Jan2020

Negative energies can’t touch you

if you are in the state of

meditativeness.

2 | Jan 2020

A Peek Into Sadhguru’s Diary

4 A Very Significant Step in Human Evolution The consciousness of the world is changing – know how!

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Conscious Planet in the MakingKnow about the latest initiative by Sadhguru that can potentially change the very face of the planet and how ecological challenges will be addressed across the world

Riding Through the Mist with Sadhguru!Learn how people receive Sadhguru in the US through his engagements

Sadhguru Back at Semmedu Know why Sadhguru fl ew back from Bangalore just for half a day to visit Semmedu

Darshan and “Death” at IIIHear Sadhguru unravel how a yogi is living death

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3 | Jan 2020

A Peek Into Sadhguru’s Diary

18 In Washington for the Wellbeing of the WorldWhat did Sadhguru have to say about India in the power center of the world

19 The Unique Celebration on Eclipses and PongalWhat are the exciting things that happen on these days at the ashram

Saptarshi Arati Down Memory LaneSee the ashram and Sadhguru through the innocent and intense eyes of the priests of the arati.

What Made Akbar Padamsee Come to the Ashram towards His End Here we have a special article by Pallavi Guptaa revealing Akbar Padamsee’s love and respect for Sadhguru that he shared with her

Did Sadhguru really change clothes six times in two days?Recently someone sarcastically commented on Social Media that Sadhguru changed six sets of clothes in two days, but they were “fab,” though. Here is some backstory to it...

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4 | Jan 2020

A Very Signifi cant Step in Human Evolution

5 | Jan 2020

The city of Chennai, which is already a very active center of Isha yoga volunteers, experienced yet another deluge of spirituality with Sadhguru himself conducting two Inner Engineering mega-programs back to back in the month of December. The fi rst program was in Tamil from December 18th to 19th. The second came right on its heels from December 21st to the 22nd. The programs were truly international in reach, with people coming in from 56 countries. The Tamil program saw over 7000 participants and the English one over 8000! The event was eagerly awaited, as it happened after a gap of six years in the city. The program included people from all walks of life, professionals in various industries, students, police, military, etc., making it a truly diverse event; a testimony to the fact that the spiritual quest transcends all human divides.

Back in the ashram after the Chennai programs, Sadhguru during a Darshan at Chandrakund on Dec 23, shared how the participants’ readiness for Inner Engineering has improved dramatically over the years.

“This week we’ve been in Chennai and around 16,000 people were getting initiated into Shambhavi Mahamudra. Well, we’ve done these kind of numbers before, but what I noticed is the level of preparation and involvement with which people are coming for the programs has gone through a marked change,” Sadhguru said sharing about high levels of receptivity among participants even in the fi rst level Isha programs.

“When I said thirty years ago, ‘If we relentlessly go at this, we will change the consciousness of the people,’ people thought it was an idea in the clouds or beyond. It is not easy for human beings to logically come to an understanding that, “Yes, I can be responsible for everything,” but in fi ve minutes, a few thousand people are just there. This is really a shift in consciousness,” he said and narrated an incident from the program that depicted this change.

It so happened that at the time of the second initiation, Sadhguru had to leave the hall while the participants were sitting with eyes closed. Though Sadhguru walked down the ramp all the way to the back of the hall, no one noticed him,

“I’ve seen I don’t know how many thousands of initiations, but of these 8,000 people or so in the hall, not a single person opened their eyes and looked around,” Sadhguru said while sharing the story.

Elaborating further on the enormous signifi cance of this seemingly simple situation, Sadhguru said “The biggest problem with most human beings is they do not know how to disengage with whatever they are doing.

If they start thinking about something, they cannot stop; if they start emoting about something, they cannot stop; if they start eating, they cannot stop. Whatever they are doing, they cannot stop. If they’re not doing anything, at have to at least be witnessing something, especially in today’s world. This is a signifi cant step in human life that you are not witnessing anything, you are just by yourself. You’re not interested in looking at “what’s happening with these people those people.” No matter what’s happening around you, you can close your eyes and that’s the end of the world for you – at least for some time.”

6 | Jan 2020

‘Conscious Planet’ in the MakingAt the close of English Inner Engineering Sadhguru apprised the participants of an imminent project called “Conscious Planet” that aims to address ecological challenges designed specifi cally for countries in diff erent latitudes and temperature zones.

“So we are working with certain agencies of United Nations right now. This was my idea. Now they have put a good team on the job. What we are doing is dividing the world according to its latitudinal segments - equatorial region, tropical region, sub-tropical region, temperate, arctic and antarctic, like this. In all the countries which come in these bands, every citizen on the street, must know fi ve simple things that must happen in their country, and two to three things that should never happen in their country. Everybody should know ‘this is a good thing happening, this is a bad thing happening.’ Right

now they have no clue. 5.26 billion people in the world have franchise, that is, they have voting rights. They can elect governments. 5.26 billion people have the capacity to decide who rules their nation. We want to see that in about two years’ time, at least three billion people are conscious of these fi ve things that must happen in their country, and two to three things that should never happen in their country. This means ecological issues will become election issues. Every political party which wants to stand for election, on top of the list, one issue must be the ecological issue. There must be a promise that ‘These fi ve things we will defi nitely do in these fi ve years.’

“You must vote for this “Conscious Planet.” Each one of you, if you strive, you can have 5-10,000 people vote for “Conscious Planet” because all of you have an instrument [referring to mobile phone], which you are not able to keep down. At least use it!”

Sadhguru continued to explain about the upcoming event and how one can be part of it: “There is a web page that’s gone up, consciousplanet.org. The fi rst event that will happen under this banner is a conference on 23rd of March where the UN will release the water document in the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore. Some prominent people will be there. This is a conference on soil, water and climate change. If you wish to participate, you can participate physically or there are many other ways to participate online. That is a fi rst event, but the really big ones will come probably in 2021…

Only if a human being becomes conscious, there is a solution.”

9 | Jan 2020

Sadh

guru

in th

e A

shra

m

10 | Jan 2020

11 | Jan 2020

12 | Jan 2020

Riding Through the Mist with Sadhguru!

On Jan 25, Sadhguru rode from the ashram to Bangalore, via Mysore. A couple of our volunteers who accompanied him on that journey share their experiences.

When the Master Heard My Plea!“Sadhguru is going to ride from the ashram to Bangalore,” I heard on the grapevine. I rushed to the video publication lead to inform him of the possibility of some great shots. “No, we have not got any formal information about it,” he replied when I excitedly enquired if any camera person would be accompanying. “It would be great if a cameraperson was with him on this ride…,” I kept thinking on and off through the day.

As I was going to retire for the day, at about 9:30 pm, my phone fl ashed up a call from “Sadhguru Offi ce”. I promptly picked it up. “Namaskaram, Sadhguru would like to speak with you,” voiced the Sadhguru’s Offi ce volunteer.

13 | Jan 2020

Sadhguru spoke, “Govinda (name changed), we are going for a meeting to Bangalore, so we thought why not ride through the hills. Why don’t you join us until Mysore?” “Yes, of course,” I replied.“Be ready at 6 am. You can take some shots on the way,” said Sadhguru, and gave me some more information about the crew accompanying him.“Thank you, Sadhguru. I will be there!”

On the Edge, on His Favorite RoadIt was a cold, misty morning. We could hardly see more than 10-15 meters ahead. Visibility was very low requiring our driver to keep very close to the riders, which was not easy as Sadhguru was going full throttle. In an hour, we hit the hilly tracks of Dhimbham Ghat with 27 hairpin bends. Undeterred, Sadhguru kept a good pace, and rode on at ease through heavy mist, while we were sitting on the edge of our seats keeping up with him.

After cruising for nearly three hours, he allowed himself a short break which we knew was more for us than for him. Sadhguru shared that this was his favourite route. He has ridden this road a thousand times, and every bend is vividly alive in his memory.”

At Home!Sadhguru spent a couple of hours at his home in Mysore for the fi rst time after his father breathed his last in the same house. After that, he rode straight to Bangalore for a series of meetings, one of which included the Chief Minister of Karnataka regarding Cauvery Calling. Govinda accompanied him until Bangalore, and returned to the ashram the same night.

The story continues...

Over to Ramya Balaji, one of the ardent lady riders of the Cauvery Calling rally with Sadhguru — to take us on another exhilarating riding experience with Sadhguru on December 27.

Bonding Back with the Cauvery Calling Riders “We got a call on the night of December 26 that Sadhguru would be riding with the Cauvery Calling riders from Bangalore the following day. Couple of us scrambled to call all the Bangalore riders to invite them for the ride. All were super excited at the prospect.

About Turn!Being a long holiday weekend, many were out of town. Meetha and Amit rode back from Davanagere to reach Bangalore early morning before we were due to leave.

Hitesh turned around midway from his holiday trip to Sakleshpur. Sudar travelled overnight from Dharmapuri. All nine eager riders including the three Cauvery Calling lady riders made it, geared up and were ready at the start point for the much anticipated ride.

Sadhguru led the ride setting a brisk pace on the highway. We had a nice ride for an hour leaving the bustling Bangalore city behind. There was a mid-ride break where Sadhguru interacted with the riders and checked out our motorcycles. Hitesh had just bought his new big bike and felt blessed when Sadhguru tried it out.

We will meet again in Himalayas…Sadhguru stopped for some tender coconut. It was a much needed hydration break for the group. Sadhguru announced and invited all the riders for the ride up the Himalayas in September, prompting loud cheers and excitement from the riders.

We then rode back as a group until the venue of Sadhguru’s next engagement. The Bangalore riders continued up the Nandi Hills, chatted about the morning ride, reminisced about Cauvery Calling over breakfast before winding up.”

Watch Sadhguru share about the fi rst part of this ride on his Instagram!

14 | Jan 2020

Sadhguru Back at Semmedu

Before heading out to US, Sadhguru fl ew back from Bangalore to the ashram especially to cast his vote in the Tamil Nadu panchayat elections. A few journalists surrounded him afterwards, and he stressed the importance of all levels of elections. “Panchayat Raj is a very unique and signifi cant arrangement of democracy in our country. Probably as a nation, we have not realized the signifi cance of what is Panchayat Raj... literally a mini-Parliament in the village level itself,” Sadhguru tweeted. In another tweet, he said, “This is democracy at its best that rural populations in the local areas in many ways govern

themselves. Though larger policies are made in the Parliament and State Assemblies, rural populations have the freedom to govern themselves.”

“Sadhguru has repeatedly stressed that democracy is not a spectator sport, and he surely leads by example in this regard. In April last year, he fl ew back from US just for a day to cast his vote in the Lok Sabha elections. It is so wonderful to see voting for the local body elections is as important to him as the top tier parliament elections,” said Baran from Australia, who was in awe seeing Sadhguru’s dedication to nation building.

“Who you vote for is your choice,

but vote you Must.” - Sadhguru

15 | Jan 2020

Dar

shan

an

d “D

eath

” at

III…

The new year started off with a bang at III, in Tennessee, with record number of meditators attending the Darshan with Sadhguru on the very fi rst weekend of the year. The ashram with less than a hundred full-time volunteers hosted over 2,500 meditators who fl ew in from all across US and many other countries.

It turned out to be the largest number of people ever hosted on a day at the ashram in Tennessee - a testimony to the growth of Isha and spiritual thirst across the globe.

16 | Jan 2020

“I would like you to measure your life in terms of intensity of involvement. Has 2019 been a year of involvement with life, whatever kind of life you’re living in? Or is it entanglement? This is all you have to measure…Rest is all incidental.” said Sadhguru speaking on how to measure our life-time.

17 | Jan 2020

He spoke at length about death and asked us to drop all the negative imagery of death we have. “Those who are willing to die will live exuberantly. Those who will anyway die, but they don’t want to die, live insipidly, because you can never separate the two [life and death],” he added.

During the discourse, he reminded us of a profound cultural ritual followed in India when someone

encounters a funeral procession on the road, “If a dead body is going for cremation or burial, the simple respect is to walk at least three steps with the dead body, You don’t just go your own way. If it’s going this (Gestures) way, even if you’re going that (Gestures) way, you stop, walk at least three steps. Symbolically it means that ‘I’m with you.’” You can’t go all the way for everybody who dies.

For the next 30 minutes, he unraveled many intricacies of what we know as death. “Being a yogi means being a living death,” he said and then elaborated on four possible states of sleep or aliveness - from wakefulness to pure consciousness. “If you’re really dead to the world absolutely, then what is called as Turiya becomes a possibility. Turiya means pure consciousness. Once you touch this, then you don’t sleep at all,

because even when you are awake, you are sleeping.”

Replying to a question on doing Isha Kriya at 3:40 am, Sadhguru advised us not to do this without emptying our bowels first.

18 | Jan 2020

On 11th, January, much to the delight of all present, Sadhguru attended the farewell reception of the Indian ambassador in the US, Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla. In attendance were ambassadors, presidential aides, leaders of the expat community, congressional staff ers, etc. Sadhguru addressed the power brokers of the most infl uential center in global politics.

“This relationship between the two most resilient democracies on the planet is not just Important for these two nations. How we build this relationship will determine many things globally”.

“This is something, I believe, was unfortunately not understood till about 10-15 years ago, and now everybody is beginning to see that. Building this relationship is not just wellbeing of these two nations but defi nitely the wellbeing of this world.”

Sadhguru expressed his wish that “in the next few years this relationship would mature into not just hit and run kind of events but a long-term relationship which will benefi t the whole world.”

In Washington for the Wellbeing of the World

The Unique Celebration on Eclipses

Eclipse seasons are always a special time at the ashram. Not only is it time to ride the upsurge of energies, it is also a time of a lot of reorganization in the ashram schedule. To ensure that no undigested food remains in the body, the meal times at the ashram are moved - something that never happens in Isha otherwise. This month we had the novelty of brunch at 2pm on the Solar eclipse, and dinner at 4 pm on the Lunar Eclipse. Dhyanalinga becomes the silent abode for the ashramites during these times, as Linga Bhairavi and other shrines draped in neem leaves are closed during eclipses.

The annular solar eclipse on the 26th of December passed right overhead in Coimbatore. The sight of the eclipse was blocked by the constant winter clouds. Not having to worry about missing brunch, most ashramites just sat absorbed in the Dhyanalinga throughout. The visiting devotees must be perplexed and inspired by the scores of meditators sitting frozen like rocks. “I feel delighted that I could sit eff ortlessly for four hours, thrice as long as I ever could before!” said Rakeshvara – a Sadhanapada volunteer.

For the lunar eclipse fi fteen days later, there was no cloud cover; and after the usual music off ering at Adiyogi in the full moon, ashramites had the continued fortune of meditating in Dhyanalinga – this time during the midnight sandhya kala - as the moon passed through the penumbra of the earth.

The following long and silent walk through the butter thick moonlight in the crisp winter mountain air, the malaya-maaruta, (Winds from the hills) sealed the experience for all ashramites.

21 | Jan 2020

Pongal O PongalCelebrating the Zest of Tamil Nadu

22 | Jan 202022 | Jan 2020

the food plates fi lled with annadanam of traditional delicacies served with mouth-watering sugar cane sticks – all packed into one day.

The grand Pongal festival at Isha Yoga Center is not just a celebration, but also an endeavor to revive the rich folk arts and culture of Tamil Nadu, which on this day found many new admirers.

Pongal is the harvest festival of South India. Pongal falls in the mid-January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan – sun’s journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for at least four days and pays homage to the agrarian community — Mother Nature, cattle and the farmers. The

literal meaning of Pongal is “spilling over” and it had been named so because of the tradition of boiling rice in a pot until it starts overfl owing. At the festivity, overfl owing pongal is fed to the cows and bulls.

Inside the ashram, people from across the world put on their best saris and dhotis true to Tamil style. In line with tradition, sugar cane sticks were served with meals. Our overseas volunteers found it quite an adventure without hurting their teeth to get to the fresh living juicy sweetness of the cane - a delight to watch.

If you ever thought that traditional rural festivals are boring, you need to be part of the awe inspiring fun-fi lled Pongal O Pongal celebrations at Isha Yoga Center held in the presence of Adiyogi.

Jan 16, 2020 - This was that time again when we saw celebrations with over 5000 people. All revelled in a heady cocktail of the sounds of Pongal O Pongal – the cooking of the pongal. The show-stealer was an exhibition of 20 diff erent breeds of native Indian cows and bulls. There was a ‘bull beauty contest’. We had the joy and exuberance of traditional games, the zestful hour-long performances by students of all Isha schools, and last but not the least

23 | Jan 2020

Did Sadhguru really changeclothes six times in two days?

24 | Jan 2020

he have an obsession with clothes? Something did not add up here. And then it struck me, it is not the clothes, but the baths. Sadhguru has an obsession with baths, and if you read the rest of this, you probably will too.We are all familiar with the fact that, traditionally, any yogic practice is done only after thorough cleansing of the body, of which, bathing is the simplest. Bathing also cleanses our aura and makes us more receptive to higher energies. This is why, traditionally, a bath in the temple pond was mandatory before one visited the temple itself. This is also the reason for the Theerthkunds at Isha Yoga Center.

Bathing is also very benefi cial for any meditative process. Any number of yoga practitioners can testify how bathing before the practice of yoga greatly enhances the experience of it. Sadhguru himself has spoken about how during the consecration of the Dhyanalinga, he would sometimes shower six to seven times a day. So, it

is only natural that Sadhguru, wanting to give his best during these programs, would bathe and therefore change into fresh clothes more than once during the programs.

There is another reason Sadhguru has these multiple baths on certain other occasions. When Sadhguru is sitting as a Guru in these programs, the very nature of the process there is such that the Guru gathers the karmic impressions of all the people who come and sit in front of him. Since he does not want to rub this off on other people, the bath and the change into fresh clothes. Many of us have been aghast seeing him insisting on doing this even when he was very sick and running high fever.

What struck me the most about this is that it is not just when conducting

By Swami Nisarga, SanyasiIsha Yoga Center,Coimbatore

Recently someone complained on Social Media, tagging Sadhguru that his image was used in the promotional of an Isha Program (possibly without his permission) and also that he and his wife had the worst experience of their lives during those two days. This person went on, possibly in an attempt to shame Sadhguru, to sarcastically comment that the six sets of clothes he changed into in two days were “fab,” though.

Now, I am a fi rm believer in Dante’s theory: The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. So, usually, during a fi ght or a controversy, it does not take me much time to take a side and condemn the other, unless it is about something that I don’t really care. So, I began wondering, did Sadhguru really change clothes six times in two days? Does

25 | Jan 2020

programs, Sadhguru is rather obsessive about having these baths during other times as well.

I have noticed this while preparing for his appointments at the Yoga Center – I am sure other people too have noticed this–whether the person whom he is going to meet has had a bath before coming or not (even though in the tradition they told us that one should always have a bath before meeting a Guru), Sadhguru always has a bath before he sits for these appointments.So, should he not tell us this? Now, if one is expecting Sadhguru will make a rule: “if you are going to sit in front of me, then you should take a bath fi rst”–that is not going to happen.

He taught us yoga so that we will evolve and know these things ourselves. And it seems to work. I usually have a bath before I meet him and most people I know also do this without anyone telling

us to do so. On the days when there is Sadhguru Darshan in the evenings, there is a big rush in front of the bathrooms at 5:30 pm because everyone is trying to grab a shower before the Darshan. These days the Darshans are so crowded that the residents mostly get to sit only far away from Sadhguru, near the Linga Bhairavi Temple. Even at that distance, one can clearly observe the diff erence in experience when one has had a bath and one has not. So probably what was needed was a sarcastic comment by someone to crystallize this knowledge for us.So, did Sadhguru really change six sets of clothes during those two days, four years ago? I have no idea. What I do know is that when he changes clothes like that, it is usually because of a good reason. Nor is Sadhguru defensive about anything he does because he does only that which he sees as the best for everyone’s wellbeing. One is free to agree or disagree with it.

It is rather unfortunate that instead of realizing how blessed we are to have someone so committed to our well-being that he takes all this trouble for our sake, we mistake this for vanity. I would not really blame anyone for this because we are all so far removed from the core elements of our culture and so insensitive to the subtler aspects of life around us, that it is easy to mistake something we do not know or understand, for something gross. If only one had asked fi rst, before accusing, then one would have been wiser.

26 | Jan 2020

What Made Akbar Padamsee Come to the Ashram Towards His End

27 | Jan 2020

Pallavi Guptaa, writer and artist from Mumbai, shares moments from an intimate evening she spent with Akbar Padamsee and his wife Bhanu at her home.

Over a year ago, when my friend Bhanu brought her legendary artist husband Akbar Padamsee home for tea, he was already a frail man in the body, assigned to a wheelchair. But the same certainly did not apply to his mind. “Get bolder. Your work is good” he said on seeing my canvases. But when I asked him whether he would tell me if they were bad, he smiled mischievously and said “no”.

The tea that brought us around the table, brewed an interesting conversation, even though the artist spoke very little himself. As Bhanu helped him navigate through the snacks which he seemed to enjoy, I asked her some questions regarding Akbarji’s connection with Sadhguru....To begin with, how did they meet?

“It was a meeting waiting to happen, that is very obvious now,” she said looking at her husband. “But when it happened, there was no drama to it. Akbar just went up to Sadhguru and introduced himself while attending a program in the ashram. Since then, they have shared a special kind of friendship or a bond. Moreover, there is complete trust”.

Naturally, I asked her if she could share any anecdotes that could bring out some of the essence of this beautiful connection. “One day”, she said smiling, “Sadhguru expressed his interest to give painting a try. So, Akbar sent him a bunch of his best brushes from Mumbai. A few months later, when they met, Akbar asked Sadhguru how his interest in painting was panning out. Sadhguru told him jokingly, ‘Akbar, I don’t want your brushes. I want your hands.’

I asked her what was the force that fi lled his famous Metascapes with the quality of solitary refl ection?

“Akbar was always deeply conceptual. He worked from within. As a young man in his thirties, he dislocated his knee and it caused him a lot of pain. The doctor suggested an anesthetic to put the knee back in its place but Akbar asked the doctor to give him a few moments, and he closed his eyes. He had ways of working from within. So, to cut a long story short, the knee was put back in place without an anesthetic”.

Is that why he was drawn to Sadhguru then, I asked her.

She said, “He was instantly drawn to one of his books while browsing in a book store, but the more he read, the more he was captivated by him. He even wanted to attend his program, and we did. Later, when he saw the coconut grove, he wanted to get one of those beautiful stone cottages there, and we got one. Considering he kept going there over 14 years, I think he just felt at home, spending time there...” Then she added, “You know, when we got the cottage, Akbar was still quite active and was walking on his own. Even then, Sadhguru had insisted on having a ramp built at its entrance. A few years later, Akbar had had the fall.”

Akbarji then suggested we speak in French, and just as I began, he was a diff erent man. It was as if his articulation was enhanced by the language. “Sans le pinceau’, c’est la morte” he announced. (Without the brush, it is death). He spoke about his years in Paris with obvious joy.

What is important to a blank canvas, I asked him.“If you put it that way, then, light and color are important. Colors are the movement of a canvas because a canvas is not a fi lm that moves. An artist

28 | Jan 2020

can add momentum to color. I fi gure out colors by how they move. Colors can extend and strain to breach another’s space. How you position them on the canvas can decide how far your eye will travel”.

What should artists always remember?“That they should make their own laws for their own art. When an artist paints, there is an innate logic within that is in connection with the cosmos”.

And where does the artist inside us live?“Dans le calme. . . (In stillness)”. And he went on to explain, “The mind never sits still. It deprives us from reaching our source of creativity. So, we must travel to the core of who we

are and fi nd the stillness. That is where our true creativity lies”.

Then, as if reminded by his own words he gingerly pointed his index fi nger and said “Il est le seul être -humain valide…le seul… (He is the only valid human being…the only one…. )”.His eyes glistened as he released the words. And just like that, in a precious moment, Akbar Padamsee unexpectedly laid his love for Sadhguru on the table for us to see. And despite the condition old age made him bear, his presence was stronger than all of us put together.

I looked at Bhanu. She responded instinctively. “I think by the time he met Sadhguru, he was prepared for him. He even asked

Sadhguru about his own exit. I clearly remember- it was in September 2012. A small group of us were having breakfast with Sadhguru on the last day of the Kashi Yatra , and Akbar asked him, “Sadhguru, I’m 84, and I think I should have experienced 1008 full moons, so what am I supposed to do now?” Sadhguru told him to come and live in the ashram. Very lovingly, he said, ‘Time to come to my home Akbar. I will plant a beautiful tree for you when and where you fi nally sleep’.

Today, the Nagalinga tree adorns the sleeping place of one of India’s greatest artists. A rare artist, who completed the painting of his own life with the same spiritual aesthetic as he did his work.

29 | Jan 2020

Saptarshi Arati Down Memory Lane

30 | Jan 202030 | Jan 2020

The third edition of Saptarshi Arati happened on January 12, on the occasion of Agastya Jayanti. Over 5000 devotees attended the event. The sight of the priests sitting around the Yogeshwara linga and conducting the Pooja with utter involvement to a spellbound audience reminded us of the first arati that happened two years ago in the presence of Sadhguru.

We take this occasion, to reproduce a touching story where the priests shared about their extraordinary experience of the ashram and Sadhguru, on their first visit.

31 | Jan 2020

“Our eyes met twice – something that rarely happens when I am doing the Pooja. We look only at the linga and don’t even make eye contact with the other priests doing the process. So it was an unusual thing to happen. I remember that right after the Pooja when I didn’t fi nd him sitting in that spot anymore, I went out to search for him… but he had left. Something about him had touched me even then,” said Shri Ramanand Dubeyji solemnly, recalling his fi rst encounter with Sadhguru about two years ago in Kashi.

Ramanandji was one of the 11 priests who came from Kashi to perform in the ashram the fi rst ever Saptarishi Pooja outside the famous Vishwanath temple. It happened in all its grandeur in the dark hours of the night on December 21st in the presence of Adiyogi.

“It all started when I showed a photo of Dhyanalinga to Dayanandji (another priest) in late 2014,” shared Vinod Rajeshwaran, an Isha volunteer who took the initiative in making this event happen. “As soon as he saw the photo, for some reason Dayanandji spontaneously asked me, ‘Can we do the Saptarishi

Pooja here?’ I couldn’t imagine such a ritualistic process happening around Dhyanalinga, so I kind of dismissed the whole thing. However, a few years later when I saw the Saptarishi Panel at the Yogeshwar Linga, I was instantly reminded of this off er. After taking Sadhguru’s approval – which he gave with remarkable promptness – I followed up with the priests. One thing led to another, and fi nally on October 7, three of them – Dineshji, Ramanandji and Dayanandji – came to the ashram to meet Sadhguru and ensure the Pooja arrangements.”

“The moment I saw Sadhguru, I was drawn to him like an iron fl ake is to a magnet,” said Dineshji who is a double Ph.D. from Banaras Hindu University, and a sought after priest in Kashi for consecration of sacred spaces, even among the circles of renowned industrialists. “I feel for sure that we have some purva janma (past life) connection with Sadhguru. I have met top gurus, saints and acharyas in the country, but never have I felt this way with anybody else before,” Dineshji’s voice was choked with emotion.

The eff ect of that fi rst meeting with Sadhguru was even more dramatic on Dayanandji, who handles the fi nancial aspects of the Pooja. “I cried the whole night after meeting Sadhguru that evening. I saw Vishwanath within me when he touched my hand,” he divulged. Anand, the only Isha volunteer from Kashi, who took care of the priests during their stay here, confi rmed the transformation in Dayanandji after the meeting. “He is actually otherwise known to be very sharp and practical about fi nancial matters. But he was so touched by Sadhguru that whenever someone would mention Sadhguru in front of him, tears would well up in his eyes.”

I, also, had the fortune to witness the expressions of the priests’ unbelievable receptivity when I met them the day after the Pooja in the ashram. Ramanandji felt that he saw Sakshat Shiva in Sadhguru. “The way he was sitting for the Pooja on 21st, it felt as though Shiva himself was sitting and watching the Pooja being performed on him. I, too, feel I am connected to him in some past life,” he said. Dineshji, on the other hand, seemed

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to have unknowingly touched the all-inclusive nature of Yogeshwar Linga, for he shared, “Sadhguru is not what he seems. His presence is not limited to his seat; I saw him everywhere during the Pooja.” After the Pooja when the priests got the chance to touch Sadhguru’s feet for blessings, two of them – Dayanandji and Vikasji – broke down completely and had to retreat behind the Saptarishi Panel, so as to avoid being seen in such a vulnerable state.

“We never felt that we were doing the Pooja outside the Vishwanath temple; the experience of doing this for Yogeshwar linga felt just the same,” they all shared. “In fact, in Kashi after the Pooja we usually feel exhausted, but here the space is so vibrant that none of us could sleep until 5 am,” said Dineshji. Ganeshji, Dineshji’s brother, too experienced the ashram space as a vortex of energy and was taken in by its power the moment he stepped in. “We feel a certain sensation in our spine every time we do this process in Kashi, but I have been experiencing the same sensation since we entered the ashram,” he mentioned. Ganeshji

was walking barefoot in the ashram because, in his words, “I don’t know what is a temple and what is not a temple here. The whole space is like a temple.”

“This space has unsettled my life completely. All this time, I never felt that I was missing something in my life. We may not be so well-to-do, but we live in Kashi, and are close to Vishwanathji. But now I am experiencing a huge longing within me to know myself, to go beyond my limitations – something that I am not able to contain anymore. I want to volunteer here, and be part of this sacred ashram and Sadhguru,” added Dineshji, his words laced with intensity.

Meanwhile, the otherwise straight-faced Ramanandji found his poetic streak emerging during his stay in the ashram. “When I am happy, I usually write bhajans – the words simply fall in place. In the last two days here, I have written four bhajans. When I apply chandan, the chandan feels diff erent here; when I drink water, the water feels diff erent here; when I take a long breath, the breath feels diff erent here. We defi nitely have some prior connection with this place,” said Ramanandji yet another time.

In one way or another, they all humbly expressed their gratitude for have been given this opportunity and credited profusely Vinod anna who in many ways made it happen. “When our eyes met for the fi rst time after the Pooja was over, Ramanandji and I both had the same thought: ‘Yogeshwar Lingaji, give us another chance to do seva for you,’” said Dineshji, struggling to hold back his tears.

“Do you have something more you want to say?” I fi nally asked Dayanandji who was sitting right next to me listening intently. “What is there for me to say?” he cried out. “It is He who speaks – unki aankh bolti hain, unke haath bolte hain, unko chhune se Ishwar ka abhaas hota hain (his eyes speak, his hands speak, I feel the Divine within me when I touch him),” he managed to articulate about Sadhguru in his tear-fi lled voice. “We all are speechless,” Dineshji added.

Saptarishi Pooja is a Vamsh Parampara – someone, usually in the family, is taught the process and takes it forward. Krishnanandji, Ramanandji, Dayanandji are the sons of the late Paramanandji who was one of the priests in the temple. “We have kept the Saptarishi Pooja in its pure form and maintained the Vamsh Parampara since the Saptarishis did this Pooja the fi rst time,” Ramanandji revealed this astoundingly

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ancient heritage, in a matter-of-fact way. Something moved within me hearing this.

“So were you trained to do the Pooja from your childhood?” I curiously enquired, wanting to know more about how Vamsh Parampara works. “Trained?” repeated Ramanandji, looking a bit off ended. “I was born in the temple and was longing to do the seva for Vishwanathji for years, before my father fi nally allowed me to do it when I turned thirteen as per the tradition. Initially I helped my father, and for the last 25 years I have been doing the Pooja almost daily,” he said devoutly.

I felt totally humbled and overwhelmed seeing how intensely they experienced Sadhguru and the ashram in just a few days. They even felt the power of the 11 shrines in the ashram, and named each after the various Jyotirlingas. All who were in touch with them during these 4 days found them to be very innocent, alive and receptive. “I have never met such guests in all

these years I have been taking care of the guests in the ashram. I couldn’t hold my tears when I saw them off ,” said Rajesh from the Guest Care department. Anand anna, who was totally mesmerized by their company, also wept seeing them leaving. And after my conversation with them, I too tearfully said goodbye to them, hoping wistfully to see them back in the ashram again. Likewise, as they left the ashram, each of the priests were anointed with tears of gratitude.

But the same people press visitors for money after the Saptarishi Pooja in the Vishwanath temple – this kink still remained within me, until Anand and Vinod anna clarifi ed. “The Saptarishi Pooja is the only ritual in Vishwanath temple that is not under the government control. Since they don’t want to break the Saptarishi lineage at any cost, they don’t take any money from the government to do this Pooja. Instead, after the Pooja they go out and ask people to give money in exchange for chandan, malas, etc. and distribute it among themselves – so as to take care of their

families and keep the next generation inspired to take it forward. They may not be very aesthetic about how they ask for money, but it is actually our responsibility to take care of such people. Otherwise we may lose this invaluable aspect of our ancient culture, and in many ways of humanity itself,” said Vinod anna earnestly.

The sounds that we heard them making during the process were the various intonations of the chant “Ye Shiva Shambho,” as recited in Samaveda, interspersed with a few other Vedic mantras. The fi rst Saptarishi Pooja will go down in the history books of Isha – not just for the power of the process, but for the intricate symphony that was performed to perfection on stage. The unbelievable precision with which mala after mala, each one custom-made for the occasion, was delicately balanced on the linga, and how all the seven priests made off erings in perfect synchrony – will remain etched in our memory for a long time to come.