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CONTENTS
Lead Article
Who is the Real Sadhguru?
Sadhguru in the Past and Present 4
Musings
Eating A Doorway to Liberation? 7
In Conversation with the Mystic
Deepen the Question and You Will Know
Sadhguru in Conversation with Actor Siddharth 8
Leela Series
Banumathi Torn between Duty and Devotion 11
News & Happenings
Optimal Health and Wellbeing
Conversation with Sadhguru at Duke University 13
The California Isha Center Takes Root 14
Socially Conscious Business
Discussion with Sadhguru and Paul Hawken 14
The Call of the Wild
Isha Nature Awareness Program for Children 15
Sharing Experiences
Isha Brahmacharis on a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram 16
Sailing Solo around the World 18
Upcoming Programs and Events
Isha Yoga Program Highlights 20
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
Masala Buttermilk 21
Zen Speaks: Mind like a Mirror 23
July 2013
The following is an excerpt from a Q&A session
with Sadhguru during a Sathsang for Anaadhi
participants at the iii, McMinnville, Tennessee, on
24 June 2010.
Questioner: There are people who say that Sadhguru
Shri Brahma was the real Sadhguru. If that is so,
what are we seeing today? Is there a real Sadhguru,
and if so, who is he?
Sadhguru: These are all archival people. They have
come with me for the second or third lifetime. For
them, Sadhguru means he must be blazing, because
that is how they knew him. Now when they see
that he smiles, talks, and jokes, they think, This is
not him. They talk about the one that they fell in
love with. They are a little disappointed with this
one today because their Sadhguru was so intense,
ery, and uncompromising. He would not even call
anyone by name; he just said, Hey! These people
like the rough and tumble so much that they think
he is too soft and too public today. The public never
dared to sit with Sadhguru Shri Brahma.
These are all ery people who were sitting with a
ball of re for them, that is Sadhguru. It is I
am not denying it. But what is wrong with this
one [Sadhguru today]? That one [Sadhguru Shri
Brahma] was fantastic, but it failed in its mission.
This one may not be so fantastic, but it has made it
work. It is a conscious compromise. It is not that
we have succumbed to the ways of the world;
we have just learnt to live in the world because
we want to do something in the world. If we
have no intention of doing anything in the world
anymore, we will retract to that kind of mode,
just to chase people away.
Now, we are not trying to chase people away; we
are inviting people, doing PR, going around the
world, and talking spiritual nonsense to all kinds
of sleek idiots who are completely lost in their
money, their possessions, their family things
that they think are theirs. When people who have
been with me before see this kind of ignorance
and disregard, they burn with anger. They cannot
believe Sadhguru is being put through this,
because that Sadhguru would have just looked and
burnt people, had they behaved like that. This
one [Sadhguru today] is not like that. This one is
willing to crawl if need be as long as it works.
July 2013 FOREST FLOWER
SADHGURU SADHGURU SADHGURU SADHGURU SADHGURU
4
He took this form in this lifetime because he
thought that this is going to work, and it did. By
option, he works in both realms sometimes, he
becomes like this; sometimes, he becomes like
that. That was a beautiful one; this is a smart one.
You not only enjoy the warmth of the sun, you
also like the coolness of the moon.
Only when he was meditating, tears fowed from
his eyes. Whether his mother, father, friend, or
disciples died, no one ever saw him shed a single
tear for anyone. Even when his own mission died,
they only saw him more and more furious; never a
drop of tear. Now I can shed tears with eyes open or
eyes closed. I can hug you and shed tears. If someone
dies, I can shed tears. If a tree is cut, I can shed tears.
Or I can sit blazing without a tear in my eyes. This
time around, I am more versatile, more fexible,
because the nature of activity we have taken up is
different from what we had taken up at that time.
It is all right for my archival disciples who are still
with me to feel that way. I am not saying this for
self-aggrandizement, but it is important for any
disciple to see that their Guru is the best for them.
Otherwise, their mind will not stay focused. Unless
you think that your wife is the best person you can
have in your life, you will look all over the place.
Similarly, only if you see, There is no better Guru
for me, your mind will be capable of staying with it
and benefting from it.
If you keep looking here and there, if you go
Guru shopping, you will not get anywhere. If
you know this has something nourishing to give
you, you must dig it all the way. If you shift every
day, you will waste your life. You will be full of
holes no well; no water to drink; nothing to
sustain you. These people are like that though
they know this one is the same in many ways,
still, they feel their Sadhguru is the best Sadhguru.
They need not appreciate me the way I am today.
It is good for them to hold onto that because that
will be their growth; that will be their wellbeing.
Questioner: Sadhguru, those who knew you during
the Dhyanalinga consecration process say there
have been changes in your personality since that
time. What were these changes, and why did you
allow them to happen?
Sadhguru: I didnt just allow it; I did it. Before
the consecration, I was on a one-point mission.
My whole life my mind, my body, my energies,
my capabilities everything was on a one-point
agenda. With the outside world, I worked in
compartments. People only saw a fringe aspect of
me. Only when they came to the 90-day program,
I slowly opened up a few aspects of me, which
were very shocking for them. This nice, young
man, who came from Karnataka like the coolness
of Kaveri, was suddenly blazing and talking about
building a temple! Until then, I had not uttered
the word Dhyanalinga not even to people who
were immediately around me.
Eighteen years, I had been on a goodwill mission,
not saying a word to just about anyone. But not
one breath in those 18 years happened without the
purpose of Dhyanalinga behind it. Trying to garner
and assimilate all kinds of forces social, worldly,
natural, and otherworldly so that this could be
accomplished, I was living many lives within myself
and outside myself. When people saw me at different
times, they almost thought this is a different man
altogether. We thought we will anyway go once
the consecration was done, so we didnt plan much
for the future. But when we somehow managed to
restructure the body and decided to stay on, with
the mission completed, what was left in life was
only fooling around.
My sense of aesthetics has always been strong and I
am very particular about how things should be, but
those 20 years until the Dhyanalinga consecration,
I did not even choose the clothes that I wore.
Whatever people bought all kinds of clownish
clothing, which was their idea of aesthetics I just
wore without a word. I cant believe that I actually
wore those Lucknowi kurtas that they gave me with
this horrible embroidery. Even today, I am getting
such items. They all go to the drama cupboard.
My focus was only on Dhyanalinga. All other aspects
of my life what I ate, where I went, what I did,
what I wore did not matter. I was constantly living
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at the peak. Once the consecration was done, there
was no point of staying on the peak. We thought we
will come down to the valleys and do what people
understand. Suddenly, people found that I can
actually joke. Initially, when I was teaching, I just
wore my faded denims and a t-shirt, or whatever
clothing people gave me. We did not have any
microphones at that time. When I taught what you
see today as the basic program (in a different format),
I walked up and down furiously like a caged tiger.
I was on re, having a time limit and a mission that
I had not been able to complete for three lifetimes.
Determined to see that it happens this time around,
I moved all kinds of forces in one direction, to
the point of xing which womb people should be
born in. People thought they got married because
their horoscopes matched or they fell in love, but
actually, I had xed all this. They thought that their
child being born was a God-given thing, but all that,
I had xed for them. This manipulation on all levels
left me so intense, focused, and ery. People hung
around me not because they liked me but because
they had no choice. They were just sucked into the
energy vortex that happened wherever I walked.
I was not dressed like a spiritual teacher; I did not
behave like one. What I was doing as a fulltime
activity was just a minor part of my life. My secret
life was elsewhere.
After the consecration was done, I thought I will
make my life more like an open book, and that is
how it is today. Just about everyone knows what
I eat, where I go, what I do. This was a shift from
existing at peak intensity to a very relaxed pace of
life. People still think this is too intense. If this is my
idea of a relaxed phase of life, you can imagine how
intense life was earlier.
Some people who were with me at that time
wondered at some point what was actually
happening, why they were being drawn to me.
They took a picture of me, went to Sai Baba, and
asked, See, this is my Guru. Is he okay? They
wanted a diagnosis. He looked at the image and
gave a very clever answer: You should go to this
man only if you seek ultimate wellbeing. If you
seek a good life, you should come to me. That is
what I am always saying this is for those who are
seeking ultimate wellbeing.
A Partnership with Sadhguru
7
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at the Isha Yoga Center, Sadhguru will initiate
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which they can easily connect with Grace.
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Sadhguru will be on 20 July 2013.
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July 2013
The following is an excerpt from a Q&A session with
Sadhguru during a meditators retreat in Lebanon
Junction, KY, USA, in February 2005.
Questioner: Once, while eating an apple, I told
myself to be aware of it. All of a sudden, the apple
started to taste like licorice. Is every avor in the
world in that apple, or was I just hallucinating?
Sadhguru: That you should know by now. You have
had enough experiences of hallucination.
In terms of eating and awareness generally,
wherever possible, I eat alone. That is something
a lot of people dont like; they like to eat and
talk. There are even doctors who claim that if you
laugh and talk while eating, you will eat less; it
will be better for digestion, and you will not get
fat. In the yogic culture, people always prefer to
eat alone. Even if you eat in a group, you never
look at what or how someone is eating. What
someone else is doing is not your business; you
just eat, because eating is not a small thing. You
are converting these beans, apples, carrots, bread,
chicken, or whatever else you eat into a human
being. Something is becoming a part of you. You
must put yourself totally into this process.
There are many other ways inclusion could happen.
Eating is such a physical thing, and so is sexuality.
With sex, you are only trying to make something
a part of you. It seems like that but it does not
actually happen. With eating, you successfully make
something a part of yourself. It is a much bigger
thing not in terms of taste; in terms of experiencing
inclusion. With food, you take something that was
once lying there as lth and transformed itself into
food, and you make that into a human being.
If you do it with absolute involvement, you will not
just see the taste of licorice or whatever in it but
something else. In the Bhava Spandana program, we
put participants through a process where if you give
yourself totally to it, just a mouthful of food will
be explosive. Every day, food should be like that.
And if you become subtler, your very breath will
be like that. With every inhalation and exhalation,
you include the whole world. This air that you are
inhaling, do you know how many times, how many
million creatures on the planet humans and every
other kind have recycled it? There has been no
external input; the atmosphere has been the same
for millions of years.
If you inhale properly, everything that is worth
knowing is right here. You can inhale a Buddha,
a Patanjali, or a Jesus right now, because they also
breathed the same air. Is it all in the air? That is
not the point. This air has touched everything.
And above all, this inhalation itself is becoming
you. You cannot be without it for a single minute.
When this is so precious to you, everything that is
making it must be equally precious. If you do it with
full awareness, everything in existence is a way to
your enlightenment. Every atom in existence is a
doorway to your ultimate nature. Which one you
use is your choice. If you are willing to give yourself
to it, you could liberate yourself by eating an apple.
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In another edition of the In Conversation with the Mystic series, Sadhguru met with young
actor Siddharth on 10 January 2013 in Hyderabad under the theme Youth and Truth. Here
is the fourth part of their conversation.
Siddharth: A common point of conict in
relationships, whether its between a man and
a woman or whatever ones choice, is to listen to
the other person; the question of who is right, and
sticking to ones standpoint. Based on whatever
little interaction I have had with you, you are in a
habit of being right a lot. Does that make Sadhguru
impossible to be in a relationship with? I dont think
any woman wants to always say, Yeah, Sadhguru.
You are right. Tell me honestly because you are a
romantic at heart, you are childlike have you ever
said, I dont know. I am wrong. You are right, to a
woman? [Laughter and applause]
Sadhguru: This is a revenge question. [Laughter]
That is what I was telling you if you utter the word
relationship today, it has to be man/woman. You
put it in politically correct terms for people who
may not be man/woman but they play man/woman.
But essentially, what you say is, a relationship
means two bodies must be involved. Just 25 years
ago, if you said, I have a relationship, it was not
synonymous with a physical relationship. I have a
relationship with my mother, my father, my sister,
my brother, my friend, and so many others.
Today, we have reduced our social discourse to
the level that if we say relationship, it must be
hormone-red. Intelligence has been hacked by
hormones, and the society is being crafted for that
hacked intelligence. It is time we understand that
we can have profound relationships without having
anything to do with those peoples bodies. Constantly
seeing people for their gender is something that has
to stop in the world. Why cant you just look at
human beings as they are? Looking at them as a
woman or a man is only needed for one type of
relationship. There is no need to always identify
people by body parts. If you must identify them by
body parts, at least lets choose the brain, not the
reproductive organs.
People say, Love is the core of the universe. It is
not. Love is just a certain sweetness of emotion. It is
a human need to get it and to give it to each other.
Unfortunately, most human beings can give that
sweetness of emotion only to a person who will give
them physical satisfaction. I am not like this. I am
deeply involved, engaged, and have love affairs with
millions of people. Having seen you in the movies,
millions of people may be having love affairs with
you, but you are not having love affairs with them.
The fundamental difference with me is, I dont
know whether they like me or not, but I am having
a fabulous love affair with just about anyone that I
see and that I cannot see, because for me, love is not
about them; love is about how I am within myself.
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About always being right this conversation is
about Youth and Truth. So you are supposed to
be wrong, and I am supposed to be right. Because
youth means, you must be a bundle of confusion;
truth means, I must be right so I am playing
the role properly. This doesnt mean this is how I
always live. Do I say, I do not know to a woman?
All the time.
Siddharth: Smart man!
Sadhguru: I have a young woman in my house,
my daughter. Every day, people come with all
kinds of problems, and our organization is growing
at a phenomenal pace. There are administrative
problems, fnancial situations, human problems
every kind of problem comes to us. These are very
complex things, but ever since she was three years
of age, I have been telling her, This is what theyre
saying. What to do? She would think and come up
with very simple, sometimes absolutely fantastic,
sometimes childish answers, but at least, she started
looking at the problems. I never give her an answer
for anything. If she comes up with a question, I
always put another question to deepen her question.
I do not have a teaching. If someone asks a question
about life in a superfcial way, I will only deepen
their question. Are you life?
Siddharth: Very much.
Sadhguru: You are. If you are life, who the hell
am I to give you an answer? The only thing is, you
are not able to delve into the depths of life because
your question is not sharp enough. My business is to
sharpen your question and leave it with you. Even
now, in a round-about way, all I am doing is trying
to make the questions you ask sharper, because
questions are tools to dig deeper. If it comes to life,
all answers are stupid.
If you ask me how to engineer this place with less
steel, I will give you an answer. If you ask me
how to make yourself a better human being, I
will only deepen the question, because you are a
human being. If you were a monkey who wanted
to become a human being, I would have told you,
you can act it out. But you already are a human
being, so who am I to tell you how to be one?
You are as human as you can be human in the
sense of being in a certain state of evolution; not
just in terms of mind or intelligence life itself
is in a certain state of evolution.
Your humanity does not fnd full expression because
you picked up all kinds of ideas, philosophies,
principles, and belief systems. The burden of this
is sitting on your head, so you try to fnd solutions
in teachings, books, sacred talks, and whatever
else. Spiritual process means to take you away from
all those things and to turn you inward. That will
only happen when your questions become burning
enough, sharp enough. Otherwise, you will try to
fnd explanations, not answers. I am not here to give
you any explanations, or say whats right or wrong
I am here only to deepen the question. But if you ask
about flms, I will give you my opinion.
Siddharth: I am scared to go there. Fortunately, you
have only seen one of my flms. He thought Rang De
Basanti was 15 years back! I said, How old do you
think I am? He is trying to prove he is young that
doesnt mean he has to prove I am old! Thats very
unfair. [Sadhguru laughs]
Sadhguru: No, I just thought you are a mature actor.
Siddharth: I told you, I can pretend. Maturity is one
of my best pretenses.
Sadhguru: [Laughs] So, Rang De Basanti. I do not
get enough time to really go and sit in a theater to
watch a movie. Only when someone recommends
one and brings me the DVD, I may see it. In this
case too, someone said, You must see this. This is
about the youth of India. I saw it, and once again, it
was about rage. I appreciated it. I am sure everyone,
even the actors and the directors, later distanced
themselves from the last scene. They should not.
We must say that this is going to happen if you
do not do the right things. Not that we want it to
happen, but it would be foolish to not even dare to
look at the natural consequence of certain actions,
or the lack of action.
Siddharth: Talking about Rang De Basanti; just a
quick comment on gun culture. Youve visited the
United States of America many times; I am sure you
have been involved in many such debates. I think
that if the government of this country lets things
continue the way they are, then eventually, like in
this Hindi flm, everyone will take the law into their
own hands; gun culture and total chaos will be an
inevitable consequence. In the context of individuals
seeking vigilante justice, people needing to protect
themselves and their families with weapons and
guns, where are we heading in a country like India?
Sadhguru: Our center in the United States is in
Tennessee. In Tennessee, no one lives without a
gun, even today, even the ladies. Almost no one
walks around without a gun in their handbag.
One reason is because in Tennessee, homes are far
away from each other. The American nation was
built on guns, and even today, they have a right to
bear arms. Every time some violent act happens,
people talk about taking away the guns, but there
is always someone else saying, No way! This has
been happening for almost one and a half centuries.
You know, there is this saying, If you outlaw guns,
only outlaws will have guns.
Isnt that the truth in India too? Those who have
them dont have good intentions towards anyone.
Suppose ten people with violent intentions walk
into your house today if you call the police, how
long do you think it will take for them to come?
Siddharth: If you get through, which you usually
wont.
Sadhguru: Suppose you got through?
Siddharth: I think postmortem.
Sadhguru: Yeah. So when that is the situation
now these horrible things that happened to this girl
in Delhi wouldnt her father wish she had had a
gun of her own? When the mechanism to protect
the citizens of a nation is not even effcient enough
to protect peoples life and property in the heart
of the capital city not in a jungle, not on top of
a mountain naturally, people will try to protect
themselves. Everyone has a right to their life. Now
all the criminals have guns; only regular citizens
dont. Does this mean we must provide guns to the
citizens? No. Can you take away the guns from
the criminals? You cannot. They will always fnd
a way to get one.
Gun culture is not the basis of violence. Nations arm
themselves as a deterrent force. India has so many
issues we cannot even feed our people but do you
know the amount of money we spend on defense?
Just the mountain corps is going to cost 81,000 crores
in the 12
th
fve year plan. Why are we spending this
kind of money? Because we know a deterrent force
is needed for a nation right now. You need to have
guns; otherwise, someone else will walk over you.
Unfortunately, we have not come to the utopian
state of consciousness where all of us will love each
other and live together in harmony. We can strive
for it, but thats not yet a reality.
An idea, an aspiration is one thing; reality is another
thing. You can aspire for an ideal, but day-to-day
dealing is only with reality. The reality is, in the
heart of the capital city, your daughter, your wife,
or your mother anyone could get raped and killed.
If such realities repeat themselves, every father will
wish his daughter will be carrying a gun, or at least a
knife, or a chili spray; something to hurt somebody.
Once they have it in their pocket, will all of
them use it with the necessary discretion? No.
Because they are in anger, people may shoot
someone. All these things will follow because
there is a certain breakdown in the fundamental
mechanisms that make a nation.
To be continued
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The following is an excerpt from Leela, the path of
the playful, a unique exploration with Sadhguru
into the mystical realm of Krishna, which took
place at the Isha Yoga Center in September 2005.
Theres a beautiful incident in the Mahabharata
where Krishna is not in the scene, but is very much
a part of it.
Duryodhanas wife, who was just 18 or 19 years
of age, was pregnant with their rst child. She
was a simple girl who didnt know anything
other than dedicating her life to her husband.
That was what the tradition taught them then.
Duryodhana had just been to the Swayamvara
to win over Draupadi as his wife. Banumathi
was going through her own emotional turmoil
because Draupadi came from a much bigger royal
family; she was Drupadas daughter and a very
powerful, ery woman. Banumathi was a very
beautiful but simple person. She didnt have the
intrigue of a Draupadi behind her.
She was happy that Duryodhana had lost the
Swayamvara. You see, everyone has their own
agenda. Duryodhana was burning with shame
for having lost, and above all, for Arjuna winning
Draupadi. He was not able to eat or sleep and was
just walked up and down, fuming. In this mood, he
came on the terrace where Banumathi was sitting
with freshly washed hair and both her hands
stretched out to dry the mehndi. Duryodhana told
her, I cant face the world anymore after losing the
competition, that too to Arjuna of all people. We
didnt know that these ve brothers are still alive.
Now they have even married Drupadas daughter
and have a huge army behind them!
All his plans had come to naught because of this,
and this bothered him. Banumathi said, You know
it says in our scriptures, whatever is written on
our forehead by God, thats what will happen.
Why are you bothered? You have Hastinapur, a
large kingdom. Everything is going well for you
here. You have 99 brothers with you. We have
wonderful parents. They are all there for you,
and I am fully dedicated to you too. Why are
you bothered about Draupadi marrying Arjuna?
You have enough. We have enough. We should
be thankful for what we have.
He ew into a rage, You stupid woman! You dont
understand statecraft what is involved in it, and
where it is heading to. He went on like this for a
while. Finally, being at his wits end, he asked, Tell
me, what should I do? Banumathi said, I think
you should consult Krishna Vasudeva. Hes here in
Hastinapur right now. Im sure he will tell you whats
best for you. She trusted that even if someone is his
enemy, Krishna would tell him whats best for him.
She had this trust in him because of an earlier
incident that had happened when she was just 17
years of age. She was an extremely beautiful girl
and Krishna was Duryodhanas guest in the palace.
Duryodhana had a plan to get Krishna drunk and get
some kind of commitment from him. He arranged
a party and made sure a sufcient amount of wine
was there. Almost everyone drank too much. Only
Krishna maintained his cool and went on meeting
and charming everyone.
In this whole enthusiasm, Banumathi had also
consumed more than she should have. She was a
young girl who wasnt used to drinking. At some
point, everyone got so tipsy that things went out of
Leela Series
The path of the playful
Part XLV
Banumathi Torn between Duty and Devotion
12
FOREST FLOWER July 2013
control, and the situation was almost on the verge
of becoming an orgy. Banumathi lost control over
herself. She fell on Krishna and started expressing
her desire for him. Krishna saw that in her condition,
she may do something that she would not be able to
handle later; as a queen of Hastinapur, she would
be fnished. So he held her like a baby, carried her
to Gandharis chambers, and handed her over to
her mother-in-law. The next morning, Banumathi
was absolutely grateful to him for having done this.
From then on, she was like a devotee of Krishna.
So she told her husband, Consult Krishna. He would
be the best one to ask. The moment she uttered the
word Krishna, Duryodhana few into a rage. He
said, Go and live with him if you want. She was
very offended by this. Krishna is not an ordinary
man. You cannot tell your wife, Go live with him.
She wanted to meet Krishna, who was in town,
but now Duryodhana said, Youre not going to
meet him never again. You will neither send any
kind of communication to him, nor will you go
and meet him, nor will he come into this palace.
She was disconsolate. The birth of her child was
just a few days away and she wanted her child to
be blessed by Krishna.
Then Jalandhara, Banumathis sister, came by while
Duryodhana was still around, and she asked him,
What is this nonsense? Why are you making this
woman cry? Shes pregnant. This is not the time to
talk to her like this. Duryodhana said, If you talk to
me like this, I will slap you. Jalandhara was a spirited
girl. She replied, If you slap me, Im going to bite
your fngers off. She would have been capable of
that. Then she actually asked Duryodhana to get out
of the place, and she hugged her sister. Banumathi
said, You know, Im going to deliver my frst baby
soon. I want to see Krishna before, but now I cannot
see him anymore because Duryodhana has given
this instruction. Hes the king and my husband.
Jalandhara wanted to make an arrangement to meet
with Krishna, but she did not know how. Then she
thought of Bhima, the strongest of the Pandavas
brothers, who had been paying some attention
to her. Bhima has good access to Krishna. So she
thought if she approaches him, it could work.
She sent a message with a maid, saying that
Jalandhara wants to secretly meet Bhima late
at night in the gymnasium. Bhima was thrilled
that Jalandhara wanted a secret rendezvous with
him. He dressed himself up properly, put on
fragrances, and went there.
When Jalandhara came with her maid, Bhima asked
what she wanted. Jalandhara said, I actually came
because I want to meet with Krishna. Bhima got
mad. You want to meet Krishna? For that you call
me here in the middle of the night? The whole
day, the man is sitting there, meeting people. From
morning to evening, whether its a woman, man, or
child, hes making love to every one of them with
his eyes. You can go and meet him there. Why did
you call me here? I thought you came to meet me.
To be continued
Leela
thepath of theplayful
Special Collectors DVD Edition
A unique exploration with Sadhguru into the
mystical realm of Krishna
Available at www. ishashoppe.com
Eight DVDs Rs. 1500
The most recent episode of the In Conversation
with the Mystic series took place at Duke
University Medical Center on 5 May. Sadhguru was
joined by Dr. Tracy Gaudet of the United States
Veterans Health Administration for an Experiential
Symposium on Optimal Health and Wellbeing.
The afternoon began with a thought-provoking
presentation by Dr. Mitchell Krucoff on
Spirituality and Intangible Human Healing
Capacities: The Future of High Tech Medicine.
Dr. Krucoff is Professor of Medicine/Cardiology and
an Interventional Cardiologist at Duke University
Medical Center. Dr. Krucoffs presentation outlined
his research which is laying the groundwork
to illuminate the role of spirituality in medical
practice. The MANTRA Study Project, which Dr.
Krucoff directs, is working to examine the impact
of noetic therapies including intercessory prayer,
music, imagery, and touch therapy on patients
with heart disease.
Sadhguru then took the oor along with Dr. Tracy
Gaudet, the Director of the Unites States Veterans
Health Administrations Ofce of Patient-Centered
Care and Cultural Transformation. Throughout
the conversation, Dr. Gaudet asked insightful
questions stemming from her depiction of the
current state of healthcare in the US, from theory
and treatment paradigms, to health education
reform, as well as the mental and emotional health
of soldiers and veterans.
Dr. Gaudets rst question centered on shifting
the fundamental model of medical care from an
attack mode of disease treatment to a marriage of
prevention and treatment. Medicine in the West,
Sadhguru elaborated, originated from the treatment
of infectious disease, which must be treated as an
invasion. However, the majority of ailments and
diseases today are self-created, stemming from food
and lifestyle choices, as well as stress and anxiety.
The ideal, Sadhguru explained, would be a system
which looked at the total wellbeing of a person. He
related that in yoga, health is nurtured through the
purication of the ve elements in a person.
Sadhguru gave the attendees an experiential glimpse
of these simple tools by leading them through a
meditative process called Isha Kriya, which supports
increased mental clarity and creates a distance from
the mind and the body.
After the meditation, the conversation was opened
up for audiences questions. During this time,
several members of the Duke faculty in attendance
expressed their support in continuing the spirit and
direction of the conversation, agreeing with Dr.
Gaudet that this event marked just the beginning of
necessary change and progress.
13 FOREST FLOWER July 2013
14
FOREST FLOWER July 2013
Mothers Day was extra special for 300 Isha
meditators from the US and Canada, as they spent
the day with Sadhguru, planting 1008 trees in the
new Isha Center in California.
Sadhguru and the meditators gathered at San Juan
Bautista, California to plant 1008 olive trees on the
hills of the newly founded Isha Center a 62-acre
parcel of land donated by a mediator a few years ago.
Each of the trees was given a name by the person who
planted it. The rst tree was planted by Sadhguru,
and he named his tree Bhuma (Sanskrit for earth,
abundance). After a morning of tree planting, a
scrumptious brunch was laid out by local volunteers.
Later, everyone gathered near the wide canopy of
the buckeye tree, under which Sadhguru conducted
a sathsang. He shared how the yoga center in India
took root many years ago, how it has grown since,
and how he wishes to see the same in California. He
announced that by 15 September 2015, there would
be a consecrated space and infrastructure at the
California center. The volunteers and meditators are
all red up to make it happen!
As I planted and watered my trees, I realized that
they would be standing on the hill long after my
mortal body was gone. It was blissful knowing that
my hands had left something for the future.
Bonnie Hale
I was touched by the inspiring and humble leaders,
the unwavering commitment of the meditators,
and the beautifully orchestrated enthusiasm and
energy brought by our community. We created a
movement, which I am so fortunate and grateful
to be a part of. I look forward to the impact the
birthing of this center will make in years to come.
Linda Yip
On 13 May, the Commonwealth Club of California
auditorium in San Francisco witnessed a lively
discussion between Sadhguru and Paul Hawken,
environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author. Paul
opened the discussion by describing the concept
of socially conscious business, which was also the
title of the talk. Modern business is about speed
and growth, not human wellbeing. As a result,
business is destroying its host (the planet). To
remedy this, businesses have to refocus on the
triple bottom line of people, planet, and prot,
not just prot alone. One way to change this is
to make businesses and banks local.
Sadhguru responded with, Business and wealth
have been internationalized like never before.
The way technology is progressing, it is inevitable
that Bangalore and the Bay Area will soon feel like
adjacent neighborhoods, despite being on opposite
sides of the planet. All businesses are about human
wellbeing, which is also my business as a spiritual
leader. People are a lot richer now than a century
ago, but not any happier, perhaps even less happier
than before. If people realize that happiness comes
from within, they will stop pursuing happiness in
external objects through compulsive actions.
After their discussion, Sadhguru and Paul responded
to questions from the audience with some wise and
humorous answers. In the end, the host asked the
speakers to state their ideas for saving the world in
under a minute. Sadhguru explained that nurturing
meditativeness in leaders around the world will lead
to a more peaceful and socially conscious society.
Paul said that his practice is not to change the world,
instead to learn from it.
15 FOREST FLOWER July 2013
In todays world, children rarely have an
opportunity to explore their connection with
nature. Isha Nature Awareness Program is a fun-
lled four-and-a-half day residential summer camp
that instills a love for nature in children.
This year, over 180 children were a part of two
programs from 13-17 May and 20-24 May. The
children visited the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve
in the Western Ghats. Elephants, gaur, hornbills,
black langurs, malabar giant squirrels, and even a
leopard (although for a very brief moment) were
spotted and marveled at. The children observed
how each of these animals were so well adapted
and in tune with their habitat.
Trekking through the ghats, the children passed
through deciduous forest and verdant rainforest
climes. They were quite wonderstruck by the
beauty of nature, especially the abundance of life
in the rainforest. They learnt about the rock-like
nests of the hornbills, about frogs that live their
whole lives in trees, and about how important
the rainforest and its water cycle is even to
a city dweller (they play a big role in certain
perennial rivers). Some of the children remarked
how cool the rainforest felt, even though they
were trekking in the afternoon in the middle of
summer. One of them commented, If we had
forests like this everywhere, we wouldnt need
any air-conditioning at all!
One of the program participants shares her
experience: The program changed me for the
better. I came to respect the life-forms around me
as well as the need to preserve them.
Namaskaram,
Its been 10 years since the brahmacharis went
on a yatra. Now, nally we had an opportunity
again in May this year. Over 150 of us went to
visit Rameshwaram Temple and other spiritually
signicant spots along the journey.
After 11 days of Shakti Sangamam and a Shivaratri,
we were all charged up for the yatra. On Amavasya,
just after the morning Guru Pooja, we loaded
ourselves and our luggage into the bus and off we
went. It was going to be a tightly packed two days!
Our rst stop was Nerur, home to Sadashiva
Brahmendras Samadhi. A scene from his life is
depicted in one of the panels of the Dhyanalinga
Inner Parikrama. He was a naked yogi, an avadhuta,
who had transcended the limitations of his body.
Even when his arm was severed by a slash of
the sword while he was walking, he remained
undisturbed without breaking his stride. Isha
volunteers welcomed us and showed us the way
to his Samadhi, where a beautiful mahavilva tree
stood. I later learned that this tree is the source of
our mahavilva trees in the ashram. As I sat down
and closed my eyes, I became lost in an inner world.
A gentle nudge told me it was time to leave.
After a refreshing snack, we set off for a grand lunch
in Karur. Being used to the two meals in the ashram,
I wondered how my system would handle so much
food. The Karur volunteers had set up the place in
such a way that it looked like a mini Bhiksha Hall.
Their love and care was obvious in their every action,
and I was lled with gratitude as they served me.
Isha volunteers overwhelmed me throughout the
journey. Wherever we went, we were so well taken
care of, all our needs anticipated and addressed even
before we could ask.
Late night, we felt a salty breeze through our
bus windows we had reached the beach,
Rameshwaram! After a sumptuous dinner (I think
this was one of the most pampered days of my life),
we called it a night. The next morning, we nished
our practices and went to receive consecrated water
(theertham) at the Rameshwaram Temple. Legend
says the great sage Patanjali had consecrated 114
water bodies there, and that bathing in this water is
of great signicance. Only 22 of these water bodies
are still available today. We chanted AUM Namah
Shivaya as we visited each of the wells or tanks
of water. The temple staff seemed to have endless
energy as they drew bucket upon bucket of water,
pouring it over our heads.
16
FOREST FLOWER July 2013
The story is that Rama, to atone for the sin of
killing Ravana, came to Rameshwaram, appealed to
Shiva, and established the temple. The main deity is
Ramanathaswamy (the Lord of Rama, or Shiva). It
is one of the 12 jyotirlingas. This one is said to have
been created by Sita out of sand. Another small linga
(made of salt) can be found in the temple. The story
goes that a sage just made a fst around some salt
and this formed the linga, which is still intact today.
One more powerful place was Patanjalis Samadhi.
As I sat down at this seemingly nondescript space,
meditation became effortless.
The day passed quickly, and we could not leave
Rameshwaram without a visit to the beach! The sea
was like a vast salty swimming pool, with hardly
any currents and a long, shallow shoreline. It was
wonderful to be with all the other brahmacharis.
We had to move on though and were soon shuttling
off to Uttarakosamangai Temple. Our buses reached
the temple late for the procession of the Utsav Murti
around the town, but the temple authorities had
graciously waited for us!
The swayambhu (self-created) linga at the
Uttarakosamangai Temple is said to be over 13,000
years old. The temple is a treasure house of many
scriptures and a place where great saints lived.
Legend has that Shiva taught the Vedas to Parvati
there upon her request. One thousand sages were
entrusted to guard the Vedas. Meanwhile, at
Mandodari and Ravanas marriage, Mandodari
expressed the desire that Shiva be born as her
baby. Shiva acquiesced, saying she can experience
this only for a few moments. When she delivered
the baby, Ravana was flled with rage at Shiva
being born to Mandodari, and he sought to kill
the infant. At the same moment, the theertham
in the Uttarakosamangai temple burst into fames!
The sages feared Shivas life was in danger, and
not wanting to live in this world without him, 999
of them immolated themselves in the fames all
except one sage who stayed back with the Vedas.
It turned out, of course, that Shiva was fne, and
he came back to fnd the lone sage. Pleased with
the sage, Shiva appeared as Sahasralingam. He
told the sage he would have just one more birth as
Manickavasagar, a well-known Tamil saint.
In the temple, there is a beautiful emerald Nataraja
statue, cloaked in sandal paste. The famous
Mangaleshwari Devi Temple is also on the premises.
She is the Devi who received the Vedas and is
unique in that she takes care of both ones physical
wellbeing and ones ultimate liberation. As soon
as I entered, the air felt so tangible, explosive. As I
gazed into the sanctum sanctorum, I was struck by
her presence. The goddess was very much alive and
present, dignifed and graceful. It is a marvel that
places like this exist in such vibrance that even
after thousands of years, the work of yogis who
consecrated them is still evident.
As our buses set off back to our beloved ashram, I
was tired but fulflled. This was a most memorable
and eye-opening yatra. The consecrated spaces,
the profoundness of the South Indian temples, the
devotion of the volunteers I am unable to articulate
my experience fully. I bow down to Sadhguru for
giving me this opportunity. I am thankful to live in
the powerful space of the Isha Yoga Center. I hope
we can maintain and keep this space available for
many generations to come.
Pranam,
Isha Brahmacharini
18
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18
FOREST FLOWER July 2013
Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy recently became the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop and
unassisted world sailing tour. Here is an account of his 151-day journey around the globe,
and how Shambhavi Mahamudra helped him accomplish this record-setting feat.
People have often wondered at the level of physical
and mental tness required to undertake such a
voyage where you are out at sea at the mercy of the
elements and sail around the world alone without
any help from anyone, and I always tell them that
meditation helped me both physically and mentally.
I would always begin my day with Shambhavi
(except the preparatory part because the boat would
always be tossing about in rough seas). My voyage
was one full of difculties but I was always in a
blissful state. Even in the worst conditions at sea I
would be very happy and I laughed in the face of all
troubles. I think I should attribute a big part of my
success to Isha because the kriya kept me in the best
possible condition during the voyage.
Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy
Project Sagar Parikrama 2 aimed to circumnavigate
the earth solo, nonstop and unassisted under sail,
covering a distance of at least 21,600 nautical miles,
taking the boat south of the three great capes, viz.,
Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn, and Cape of Good Hope.
The voyage was cast off on 1 Nov 2012 by the FOC-
in-C West, Adm. Shekhar Sinha, from the historic
Gateway of India in Mumbai.
In the course of her voyage, the boat ran into the
doldrums in the outbound leg and was briey
becalmed before crossing the equator. She then
headed in to the trade winds and along an S-ly to
SSW-ly course till almost 30 deg. south before
being hit by the rst eastward-moving cold front.
The rst leg completed on 12 Dec when she passed
Cape Leeuwin. The skipper and the boat crossed
the International Date Line on New Years Eve and
sailed further south into the Pacic Ocean all the
way up to 58.5 deg. S, possibly becoming the only
Indian to have gone that far south in a sail boat. The
boat rounded Cape Horn on 26 Jan and unfurled the
national tricolor just one mile south of the Horn.
The rst land sighting after leaving Mumbai
happened at Cape Horn, followed by the Isla de los
Estados, Argentina, the next day. That was also the
rst sighting of another vessel at sea after leaving
the Indian subcontinent. The boat continued on
her voyage and crossed the Prime Meridian on
Valentines Day and rounded the Cape of Good Hope
on 19 Feb before entering into the Indian Ocean. The
boat and skipper headed north-east and then north
and crossed the equator on Spring Equinox before
being briey becalmed. The circumnavigation was
ofcially over when the boat entered Mumbai on
Easter Sunday, 31 Mar 2013. On 6 Apr, she was
accorded a ceremonial reception by the President of
India at the Gateway of India. The event was also
attended by the Governor of Maharashtra and the
Chief of Naval Staff.
During her voyage, the boat went through almost
all the weather zones possible, from the doldrums
at the equator, to cold fronts, the threat of icebergs,
violent storms, and 10 meter waves. Despite the
diffcult weather systems, the boat and the skipper
fared well, and sustained only minor issues along
the route. Problems with generator, engine etc.
were attended to by the skipper; ropes were
constantly repaired and torn sails either stitched
or replaced; minor fberglass and carpentry work
attended to; electrical issues sorted out as the boat
sailed along. The only reverse osmosis plant in the
boat became defective almost one-third of the way
out of Mumbai, and towards the end of the voyage,
the stored water in the tanks and part of the bottled
mineral water were contaminated as a result of a
diesel leak onboard, leaving the skipper with about
10 liters of fresh water for as many days of sailing left
to complete the voyage. The skipper then resorted
to rain water harvesting and conservation of water
to complete the voyage.
When Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy arrived at Mumbai
on 31 Mar 2013, he had become the 1
st
Indian, 2
nd

Asian and the 79
th
person in the world to have sailed
around the world, solo, unassisted and nonstop.
For more info on Project Sagar Parikrama 2, visit
www.sagarparikrama2.blogspot.in and check out
their YouTube channel
www.youtube.com/user/sagarparikrama2
Here is what Abhilash shared with us about how
Shambhavi Mahamudra helped in his voyage:
This moment is inevitable. I understood the
true meaning of this only when I was at sea
because there is never an absolutely good day
when you are in the ocean. Either it is too hot
or too cold or too windy or no winds at all or
too dry or too wet or winds are from the wrong
direction or something has already broken
in the boat or is about to break. After I put
the idea of This moment is inevitable into
practice, things became much easier because I
stop wishing that things were otherwise.
Perhaps it was due to the practice of
Shambhavi that I was able to disconnect
what was happening outside of me from
what was happening within me. I had no
control over what was happening outside
but how to react to it was a choice that
I had. It was possibly because of this that
nothing affected me and there was no fear,
even in the most trying times.
It is not easy for any human being to remain
completely alone for a prolonged duration.
There have been cases of severe hallucinations
reported by sailors who attempted to sail alone.
Many have even committed suicide. However,
I found the experience of solitude even in the
roughest seas blissful.
FOREST FLOWER
Program Highlights
These programs are conducted in English, unless indicated otherwise. Current at the time of print, however subject to
change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit our website: www.ishafoundation.org.
July 2013
20
Date Program Place Contact
25 Jul 2013
Bhava Spandana
Residential Program
For Ladies
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515300
39 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering
Navi Mumbai
India
99874 00339, 81089 00080
mumbai@ishayoga.org
39 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering
Madhapur,
Hyderabad India
85000 64000
hyderabad@ishayoga.org
47 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering
Isha Life,
Mylapore,
Chennai India
94449 02058
ie.chennai@ishayoga.org
47 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
57 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Conducted by Sadhguru
Bangalore India
92434 10136, 90360 67181
bangalore@ishayoga.org
1214 Jul 2013
Sadhguruvudan
Isha Yoga (Tamil)
Residential Program
Conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
Chennai, Vellore: 83000 11000 /
Coimbatore: 94434 94434
For other centers, please check our
website.
1720 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
22 Jul16 Dec 2013
Isha Hata Yoga Teacher
Training
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
9849011600
india@ishahatayoga.com
2328 Jul 2013
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
78 Sep 2013
In the Lap of the Master
Residential Program
Conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore India
0422-2515300
1315 Sep 2013
Sadhguruvudan
Isha Yoga (Tamil)
Conducted by Sadhguru
Meenambakkam,
Chennai India
94449 22290, 97899 83260
chennai@ishayoga.org
Chennai, Vellore:
83000 11000 / 044
Coimbatore: 94434
For other centers,
please check our
ishahatayoga.com
chennai@ishayoga.
FOREST FLOWER
April 2013
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
PREPARATION METHOD
Blend the yogurt until smooth.
Peel ginger and cucumber and chop into small pieces. Put them in the blender, along with the
yogurt. Blend and add water until the desired consistency is achieved. Add salt to taste, once
again blend thoroughly, and lter.
Heat a little oil in a pan; add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Roast on medium heat until they
splutter. Add the curry leafs and gently roast them too. Add the condiments to the ltered
buttermilk.
Garnish with chopped coriander leafs and serve cool.
Tasty Tip: Add tiny pieces of raw mango for extra avor!
2 cups Plain yogurt (curd)
inch Fresh ginger
1 Medium-sized cucumber
Salt to taste
Sesame oil
teaspoon Mustard seeds
teaspoon Cumin (jeera) seeds
35 Curry leafs
Fresh coriander leafs
Raw mango (optional)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Yogurt
Yogurt is rich in protein, calcium, riboavin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. In the
fermentation process, much of the lactose contained in milk is converted into lactic
acid, which makes yogurt more easily digestible than milk. The probiotics (benecial
bacteria) in yogurt balance the intestinal ora, support digestion, and help maintain a
strong immune system.
FOREST FLOWER
INGREDIENTS
MASALA BUTTERMILK
July 2013
21
22 22
April 2012 FOREST FLOWER
22 22
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