Does this video show PM Modi in handstand Yoga mudra at Kedarnath when he was 26 years old? Fact Check

A video of a yogi walking upside down on his hands is being shared on social media with a claim that nobody then thought he would one day become the Prime Minister of India, indirectly referring to PM Narendra Modi.

जब ये वीडियो बना था तो यह सोचा भी नहीं होगा कि यह योगी एक दिन देश का प्रधानमंत्री बनेगा।ऐसे दिव्य आत्मा को। बर्फबारी के बीच में हाथों के बल उल्टा चलकर केदारनाथ के परिक्रमा करते हुए। ऐसी आत्माए जब जब भी धरती पर आई है तो बहुत लोगों ने उनको गालियां दी। लेकिन आज उनकी पूजा हो रही है। pic.twitter.com/yugcSUf3SH

— Braham Jyot Satti ( मोदी का परिवार ) (@BrahamSitu) March 1, 2024

The post has been shared here and here with the same claim in Hindi that translates into English as: “When this video was made, it would not have been imagined that this Yogi would one day become the Prime Minister of the country. Such a divine soul. Circumambulating Kedarnath by walking upside down on hands in the midst of snowfall. Whenever such souls came to earth, many people abused them. But today he is being worshipped.”

We found that the same video was shared a year ago with a direct claim that it was PM Modi when he was 26 years old. Translated into English, it read:”He was twenty-six years old when he learned Yoga at the monastery of Sadhu Dayanand Ji in Rishikesh. Recognize this ascetic who is our Prime Minister today. A rare video of Modiji.”

👆👆उम्र छब्बीस की थी, जब रिषिकेश स्थित साधु दयानंद जी के मठ में योग विद्या ग्रहण किया। पहचानिए इस तपस्वी को आज हमारे प्रधानमंत्री हैं। एक दुर्लभ विडियो मोदीजी का 👌👍 pic.twitter.com/tpt9ZC3BV6

— MissMatch! (@ShimlaHelpline) July 11, 2022

FACT-CHECK:

As the video looked unnatural as the person did not resemble PM Modi, the Digiteye India team checked for the authenticity of the video, taking a few frames out of the video and checking them on Google Reverse image Search. The results showed that the original video, uploaded by Shree Kedar 360 Trust on their official X (Twitter) account on June 21, 2021, with a caption: “Teerth Purohit ‘Acharya Shri Santosh Trivedi’ celebrating International Yoga Day at Kedarnath temple. The skill and competency owned by Shri Acharya ji is exemplary and motivates many people across the globe. Jai Shri Kedarnath”.

Teerth Purohit ‘Acharya Shri Santosh Trivedi’ celebrating international Yog Day at Kedarnath Temple. The skill and competency Own by Shri Acharya ji is exemplary and motivates many people across the globe.

Jai Shri Kedarnath@UN @UNinIndia @narendramodi#kedarnath #YogaDay pic.twitter.com/B7d25Owrud

— Shri Kedar 360 Trust (@Kedar360Purohit) June 21, 2021

Further search on Acharya Shri Santosh Trivedi revealed that he had performed handstand yoga mudra in Kedarnath temple, according to a report by newsagency ANI dated March 24, 2020, a year before the 2021 image appeared on social media circles. Hence, the claim that the video shows PM Modi performing the handstand yoga mudra when he was 26-year-old is false.

Claim: PM Modi performing handstand yoga mudra in Kedarnath temple when he was 26 years old. A rare video of Modiji.

Conclusion: False. The person performing handstand yoga in the video is Acharya Santosh Trivedi, not PM Modi when he was 26-year-old.

Rating: Totally False —