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World of the Bizarre

Oldest living man is a 120-year-old monk

By T.K. Randall
August 18, 2016 · Comment icon 9 comments

Sivananda is hoping to be recognized by Guinness World Records. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Steven Depolo
Hindu monk Swami Sivananda has attributed his extreme longevity to a combination of yoga and celibacy.
Born on August 8, 1896, the Indian monk, who grew up in extreme poverty in the city of Varanasi before deciding to pursue a spiritual life, will officially be the oldest man on the face of the planet if he succeeds in his bid to have his age recognized by Guinness World Records.

"I lead a simple and disciplined life," he said. "I eat very simply -- only boiled food without oil or spices, rice and boiled daal with a couple of green chillies."

"I avoid taking milk or fruits because I think these are fancy foods."

The previous record holder, Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, died in 2013 aged 116.

Source: New Zealand Herald | Comments (9)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by third_eye 9 years ago
good for the bloke ... no sex means he ain't broken no hearts or ever had his heart broken ... that should count for an extra 50 odd years I should say ...
Comment icon #2 Posted by Sundew 9 years ago
At 120 I don't think celibacy will be a problem....
Comment icon #3 Posted by schizoid78 9 years ago
No picture??? s
Comment icon #4 Posted by Clair 9 years ago
Photos are included in the article, but here are a couple of them in case you are having difficulty accessing them. I don't know what the rest of you think, but he doesn't look anywhere near 120 to me.  
Comment icon #5 Posted by khol 9 years ago
Its hard to say what can contribute to longevity such as this.Certainly diet is a huge part..not over exerting oneself or getting stessed out about things. Maybe some people are just predisposed with growing old, right gene pool or whatever..possibly a little luck thrown in!
Comment icon #6 Posted by Zenith 9 years ago
I'm assuming those photos were recently taken for the article. I agree he doesn't look 120. Chances are his DOB was recorded incorrectly.
Comment icon #7 Posted by Nzo 9 years ago
Well said.
Comment icon #8 Posted by Hod 9 years ago
Because he's Hindu, the other things he's abstained from are alcohol and meat. So no sex, spicy food, alcohol or meat. Would you want to live 120 years without those things?
Comment icon #9 Posted by highdesert50 9 years ago
Empathize with his point of view rather than impose ours on him. Perhaps it is not that life is so complicated, but that simplicity is so rarely understood.


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