Volume 8 / Issue 09 September 2019

What is man
O’ Shambho what to say
of the power of Ignorance
A wisp of life called Man
who lingers in your lap
lives and dies by a puff of Breath
Says you are just stone
If you are stone what is man.

Grace & Blessings

September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | b

 EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,
September is a month of great presented actionable solutions to
significance for us at Isha, for a multitude revitalize the river Cauvery to the press.
of reasons. On the one hand, we see
Outlining the Cauvery Calling
with growing anticipation how Cauvery
campaign, Sadhguru said that the goal is
Calling is garnering support from
to see that 2.42 billion trees are planted
influencers and gaining traction among
in the region, in a matter of twelve
people, on the other, we look forward
years. He emphasized on how increased
to Sadhguru’s upcoming enlightenment
tree cover will help retain rainwater in
anniversary. While enlightenment to
the soil, thereby allowing rivers to flow
you or me may seem a tad far-fetched,
throughout the year. Read this month’s
Sadhguru breaks it down in the Lead
In Conversation with the Mystic article
Article “One Way to Enlightenment.”
to find out more about the structured
His advice is to hold a steady direction
approach to FREE INDIA of water crisis,
and keep walking the path, with the help
and above all, how you can participate.
of a simple method that he offers here.
This time in the Mahabharat series,
In a recent interview with one of
Sadhguru details the distinction
Switzerland’s most widely circulated
between the physical and non-physical,
magazines, Sadhguru put things in
in the context of old and new souls and
perspective when quizzed about
the population explosion in recent times.
whether enlightenment is a luxury or a
necessity. Care to know how he starts Each month, one of our Isha
his day and prefers to spend his free Brahmacharis or Sanyasis share
time? Sadhguru opens up about these their background, observations and
personal moments too. experiences of what it means for them
to walk On the Path of the Divine. In
The past month saw Sadhguru travel
this edition, Swami Nirakara retraces
far and wide within India and overseas.
his journey from his days as a bank
He made a notable presence at ISRO’s
employee with familial obligations to
historic launch of Chandrayaan-2 from
living in Sadhguru’s grace as a Sanyasi.
the Sriharikota space station. Australia
hosted Sadhguru as he paved the way Lastly, silence those savory monsoon
for transformation for 4,800 seekers cravings with a wholesome
in Melbourne at the Inner Engineering combination of health and indulgence:
Completion Program and sat down Ragi Aloo Tikki, which is this month’s
for a conversation with cricket legend featured recipe. Enjoy!
Matthew Hayden. Sadhguru and
The Editorial Team
the illustrious Rally for Rivers board

Contact the Editorial Team:

Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Ishana Vihar Post, Coimbatore – 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org
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2 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019

CONTENTS
LEAD ARTICLE
One Way to Enlightenment 07
IN CONVERSATION WITH THE MYSTIC
Rooting for Trees 4
Matthew Hayden in Conversation
with Sadhguru on Cauvery Calling
LEAD ARTICLE
One Way to Enlightenment 7
Sadhguru on pursuing enlightenment
INTERVIEW
What Do You Actually Do, Sadhguru? 9
Sadhguru on the role of a Guru, his day, and more
MAHABHARAT
Part 58: How Do Souls Multiply? 11
ON THE PATH OF THE DIVINE
Swami Nirakara 12
Beyond Form/Shape
NEWS & EVENTS
Meditators Experience the Fiery
‘Lap of the Master’ 15
Sadhguru captivates 9000 participants during
the 2-day Satsang
Guru Purnima – When Grace Descended
under the Radiant Full Moon 15
Sadhguru inspires with his Guru Purnima message
Transformation sans Philosophies – Sadhguru
Discusses Problems and Possibilities 16
Sadhguru offers solutions for transformation
to the women of FICCI FLO
Rally for Rivers Gains Momentum,
Next Phase Launched 16
Sadhguru launches “Cauvery Calling”
at Rally for Rivers board meeting
3 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
MAHABHARAT
Part 58: How Do Souls Multiply? 11
Rally for Rivers Garners Immense Support
in Karnataka 17
Sadhguru meets Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar
as he pledges support for Cauvery Calling
Cricket, Conversation, and Cauvery Calling 17
Sadhguru sits down for a conversation with
popular cricketer KL Rahul
Fourth Edition of Bengaluru Poetry Festival 18
Sadhguru attends Poetry Festival amidst poets,
musicians, lyricists and performers
With Chandrayaan-2, ISRO Adds another
Feather to Its Already Illustrious Cap 18
Sadhguru makes a notable presence at ISRO’s historic
Chandrayaan-2 launch
Australia Hosts the Mystic Known
to Go beyond Boundaries 18
Sadhguru shares stage with Australian cricketer
Matthew Hayden for a discussion on boundaries,
expectations and more
Wave of Bliss Reaches the Shores of Australia 19
Sadhguru graces Australia and paves the way for
transformation with Inner Engineering
Time to FREE INDIA of Water Crisis 19
Sadhguru addresses dignitaries at ‘Samvad with
Sadhguru’ hosted by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu
UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS
Isha – Program & Event Highlights 20
ISHA RECIPES
Paneer Roti Cones 21
ZEN SPEAKS
I'm Here 23
September 2019
Rooting for Trees
IN CONVERSATION
Matthew Hayden in Conversation with Sadhguru WITH THE MYSTIC
on Cauvery Calling

In this edition of In Conversation with the Mystic, Sadhguru sat down with popular Australian cricketer
Matthew Hayden on 25 July 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. The conversation centered around Cauvery Calling,
a comprehensive initiative by Isha Foundation to revitalize the depleting river Cauvery alongside improving
the livelihood of farmers by enabling their move to agroforestry. Sadhguru emphasized on how increased
tree cover will help retain rain water in the soil, thereby allowing rivers to flow throughout the year.

Matthew Hayden: I want to talk specifically about
water, your vision for the conservation of water,
some of the things that you’re proactively doing
within the causes, and the relationship with your
heartlands of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Floating Down the River
Sadhguru: I grew up in Karnataka, around Cauvery.
About four and a half years – I was somewhere
between fourteen to nineteen at that time –
almost every day, I swam in Cauvery river. Once
I floated down Cauvery for thirteen days on four
truck tubes and a few bamboos. I lived off the river.
In my experience, the river was not some kind of
a resource or water source. In my experience, she
was a life much larger than me. People like you
and me come and go, but this river has flown for a
million years. But today we have brought her down
to her knees in such a way that the river’s survival is
a big question mark. This is not just happening with
one river – this has happened across the country.
4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
Rivers Depleting Across the Country
India is a tropical country – that means the river is not
the source of water; it is only a destination for water.
The monsoon rain gathers in the land in various forms –
rivers, lakes, ponds, and wells – but essentially, it is
all rain water. Ganga has depleted over forty-four
percent, because we have removed seventy-eight
percent of green cover in the Ganga basin in the last
sixty-five years. Narmada has depleted sixty percent;
Krishna has depleted over sixty percent; Cauvery has
depleted, according to studies, forty to forty-four
percent. But in my personal experience, Cauvery
today is only twenty-five to thirty percent of what it
was when I was ten years old.
This has happened because we removed eighty-
seven percent of the green cover, simply, rampantly.
One thing is agriculture. Earlier, it was very common
for every farmer to have at least a few trees on his
land. But forty years ago, when chemical fertilizers
came in a big way, these companies campaigned in
September 2019
the villages of India, saying that if you have trees
on the land, their root systems are aggressive; they
will eat up all the fertilizer – you have to take away
the trees. So we took away millions and millions
of trees across farmlands, because they thought
chemical fertilizer will be wasted on the trees.
Today we’ve come to a place where groundwater
has depleted tremendously; river water is going
away; every water source is depleting. But in the
last hundred years, there has been no big change
in the amount of rain in the subcontinent. It is just
the ability to hold it in the land is gone, because the
green cover is gone. Without the necessary organic
content, you cannot hold the water in the soil.
No Vegetation to Hold the Water
When rain comes, how slowly it moves towards the
river will determine how many months the river
will flow in the year. If it moves rapidly, within three
months it will be over. If it goes slowly, it will flow over
twelve months. In Tamil, there is an ancient saying
that only if Cauvery comes walking, she brings wealth
and prosperity. If she comes running, she will bring
disaster. So how do you make a river walk? If a river
has to walk, there has to be substantial vegetation
that the water that comes down in the form of rain is
held in the land and slowly moves towards the river.
Cauvery is not touching the ocean for over
six months; she is receding by the year. This is
happening mainly because there is no green cover.
This project we have taken up called Cauvery
Calling is an offshoot of Rally for Rivers. Rally for
Rivers was done with the intent of changing the
policy framework. We are a hundred percent
successful in this. The policy that we offered to the
central government was accepted in total. They put
it through scientific tests and economic tests, found
it to be an ideal policy, and recommended it to all
the twenty-nine states as official policy.
About four states are proactively pursuing this
policy. With another three to four states, we have a
Memorandum of Understanding, and we are working
with them. But many other states are not doing
anything about it, because a river is a concurrent
subject between the federal government and the
state government. The center can only advise – it is
the state which needs to act. Where they have not
acted, there you see serious water issues.
Land and Lives in Distress
Cauvery Calling is a different level of project. We have
farmed the same land, which was very fertile soil, for
over 12,000 years. But today, in one generation, we’re
turning it into a desert-like space – mainly because
September 2019
the only way you can enrich the land is by the leaves
of the trees, and by the animal waste. Trees are
gone a long time ago; animals are all traveling to
other countries. Now there are no leaves, no animal
waste, no way to recoup this soil.
Out of 160 million hectares of arable land in
India, 104 million hectares have been identified as
distressed soil, because there are no leaves, there is
no animal waste. If we don’t put trees back in the
soil, if you don’t bring animals back in the farm, our
ability to grow food will be completely gone. This is
one of the greatest achievements in India, without
any modern science or technological advancements,
just with sheer traditional knowledge, our illiterate
farmer has grown food for over a billion people for
the last seventy years. But today we are driving him
to the wall.
Cauvery Calling: An Outline
The plan for Cauvery Calling is just this – we want to
convert one-third of this 83,000 square kilometers
into agroforestry. We’ve already converted about
70,000 Tamil farmers into agroforestry; their incomes
in five to seven years have gone up anywhere
between three to eight times, simply growing trees
in one third of the land. We want to bring this to the
entire region.
Cauvery Calling is a twelve year project. In twelve
years, we want to see that 2.42 billion trees are
planted by the farmers in the region. If we do this,
the water that is sequestered will be something like
nine trillion liters, based on proper scientific studies.
To give you some perspective, the entire water flow
in Cauvery is 21.2 trillion per year. So if nine trillion
liters extra go into the land, the groundwater will
be replenished, river will flow full on once again, and
people will live well.
How Trees Change Lives
Many of you who live in cities may not understand
what I’m saying. Just go out, walk in the hot sun
for the whole day, then go under a tree and sit. It’s
magic. Life changes just like that. We always had
this life-changing wealth – the entire region was
tropical forest. Unfortunately, in shortsightedness,
we removed the trees, but we can put them back.
It’s possible to do it. We need everyone’s support to
do this.
Matthew Hayden: Thank you. I’ll pledge my
support. I think this is an incredible cause.
Another heavy influence in India, Anand Mahindra,
requested a question: What, on an individual level,
can we do about water wastage?
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5
Sadhguru: Because the urban populations always twenty-five percent. In India, between monsoon
have access to media, social media, they dominate and summer, the variation is ninety percent.
everything, but they are not the majority of the
If you build check dams, you will transform a river
population. The crisis has been long coming. Now
into a string of pools. If you hold the water, in thirty
you have to take your pot to get water in Chennai
days, the evaporation could be up to fifty-five to sixty
city, so it’s looking like a disaster. This has been
percent. These big dams have been a big disaster.
happening everywhere in the villages. So what can
We did these things at one time. Now, the science
we do? There are many things we can do. Of course,
of hydrology has evolved in a significant way. Right
everyone’s talking about things like, “drink only two
now, everyone knows one third of the land needs
liters of water,” “have a bath with only four liters of
to go under shade – this is very important. We are
water,” all this. I will not say these things. I would
talking about Cauvery basin as a demo. If there is
say, just be conscious. Water is not a commodity,
determination in people, this can be done. Once this
nor food – this is life-making material.
happens, because it is so lucrative to the farmer, it
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� will spread across the country.

"Water is not a commodity, nor food – Trees for Wealth

this is life-making material." Right now, India is importing over 70,000 crores
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� worth of timber and over 120,000 crores worth
of timber products. But no one here is allowed to
Water, the Basis of Your Life grow timber, because if you grow a tree in your land
Two thirds of you is water. If you’re conscious and cut it, someone will come and arrest you. So no
of this, according to your intelligence and your one wants to grow a tree. Right now, as a part of
life situations, you will do your best. The urban Rally for Rivers, we’re pushing for laws. In the last
situation is such that definitely, you have to think term of the government, we got eighteen species
about how to minimize the use of water, because released. This time, we’re getting all the high value
there is a pressure on the waterworks. But the real trees released. Whatever a farmer grows, he can
problem is ecological. The ecological problem is not cut and use it whichever way he wants – only then
just about saving water; the ecological problem is will he grow trees in a massive way, because it’s
about having water where you want it. economically lucrative. It’s an economic plan for
him but has ecological significance.
The same amount of water that existed on the planet
a million years ago still exists here in this atmosphere, How You Can Contribute
even today. It’s just not where you want it, that’s all. It costs just forty-two rupees to raise a sapling and
You want it in the land; you want the aquifers to be give it to a farmer. We are asking the governments
full; you want the lakes to be full; you want the rivers to give some incentives for the first three to four
to be running. Considering India right now, from the years, so that they can switch over [to agroforestry].
volume of water that comes down in the form of But we need to plant 2.42 billion trees. In the first
rain, we are not even holding eighteen to twenty four years, we want to raise 730 million saplings.
percent in the land. When everything was tropical For this, preparations are going on all across the
forest, we were holding over seventy percent of it Cauvery basin, right now. We have thirty-three
in the land. Today we are holding less than twenty nurseries in Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka nurseries
percent of it in the land. That’s the real problem. are being built up just now. We must leave Cauvery
Why Tropical Countries Are Different at least the way the previous generation gave it to
us. This much responsibility we must have.
Right now, yes, in the cities, save water. Be
conscious about it; recycle whatever you can; do Matthew Hayden: Just to close the loop on that –
water harvesting. You must do all these things. But how can these guys make a difference?
this is not a real solution. You think the problems Sadhguru: Plant as many trees as you can.
that you create, the next generation should suffer. I Forty-two rupees is all it costs. That’s less than
don’t like this. Better face it now. This is the reality. an Australian Dollar per tree. You can plant, ten,
The only thing the land needs is vegetation, and it hundred, thousand, a million – whatever you’re
needs animals. People say check dams – these ideas capable off. Everything matters. Even one matters.
are coming from Europe and North America, where
the variation [of water volume] between summer
and full river seasons are just about twenty to For more information on Cauvery Calling,
visit cauverycalling.org
6 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019
One Way to Enlightenment
Sadhguru brings lofty ideas of enlightenment down to earth. He points out a surprisingly simple approach
that, if relentlessly applied, can lead you straight to enlightenment. He says, “You may be wonderful, but
you are not loyal to your wonderfulness.” Time to transform.
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. I am not
pursuing enlightenment with hundred percent
sincerity, because at some level, I am not convinced
that this is going to happen in this lifetime, given my
limitations. How do I overcome this mental setup
that I have? Have you seen people coming close to
this possibility, and what are my chances?
Sadhguru: Do not pursue enlightenment. You
cannot pursue enlightenment. How can you pursue
something that you do not know? If you pursue
something, you will pursue only what you know.
What is the point to pursuing something that you
already know? What is the point in running after
something that you already know? If you have to
step into something that you do not know, the only
thing is to keep a steady direction and keep walking.
Maybe it is a wrong direction – it does not matter.
Just keep walking.
After all, the planet is round. And inevitably, if you
keep walking straight ahead –not round and round –
you will inevitably get somewhere. No one can take
it away from you. If you have a dog at home, you
would know this – if you just tickle his tail, he will
September 2019
LEAD ARTICLE
go round and round, chasing his own tail. A lot of
people are doing that – they are chasing their own
tail. Even enlightenment is their own tail/tale. Who
told you there is such a thing?
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
"There is room and scope for improvement –
relentlessly improve."
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
But definitely you can see, from one person to
another person, one person seems to be a little
better off, simply the way they are. Not because of
their money, wealth, or qualifications. There is room
and scope for improvement – relentlessly improve.
Let us see where it gets you. But if you have fancy
ideas of what enlightenment is, then you will chase
that silly idea. And that idea is never enlightenment,
because it is your idea. You cannot have an idea
about something that you have no access to.
All your ideas are permutations and combinations
of things that we already know. It is like your ideas
about God. Because you are human, you think God
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7
is a big human being. We are a little more liberal, so pluck it, if a cow eats it, or a bee messes around, it
we made animals, birds, snakes, elephants, cows, is fragrant. It never ever gets angry and turns into a
everything into gods, because we understand, after skunk. But you are not like that. You are wonderful
all, they can have their own gods. But if you are very in one ever. If someone pokes you, you will become
dogmatic and rigid, you think, “No, God is a human a skunk. You are not loyal to your wonderfulness.
being, that too a man! And that too, he has blond
This happened – Shankaran Pillai was running
hair!” People who lived in other parts of the world
a pet shop. And there was a nice dog – a Golden
never could imagine a blond-haired god. African gods
Retriever. Someone came to buy this grown up dog.
have kinky hair; Indian gods have jet black hair – that
They asked, “How much?” He said, “Two thousand
is our idea. Our ideas only come from what we
dollars.” “What? Two thousand dollars for a dog –
already know; it cannot be anything else.
isn’t it too much?” Shankaran Pillai said, “Just look at
So do not think up enlightenment. You will just make a him – isn’t he wonderful?” The man looked at it and
fool of yourself, going round and round. If you become an said, “Yes, he’s a wonderful dog.” He paid the money
absolutely – that means unconditionally – wonderful and was about to take him, but then he asked, “Is he
human being, you do not have to worry whether loyal?” Shankaran Pillai said, “Of course he’s loyal! I
you are enlightened or not. Other people may say if sold him seven times, and he’s back in hours.”
they want, “Oh, he is enlightened, compared to me.”
So are you loyal to your wonderfulness? This is all
Everyone is calling someone enlightened compared
you have to do. Instead of pursuing enlightenment,
to themselves. There is no benchmark out there for
just do this: choose one thing – I will leave it to
what enlightenment is. Everyone is wonderful when
you – joy, blissfulness, love, anger, or hatred. Just be
things around them are properly arranged for them,
loyal to one thing, every moment of your life. You
the way they want. When everyone behaves the
will become enlightened. The problem, right now, is
way you want, you are also wonderful. When people
of loyalty. You keep chasing your own tail. You keep
do not behave the way you want, when life does not
running, and you think you are going somewhere,
work the way you want, then to be wonderful takes
but you are not going anywhere. Especially if you
something else.
are pursuing enlightenment, you are definitely not
When everything is going dead wrong with your going anywhere.
life – with your family, with your profession,
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
with everything around you – if you are still
wonderful, for now, let us say you are enlightened; "Whatever may be happening,
if you must set a benchmark. But if something so just be loyal to one quality."
wonderful happened that nothing could affect
that wonderfulness – other people may say it is �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
enlightenment; you never say that. If you say, “I’m Stay loyal to one quality that you choose. I will
pursuing enlightenment,” it means, one day you are not even tell you, be loving, joyful, or blissful. If you
going to declare, “I’m enlightened.” Then everyone like anger, hatred, or jealousy, choose that. But
will know you are a nut case. every moment, you must be like that. That is all it
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� takes. Whatever may be happening, just be loyal
to one quality. Nischala tatvam jeevan mukti – if you
"You may be wonderful, but you are not are unwavering, that is all it takes. Right now,
loyal to your wonderfulness." the problem is, it is going all over the place. Every
moment, your loyalties are changing. Just choose
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
one damn thing, anything, and be loyal to that
You may be wonderful, but you are not loyal to your one thing every moment of your life. Then it is a
wonderfulness. You are joyful, sometimes blissful, done thing.
even loving, but not loyal to these qualities. Let us
say there is a flower that throws out fragrance. The
flower is very loyal to its quality – no matter if you

8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019

What Do You Actually Do,
Sadhguru?
In this excerpt from a recent interview with the Schweizer Illustrierte, one of Switzerland’s most widely
circulated magazines, Sadhguru defines his role as a Guru, opens up about what he does first thing in the
morning and how he spends his free time, and also talks about the necessity of enlightenment.
Sadhguru in Private
Questioner: When you get up in the morning, what
is the first thing you do?
Sadhguru: I open my eyes.
Questioner: And then? What is the first thing that
comes to your mind?
Sadhguru: Why would anything come to my mind?
Nothing comes to my mind unless I want it.
Questioner: I think you said somewhere that you
get up at 3:30 every day. Is that correct?
Sadhguru: The body comes awake, but it depends
what time I went to bed. Today I got up at 3:15 or
so. I went to bed at one o'clock. I golfed eighteen
holes. Then I’ve been in interviews, meetings,
and stuff. Here I am with you, and this will go on.
Tomorrow I’m in London.
Questioner: And what do you like to do when
there’s nothing to do?
Sadhguru: I do nothing. I really do nothing. These
days, I’m not getting that time, but if I shut my
doors, I don’t read, I don’t look out of the window,
I don’t turn on the TV, I don’t look at the phone. If
I close my doors for four, five days, I don’t have a
single thought for four or five days, and that’s the
best time of my life.
What Does a Guru Do?
Questioner: How would you define your role as a
Guru? What do you actually do?
Sadhguru: I do nothing and I teach people how to
do nothing.
Questioner: How to do nothing? But I just read a
book of yours that was filled with advice on what
to do.
Sadhguru: Really? I never give advice to anyone.
Questioner: It’s called Inner Engineering. And
there’s a lot of nice, small little things you can do in
your everyday life.
Sadhguru: That’s because the book is published in
America – they want tidbits. “What’s the takeaway?”
September 2019
INTERVIEW
Questioner: Is that the only reason behind this?
Sadhguru: No. Small things are useful to people.
But all these things can bring a little bit of wellness
to you, not transformation. If you have to transform,
do you have to change the shape of your body? If you
grow a tail or a horn, will you be transformed? You
may not look the same, but will you be transformed?
Questioner: You mean as in how I feel and who
I am?
Sadhguru: In your experience, will you be
transformed? Real transformation can only happen
beyond your physical nature. Suppose someone
exercised and became fit. They’re not transformed.
They just become a little more efficient with life.
Similarly, if they change the way they think and feel,
they may become a little more conducive, but that’s
not transformation. Small changes will happen.
Transformation means something beyond physical
nature becomes active in such a way that when
you sit here, your body is not the important thing.
Something much bigger than that is happening to
you.
You can call it life. You can call it consciousness. You
can call it whatever, but something beyond this
form, which you think you are right now, needs to
happen for transformation to happen. That is what
we are looking at all the time – to bring that about.
There are many methods… If you have a headache
right now and I talk to you about enlightenment,
you are not interested. You want the headache
to go. So we’ll talk about the headache, but my
interest is not the headache. My work is not about
curing people of headache. But right now when
there is a headache, because we can’t talk to you
about something else, we are talking you out of
your headache. So all those tidbits are like that,
addressing small issues of life.
The Biggest Issue in Life
Questioner: And so the big issue in life would be
enlightenment?
Sadhguru: The big issue in life is just this: you do
not know the fundamental nature of what this life
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9
 is about. If you do not know how this phone works,
can you use it well? The more you know about it,
the better you can use it. Why should that not be
true with the human mechanism? The more you
know about it, the better you can use it. If you know
everything that you need to know about this, this
is called self-realization. Once you know everything
that you need to know about this, you can use it
whichever way you want.
Enlightenment: Luxury or Necessity?
Questioner: Do you think enlightenment is a luxury?
Sadhguru: It’s an absolute necessity. Fundamentally,
there’s only one problem in this world – human
beings.
Questioner: We have created a lot of problems.
Sadhguru: Why is a human being, who is supposed
to be the most evolved and the most intelligent
creature on this planet, a problem? Because they
have not realized what the nature of their existence
is. If you are of a lower intelligence, you would be
fine. If you are a fish in the lake, you would swim.
Advertisement
10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
You would eat each other and be fine. If you are
an animal in the forest, you would hunt and eat
something and be fine. But because you came with
this level of intelligence and evolution, you become
a problem. What is a forward step has become
a problem. The greatest thing you have is your
intelligence, and that is what is messing you up.
Human beings are supposed to be the most evolved
and most intelligent, but they are the source of all
problems. What is your idea of intelligence? Creating
problems is intelligent or creating solutions is
intelligence?
Questioner: The latter.
Sadhguru: Then what? So is enlightenment a must,
or is it a luxury?
Questioner: It is a must I guess.
Sadhguru: That’s it. Time to make an effort.
September 2019
 MAHABHARAT
SERIES
PART 58

Mahabharat
How Do Souls Multiply?

Since the time of Mahabharat, about five thousand years ago, the world population has grown from just
18 million to 7.7 billion today. If there is such a thing as rebirth, how come the number of souls is increasing?
Sadhguru clears up the misconception in this excerpt from the Mahabharat program.

Questioner: During the time of Mahabharat, the weighing scale upside down. Technically, the
there were thousands of people in the armies. planet was sitting on the weighing scale. You know
Today, human population has multiplied and there why they do shirshasana1 – because they want to
are seven billion people on the planet. Could you feel like they are carrying the planet on their head. If
explore the phenomenon of old and new souls, and you take a picture of someone in shirshasana from a
where these new beings are coming from? certain distance and turn it around, you will have a
man carrying the planet on his head. So, if you turn
Sadhguru: Where do all the new souls come from?
the weighing scale around and look at the weight,
You need to understand, as your body is a physical
you will get the weight of the weighing scale, but
thing, your mind is also a physical thing. Because
you will not get the weight of the planet.
your body and mind are physical things and your
experience is limited to physical things, you always Right now, it is like that: through your mind, you
think in terms of when it began and when it will are trying to understand that which is not physical.
end. All physical things inevitably have a beginning It is like trying to measure the weight of the planet
and an end. But when you say the word “soul,” with your weighing scale. If you stand on it, it shows
which is so loosely used today, we are not talking your perfect weight, but if you make Mother Earth
about a physical thing. I never use this word, but sit on it, it does not work, because that is not how
let us say we use the word “soul” to describe the it works. So, once you utter the word “soul,” do not
non-physical dimension of who you are. That which talk about quantity. Quantity and non-physical
is non-physical does not have a beginning and an nature cannot go together. Quantities are about
end. That which is non-physical means that which the physical. How old, how many, how big, how
does not exist, because your idea of existence is small – all these things are concerned with the
purely physical. That which is not physical, you call physicality of existence, not with the non-physical.
it empty space. So anyway, if someone asks you such a question, do
not be bowled over. Just ask them, “Do you know
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
the insect population has gone down?” That is
"That which is non-physical does not Sahadeva’s wisdom.
have a beginning and an end." To be continued.
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� The Mahabharat series is based on Sadhguru’s talks
That which does not exist or that which is not cannot during the one-time Mahabharat program that took
have a beginning. If it does not have a beginning, it place in February 2012 at the Isha Yoga Center. Through
cannot be old or new. Such things do not apply. It the lives and stories of the varied characters, Sadhguru
is like, let’s say you have a weighing machine. You takes us on a mystical exploration into the wisdom of this
stood on it and you saw your perfect weight, as immortal saga.
prescribed in the fitness books. Then you wanted �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
to check how Mother Earth is doing, so you turned 1
 Yogic headstand

September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11

 ON THE PATH
OF THE DIVINE

Swami Nirakara
Beyond Form/Shape

In this series, each month, one of our Isha Brahmacharis or Sanyasis shares their individual background,
observations, and experiences of what it means for them to walk this sacred “Path of the Divine.”
Here, Swami Nirakara recounts defining moments of 27 years with Sadhguru, and astonishing anecdotes
where Sadhguru let his seemingly supernatural qualities shine through.

A Happy Life meditation camps offered by different spiritual

Often, my father would invite Sanyasis and
Sadhus home, feed them, and honor them. I too
had learnt to prostrate at their feet and treat
them with reverence. So around 1989, when my
younger brother left home to become a monk at
Ramakrishna Math, I found it normal – neither did
it inspire me nor disturb me. I just saw it as his path,
but I never imagined then that one day I too would
walk the same path. How did it happen? Was it
predestined? I still wonder sometimes when I pause
to think about it.
I was working in a bank in Tiruchengode, which was
one hour away from my residence in Namakkal. It
was a good, comfortable and secure job, and I was
happy. On the side, I used to do various kinds of
social work, and was also a part of a youth club.
From time to time, I would arrange yoga and
organizations in Namakkal and Tiruchengode. For
me, yoga and meditation meant something we do
for good health – that’s about it. I was so content
with all these arrangements that even getting
married did not appeal to me.
A Touch of Grace
It was in 1992. One day, I got to know that I had
been registered for a yoga class, and that I ought
to attend it. Since someone offered me this with
much affection, I sat for the first ever Isha Yoga
class that happened in Tiruchengode. I didn’t know
then that it would become a turning point in my
life. Swaminathan anna conducted the class, and
Sadhguru came for the initiation day. That was
the first time I saw Sadhguru. During the initiation,
participants cried, rolled, and did all sorts of things. It
was all new to me but didn’t shock me or anything. I

12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019

understood that they were touched by some grace
and knew that Sadhguru is not just a yoga teacher. I
personally didn’t experience anything extraordinary
at that time, though I too felt a reverence towards
Sadhguru.
Within a year, I finished the Bhava Spandana
with Sadhguru and Samyama later. During the
Samyama program, seeing the high energy states
the participants got into, I got to understand what a
huge being Sadhguru is. I too had some taste of what
was being offered there. Those days, what happened
in the Samyama hall could be witnessed even during
the Hatha Yoga classes conducted by Sadhguru. I saw
this during the Hatha Yoga class in Tiruchengode –
people were crying, rolling, and screaming in ecstasy
while doing simple Surya Namaskar. Even during the
monthly satsangs, it was a struggle for the teachers
to manage the class as people would get into
various states. Before the Dhyanalinga consecration,
situations around Sadhguru were very intense.
Dropping What Was Picked Up
on the Way
I participated for the first 30 days of the 90-day
Wholeness program in 1994. Since the next 60 days
were mainly for people who were interested either
in teaching Isha Yoga programs, or moving to the
ashram full-time, it didn’t appeal to me that much.
In any case, I had only one month leave. The very
next day, once I left the ashram after being in the
Wholeness program for 30 days, I went to see my
other guru, who had initiated me years ago. On that
day, a public function was organized to inaugurate
a new building in his ashram. I was a bit late to
arrive, but as soon as I entered the venue and was
walking in to get a seat in the last row, I saw that
the guru who was on the dais lifted his head and
spotted me with his eyes. I could see he sensed a
certain presence around me. That was the day
when I knew for sure that Sadhguru was my only
guru – my only path.
But still I did not join the first batch of Brahmacharis
who were initiated in 1995. One reason was that
I was not sure if Sanyasa was my way of life or
enlightenment was my goal. For me, as long as
I was able to serve people, it was enough. The
second reason was that my elder brother recently
had died in an accident, leaving behind a young wife
and two children under 10 years of age. My parents
had still not recovered from his death. Since my
younger brother had also become a Sanyasi a few
years before, I wasn’t sure if it was the right time
for me to leave them grieving. But I couldn’t hold
myself for long.
September 2019
The next year too, when the opportunity came to fill
the application for Brahmacharya, I couldn’t make
up my mind and missed the closing date. But soon
after the last date was over, I realized that I was not
able to stop myself anymore. I was in the ashram
for a program at the time. So that day, when I found
Sadhguru walking near Kaivalya Kutir, I went up to
him and made my request. Sadhguru asked me to
reconsider, reminding me of my parents’ situation,
and I told him what I thought about the situation.
What I spoke to him during that conversation, to my
surprise, Sadhguru repeated in a satsang 20 years
later – while I had actually forgotten about that.
I was really astonished hearing Sadhguru repeat
verbatim something that we had talked about two
decades ago. But that is Sadhguru!
Excerpt from a session during the “In the
Lap of the Master” program on 17 July
2016, where Sadhguru spoke about Swami
Nirakara: Swami Nirakara must be here
somewhere. He was not yet a brahmachari at
that time. He was working for a bank and living
in a middle class family. I visited their home; I
know their home situation. He suddenly declared,
“Sadhguru, I want to take brahmacharya and
come with you.” I said, “Are you sure? You have
a job. You have old parents. You’re not married,
but you have other things, isn’t it?” He said,
“Sadhguru, all these things, I picked up on the
way. So on the way, somewhere, I have to drop
them. This is my time.” And I must say this in
acknowledgement of him, that in these twenty
years, never once has he come to me with a
personal problem, or a problem in his work
situation. Wherever the hell you put him, he’s
doing his best. Now he’s over fifty-five years
of age. He came in a certain state, diabetic, but
now he’s running full marathons.
I remember another incident when I saw this
aspect of Sadhguru. One person, after participating
in the Isha Yoga class, started to give Isha Yoga
classes to others privately, on his own. Maybe
to clear his doubts about the class, he started
attending satsangs, and in each satsang, he would
pose these queries to Sadhguru. After a couple of
satsangs, when he stood up with another question,
Sadhguru told him, “I know you are giving the
classes to others,” and he repeated back to him all
the questions he had asked in previous satsangs.
That person was shocked to hear this, and we never
saw him again in Isha.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13
A Dangerous Brush with the
Himalayas
When Sadhguru sent the second batch of seven
Swamis for the Amarnath pilgrimage, we had to
turn back midway as there were some reports of
violence at Amarnath. Sadhguru directed us to go
to the Himalayas instead. Once, during this trip,
when we were going up to Bhojwasa, I slipped off
a thin make-shift log bridge into the Ganga that
was flowing strongly downstream. Some other
Brahmacharis wanted to jump in to help me even
without knowing how to swim properly, but were
wisely stopped by Swami Nisarga. The guide also
couldn’t do anything. For some time I held on,
clasping the log with my hands and legs, while
my backpack was pulling me down. After a while,
I couldn’t hold it anymore, and fell into the river.
However, with the little swimming that I knew, I
reached the shore. Even the guide understood that
some grace had saved me that day.
Running Marathons
After a year of staying in Singanallur, I shifted to the
ashram and worked in the office reception. I also
took charge of construction cash management.
Nearly 10 years ago came a situation where I had to
take care of Tamil Publications, and since then I have
been a part of the Tamil Publication department.
Some time after moving to the ashram, inspired by
the nature around, I started to jog casually – I was
not an athlete or into any kind of sports before. One
time, Sadhguru saw me jogging and asked me to
continue. At that time, I was well past 40, but after
Sadhguru’s encouragement, it became one of my
regular daily rituals. Later, he gave me permission
to participate in marathons also. It gives me a lot
of joy to see that now many in the ashram are
participating in these marathons.
14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
The Fortune
I wish to say that I am fortunate that I was here
during the Dhyanalinga consecration and lived
in the same period with Sadhguru. I am sure
Dhyanalinga is nothing but Sadhguru. The day
before the Dhyanalinga stone was shifted and fitted
into Avudaiyar, Sadhguru conducted a process
for it. During the process, I was really astonished
to see that there was a light drizzle only around
Dhyanalinga – like devas pouring their blessings to
Dhyanalinga. It was like a fairytale scene.
All these years, I have been a logical kind of person.
Rarely would something disturb me, as I find a
reason for everything. Even when my elder brother
died so suddenly in an accident, I took it as “Ok, it
happened,” and didn’t shed tears. But recently, one
day, when I was doing Guru Pooja, I felt tears rolling
down my cheeks. Nowadays I get moved and melt
within when I see our volunteers working with so
much involvement, so selflessly. Much before the
Wholeness program happened, Sadhguru once
shared with me that lakhs of people in the future
will join the Isha movement to realize their ultimate
potential. It melts me to see that is coming true now.
Only a few generations are fortunate to have a live
guru of Sadhguru’s caliber. Sadhguru is constantly
thinking about how to uplift all – including the
beggar on the street. When I see Sadhguru mingling
with the poor rural people in such down-to-earth
ways, I feel moved and humbled. Sadhguru is as vast
as the greatest oceans, but because of his boundless
compassion, he is living and working amongst us,
and works for our spiritual growth, despite us. Only
in books had I read about Nayanmars1 and Alwars
who did miracles like this, but here I have a person
before my eyes who is like the highest of the beings
I had read about.
Though I felt I missed a few opportunities that he
offered to me, it is enough for me that I am able to
be one of his disciples. My enlightenment? – That
is his problem. Really, I don’t even think of that.
He knows what, when, and how to give anything
I am capable of. Since he knows me better than
I know myself.
This is an excerpt of Swami’s sharing. Read the full
article on the Isha Blog.
1
 
Group of 63 sixth to eighth century Tamil saints who were
devotees of Shiva
September 2019
Meditators Experience the Fiery
NEWS & EVENTS
‘Lap of the Master’
Sadhguru captivates 9000 participants
during the 2-day Satsang

Isha Yoga Center, 14–15 July 2019:

The In the Lap of the Master program
witnessed the convergence of over
9000 meditators from various countries.
Sadhguru said the pain of ignorance
propels seekers towards a solution,
which becomes available in the form
of a Guru. He dispelled the belief that a
Guru’s job is limited to offering solace,
refining sadhana, or proposing quick-
fixes. Instead, he said that he is invested when he quizzed Sadhguru about the lore surrounding Rama
in raising one’s life energies, so that and Ravana. “Culture need not be preserved – it only needs
one remains forever empowered. He to be nurtured,” said Sadhguru when asked about the ways
emphasized the need for dropping the to preserve a dwindling culture. He also shared intimate
psychological and being in tune with the anecdotes about his life during his conversation with another
existential. Sadhguru was at his candid noted author, Anand Neelakantan. Sadhguru also introduced
best as the spirited seekers kept the “Cauvery Calling,” an awareness campaign to revive the dying
questions coming. river Cauvery and combat the water crisis that is looming
During an “In Conversation with the large in the region and across the country. The program
Mystic” session, noted author Amish concluded with attendees pledging their support by donating
Tripathi evoked some poignant responses 60.1 million trees.

Guru Purnima – When Grace Descended under

the Radiant Full Moon
Isha Yoga Center, 16 July 2019: The Guru Purnima
evening began with the perfect setting of idyllic
clouds enveloping the moon under the blue sky. As
hordes of seekers gathered to witness the evening
unfold, the anticipation was palpable. Sadhguru
took to the stage and spoke about the various ways
in which one can become available to grace. After
sunset, the clouds lifted to reveal the brilliant full
moon. He said that the tools for self-transformation
belong in the hands of each individual, not to a Guru
or an organization. With that, Sadhguru launched
Inner Engineering Online in India, which he said will
soon find a ubiquitous presence across geographies
and languages. Sadhguru’s Guru Purnima message
that “everything that you set your eyes upon, you
treat it as Sadhguru. The rest of your life, your
destiny, and your liberation, I will take care,” left the
Sadhguru inspires with his Guru Purnima message audiences grateful and overwhelmed.
September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15
Transformation sans Philosophies –
Sadhguru Discusses Problems and Possibilities
Sadhguru offers solutions for transformation to the
women of FICCI FLO
Rally for Rivers Gains Momentum,
Next Phase Launched
Sadhguru launches “Cauvery Calling” at
Rally for Rivers board meeting
Bengaluru, 20 July 2019: Sadhguru
was in attendance at the fifth Rally for
Rivers board meeting where “Cauvery
Calling,” a first-of-its-kind campaign
to raise awareness about the plight of
the dying river Cauvery and implement
on-ground solutions to save the river,
was launched. Speaking at the launch,
Sadhguru said, “Forever Cauvery has
embraced and nourished us. A time has
come when we have to embrace and
nourish Cauvery. Cauvery is calling, do
you have a heart to hear?” One of the
campaign highlights will see Sadhguru
personally ride across the length of the
river – from Talacauvery (Kodagu) to
Thiruvarur to raise awareness about
the urgent need to revitalize Cauvery.
16 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
Isha Yoga Center, 18 July 2019: Sadhguru
addressed a group of enthusiastic women at
the General Body meeting of the FICCI FLO.
He spoke about the power of transformation
and how the Yoga Center is engineered to
aid self-transformation. The audience was
rapt in attention and soaked up his pearls
of wisdom and anecdotes. To the group of
women who had also been to the temples
and other consecrated spaces in the ashram,
Sadhguru introduced the possibility of a life
without philosophies. He stressed how one
can turn every problem into a possibility,
further adding, “A situation itself is not a
problem; your inability to handle it is a
problem.” Sadhguru said the need of the hour
is clarity. “If you don’t have clarity, at least you
must have hesitation,” he said, in response to
a question about the dissolution of karma.
The campaign will be followed by the launch of the Cauvery
river revitalization project. With other prominent members
of the board, Sadhguru outlined possible solutions to
revitalize the river. Another eminent board member, Biocon
founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, referring to the water wars
between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery issue,
stressed on the immediate need for revitalizing the river.
September 2019
Rally for Rivers Garners Immense Support
in Karnataka
Bengaluru, 21 July 2019: Sadhguru arrived
in Bengaluru for a Rally for Rivers event. The
campaign plan to plant a buffer of trees along
every river to replenish groundwater and allow
rivers to flow, won not only the Congress-
led government’s backing but that of the
opposition as well. Sadhguru expressed deep
gratitude to the political parties who despite
having ideological differences came together
to rejuvenate the rivers. He also appealed
to the gathering to spare a thought for the
farmers who, despite making food available to
the country, could not afford to feed their own
families.
“Our generation has been the most selfish of
all. We have eaten up half of the planet. If we
do not save the river now, we would have to
beg for a glass of water,” he added. The rally
witnessed a massive turnout of supporters.
Puneeth Rajkumar, who was in attendance,
when invited to speak, said that he was there to
Cricket, Conversation, and Cauvery Calling
Sadhguru sits down for a conversation with popular
cricketer KL Rahul
Bengaluru, 21 July 2019: KL Rahul shared that upon
his return from the World Cup, he had been unaware
that Bengaluru was steeped in water crisis, until he
was asked to switch from showers to bucket baths
to save water. This was a perfect segue for Sadhguru
September 2019
Sadhguru meets Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar as
he pledges support for Cauvery Calling
listen to Sadhguru speak. He extended his full support
to the campaign and expressed his commitment
towards Cauvery Calling. The event concluded with
Puneeth’s rendition of the Kannada song “Ee nela…Ee
jala,” befitting the occasion.
to present Isha Outreach’s Cauvery Calling. An
offshoot of Rally for Rivers, which Sadhguru kicked
off in 2017 to revitalize India’s rapidly depleting
rivers, Cauvery Calling will focus on rejuvenating
the river Cauvery, which both Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu are heavily dependent on. Cauvery Calling
aims to support farmers to plant 242 crore trees in
the Cauvery basin by shifting to agroforestry, with
73 crore trees in the first phase.
Speaking on the scale, Sadhguru said it is not
possible for one man or one organization to carry
out this ambitious project, which is why he wants
to make it a large-scale people’s movement. “Our
generation has taken the largest bite out of this
planet, so we must fix it too. I don’t want the
future generation to look back at us and say that
we were a disaster,” he said. Referring to cricket’s
ability to tie people together, he appealed to Rahul
to champion this cause. KL Rahul plays for the
Karnataka Premier League, which has adopted
Cauvery Calling as its social cause.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17
Fourth Edition of Bengaluru Poetry Festival

Bengaluru, 21 July 2019: Sadhguru’s next stop was in

Bengaluru, at the city’s sole literary event dedicated to
poetry, now recognized across the country. A poet in his
own right, Sadhguru found himself in the company of
poets, lyricists, musicians and performers. He sat down for
a conversation with award-winning author Arundhathi
Subramaniam where they discussed the nuances of
mystical poetry. Both of them were in agreement when
they opined that poetry as it is often construed need
not be something that makes language dance. Instead
it can serve as a verbal distillation of thoughts. Sadhguru
also shared some anecdotes about his early works and
personal favorites. The thought-provoking talk ended Sadhguru attends Poetry Festival amidst
with Arundhathi reading from Sadhguru’s collection. poets, musicians, lyricists and performers.

With Chandrayaan-2, ISRO Adds another

Feather to Its Already Illustrious Cap
Sadhguru Makes a Notable Presence at
ISRO’s Historic Chandrayaan-2 Launch
Brisbane, 25 July 2019: As Chandrayaan-2’s rocket lifted off at
the scheduled time on 22 July from ISRO’s base at Sriharikota
space center, Sadhguru was present on the viewing platform,
in the company of lead ISRO scientists including Muthayya
Vanitha, Chandrayaan-2’s Project Director. Sadhguru, an
ardent supporter of the nation’s major achievements, said
that he couldn’t help but be present as ISRO's lunar mission,
Chandrayaan-2, was launched. He heaped praise on the
brilliance and simplicity of the ISRO scientist community.
He proudly tweeted “#Chandrayaan2 is the outcome of the
brilliance and extraordinary commitment of our scientists of @
ISRO and also the political will. This phenomenal achievement
is the pride of our nation. Just couldn’t help being there. A great
privilege. Congratulations to all of you.”

Australia Hosts the Mystic

Known to Go beyond Boundaries
Brisbane, 25 July 2019: Australians turned up
in their characteristic multicultural diversity to
welcome Sadhguru enthusiastically with a standing
ovation. With over 2000 people in attendance,
Matthew began by admitting his amazement at
the sheer number of people that are inspired by
Sadhguru. The conversation traversed an array
of topics including relationships, cricket and
time. However, the highlight of the evening was
Matthew Hayden
with Sadhguru
Cauvery Calling. Hailing from a drought-affected
country like Australia and being closely connected
to the people of Chennai, Matthew responded by
committing to sponsor a significant number of
saplings in the Cauvery basin.

18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019

 Wave of Bliss Reaches the Shores of Australia

Melbourne, 27–28 July 2019: Australia

welcomed Sadhguru to the 2-day Inner
Engineering completion, as many of the
participants registered before sunrise and
arrived soaked in anticipation, thus setting the
tone for the program. Sadhguru spoke about
how he was there to create a longing within
them to further their journey towards self-
transformation. Sunday proved to be a powerful
day in Melbourne as Sadhguru initiated 4,800
seekers into Shambhavi Mahamudra. Much to
the audience’s surprise, Sadhguru mentioned
in his closing remarks that he had been down
with hay fever over the past few days. But that
did not dampen his spirit nor stop the life-
transforming weekend from happening. The
wave of bliss truly descended when Sadhguru
danced with them during one of the sessions.
As the program came to a close, participants Sadhguru graces Australia and paves the way for
were filled with tears of joy and gratitude. transformation with Inner Engineering

Time to FREE INDIA of Water Crisis

Sadhguru addresses dignitaries at ‘Samvad with
Sadhguru’ hosted by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu
Uparashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, 2 August 2019:
The Vice President opened the floor to Sadhguru by
introducing him as the soothing, rational voice our
generation needs. He hailed Sadhguru’s ability to
connect, communicate, commit, and inspire change
in large numbers. He further added that everyone in
the spiritual space with the ability to influence minds
should follow Sadhguru’s example of working tirelessly
to guide common people as he expressed concern
over growing levels of irritation, intolerance,
and impatience in the world.
Sadhguru began by talking about the importance
of managing oneself without mortgaging our
happiness to external situations. He said inner
wellbeing is the most important thing because
only if you are feeling well, will you create a
healthy and wonderful society. Sadhguru said
that the poor condition we find ourselves in is
largely because we are trying to up our desires
without upping our competence. He went on to
say that in the wake of 72 years of freedom, India
is bordering on civil strife in many cities, owing to
acute water crisis due to the irresponsible way
of handling our natural resources. To combat
this, he proposed ways in which subsistence
farming should make way for commercial
farming through agroforestry, thereby liberating
our farmers from debt stress. To the high profile
audience, Sadhguru introduced Cauvery Calling,
a campaign for river revitalization and large-scale
tree planting in the Cauvery basin. In his closing
remarks, Sadhguru said that as we approach our
73rd year of independence, freeing India of water
crisis is the independence movement the nation
should focus on.

September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19

 UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Date Program Place Contact

Isha Yoga Center,

4–7 Bhava Spandana 83000 93555
Velliangiri Foothills,
Sep 2019 (Gents, English) iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Yoga Center,
4–8 83000 37000
Yogasanas Anna Nagar,
Sep 2019 chennai@ishayoga.org
Chennai – India
6–8 Isha Place (Kaivalya Mandir), 99288 62266
Guru Pooja Training
Sep 2019 Jaipur – India jaipur@ishayoga.org
Isha Rejuvenation,
Isha Yoga Center, 0422-2515466
8 Sep 2019 Holistic Cancer Clinic
Velliangiri Foothills, op.rejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Rejuvenation,
Diabetes
9–13 Isha Yoga Center, 0422-2515464
Management
Sep 2019 Velliangiri Foothills, isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Program Coimbatore – India
13 Sep 2019 Isha Yoga Center,
(culmination: Shivanga Sadhana Velliangiri Foothills, 83000 83111
26 Oct 2019 Initiation (Gents) Coimbatore & info@shivanga.org
(Deepavali)) local centers – India
Isha Yoga Center,
13–16 Bhava Spandana 83000 93555
Velliangiri Foothills,
Sep 2019 (Gents, English) Iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Rejuvenation,
14–20 Isha Yoga Center, 0422-2515464
Ayur Sampoorna
Sep 2019 Velliangiri Foothills, isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Life Health Solutions, 70101 58845
15 Sep 2019 Holistic Cancer Clinic
Chennai – India programs@ishalife.org
Holistic Health Care
21–22 Isha Life Health Solutions, 70101 58845
for Children (including
Sep 2019 Chennai – India programs@ishalife.org
ADHD/Autism)
Isha Rejuvenation,
22–24 Isha Yoga Center, 0422-2515464
Ayur Rasayana
Sep 2019 Velliangiri Foothills, isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Rejuvenation,
26–30 Isha Yoga Center, 0422-2515464
Sunetra
Sep 2019 Velliangiri Foothills, isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore – India
Isha Yoga Center,
Kalabhairavi Shanti 83000 83111
28 Sep 2019 Velliangiri Foothills,
(Mahalaya Amavasya) info@lingabhairavi.org
Coimbatore – India
Inner Engineering
5–6 96549 93333
Completion with Noida, Delhi, India
Oct 2019 sadhguru-in-delhi@ishayoga.org
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
20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019
Ragi Aloo Tikki
ISHA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS METHOD

(15 pieces) 1. Boil the potatoes whole. Peel, mash, and set aside.
300g ragi flour 2. Wash the pudina and methi leaves. Remove the
150g rice flour leaves from the stems. Cut them into ¼ inch pieces.

5 medium size potatoes
1 cup of milk
2 bunches fresh mint/pudina leaves
2 bunches fresh fenugreek/methi leaves
Butter to taste
Oil as needed (for roasting the tikki)
Salt to taste
Tip: Serve with homemade coriander, mint
and raw mango chutney, or any other
chutney of your choice.
3. In a bowl, gradually mix ragi flour and rice flour, milk,
pudina and methi leaves, and salt to taste. Knead
thoroughly into a smooth dough.
4. Take a handful of dough, form a ½ inch flat thick round,
smear the top with butter, add mashed potato, fold
the ends over the potato filling. Pad back and forth
between both hands to form a smooth patty of about
4 inches in diameter and about ¾ inch thickness.
5. Heat a tava (flat frying pan), add a little oil.
6. Add the tikki, put a little oil around it, let it roast for a
while until brown and crispy. Then flip the sides, put
a little oil around the tikki again, and press from the
top with a spatula so that it gets done inside. Check
with the tip of a knife – if the dough doesn’t stick
anymore, the tikki is done.

Note: A sure recipe to get your children to 7. Remove from tava. Pad off excess oil with tissue
like ragi! paper and place the tikki on a cooling rack.
8. Serve hot with chutney (or ketchup).

September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21

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22 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019

 ZEN SPEAKS

Courtesy Zen Speaks

Published by: B. RAJESH CHANDER on behalf of ISHA FOUNDATION

Published from 117/50, Luz Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004, TAMILNADU

Printed by: S. PRAKASH; at FINE DOTS, No.15, Boo Begum 3rd Street,
Anna Salai, Chennai – 600 002, TAMILNADU. Editor: K. SEKAR

September 2019 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 23

 Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. TNENG/2013/53333 WPP license no : TN/PMG (CCR)/WPP–446/2017–2019
Registered with Patrika Channel Egmore RMS under Registration No. TN/CH(C)/492/17–19. Published on 2nd of every month – September 2019

If you Ride it, it is a possibility.

Life full of waves of many sort.

Problem if crushed by the same.

a | ISHA FOREST FLOWER September 2019