You've probably seen the grainy photo. It pops up every few months on Facebook or WhatsApp—a frail, white-haired man with a beard that looks like it’s seen several centuries. People claim he's 164. Some say 179. The story goes that death "simply forgot" him. Honestly, it’s the kind of headline that makes you stop scrolling immediately because, well, it’s impossible. Or is it?
When we talk about the 164 year old man, specifically Mahashta Murasi, we are looking at one of the most persistent urban legends of the digital age. He allegedly hails from Varanasi, India. He supposedly retired from his job as a cobbler back in 1922. If you do the math, that would mean he was already well past retirement age when your great-grandparents were probably kids.
But here’s the thing about extreme longevity. It’s rarely about the math and almost always about the paperwork. Or the lack of it.
The Viral Myth of Mahashta Murasi
The internet loves a miracle. In 2014, a "news" story broke claiming that a man named Mahashta Murasi was born in 1835. The reports were incredibly specific. They cited his birth in Bangalore and his long life in Varanasi. They even included a quote where he joked that he was immortal because he had outlived his great-grandchildren's children.
It sounds legendary. It feels like a movie script.
The problem is that world-renowned organizations like Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) have never verified this. These groups are the gatekeepers of age. They don't just take your word for it; they demand birth certificates, baptismal records, and marriage licenses that align over a century. For Murasi, there is no such paper trail. The story actually originated from a satirical website called World News Daily Report. They specialize in "fake news" for entertainment. Yet, because the human desire to believe in the impossible is so strong, the story of the 164 year old man became a global "fact" overnight.
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Why 164 is Biologically Terrifying
Let's get real for a second. Human biology has a ceiling. It’s called the Hayflick Limit. Basically, our cells can only divide a certain number of times before they give up.
Currently, the oldest person to ever live—with actual, iron-clad proof—was Jeanne Calment. She lived to be 122 years and 164 days. She died in 1997. Since then, no one has even come close to touching 130, let alone 160. If a 164 year old man actually existed, he wouldn't just be a record-breaker; he would be a biological anomaly that would rewrite every medical textbook on the planet.
Think about the wear and tear. At 164, your heart would have beaten over 6 billion times. Your lungs would have taken over a billion breaths. The oxidative stress alone would be staggering. Scientists like Dr. Nir Barzilai, who studies centenarians, look for "longevity genes" that protect people from cancer and heart disease. But even with the best genes in the world, the jump from 122 to 164 is like comparing a marathon runner to someone who can run to the moon. It’s a different league of physics.
Blue Zones and the "Fountain of Youth" Reality
While the 164 year old man might be a myth, the pursuit of living that long is a billion-dollar industry. People look at "Blue Zones"—places like Okinawa, Japan, or Sardinia, Italy—where people regularly hit 100.
What’s their secret? It’s boring.
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It’s not a magic pill or a hidden Himalayan herb. It’s walking a lot. It’s eating beans. It’s having friends. In these communities, being 100 isn't a miracle; it's a byproduct of a lifestyle that isn't trying to kill you every day. When stories of 160-year-olds emerge from remote villages, researchers often find "age inflation." This happens when an elderly person takes on the identity of a deceased parent to keep receiving a pension, or simply because being the "oldest" brings prestige to a village.
In the case of the 164 year old man, the lack of verified records in 19th-century India makes it almost impossible to disprove—or prove—his age without DNA testing or sophisticated bone density scans, which haven't happened.
The Psychology of the Hoax
Why do we want to believe this? Why do we share the photo of the 164 year old man even when our gut tells us it’s fake?
Because we’re scared of dying.
Seeing someone who has bypassed the ultimate deadline gives us hope. It suggests that death isn't a hard wall, but a suggestion. If he can do it, maybe we can too. This "hope-scrolling" is what fuels the viral nature of these stories. We want there to be a secret. We want to believe that somewhere in the world, a cobbler from 1835 is still drinking tea and watching the world go by.
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Identifying Age Fraud in the Wild
If you encounter another story about a 164 year old man or someone claiming to be two centuries old, look for these red flags. First, check the source. If the only site reporting it also has headlines about aliens, it’s fake. Second, look for the "missing middle." Does the person have records from when they were 20, 40, and 60? Usually, these legends only have a "birth certificate" (which is often a forgery) and then nothing until they are 150.
True supercentenarians—people over 110—have a paper trail. They appear in censuses. they have marriage records. They exist in the system long before they become famous.
What We Can Actually Learn
We shouldn't chase the 164-year-old dream. Instead, we should look at the "validated" old.
People like Kane Tanaka or Maria Branyas Morera didn't reach their ages by being legends; they reached them by surviving. They had a mix of incredible genetics and, frankly, a lot of luck. They avoided the Spanish Flu, two World Wars, and the various pandemics of the 21st century.
If you want to live longer, stop looking for the 164 year old man and start looking at your own habits.
- Audit your stress. Most supercentenarians have a "Type B" personality. They don't sweat the small stuff.
- Move naturally. You don't need a CrossFit gym; you need to not sit for 10 hours a day.
- Prioritize social ties. Loneliness is as move-ending as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
- Verify your news. Use sites like Snopes or the Gerontology Research Group to fact-check longevity claims before sharing them.
The story of the 164 year old man is a fascinating look into human mythology, but it isn't biology. It’s a reminder that while our lives are finite, our capacity for wonder—and for being fooled—is seemingly infinite.
To stay grounded in reality, focus on "Healthspan" rather than just "Lifespan." It’s much better to be a healthy 80-year-old who can walk in the park than a mythological 164-year-old who only exists in a low-resolution JPEG.