Up until 1973, Amar Bharati was a married man with three children who worked in a small local bank in India. Since then, the same man has decided to give up his humble life for the sake of world peace and specifically to dedicate himself to the Hindu deity “Shiva”. To prove his dedication to the process, Bharati decided to raise his right hand in the air - and has not lowered it since.
The determined Bharati spent the first two years of the journey suffering from severe pain, but at some point, the pain subsided and he eventually lost all sensation in his arm. Some argue that because the blood circulation in his right hand has been completely cut off he will never be able to lower it, while others claim that he can still in fact lower his arm if he desires but chooses not to do so ideologically.
"HARD TO BELIEVE" Sadhu Amar Bharati has kept his right Arm raised for more than 45 years as a sign of devotion to Shiv Shambhu pic.twitter.com/ikyrgIhvGq
— Vशुद्धि (@V_Shuddhi) September 27, 2021
"If you try to lower Bharati's hand you will cause him real pain, not physical but spiritual, for he believes that his eternal salute does indeed promote world peace," one of his acquaintances explained. Another addressed the issue and explained that even physically there is a problem with lowering the arm since the cartilage in his elbow has dried out and therefore any movement can break his joint.
In a previous interview with the History of Yesterday news site, Bharati said, "I do not ask for much. Why are we fighting our sons among ourselves? 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."
According to the BBC, Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. The other two gods are Brahma and Vishnu.
Brahma is the creator of the universe while Vishnu is the preserver of it. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it.
Hindus believe his powers of destruction and recreation are used even now to destroy the illusions and imperfections of this world, paving the way for beneficial change. According to Hindu belief, this destruction is not arbitrary, but constructive. Shiva is therefore seen as the source of both good and evil and is regarded as the one who combines many contradictory elements.