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The holy beggars, or Sadhu Babas, wander from home to home seeking alms. They don't just ask for material goods but also seek a reverent invocation of the divine name. As spiritual seekers who rely on the charity of others, they dedicate their lives to spiritual practices.
Recently, a young Sadhu Baba was the subject of a viral video on social media.
In the video, some boys in their hostel room invited the Sadhu Baba to sit on their bed. One of the boys filmed the interaction.
In the video, one boy asks the Sadhu Baba, "Baba, did you come to ask for alms?" Another boy requests, "Baba ji, please give us some wisdom." The Sadhu Baba responds by asking them to turn off the video, but they continue filming.
As the Sadhu Baba is about to leave the room, one of the boys loudly and aggressively demands, "Sing Hanuman Chalisa, and recite the Gayatri Mantra!" Another boy enters the room carrying a belt and a wooden rolling pin (belan), threateningly approaching the Sadhu Baba.
Despite the pressure, the Sadhu Baba starts reciting the Gayatri Mantra, though he does not sing the Hanuman Chalisa.
The video, showing the Sadhu Baba being coerced into performing religious recitations, has gone viral with 1.9 million views.
Reactions have been mixed, with some people finding it amusing and others criticizing the boys’ behaviour.
One user remarked, “It’s said that even if a dog comes to your door, you should offer it a roti. Someone came asking at your door, and you turned it into a whole drama but didn’t even take out a rupee from your pocket? A line comes to mind: “पता नहीं किस रूप में आकर नारायणी मिल जाएंगे.”
Another person added, “If you want to help, then do it; otherwise, stop pretending and don’t create a fuss.”
Meanwhile, someone else humorously observed, “Average boys after watching Rajat Dalal videos 😂.”
Another comment read, “Hey, why are you scaring the poor guy? 😢,”
Someone else quipped, “Baba ji has arrived at the wrong place 😂” and another user noted, “Bro has become serious 😆.”
