Old Testament track · step 4b of 6 · matching NT step →
Old Testament · Step 4b · a side path
Prophets’ signs and the siddhis
The stories of Elijah and Elisha in the books of Kings are full of wonders: flour and oil that do not run out, a child restored to life, a mantle that parts a river, forty days without food. Book III of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras lists “perfections” (siddhis) that look similar. This page sets them side by side, rates how close each parallel is, and notes the warnings both traditions give.
Where powers come from: IV.1
| Woods 1914IV.1 · public domain | “Perfections proceed from birth or from drugs or from spells or from self-castigation or from concentration.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Vivekananda 1896IV.1 · public domain | “The Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth, chemical means, power of words, mortification, or concentration.” | source |
1. Oil and flour that do not fail (1 Kings 17:14–16 · 2 Kings 4:6)
1 Kings 17:14-16
| KJVpublic domain | “For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, The pitcher of meal is not consumed, and the dish of oil is not lacking, till the day of Jehovah's giving a shower on the face of the ground.' And she goeth, and doth according to the word of Elijah, and she eateth, she and he, and her household -- days; the pitcher of meal was not consumed, and the dish of oil did not lack, according to the word of Jehovah that He spake by the hand of Elijah.” | source |
2 Kings 4:6
| KJVpublic domain | “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “and it cometh to pass, at the filling of the vessels, that she saith unto her son, `Bring nigh unto me a vessel more,' and he saith unto her, `There is not a vessel more;' and the oil stayeth.” | source |
Indian hagiography has many stories of food that does not run out in a saint’s presence. Patanjali names no such siddhi, so the parallel is with saints’ stories rather than with the Sutras. Strength of parallel: weak. In Kings the sign is God’s provision for a poor widow (and in 2 Kings 4 her rescue from debt-slavery), carried by the prophet’s word.
2. A child restored (1 Kings 17:21–22 · 2 Kings 4:34–35)
1 Kings 17:21-22
| KJVpublic domain | “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And he stretcheth himself out on the lad three times, and calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, `O Jehovah my God, let turn back, I pray Thee, the soul of this lad into his midst;' and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the lad turneth back into his midst, and he liveth.” | source |
“And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.”— 2 Kings 4:34-35, KJV · source · compare: YLT · NRSVue · ESV · NIV
Elijah and Elisha stretch their bodies over a dead child and pray, and “the soul of the child came into him again”. The Gospels’ raisings (Jairus’s daughter, the widow of Nain) echo these stories closely. Yogic literature speaks of a power to enter another body (Woods III.38), but that is not the same thing. Strength of parallel: weak to none with the Sutras. These are acts of intercession; the prophet cries to the LORD.
3. Elijah’s mantle passes to Elisha (2 Kings 2:9–15)
2 Kings 2:9-10
| KJVpublic domain | “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And it cometh to pass, at their passing over, that Elijah hath said unto Elisha, `Ask, what do I do for thee before I am taken from thee?' and Elisha saith, `Then let there be, I pray thee, a double portion of thy spirit unto me;' and he saith, `Thou hast asked a hard thing; if thou dost see me taken from thee, it is to thee so; and if not, it is not.'” | source |
2 Kings 2:9 (modern translations)
| NRSV (NRSVue)© publisher · short quote | “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”” | source |
|---|---|---|
| ESV© publisher · short quote | “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”” | source |
| NIV© publisher · short quote | “When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.” | source |
“Double portion” (Hebrew pi shenayim) is the inheritance share of a firstborn son (Deut 21:17, same phrase): Elisha asks to be Elijah’s heir.
2 Kings 2:13-15
| KJVpublic domain | “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And he taketh up the robe of Elijah, that fell from off him, and turneth back and standeth on the edge of the Jordan, and he taketh the robe of Elijah that fell from off him, and smiteth the waters, and saith, `Where [is] Jehovah, God of Elijah -- even He?' and he smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and Elisha passeth over. And they see him -- the sons of the prophets who [are] in Jericho -- over-against, and they say, `Rested hath the spirit of Elijah on Elisha;' and they come to meet him, and bow themselves to him to the earth,” | source |
“In his former incarnation he had given the “mantle” of his glory and his spiritual wealth to his disciple Elisha.”— Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi (1946), ch. 35 · source
“From a reverent study of the Bible from an Oriental viewpoint, and from intuitional perception, I am convinced that John the Baptist was, in past lives, the guru of Christ.”— Yogananda, Autobiography, ch. 35 · source
A master’s cloak passes to a disciple, who then shows the same power: Indian readers will think at once of the guru–disciple succession and of śaktipāta, “the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another or directly from the deity”, held to be “an act of grace … It cannot be imposed by force” (Wikipedia, “Shaktipat”). Note that Elijah cannot simply grant the request (“Thou hast asked a hard thing”); it depends on Elisha seeing him taken. Strength of parallel: strong as a pattern of succession. Yogananda reads Elijah and Elisha as reborn as John the Baptist and Jesus. That is his own belief, stated as such; Jewish and Christian tradition do not hold it.
“And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.”— 2 Kings 13:21, KJV · source · compare: YLT · NRSVue · ESV · NIV
Even Elisha’s bones restore a dead man to life. Indian tradition honours the relics and samādhi shrines of saints for the same reason: holiness is felt to remain in the body that carried it. The parallel is in devotional practice, not in the Sutras.
4. Forty days without food (Exodus 34:28 · 1 Kings 19:8)
Exodus 34:28
| KJVpublic domain | “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “And he is there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; bread he hath not eaten, and water he hath not drunk; and he writeth on the tables the matters of the covenant -- the ten matters.” | source |
1 Kings 19:8
| KJVpublic domain | “And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “and he riseth, and eateth, and drinketh, and goeth in the power of that food forty days and forty nights, unto the mount of God -- Horeb.” | source |
Hunger and thirst: Woods III.30
| Woods 1914III.30 · public domain | “[As a result of constraint] upon the well of the throat [there follows] the cessation of hunger and thirst.” | source |
|---|
Moses fasts forty days on the mountain, Elijah walks forty days “in the strength of that meat”, and Jesus fasts forty days in the wilderness (Matt 4:2). Patanjali names a power over hunger and thirst. Strength of parallel: moderate. The Bible links the fasts to God’s presence or to food given by an angel, not to concentration on a point of the body.
5. The Nazirite vow and the yogic disciplines (Numbers 6:2–5)
Numbers 6:2-5
| KJVpublic domain | “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Young's Literalpublic domain | “`Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When a man or woman doeth singularly, by vowing a vow of a Nazarite, to be separate to Jehovah; from wine and strong drink he doth keep separate; vinegar of wine, and vinegar of strong drink he doth not drink, and any juice of grapes he doth not drink, and grapes moist or dry he doth not eat; all days of his separation, of anything which is made of the wine-vine, from kernels even unto husk, he doth not eat. `All days of the vow of his separation a razor doth not pass over his head; till the fulness of the days which he doth separate to Jehovah he is holy; grown up hath the upper part of the hair of his head.” | source |
Observances: Woods II.32
| Woods 1914II.32 · public domain | “Cleanliness and contentment and self-castigation and study and devotion to the Içvara are the observances.” | source |
|---|
Continence and energy: II.38
| Woods 1914II.38 · public domain | “As soon as he is grounded in abstinence from incontinence, he acquires energy” | source |
|---|---|---|
| Vivekananda 1896II.38 · public domain | “By the establishment of continence energy is gained.” | source |
Austerity: Woods II.43
| Woods 1914II.43 · public domain | “Perfection in the body and in the organs after impurity has dwindled as a result of self-castigation.” | source |
|---|
A Nazirite vowed “to separate themselves unto the LORD”: no wine or grape products, no cutting of the hair, no contact with the dead (Wikipedia, “Nazirite”). Samson, Samuel and (in Luke) John the Baptist are linked to it. The shape is very close to a yogic vrata (vow) and to tapas and brahmacarya: a consecrated person, set apart, whose discipline is thought to hold power, which is what the Samson story dramatises. Strength of parallel: strong as a form of life; the Sutras’ claim that energy is gained is the yogic reading.
6. Wonders that prove nothing (Exodus 7:11–12 · Deuteronomy 18:10–11)
“Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.”— Exodus 7:11-12, KJV · source · compare: YLT · NRSVue · ESV · NIV
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.”— Deuteronomy 18:10-11, KJV · source · compare: YLT · NRSVue · ESV · NIV
Powers as obstacles: Woods III.37
| Woods 1914III.37 · public domain | “In concentration these [supernal activities] are obstacles ; in the emergent state they are perfections (siddhi).” | source |
|---|
Pharaoh’s magicians copy the sign of the rod, and Deuteronomy forbids divination and consulting the dead. Deuteronomy 13:1–3 even warns that a prophet who gives a real sign but leads people to other gods is to be rejected. The test of a prophet is faithfulness, not marvels. Patanjali reaches a similar conclusion by another route: powers are “obstacles” to samadhi. Ramakrishna, Yogananda and the Gospels agree that wonders are not the goal (see NT Step 4b).
New Testament track: Step 4b · Miracles and siddhis.
Eastern perspective · Upanishads · Gita
Whose power is it? The fire god and the straw
Elijah’s fire on Carmel is the LORD’s, not his. The Kena Upanishad tells a story with the same lesson: the god of fire himself cannot burn a straw without the power behind him.
“Now, Brahma won a victory for the gods. Now, in the victory of this Brahma the gods were exulting. They bethought themselves: ‘Ours indeed is this victory! Ours indeed is this greatness!’”— Kena Upanishad 3.1, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
“‘In such as you what power is there?’ ‘Indeed, I might burn everything here, whatever there is here in the earth!’ It put down a straw before him. ‘Burn that!’ He went forth at it with all speed. He was not able to burn it.”— Kena Upanishad 3.5–6, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
“‘It is Brahma,’ she said. ‘In that victory of Brahma, verily, exult ye.’ Thereupon indeed he knew it was Brahma.”— Kena Upanishad 4.1, tr. R. E. Hume, The Thirteen Principal Upanishads (1921) · source
“Whatever thing (there is) of power, or glorious, or splendid, know all that to be produced from portions of my energy.”— Gita 10.41, tr. K. T. Telang (1882) · source
On Carmel fire falls to show “that thou art the LORD God” (1 Kgs 18:37), not that Elijah is great. In the Kena, Agni learns that his own fire was never his. Both stories put a single source behind every visible power, and both humble the one who seems to wield it.
Where the traditions differ
In the Kena the gods themselves are humbled before Brahman; in the Hebrew Bible the other gods are rivals to be rejected (Baal). The Upanishad includes the many gods within the One; Kings excludes them.
Light thread
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”— Daniel 12:3, KJV · source