Sri Sabhapati Swami’s Flight to Mount Kailasa
The Tamil yogi Sri Sabhapati Swami (ca. 1828–1923/4) wrote prolifically on yogic practices, and his works, which included vivid illustrations and diagrams, were translated into numerous languages. They spread widely across South Asia and were often cited by Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott, founders of the Theosophical Society, and later by the influential occultist Aleister Crowley and others. Up to the end of his life Sabhapati was very active in establishing meditation halls, and finding students across Tamil Nadu in southern India.
Sabhapati often recounted a story of flying with three Vedic seers to Mount Kailash, the legendary Himalayan abode of Shiva that at the time was not associated with any one specific mountain. This experience, which must have occurred between 1870 and 1879, was not framed by his hagiographers as a spontaneous vision but rather as the granting of a boon for Sabhapati’s yoga-centered devotion. I quote several sources, hagiographical as well as historical, for this experience, which was apparently so profound that the swami composed verses on the god’s transcendent and immanent nature in both Sanskrit and Manipravala, a highly Sanskritized Tamil hybrid language. These verses are entitled “Shiva varnana stuti mala” (< Skt. śivābharaṇa stuti mālā; literally “the garland of praise that is an ornament of Śiva”), which he translated as “The Divine Psalms on Personal God.” Versions of these verses were published in several places in Sabhapati Swami’s own literature (most notably Yogiswer 1884, Cuvāmikaḷ 1889, Cuvāmikaḷ 1913).
In terms of the language Sabhapati used, it is important to clarify that he framed his experience as being caused only indirectly by yogic meditation. Sabhapati’s language in his meditative instruction relies on words like “cultivation” (bhāvanā) and using the mind (manas), but his own accounts of his flight as well as narrative accounts treat it more as a spontaneous experience. At the same time, it is clear from the narrative that the experience would never have happened if Sabhapati had not first spent many years learning yogic meditation and alchemy. One source in particular describes this flight as not occurring by meditation but by using a “pill of mercury” (kavuṉa kuḷikai), which at that time would not referring to a mercury-induced hallucination but to the use of mercury among some Tamil Siddhas (cittarkaḷ) as an alchemical practice.
This experience came after several other nonordinary experiences Sabhapati had, including a dream of the Supreme God, Mahadeva; Mahadeva instructing him to go to the ashram of the revered Hindu sage Agastya in the Pothigai Hills, on what is today the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu (this occurred prior to his flight to Kailash and encountering Mahadeva directly); and finally, meeting his legendary guru, Shivajnana Bodha Rishi. The accounts agree that prior to his visit to the Himalayas, during which he experienced this flight, Sabhapati had spent either nine or twelve years practicing yogic meditation in the “Agastya Ashram.” He is said to have also practiced alchemy and other magical rites there, but Shivajnana forbade him to mention that in his published works, stating that they were of the “utmost secrets” in contrast to devotional and meditative practices, which were for the benefit of the soul, for reaching the desires of the now and hereafter, and for cultivating detachment from desire. Sabhapati eventually left the ashram and took several temple pilgrimage routes as he journeyed to northern India and what is today Nepal. After his flight to Kailash he went to Lahore in modern-day Pakistan.
Sabhapati told the story of his flight to audiences across South Asia. News of it even reached the indologist Max Müller, who interpreted it as a “miracle.” When the Theosophical Society’s Blavatsky and Olcott visited Lahore in 1880, Sabhapati recounted the story to them, and Olcott dismissed it as “ridiculous,” despite continuing to refer to the swami as a friend. The incident contributed to the Theosophical Society’s distancing itself from Sabhapati in the early 1880s, which in turn helped clear the way for the society’s promotion of Swami Vivekananda’s modern form of yoga, which based its teachings on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, over Sabhapati’s unique form of the practice, which he called the Royal Yoga for Shiva (śivarājayoga). Yet Sabhapati’s story remained in the public imagination. It was recounted by the author and teacher John Campbell Oman who had also met Sabhapati around 1880, from which the story was mentioned in the journal All the Year Round conducted by Charles Dickens. A few months later parts of that story were published in an article entitled “The Raj Jog Philosophy” published in the New York Times.
Sabhapati’s initial editor Shrish Chandra Basu (sometimes spelled S.C. Vasu), too, was questioned, by the Indian Theosophist Damodar Mavalankar, for interpreting the flight experience as taking place in the astral body. The controversy over the flight may have led Basu to leave Sabhapati’s inner circle of devotees after Basu became a fellow of the Theosophical Society. This likely meant Sabhapati received less theosophical patronage and support in northern India, although he did maintain independent followers in Bombay, Gujarat, Benares, and Bengal, and later had a strong following in southern India.
The experience of physical flight remained a part of nearly all Sabhapati Swami’s publications in English, and the story of it was reprinted numerous times from an influential 1880 account of Sabhapati’s life (likely written by Basu) that formed a prefix for his lectures on yoga. Through Basu’s account this experience became known to occult and new-thought authors such as Franz Hartmann, Aleister Crowley, and William Estep, and the story was also translated into German and French. While Sabhapati’s flight remained a controversial part of his biography, these occult authors subsequent to Olcott were not preoccupied with whether it happened or not, and instead focused on Sabhapati’s teachings.
Source
This account is from Sabhapati Swami’s first extant book, published in English and based on lectures that he delivered in Lahore between 1879 and 1880.1
He has visited nearly all the holy shrines and Ashrams of India, and in some of these places he met with genuine Yogis and Rishees. He had many adventures with these depositories of ancient lore. We select one of them, it being rather singular and unique. It was after his crossing the Himalayas and on the coast of Manasarovar Lake, and while he was in his contemplation that he felt some one approaching near him. On opening his eyes he saw three Rishees in antique Aryan dress standing before him. He instantly rose up inspired with awe and admiration. They sat down and beckoned him to do so. But he respectfully declined to sit before their presence, and stood all the while they talked. They asked him about his Guroo and the Agastya Ashram, about his travels and progress in Yoga and many other questions of the same nature. To all of these he gave appropriate answers, and it seemed that they were pleased with his manners and knowledge. They then told him to ask any boon from them as they were ready to confer it: they went so far as to say that they would give him Ashtama Siddhis if he liked. The Ashtama Siddhis are eight kinds of psychic powers the acquisition of which enables one to perform (what is vulgarly called) miracles. Our Swamy answered “I thank you for your kindness O holy sages, and I think myself highly honoured by your visit. As for Siddhis I may say I do not like to have them, I have all my desires satisfied and now only wish to pass the remainder of my days on earth in Nishkamya Brahmagiyana, Yoga tapam.” They were satisfied with his answer and conferred upon him the title of Brahmagiyana Guroo Yogi, and then told him to ask any other thing which they can do for him. He expressed his desire of seeing Kailas or the celestial mountain which it is said is invisible to ordinary mortals. They granted his request, and they and our Swamy began to fly in air for a time towards the direction of the mountain; then they pointed him out the white peaks of the holy mountain where he had the goodfortune of seeing Mahadeva sitting in Semadhi in a cave. On the sight of it his heart swelled with exulatation and rapture and gave vent to its overcharged emotions by extempore versification. The Rishees gave to the slokas thus uttered the name of “Shiva varnana stuti mala.”
Then they descended and came back to the place where they were formerly sitting. He then prayed them to oblige him by telling their names. The first Rishee gave himself out to be Suga, the other Bhringi, but the third said “never mind about my name we are all satisfied to find you Nishkamya Brahmagiyanee.” After blessing him by nityum apka Brahmagiyana sadastoo, they vanished on the very spot. He afterwards found out that they were the same Rishees whose name we find in the Mahabharat, and that they had taken human form to test his piety and bless him.
***
This account is from Sabhapati Swami’s two-volume multilingual work, the first book of which was published in Madras (today Chennai) and Bombay (today Mumbai). Sabhapati’s account of his flight is in the first book.2
He has also been delivering Lectures in many of the great cities of India. He has visited nearly all the holy Shrines āsramam of India, and in some of these places he met with genuine Yogís and Rishís. He had many adventures with these depositories of ancient lore. We select one of them, it being rather singular and unique. It was after his crossing the Himalias and on the coast of Manasorowar lake, and while he was in his contemplation that he felt some one approaching near him. On opening his eyes he saw three Rishís in antique Aryan dress standing before him. He instantly rose up, inspired with awe and admiration! They sat down and beckoned him to do so. But he respectfully declined to sit before their presence, and stood all the while they talked. They asked him about his Guru and the Augustia Asramum, about his travels and progress in Yoga and many other questions of the same nature. To all of these he gave appropriate answers, and it seemed that they were pleased with his manners and knowledge. They then told him to ask any boon from them as they were ready to confer it; they went so far as to say that they would give him aṣṭamā sitti if he liked. The aṣṭamā sitti, are eight kinds of psychic powers, the acquisition of which enables one to perform (what is vulgarly called) miracles. Our Swami answered “I thank you for your kindness O! holy Sages or Prophets, Saints or Rishís and I think myself highly honoured by your visit. As for the psychic Divine miraculous powers citti, I may say I do not like to have them, I have all my desires satisfied and now only wish to pass the remainder of my days on earth in being as the only Spiritual Eternal Bliss, of perfect ecstasy without love and attraction of the momentary and ruinous pleasures both of the world and heaven or worldly applause by the deeds of miracles i.e., I like to be always in niṣkāmiyapirmakkiyāṉayōkatapam.” They were satisfied with his answers and conferred upon him the title of Holy Spiritual Godheaded Ascetic pirmakiyāṉakuruyōki and then told him to ask any other thing which they can do for him. He expressed his desire of seeing Káilas or the Celestial Mountain which it is said, is invisible to ordinary mortals on which “The Personal God of Active Principle resides.” They granted his request, and they and our Swámi began to fly in air for a time towards the direction of the mountain; then they pointed him out, the white peak of the holy mountain where he had the good fortune of seeing the Holy Personal God of Active Principle mahātēvar, sitting in the Ecstasy of His own self, Will of doing the five sorts of Creations in the Universe pañcakiruttiyamūrtti karatva camātīsvarar in a cave. On the sight of it, his heart swelled with exultation and rapture and gave vent to its overcharged emotions by extempore versification, to prove that none in the Universe will get absorption in the I. Spirit or become the I. Spirit or Impersonal God or Brummum, without piety, faith, and devotion on Personal God or Spirit of Spirits pañcakirttiya īsvarōpaācaṉāttiyāṉam. The Rishís gave to these Slokas thus uttered the name “The Divine Psalms on Personal God yōkaparipāṣācivāparaṇālaṅkāra kailāsacivastutimālā.”
[Here is inserted the text of Shiva Stuti Mala in Devanagari and Tamil scripts, not included for this archive entry on account of length.]
They then descended and came back to the place where they were formerly sitting. He then prayed them to oblige him by telling their names. The first Rishí gave himself out to be Suga suka, the other Bhringhi piruṅki, but the third said “never mind about my name; we are all satisfied to find you niṣkāmyapirummakkiyāṉi.” After blessing him as taṅkaḷuṭaiya pirummakkiyāṉam satāvāyum viḷaṅkuka, “Let thy success of Communion with I. Spirit, be Eternal.” They vanished on the very spot. He afterwards found out that they were the same Rishís, whose names we find in the Mahabarata, and that they had taken a Human form to test his piety, and bless him.
***
This account is from Sabhapati Swami’s first extant Tamil work, published in 1889.3
Approaching Kailash, which is like a thousand pilgrimages at once, he bathed in the great virtue-bestowing pilgrimage site of the shining Lake Manasaravar. Sitting in a cave near this body of water where the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers are together born, he took up the seed mantras of the rishis and meditated (dhyāna). Catching a vision of these three rishis, he rose up and bowed in reverence. . . . Upon hearing this, the swami said that as a servant he desired to have a vision of the inner summit of the entirety of Kailasa. After saying this they, by means of a pill of mercury (kavuṉa kuḷikai), caused him to enter the sky and to circumnambulate Kailash from left to right.
[This is followed by Sabhapati’s verse composition on the experience in Tamil script.]
***
This account is from Sabhapati Swami’s last extant Tamil work, published towards the end of his life in 1913.4
After again returning to the northern part [of India] and departing for the north side of the Himalayas (Himāñcal), he bathed in Manasarovar, that pool which is the source of the Indus River and the Brahmaputra River. With the help of three rishis he obtained a vision of the holy Kailash. He set forth the “Garland of the Praise of Mercy” (kirupāstauttiyamālā, < Skt. kr̥pāstutyamālā) in one hundred and eight verses in the form of an homage in the Sanskrit terminology of “having shape” (< Skt. sākāra) and “shapeless” (< nirākāra) about the Lord of Kailasa (Kailācēsvarar, < Skt. Kailāśeśvara).
After paying respects to these three rishis and standing before them, they asked, “Oh Yogi Guru of Gnosis! What do you want?”
He said, “I don’t want anything—I only want the liberation of unity (aikya mukti = Skt.).”
Praising him as free from desire, they said, “You have been elevated by your guru into the liberation of unity. You have been elevated as a “Guru Father Rishi” (Kurupitā Ruṣī) by those of your hermitage (< Skt. āśrama) who are those Beloved by the Guru.” After speaking they then vanished as they entered the sky (< Skt. gagana).
***
This account was published in Henry Olcott’s work Old Diary Leaves.5
He [Sabhapati] came to our place the next day and favored us with his company from 9.30 a.m. until 4 p.m., by which time he had pretty thoroughly exhausted our patience. Whatever good opinion we may have formed of him before was spoilt by a yarn he told of his exploits as a Yogi. He had, he said, been taken up at Lake Mânsarovara, Tibet, high into the air and been transported two hundred miles along the high level to Mount Kailâs, where he saw Mahadeva! Ingenuous foreigners as H.P.B. [Blavatsky] and I may have been, we could not digest such a ridiculous falsehood as that. I told him so very plainly. If, I said, he had told us that he had gone anywhere he liked in astral body or clairvoyant vision, we might have believed it possible, but in physical body, from Lake Mânsarovara, in company with two Rishis mentioned in the Mahabharata, and to the non-physical Mount Kailâs—thanks, no: he should tell it to somebody else.
***
This is from an unpublished entry in Henry Olcott’s personal diary, held by the Theosophical Society archives in Adyar, India.
“Monday, November 8, 1880”
Sabhapaty Swami came [to] us with Birj Lal & another & stopped from 9½ am to 4 pm. His talks are right, but seems to me a possible humbug as his is not a spiritual face, and he tells a ridiculous story about being able to fly bodily 200 miles through the air.
***
This is a footnote published in later reprints of Sabhapati’s first edition that mentioned his flight.6
*This need not have been in the physical body of the Rishis; they might have flown towards the holy mountain in the Mayavi Rupa Kama Rupa (astral body), which to our author (who certainly is not an Adept in the sense the Theosophists use the word) must have been as real as if he had travelled through air in his physical body. —ED.
***
This from an article entitled “Jogis and Jogaism” published in All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal conducted by Charles Dickens.7
A living exponent of the Raj Jog philosophy is a Madras Jogi, by name, Sabhapaty Swami, who has issued a book on the subject. He lays down a set of rules, by the observance of which is attained a gradual extinction of all the human faculties, and senses, and desires. These rules include a series of arguments addressed separately to each of the faculties, long-continued meditation with closed eyes in a secluded place, and so forth.
This Madras Jogi is an adept who professes to have flown through the air to Kailas, the celestial mountain, and there to have beheld the great god, Siva, employed in Joga practices.
***
This from an article published in the New York Times (Sep. 1, 1889), a few months after the article appeared in All the Year Round.8
This Madras Jogi is an adept who professes to have flown through the air to Kailas, the celestial mountain, and there to have beheld the great god, Siva, employed in Joga practices. This profession is not so extravagant as that of others.
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Keith Edward Cantú
Keith Edward Cantú is a historian of religions whose interdisciplinary research focuses on South Asian yoga and tantra, Sanskrit and Indic vernacular traditions, and modern Western esotericism. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Lawrence University and teaches with Yogic Studies. He is the author of Like a Tree Universally Spread: Sri Sabhapati Swami and Śivarājayoga (Oxford University Press, 2023) and is currently preparing a second monograph on the esoteric songs and musical traditions of the Bāuls of Bengal.
