Isha-Forest-Flower-May-2018.pdf

Volume � / Issue �� May ��

A Brief In the beat of a heart In the gentle passage of a breath. In the intermittence of pulse. Does life happen and so does Death. A fleeting moment embodies the dynamism of Creation and stillness of its Source Grace & Blessings

May ��

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | B

EDITORIAL

Dear Readers, In this issue, we recap yet another flurry of Sadhguru’s events, from talks at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to conducting meditation programs, and other high-profile speaking engagements around the world. Sadhguru’s successful involvement in a wide range of fields and activities could belie the fact there is one thing that he himself considers as his thing , that which he is really good at – the process of consecration. In this month’s Lead Article, Sadhguru speaks about this core activity of his, what it means to him, the significance it has for people’s wellbeing, the increasingly high demand for him to consecrate spaces and energy forms, and his intention and willingness to train a group of highly dedicated people who could do this kind of work. Read “Building a Consecration Force” to find out more. Sadhguru says that one prerequisite for being able to do consecration work is that one’s energies are fluid. In “Why a Distance to Body and Mind Frees Your Energies” Sadhguru expands on the topic by explaining how a distance to body and mind impacts one’s energy, and which yogic practices are designed to facilitate this fluidity, one of them being Shoonya meditation. In this month’s excerpt from Sadhguru Spot, Sadhguru writes about “Shoonya – The Significance of Doing No-Thing” as a way to touch the nothingness that is the basis of everything, including ourselves. Also in this issue: “Sadhguru Close-Up and Personal” – a rapid-fire round of questions posed to Sadhguru by Cisco CIO V. C. Gopalratnam; event highlights of the last few weeks; “Arjuna and Subhadra” – Sadhguru on how Krishna engineers his sister’s marriage to the Pandava prince; and last but not least a recipe for a deliciously healthy dessert option – an “Avocado Pista Pudding.” Enjoy!

The Editorial Team

Contact the Editorial Team: Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, IshanaVihar Post, Coimbatore – �� [email protected]

For subscription inquiries, please contact our Subscription Office: �� – subscriptions.FF@ish subscriptions.FF@ishafoundati afoundation.org on.org To change your mailing address online, visit: www.ishafoundation.org/ForestFlower Disclaimer: Readers are recommended to make appropriate inquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in this publication. Isha Foundation does not vouch for any claims made by the advertisers of products and services. The printer, publisher, office bearers, editor-in-chief editor-in-chief and the editor of Isha Foundation shall not be held liable for any consequences in the event of such claims not being honored by the advertisers.

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May ��

CONENS LEAD ARTICLE

Building a Consecration Force

MAHABHARAT

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IN CONVERSATION WITH THE MYSTIC Sadhguru Close-Up and Personal

Part 42: Arjuna and Subhadra

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V. C. Gopalratnam in Conversation with the Mystic

LEAD ARTICLE Building a Consecration Force

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MUSINGS Why a Distance to Body and Mind Frees Your Energies

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MAHABHARAT Part 42: Arjuna and Subhadra

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NEWS & EVENTS Sadhguru Speaks at the United Nations on Water Sadhguru in Toronto Samyama with Sadhguru at the iii Sadhguru at the ‘Happy Cities Summit’

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SADHGURU SPOT Shoonya – The Significance of Doing No-Thing

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS Isha – Program & Event Highlights

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ISHA RECIPES Avocado Pista Pudding

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ZEN SPEAKS Matter Is Empty

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Sadhguru Close-Up and Personal Cisco CIO V. C. Gopalratnam in Conversation with Sadhguru

In Conversation with the Mystic

Sadhguru answers some witty and personal rapid-fire questions posed by V. C. Gopalratnam, Cisco’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) for its International Operations, Senior Vice President of Information Technology, and the leader for Global IT Services. They touch on if or why Sadhguru experiences anger or distress, whether he prioritizes intelligence or emotion, whether he prefers progress or perfection, and much more. The In Conversation with the Mystic event that this round of questions is excerpted from happened on 9 February 2018 at Isha Home School’s Gnana Shala. Shri Gopalratnam: Can I ask you some rapid questions? One sentence answers, if possible.

and woke up twenty years from now, what would you expect the world to look like?

Sadhguru: Rapid questions or rapid answers?

Sadhguru: I think I will be dead.

Shri Gopalratnam: Rapid answers. So, in one sentence, can you describe India? Sadhguru: A phenomenon. Shri Gopalratnam: Two or three leaders who, in your opinion, exhibit inclusiveness?

I don’t believe in perfection, because the nature of life is such that there is room for constant evolution and development.

Sadhguru: You are getting me into trouble. [Laughs] Shri Gopalratnam: All right. What does yoga mean to you? Sadhguru: Yoga is everything to me. And yoga means everything. Yoga means union – the individual and the universal meet. It’s everything. Shri Gopalratnam: Sure. If you went to sleep now � | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

ShriGopalratnam: Okay. Which is more important – strategy or operations? Sadhguru: This is like asking whether your right leg is more important or your left leg to reach your destination. May ��

Shri Gopalratnam: That’s a good answer. Progress or perfection?

Shri Gopalratnam: Okay. What do you see when you see a person for the first time?

Sadhguru: The only thing they have in common is that both start with “P.”

Sadhguru: The standard answers would be “I see love; I see light; I see possibility.” I don’t see people like that. In a work situation, I see them differently. But otherwise, if I just see someone, I don’t really see a person – I just see life. This may be a little disappointing or insulting for some people, but I look at people as I would look at a tree, a cow, a dog, or an elephant. When I look at a life, I just look at it as a life. It is only when I need to do something with the human beings, then maybe I look at their person and what I can do, what I cannot do with them. But otherwise, when I simply look at someone, it’s just another life for me. In terms of Information Technology, you may be ahead of an ant. But in terms of life, in what way are you ahead of an ant? It is as much life as you are. Their traffic lanes are better managed than yours. And they are ecofriendly, which you are now desperately trying to be. In my eyes life is life. Only when it comes to activity, I gear myself, tone myself down to see each individual as an individual. Otherwise, life is life for me.

Shri Gopalratnam: Which do you think is more important though? Sadhguru: I don’t believe in perfection, because the nature of life is such that there is room for constant evolution and development. The only thing that’s perfect about human life is death. No one died imperfectly, but no one ever lived perfectly. Shri Gopalratnam: How authenticity?

about

honesty

or

Sadhguru: Authenticity is not honesty? Shri Gopalratnam: It is. Okay, intelligence or emotion? Basically, IQ or EQ? Sadhguru: See, the source of all division in the universe is human intellect. Because it’s a cutting knife and you use it for everything, naturally everything is in tatters, and you see emotion and intelligence as something different. But, the fact of the matter is, the way you think is the way you feel. If I think you are a wonderful human being, I could have sweet emotions towards you. If I think you are a nasty human being, I will have nasty emotions towards you. I cannot think you are nasty and have sweet emotions. Nor can I think you are wonderful and have nasty emotions. So, the way you think is the way you feel. I do not separate it within me. Shri Gopalratnam: How many hours do you sleep in a day? And what is your at rest pulse rate? Sadhguru: How many hours I sleep, I usually don’t decide – the world decides. For almost twentyfive years, I managed with two and a half hours, on an average. These days, I am much lazier. On an average, I must be sleeping four, four and a half hours per day. But that’s not every day. Some days, I sleep a little more. Some days, I don’t sleep. My rest pulse rate used to be thirty-two, thirty-three, at one time. These days, because of too much travel, not eating the right kind of food, eating whatever people give, and not enough sadhana, I think its somewhere between thirty-six and forty-two. Shri Gopalratnam: Wow. Which basically means you never get tired, physically. Sadhguru: I die at the end of the day, usually. Shri Gopalratnam: Okay. What have you mastered? Sadhguru: Myself, I think.

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Gopalratnam: Okay. When was the last time you got angry, and what happened? Sadhguru: I cannot say I’ve been really angry at anyone. Maybe sometimes a bit distressed with the way people go about things, about their own life, and what they do to other people, but not really angry. Yes, I’ve been distressed by looking at a few things that are happening in the world around –in the larger world, and also sometimes in our immediate surroundings. It causes some distress how insensitive individual human beings can be to

So, the way you think is the way you feel.

each other and what they do. But I always use this distress as a way to see that some sort of solution comes out of it if possible. Not in all situations are you able to create solutions. But I don’t make it into anger, because it is one hundred percent clear to me that my experience of life is one hundred percent determined by me. I allow a certain amount of distress to happen to me so that I don’t become too la-la-la. I’m in a state of la-la within myself all ISHA FOREST FLOWER | �

the time. But because I have to work in the world, I tone down the la-la and cause a little bit of distress to myself so that I work as it is needed.

three hours plus into Mysore City on a motorcycle the other day, and it felt like the first time, though there were memories of many times before.

Gopalratnam: Do you consider yourself a Tamilian or a Kannadiga or a Teluguite?

Gopalratnam: Okay. What do you think would probably surprise most people about you?

Sadhguru: This man is hell-bent on getting me into trouble! [Laughter]

Sadhguru: Just about everything.

Gopalratnam: You want to pass on that question? Sadhguru: No, no. My mother tongue is Telugu – proud of it, but can’t talk much. I grew up with Kannada language because I grew up in Karnataka. But I chose to come to Tamil Nadu. What you chose is always above what you’re born with, isn’t it? Gopalratnam: Okay. When was the last time you did something for the first time? Sadhguru: Well, this doesn’t really fit the bill, but just two days ago, after thirty years, once again I rode into Mysore City on a motorcycle. This is not the first time, but thirty years later is almost like another life. It’s not the same body , definitely. I could ride for three days and three nights. Without sleep, without rest, simply I would ride. Only the motorcycle would get tired, not me. So I rode these

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Gopalratnam: Okay. And then one last question. I know you’re an avid golfer, and my boss, who’s our global CIO, is almost professional level. He’s a scratch golfer. Who, in your opinion, is the better golfer – Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? Sadhguru: Jack Nicklaus is still good. Tiger Woods has been a phenomenon like no other. He hit bad times, but recently, he’s come back. Gopalratnam: Do you have a handicap? Sadhguru: My handicap has been declared as fourteen, six years ago. But a few days ago, I finished an extremely difficult course in Ooty, which was not very well managed, just one over. No one has done that course one over. I have it in me, but there’s not enough practice or any kind of honing of skills. Simply, once in a way, I play.

May ��

LEAD ARTICLE

Yogeshwar Linga Consecration

Building a Consecration Force By Sadhguru A participant of the recent Samyama program asks Sadhguru, “What can I, we, do to help you consecrate the world?” In his response, Sadhguru stresses the importance for human beings to live, work, and grow in energetically conducive spaces. He discloses some little known facts about the kind of toll consecrations take on him, who, as he says, lives with a reconstructed, fragile body since it was almost gone after the Dhyanalinga consecration, almost twenty years ago. He says, “I have the energy, but I do not have the body to do that.” Outlining major upcoming projects and many more pending requests to consecrate spaces and energy forms, he emphasizes the urgent need to create a substantial group of people who could be trained to do such work. Read on to find out what it takes. It has taken thirty-six years of work to really get people interested in the science of consecration. Some of you have a consecrated form in your own homes. For many people who have taken Devi home, it is the biggest thing that has happened to them in their lives. There are at least a hundred requests right now for me to consecrate major projects – largely in India; some outside the country. These are not necessarily temples – for a lot of major real estate projects, they want energy centers. I am going from the US to India, just for one day, to speak at the inauguration of the new city of Amaravati that is going to be established in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first such project in India in recent years, where a completely new city is being built. Otherwise, most of our city structures are ancient. We have excavated sites – temples, ports, whole May ��

city structures – that are many thousands of years old. But now this new city is being built in Andhra Pradesh. We have been working with the state government on various other projects, and we taught Inner Engineering for the Chief Minister, all the ministers, bureaucrats, and top officers in the state. We have also adopted over three thousand schools in Andhra Pradesh. Now, they set up a conference called Happy Cities Summit. They want to create not only a beautiful city, not only a technologically capable city, but a happy city. And they want a consecrated space in the heart of the new city. These requests are growing. Apart from that, the Linga Bhairavi Avigna Yantras take three to four months to make. That is why we give them only twice a year. It takes an enormous amount of life investment. If I do the requested one hundred ISHA FOREST FLOWER | �

consecrations in the next two years, I may live only for another three years. That is the kind of energy requirement it will take. Those of you who have been with me for over seventeen, eighteen years would have seen what happened to me after the Dhyanalinga consecration. And what most people do not know – after the Devi consecration, eight years ago, I lost my sense of taste and smell for almost one and a half years. My tongue was like dead. Whatever I ate tasted like cotton. Generally my sense of taste is very keen and vivid – I am very

Tis is the most important thing that needs to happen in the world – human beings should live in energetically healthy spaces.

choosy about those things when I want to be. Slowly, my sense of taste and smell came back. I had to do so many things to revive the system. We had built various support systems at that time, for a variety of reasons. Due to time, age, and various other circumstances, a lot of those structures have going away. We are building new energy structures to assist us. But definitely, as it is right now, we will not be able to fulfill these one hundred consecrations. And by the time we complete those consecrations, it will multiply into many hundreds. I have the energy, but I do not have the body to do that. This body is a fragile, newly built structure, after it was almost gone at one time, after the Dhyanalinga consecration. We need people to stand up. Young people below thirty-five years of age – if you are interested, we want to train you to be able to do these things. But this kind of training needs a completely different dimension of involvement, dedication, keenness of purpose, and discipline. When you play with your fundamental life energies, you must be super disciplined. One small deviation, and it will go all bad. Not just for you – for me. And we cannot let the work that you are doing go bad – someone else has to pitch in. If you think you have the quality, you must put your name down. We will look at you; we will look at various aspects, what level of work you would be able to do. For certain very intense work, you must be below thirty-five years of age. But there are other kinds of things that older people can do. � | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

This is the most important thing that needs to happen in the world – human beings should live in energetically healthy spaces. You might build a beautiful building – that does not mean it is good for habitation. There is a whole science behind how to create a space that will allow a human being to blossom properly. This is important especially where children are growing up – every school must have a consecrated space. The world is still at a level of ignorance where they think that by consecrating a space, you are bringing some religion into their lives. This will go slowly. We have already eased it up quite a bit. Corporate houses, which earlier never entertained such things, are now asking us to establish energy forms in their offices and other spaces. Not even two to three percent of what we should do in terms of consecrations, we are able to do, simply because we still do not have the necessary committed force to do it. Everyone is busy with other activities. This work needs a group that is exclusively dedicated to this, and that works in a totally different dimension of life. Essentially, it means to be willing to be an instrument in making something. Maybe you yourself will never understand what you are creating. But you must learn to be an instrument. In Western cultures, they have taught you that you should never become an instrument in someone else’s hands. With that attitude, you cannot do consecrations. People still do not have the maturity to understand this – they are making stupid moral judgments about everything.

Young people below thirty-five years of age – if you are interested, we want to train you to be able to do these things.

Consecration needs a different breed of people. We can prepare them, but fundamentally, trust and commitment are needed. In order to make you a powerful instrument, it may be necessary to twist and turn you a bit. To make you a doctor, an engineer, or a scientist, do they not torture you? From the age of six, you are in a school – is that not torture? To make a six-year-old child go to school and count “one, two, three, four,” learn A B C D and all this nonsense – is it not torture? It is torture, but only because of that, people become capable of something that they would otherwise not be able to do. May ��

If something has to be done that is beyond the of closeness. Your physical body, your mental normal limitations of what human beings can do, structures, your emotional structures, your karmic it needs an extraordinary sense of commitment, structures – every aspect of your life has to be discipline, and devotion to what we are doing. looked at, so that your life energies are fluid. If they Otherwise it will not work. In ancient India, every are fluid, you can use them any way you want. If that space was consecrated. That is gone, but now is not done, then consecration will be like mumboonce again, the necessary interest and trust are jumbo. The genuine science of consecration will die. spreading. We just opened a small Devi Gudi 1 at our Only rituals will live – someone will be mumbling center in Delhi. But the response from across the something. They will not care whether something city has been enormous. We just could not manage actually happens or not because anyway, it will be a the rush of visitors. For the three consecutive days commercial process for them. of the opening, the entire two-acre space was filled not only with meditators but people from If we really want to create something, we need to everywhere. The power of the consecration is such build a strong force. We are making an attempt to – it draws people. Many more consecrations need build at least a small force. But if we are able to build a larger force of let’s say fifty to hundred people, we to happen. can do phenomenal things in the world. But where But the science of consecration is not something to find those people who will think beyond their that we can write a book about, tell you to read it own lives? to learn a few things, and you know what to do. It is not like that. You have to feel through it. It takes Contact: a certain amount of work and a certain amount [email protected] �

Small Linga Bhairavi shrine

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MUSINGS

Why a Distance to Body and Mind Frees Your Energies By Sadhguru Your thoughts, your emotions, and the way you keep your physical body have a very strong influence on how your energy functions. Those of you who are practicing Shoonya meditation may have noticed this: you are settling into a meditative state – then one thought, and you are back to reality. Or in Bhava Spandana, you are floating away – one thought, and the experience is suddenly gone. Since energy is a very fluid or amorphous kind of manifestation, it could take any form. But if you are too deeply identified with your physical body, the energy will get stuck to that physical form. It will not show any other dimension. The idea of a spiritual path like brahmacharya is not to be identified with the physical form. If you are identified with the physical form, you cannot cultivate and evolve your energy to a bigger possibility. It will only keep you alive and fulfill the basic functions of your physiological and psychological dimensions. �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

The same goes for your mind. If you are strongly identified with your own thought process or your emotional structures, then once again, your energy gets restricted. The fundamental process of being meditative is to distance yourself from your physiological and psychological activity. Only in this state can the energy be deeply influenced. In order to initiate people into Shambhavi Mahamudra, we are taking twenty to thirty hours, because we have to wring them around a little bit and come to a place where they are less identified with their physical body, their thought, and their emotion. That is when we initiate them. Otherwise, their energies are simply not available. We always say you should not write down anything during the program because in writing, you are getting super identified with your thought. There are people who constantly want to write down something, because they know only accumulation. They are still hunters and gatherers. Wherever they May ��

go, they have to gather something. They do not understand that there could be another dimension. If people came without any of this rubbish, within ten minutes of their arrival, we could initiate them. How efficient we could be if people were a little more evolved. Just to initiate people into fifteen minutes of Shoonya meditation, we are talking for at least forty-five to fifty hours. All this is for you to disidentify from your physical body and your mind. We have to bring you to a place where your own thought, your own emotion, your own body do not matter to you. Only then will your energies be available. When you are strongly identified with your physiological and psychological process, your energy is stuck to that form. If you want to build a building, you need scaffolding. The form of the scaffolding determines the form of the roof you can make. You cannot set up flat scaffolding and create a dome on top of it. Right now, the body and the psychological structure are like scaffolding. As long as the scaffolding is there, energy will not take any other form. The energy may be a little amorphous, but it largely remains in the same form as your body and your psychological structure. If you are strongly identified with your physical form and your psychological structures,

you will not explore anything new in life. Just to make this scaffolding a little flexible takes hours and hours of hard work. To make it disappear would take a lot more work. We have to decimate the identification with the body and mind before we can initiate you. If I initiate you while you are fully identified with your body, you are like a wall. If I throw my energies, they will bounce back at me. It would be of no use. These days, we are doing the Inner Engineering program in less than two and a half days. If we start Friday evening, by Sunday morning, we have to get ready for the initiation. Until then, we have to do many things to soften people out – we make them dance, we make them laugh, we make them cry, we tell them all kinds of idiotic jokes. The idea is that the initiation touches a maximum number of people. If I see even one person who is still sitting like a stone, I will be talking and talking, trying to involve them in some way. If you distance yourself from your thought, your emotion, and your physical body, you do not even have to come to the program. If you sit like that in your home, in any place on this planet or on the moon, I will initiate you. Life would become very easy.

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MAHABHARAT SERIES

PART ��

Mahabharat Arjuna and Subhadra

What has happened so far: After Arjuna accidentally barged in on Yudhishthira and Draupadi, he went into self-imposed exile and became a wandering mendicant. During this time, he met the warrior princess Chitrangada, married her, and had a son with her. After some time, he continued his peregrinations. Krishna’s sister Subhadra was in love with Arjuna, without ever having seen him. But Balarama, Krishna’s brother, had promised Subhadra in marriage to Duryodhana. Balarama was Bhima’s and Duryodhana’s teacher in mace fighting, and Duryodhana was Balarama’s favorite disciple. But Krishna did not want Subhadra to be married to Duryodhana, because it would become difficult if a battle arises in the future. If your sister is married to your opponent, it will stop you from doing things you need to do in that situation. Therefore, Krishna further kindled Subhadra’s love for Arjuna. Krishna told Subhadra to fall sick, and upon his request, she promptly fell sick. Their mother Devaki got very worried about the girl being sick and struggling. �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

Then Krishna suggested, “Let us go and worship at this particular temple in Prabhasa. If you worship Shiva in this temple, any ailment that a young girl may have will be cured.” So, the whole family travelled to Prabhasa. Krishna made sure the route went past Arjuna’s cave. Arjuna saw Subhadra, and he instantly fell in love. Balarama noticed this mendicant in the cave. Balarama was a huge man, muscular, a great fighter, and a just man, but the brawn that he built in his body kind of grew a little bit into his skull too. He was not the sharpest one. He always depended on Krishna to make intelligent decisions. And above all, he bowed down to Krishna as an avatar. He May ��

did not see Krishna just as a brother, but still, here and there, Balarama had the authority of being an elder brother. So, he saw this mendicant, but he did not recognize it was Arjuna, because he had grown dreadlocks and a beard, and he was sitting in meditation. Balarama bowed down to Arjuna, asked him where he was from, and wanted to take care of his wellbeing in some way. He said, “Instead of being here in this wild place, where it is difficult to get food and stuff, come and stay in my palace. I’ll make arrangements for you where you can continue your meditation or whatever.” Krishna, who stood beside them, indicated to Arjuna that he better do it. Arjuna moved into Balarama’s palace and into the proximity of Subhadra, and things happened. One day, as the date for Duryodhana’s wedding with Subhadra was already fixed, Krishna said, “Before that, you better elope. Otherwise, there’ll be disaster for you.” So Arjuna and Subhadra eloped. When Balarama came to know that this was a false mendicant and that he was taking away the girl, he chased them. But Subhadra had taken the reins of the chariot. Krishna said, “Why are you chasing them? The girl is not being abducted. She is going of her own free will. It’s not in the dharma to fight to get her back, because she is not being forcefully taken.” Balarama got furious. He knew this whole situation was Krishna’s design. Balarama loved his favorite disciple, Duryodhana, very much. Right till the very end, he always sided with Duryodhana. But because Krishna was on the other side, he could not do anything. Here is a little poem about Arjuna, and the kind of man he was:

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Arjuna Unwavering aim turns into a mean game The quiet warrior, a deadly force Strong of body and mind Weak of vanity and whim Enjoined with a god becomes destiny’s tool but nobody’s fool A Man, A Man, O’ Man. So, Arjuna had three wives, and he took Subhadra back to Indraprastha. But Draupadi had set a rule: “You can marry as many women as you want outside, but none of them comes into this palace.” But this is a different case. Subhadra is Krishna’s sister. Arjuna did not know how to face Draupadi, coming back home after one year with a new wife. So he sent Subhadra. By herself, she went like a milkmaid and pleased Draupadi in many ways. Subhadra told Draupadi that she was in danger, that there were people who wanted to hurt her. Draupadi said, “Don’t you worry. You will always be under my care. Stay here in the palace.” After that, it was revealed to her that Subhadra was married to Arjuna. When Draupadi came to know Subhadra was Krishna’s sister, she quelled her anger.

To be continued


Events Highlights NEWS AND E VEN TS

Sadhguru at the United Nations Headquarters

Sadhguru Speaks at the United Nations on Water New York, 21 Mar: One day ahead of the World Water Day, Sadhguru spoke at a special event, organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, on the topic “Women, Water and Sanitation.” Sadhguru said at the event: “Water is not a commodity – water is life-making material for all of us. You are just a body of water – around sixty percent, you’re water. So if we don’t protect the water bodies, this water body won’t survive. This is staring on our face. In Asia and Africa it is a very huge issue, and we are rapidly moving to a place where turning around will be very difficult. It’s appropriate that at this moment, the United Nations has taken the step of a ten-year action plan, which is most vital. It’s important that we make this into a success because this is �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

the survival of this generation….” Most importantly, he pointed to the root cause of the problem: the rapidly increasing human population, which is projected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050. He said, “This is happening not necessarily because of excessive reproduction. It is because lifespans are getting better, which is a wonderful thing that human beings are getting to live a full lifespan. But when we take death into our hands, we should take birth into our hands also. So instead of making predictions, that by 2050 this is the kind of disaster we will be, I would appreciate if all of us have a plan, that by 2050 we’ll be 4.5 billion. Then you can live whichever way you want, and it’ll be fine on this planet.”

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Sadhguru at the UN launch of the International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development

New York, 22 Mar: Sadhguru was invited to speak at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the occasion of World Water Day (22 Mar 2018). The event saw the launch of the International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028. This UN initiative focuses on cooperation and partnership in the integrated management of water resources. Sadhguru opened his talk by highlighting the vital importance of water, “The first and foremost is to make everybody on this planet understand that water is not a commodity. It’s lifemaking material. It’s the stuff we are made of. Over two thirds of the planet is water. Two thirds of our body is water.”

Sadhguru outlined the increasingly dire situation of water supply and rivers in India as well as possible solutions, the Rally for Rivers, and the Draft Policy Recommendation for the revitalization of rivers in India. In order to tackle the issue on a global level, he called for collaboration across national or political boundaries to arrive at international policies, perhaps based on climatic regions. He said, “It’s really a fantastic day today that we are talking about a decade of action, not a decade of talking. Now we have to get into action. Obviously, the United Nations does not have geographical presence. It is the nations on the ground which need to act.”

Sadhguru in Toronto Mystic Eye event in Toronto

May ��

Toronto, 24 Mar: The Mystic Eye event with Sadhguru on 24 Mar 2018 in Toronto, Canada received an overwhelming response. The hall was packed with over 6000 participants of all backgrounds, who had seized the chance to spend an evening in the presence of the Mystic. Sadhguru astounded the audience with his very own blend of rational insights and profound mysticism. Again, in a matter of just a few hours, he had brightened up faces and impacted many thousands of lives. ISHA FOREST FLOWER | ��

Sadhguru in conversation with influencer Evan Carmichael in Toronto

Toronto, 25 Mar: On the bright sunny morning of the next day, Sadhguru took a stroll at Lake Ontario to meet up with motivational entrepreneur Evan

Carmichael for a spirited conversation. Both may have different approaches but a shared focus – fulfilling human potential.

Samyama with Sadhguru at the iii

iii, 31 Mar – 7 Apr 2018: “Samyama is not a program but a phenomenon. If only we could have a substantial number of people in this phenomenal state, a totally new possibility could be unleashed. We have to create the possibility that in near future, there will be an opportunity for a larger number of people to know, experience, and attain to this �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

state,” Sadhguru stated a few days ahead of the much-awaited Samyama at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences (iii). Mahima – Seat of Grace was filled to capacity as over 900 aspiring sadhakas gathered under its dome for eight days of intense processes and meditations in Sadhguru’s presence, energy, and Grace. May ��

Sadhguru in conversation with AP CM Chandrababu Naidu

Sadhguru at the ‘Happy Cities Summit’ Amaravati, 10 Apr 2018: Immediately after the Samyama program at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences in the US, Sadhguru flew to India to inaugurate the “Happy Cities Summit 2018” with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Amaravati. Since a north-western portion of Andhra Pradesh was separated to form the new state of Telangana with Hyderabad as its capital, Amaravati has become Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city and seat of the government. CM Chandrababu Naidu outlined his vision for Amaravati, saying, “We have decided to make Amaravati a blue-green city and on top a ‘happy city.’ Decade ago, there were talks of development which began with ‘smart cities.’ Now it’s time for happiness. A balanced blend of welfare and development can make us happy. Our vision is to make AP the happiest state.” A number of high-ranking experts from around the world, including Singapore, Finland, Bhutan, and the United Kingdom, shared their experiences and ideas to build a happy city. Dr. Cherukuri Sridhar, commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), detailed the construction of Amaravati as an eco-friendly, bluegreen and happy city. CM Chandrababu Naidu said Amaravati would be developed with more than 50% May ��

green cover and a focus on other environmental aspects such as renewable energy, as well as environment-friendly modes of transportation, to make Amaravati a most livable city. After the release of the Amaravati Happy City Master Plan, the delegates from India and abroad were treated to a conversation between Sadhguru and Chandrababu Naidu, in which both shared their insights on what it takes to build a happy city. While Chandrababu Naidu spoke about the correlation between values and development, Sadhguru pointed out two fundamental things that need to be attended to in this context – chemistry and geometry. He said that all human experiences have a chemical basis, and everything physical in the universe has a form, and therefore the geometry of life becomes important. So when creating a happy city, it is important that the geometry of the spaces are supportive to the nature of the human being. Sadhguru distilled the essence of happiness and of this city development project in the following tweet: Happiness is essentially a human experience. While making our surroundings pleasant, it’s important to make our interiority also pleasant. May Amaravati become a truly joyful & sustainable global city. - Sg


Sadhguru Spot

Shoonya - The Significance of Doing No-Thing In this Spot, Sadhguru writes about the universal phenomenon of Shoonya, which occupies ninetynine percent of ourselves and the whole cosmos, and yet is not in our awareness. He goes on to explain the meditative approach he offers to experience this no-thingness. What is the significance of Shoonya? Shoonya as a word could be translated as “emptiness,” though the English word “emptiness” does not do justice to Shoonya. Emptiness is a sort of negative word – it suggests an absence of something that was supposed to be there. Shoonya is not an absence – it is a limitless presence. The zero was invented in India. When we invented the zero, we did not see it as an absence but as the ultimate number. Zero means nothing, but it can add value to any other number. Shoonya is like that. To put it into a certain perspective – modern cosmologists say that over ninety-nine percent of the cosmos is empty. Over ninety-nine percent of an atom is empty. Ninetynine percent of existence is empty. This is what we refer to as Shoonya. As the life that you are, you have a choice: Either you can be a small creature in this vast emptiness, or you can be that emptiness which is the source of all creation. That is what we are approaching with Shoonya meditation. �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

In your personal opinion, you are the most important life in this creation. In your family structure, you are one of the important lives. In the city, you may be somewhat important, but they can do without you. In the nation, you are a person of very small importance – if you are gone, no one will notice. In the world, you are an even tinier piece of life. In the cosmic space, you are almost non-existent. Even if you do not think about it consciously – somewhere deep down, everyone knows this. That is why all the bravado, all the decoration, all the accumulation – because in some way, there is a desperation to make yourself a substantial life.

Ninety-nine percent of existence is empty. Tis is what we refer to as Shoonya. May ��

Whether it is wealth, money, ego, education, or family – all these are just efforts to somehow make yourself feel like you are a worthwhile life. But when every atom in your body is ninety-nine percent empty and the whole universe is ninetynine percent empty, it means this no-thingness which is the source of creation is throbbing within you, in every cell of the body. If this becomes a living experience, then you will live very differently. In search of that, kings chose to become beggars. Gautama Buddha walked as a beggar. Shiva walks as a beggar. This demonstrates that they have found something which does not need decoration, amplification, or additions of any kind. It is the thing that occupies the entire cosmos. As I just sit here, this is complete by itself. This dimension of life would generally need lots of preparation. But today, people are only willing to give a very small amount of time. This is the plight of being a Guru in the twenty-first century. As nothingness is packaged in every atom and every cell of your body, we package Shoonya into a meditation. It is like a Shoonya pill. I am making it ridiculous, because the way most people in the world go about life is ridiculous. In this vast existence, you are so small, but you think you are big. I have seen many people, to whom their home, their family, their nonsense, their jewelry, their property were so important, they were fighting for it until the last day. And suddenly, they were dead. I tried to point it out to them while they were alive, but they were not interested. It is unfortunate that only with death, people come to their senses. Suppose you got ninety-nine percent in an examination, you would be very happy with the ninety-nine percent and willing to ignore that one percent. Right now, ninety-nine percent is Shoonya. One percent is creation. In Shoonya meditation, you put this one percent aside for some time and enjoy the ninety-nine percent. You have been ignoring the ninety-nine percent till now, which is ridiculous. Running after fullness, so many frustrations have come. If someone’s pocket is fuller than yours, you get frustrated. If someone’s granary is fuller than yours, you get frustrated. Someone’s heart is fuller than yours, you get frustrated. That is why we are teaching a new game where you can anyway win. After all, emptiness is easier than fullness.

doing nothing. If I just keep telling you, “Don’t do anything, don’t do anything,” you will go crazy. The more you try to do nothing, the crazier you will go. To do nothing, you need some support. If you want to swim in nothingness, we give you a rope that you can hold on to. What kind of rope is this? No-thingness also means silence. Some-thingness also means sound. The rope that we offer to you is a particular sound or mantra. When nothingness gets too overwhelming, you can hold on to this sound.

As no-thingness is packaged in every atom and every cell of your body, we package Shoonya into a meditation.

There are various kinds of mantras. One mantra that all of you are familiar with is AUM. It is a kind of mantra that acquires power when you utter it loudly and clearly. Then there are other kinds of mantras that are referred to as beeja mantras. A beeja mantra is a meaningless, pure sound. Mantra means pure sound, beeja means seed. A seed has to be kept in a certain way. Once you put it in the soil, you must give it the right amount of moisture – only then will it sprout. A seed will do what it has to do; the soil will do what it has to do. Your business is just to maintain the needed conditions. Similarly with Shoonya meditation – if you handle it right, it will sprout, grow, become a magnificent tree, and bear fruit. Love & Grace,

Shoonya means “emptiness,” or, more precisely, “nothingness.” An even more appropriate way of putting it is with a hyphen between “no” and “thing.” It is “no-thingness.” That means it is a dimension beyond physical nature. Shoonya means May ��


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5 May; 24 May 2018

Joint and Musculoskeletal Disorders Treatment Program

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Inner Engineering with Sadhguru in Philadelphia

Oaks, PA – USA

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7–13 May 2018

Ayur Sampoorna

Isha Rejuvenation, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Coimbatore – India

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14 May 2018

Scientists in conversation with a Mystic on “Memory, Consciousness, and Coma”

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA – USA

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19 May 2018

Mystic Eye with Sadhguru

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Yoga Marga

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Inner Engineering Retreat

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21 Days Hatha Yoga Program


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8 Days Hatha Yoga Program


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Diabetes Management Program

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27 Jun 2018

Live in a Consecrated Space – Yantra Ceremony with Sadhguru



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Kailash-Manasarovar Sacred Walks

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INSIGHT: The DNA of Success with Sadhguru



Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit www.ishayoga.org/Schedule/Yoga-Programs �� | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

May ��

ISHA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Avocado Pista Pudding

METHOD

» 2 Ripe avocados (butter fruits)

1. Roughly chop the shelled pistachios.

» 5 Tbsps. Pistachios – shelled

2. Cut the avocados in half, lengthwise. Pop the seeds out. Score the avocado flesh in a grid pattern. Scoop the flesh from the shell using a spoon.

» 2 Tbsps. Honey » 1 Tbsp. Sweet lime (mosambi) juice » ½ tsp. Rose water

3. Place the avocado flesh in a mixer; blend until it begins to cream.

NOTE You can find this and many other recipes in Isha’s cookbook “A Taste of Well-Being” – available in major bookstores as well as on Amazon, Flipkart, and Isha Shoppe.

4. Add honey, sweet lime juice and rose water; blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust the flavors as desired. (Honey provides a nice, floral sweetness to the dish. The sweet lime offers a citrus note, but most importantly, prevents the avocado from darkening and turning brown; lemon and/or orange juices can be substituted for the sweet lime.) 5. Transfer the pudding into a separate bowl for mixing. Using a spatula or paddle spoon, fold in 3 tablespoons of the chopped pistachios. 6. Spoon the mixture into serving cups. Garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios. Optionally add whole mint leaves, a slice of orange with zest, or edible rose petals as garnish.

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