Q: sa.mjiiva~nasamaadhi

[Srinivasan Pichumani]

	sa.mjiivana-. It is almost a universal belief among the followers of
	Maharashtrian Sants that J;naane;svara (more authentic name J;naana-deva)
	chose his hour of departure from ordinary mortals, entered the place where
	his samaadhi/monument is now located, and asked that it be covered. Under
	the covering slabs, he is believed by his devotees to be still 'living.' He
	is thus probably unique among the Sants in being held as one who departed
	from the ordinary world but did not cease to be a living presence *with the
	same body.* The place of his samaadhi is considered to be jaag.rta or
	'alive, charged with his saintly presence' (which is not unusual in the
	case of Sants) in an immediate and physical sense (which, however, is
	unusual). J;naana-deva devotees do not speak of his death. In fact, some
	officials of the Sa.msthaana and many Aa..landii locals objected to the
	'death' part when J;naana-deva's periodwas specified in a publication of
	the Indian Philosophical Congress (held at Pune in Nov 96) with something
	like 'birth 1275 A.D., death 1296 A.D.' Thus, J;naana-deva departs
	sajiiva/sajiivana and remains sajiiva/sajiivana.

In a similar vein, the 19th century saint RAmalinga ADigaL (popularly 
known as VaLLalAr) is said to have asked his disciples to lock him in 
a house... and later disappeared without a trace... the house where he 
was "sublimated" is still a site of pilgrimage and is located in VaDalUr 
near Neyveli in TN.  

-Srini.