 50 Japanese devotees.

The 'samadhi' was undertaken at the camp of Pilot Baba -- a former Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, who is known to have mastered the 'art of death' - by practicing 'samadhi'.

After becoming the disciple of Hari Baba 15 years ago, Yog Mata has successfully completed her vow of taking Samadhi at every Kumbh fair for world peace.

''She has successfully come out alive in the previous Kumbh's and will do so at 1300 hrs on January 21. The process of her coming back to life will start at 1245 hrs on Sunday and she will come back alive at the camp 15 minutes later through Yogic power.

The Pilot Baba describes Keiko as his 'guru sister' -- as both are disciples of the same Guru.

Pilot Baba, whose original name is Kunwar Kapil Singh, had resigned from the IAF after the 1971 Indo-Pak war and was given the name ''Pilot Baba'' by BJP MP late Vijaya Raje Scindia.

''He has successfully taken Samadhi 110 times, including a 14 day samadhi in water at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, two decades ago,'' Pilot Baba's spokesperson Neelu Maharaj told UNI here today.

Baba had travelled the Himalayas for seven years in search of peace and has a huge followers justified fairly by the rush in his camp.

When asked about his 'art of death', Pilot Baba said ''you have to re-enlighten your consciousness to fight the oneness away from five particular elements and then only something begins.'' During Baba's discourses at his camp, he tells his disciples that ''if one is in the right frame, he can have 'samadhi' anywhere.'' The act of Pilot Baba and his guru sister may influence their followers, which they claim are in large numbers in the United States and Japan.

Today's Samadhi, however, has also exposed the lack of preparedness of the authorities who had assured recently that they will not let the Samadhi exercise take place.

''We are not going into the merit and demerits of the 'samadhi' but we will not allow it to happen in the mela area,'' Allahabad Divisional Commissioner R N Tripathi had told UNI recently.

Pilot Baba's spokesperson Neelu Maharaj, however, said ''we are not breaking any law and a written declaration where Yog Mata has declared that she is undergoing Samadhi at her own risk'' has already been submitted with the authorities.

UNI