7 Forest Flower July 2013

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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 KnowSadhguru 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 BusinessDiscussion with Sadhguru and Paul Hawken 14

The Call of the WildIsha Nature Awareness Program for Children 15

Sharing Experiences

Isha Brahmacharis on a Pilgrimage to Rameshwaram 16


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The following is an excerpt from a Q&A session

with Sadhguru during a Sathsang for Anaadhi

participants at the iii, McMinnville, Tennessee, on24 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

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


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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 justwore 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 fire, having a time limit and a mission thatI 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 fixing 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 fixed all this. They thought that their

child being born was a God-given thing, but all that,

I had fixed for them. This manipulation on all levels

left me so intense, focused, and fiery. 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 ishow 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 Sadhguru7


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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 flavor 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 neverlook 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,

once lying there as filth 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 manymillion 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


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In another edition of the In Conversation with the Mystic series, Sadhguru met with youngactor Siddharth on 10 January 2013 in Hyderabad under the theme Youth and Truth. Hereis the fourth part of their conversation.

Siddharth: A common point of conflict 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 ahabit 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, ithas to be man/woman. You

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 athuman 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


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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 playingthe 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, nancial 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 theyresaying. 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 supercial way, I will only deepen

their question. Are you life?

Siddharth:Very much.

Sadhguru: You are. If you are life, who the hellam 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

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 nd 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 nd solutions

in teachings, books, sacred talks, and whatever

else. Spiritual process means to take you away fromall those things and to turn you inward. That will

only happen when your questions become burning

enough, sharp enough. Otherwise, you will try to

nd 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 lms, I will give you my opinion.

Siddharth: I am scared to go there. Fortunately, you

have only seen one of my lms. 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 canpretend.Maturity is one

of my best pretenses.

Sadhguru: [Laughs] So, Rang De Basanti. I do notget 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


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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 lm, everyone will take the law into theirown 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 inTennessee. 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 tobear 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 usuallywont.

Sadhguru: Suppose you got through?

ddh h

gun of her own? When the mechanism to protect

the citizens of a nation is not even efcient 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 protectthemselves. 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 nd

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 12thve year plan. Why are we spending this

kind of money? Because we know a deterrent forceis 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 willwish 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.

h l h


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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 tookplace 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 yearsof age, was pregnant with their first 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. Banumathiwas going through her own emotional turmoil

because Draupadi came from a much bigger royal

family; she was Drupadas daughter and a very

powerful, fiery 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

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 onour 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 flew 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 awhile. 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

d K i h D dh i h l

Leela Series

The path of the playful

Part XLV

Banumathi Torn between Duty and Devotion


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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 tohandle later; as a queen of Hastinapur, she would

be nished. 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 ew 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 tobe 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 ngers 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 rst baby

soon. I want to see Krishna before, but now I cannotsee 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 attentionto 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 withhim. 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 callme 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


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The most recent episode of the In Conversationwith 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 outlinedhis 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

reform, as well as the mental and emotional healthof soldiers and veterans.

Dr. Gaudets first 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. Herelated that in yoga, health is nurtured through the

purification of the five elements in a person.

Sadhguru gave the attendees an experiential glimpse


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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 first 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 conducteda 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 fired 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

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


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In todays world, children rarely have an

opportunity to explore their connection with

nature. Isha Nature Awareness Program is a fun-

filled four-and-a-half day residential summer campthat 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 aleopard (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-likenests 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 ofsummer. 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.


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Namaskaram,

Its been 10 years since the brahmacharis went

on a yatra. Now, finally we had an opportunity

again in May this year. Over 150 of us went tovisit Rameshwaram Temple and other spiritually

significant 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 wewent. It was going to be a tightly packed two days!

Our first stop was Nerur, home to Sadashiva

Brahmendras Samadhi. A scene from his life is

d d f h l f h h l

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 filled 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),


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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 12jyotirlingas.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 st 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 shuttlingoff 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, Mandodariexpressed 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 lled with rage at Shiva

in the Uttarakosamangai temple burst into ames!

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 ames all

except one sage who stayed back with the Vedas.

It turned out, of course, that Shiva was ne, and

he came back to nd 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 Natarajastatue, 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 byher presence. The goddess was very much alive and

present, dignied 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 fullled. 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 inthe powerful space of the Isha Yoga Center. I hope

we can maintain and keep this space available for

many generations to come.

Pranam


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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 fitness 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 thatmeditation 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 difficulties 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 alltroubles. 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.

L Cd Abhil h T

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 first eastward-moving cold front.

The first leg completed on 12 Dec when she passedCape Leeuwin. The skipper and the boat crossed

the International Date Line on New Years Eve and

sailed further south into the Pacific 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 first land sighting after leaving Mumbai

happened at Cape Horn, followed by the Isla de los

Estados, Argentina, the next day. That was also the


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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

difcult 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 stitchedor replaced; minor berglass 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 adiesel 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 1st

Indian, 2nd

Asian and the 79th

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 outtheir 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 intopractice, 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 nocontrol 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 remaincompletely 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.


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Program Highlights

Date Program Place Contact

25 Jul 2013Bhava Spandana

Residential Program

For Ladies

Isha Yoga Center,

Coimbatore India 0422-2515300

39 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering Navi Mumbai India 99874 00339, 81089 [email protected]

39 Jul 2013 Inner EngineeringMadhapur,

Hyderabad India

85000 64000

[email protected]

47 Jul 2013 Inner Engineering

Isha Life,

Mylapore,Chennai India

94449 02058

[email protected]

47 Jul 2013

Inner Engineering

RetreatResidential Program

Isha Yoga Center,

Coimbatore India

0422-2515421

[email protected]

57 Jul 2013Inner Engineering

Conducted by Sadhguru

Bangalore India92434 10136, 90360 67181

[email protected]

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

RetreatResidential Program

Isha Yoga Center,

Coimbatore India

0422-2515421

[email protected]

22 Jul16 Dec 2013

Isha Hata Yoga Teacher

TrainingResidential Program

Isha Yoga Center,

Coimbatore India

9849011600

[email protected]


21/24

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, onceagain blend thoroughly, and filter.

Heat a little oil in a pan; add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Roast on medium heat until theysplutter. Add the curry leafs and gently roast them too. Add the condiments to the filteredbuttermilk.

2 cups Plain yogurt (curd) inch Fresh ginger

1 Medium-sized cucumberSalt to tasteSesame oil

teaspoon Mustard seeds teaspoon Cumin (jeera) seeds35 Curry leafs

Fresh coriander leafs

Raw mango (optional)

1.

2.

3.

INGREDIENTS

MASALA BUTTERMILK

F t FlNow!


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Documents

7 Forest Flower July 2013