EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,
We are entering an exciting new era in the history of Isha! In a recent Sadhguru
Spot, On the Threshold of a Golden Age the Master predicts what spiritual
possibilities are in store for humanity in the coming twelve years. Are you geared
up for the fast-paced activity that will go along with it? As you can see in the
News & Events section, Sadhguru has certainly picked up his speed with a
blitz of engagements, including a 2-day Inner Engineering program for the
Rajasthan Government.
As the momentum picks up, lets remember to pause and appreciate the beauty
around us. We present you with a rare photo gallery: Impressions of Nature at
the Isha Yoga Center. Indeed, in How to Prevent and Reverse Depression?
Sadhguru emphasizes the importance of exposing ourselves to nature. And in
Staying Connected with the Earth, learn how going organic improves health
and enhances ones yoga practices.
Have you ever felt that you are great at handling some kinds of situations but
awful at others? The lead article, Geometry of Energy provides a possible
explanation to this common problem the mobility of ones chakras. In this
months In Conversation article featuring Sanjiv Goenka, Sadhguru helps us look
at deities from a different angle as subjective machines. When it comes to
consecrating deities, is it something we all can learn to do? Consecration A
Possibility for Everyone? tell us where and how to start.
Also in this issue: the next installment of Mahabharat details Arjunas
unrelenting ambition to be the greatest archer at any cost; find out How to
Connect with Devi; Magician a touching poem by an Isha meditator; and
another recipe with Indias favorite fruit: Mango Mor Kuzhambu. Enjoy.
The Editorial Team

Contact the Editorial Team:

Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills, Ishana Vihar Post, Coimbatore 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org
For subscription inquiries, please contact our Subscription Office:
(044) 45011137, 96770 16700 subscriptions.FF@ishafoundation.org
To change your mailing address online, visit www.ishafoundation.org/ForestFlower

2 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

CONTENTS
LEAD ARTICLE

The Geometry of Energy

MAHABHARAT

05

ISHA HATHA YOGA

Part 30: Staying Connected with the Earth
LEAD ARTICLE
The Geometry of Energy

08

The Best Archer in the World

4

Sadhguru on the Human System, Energy, and Consciousness

MAHABHARAT
Part 20: The Best Archer in the World

IN THE LAP OF THE MASTER

Special Satsang with Sadhguru

10

MUSINGS
How to Prevent and Reverse Depression?
Consecration A Possibility for Everyone?
How to Connect with Devi

11
12
12

IN CONVERSATION WITH THE MYSTIC

How Millions of Gods Came into Being

13

NEWS & EVENTS

Sadhguru Conducts Program for Rajasthan Government
Sadhgurus Recent Events- Highlights in Pictures

15
15

SADHGURU SPOT
On the Threshold of a Golden Age
Excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 18 May 2016

17

SHARING EXPERIENCE
Magician - Poem by Isha meditator

19

UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Isha Yoga Program Highlights

20

ISHA RECIPE
This Month: Mango Mor Kuzhambu

21

ZEN SPEAKS

23

July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 3

PART 30

Staying Connected with the Earth

Sadhguru on Wearing Socks, Using Yoga Mats, and about Rooms for Yoga
Questioner: I have a few technical questions.
Why should we not wear socks during yoga
practices? What kind of yoga mats would you
recommend? And if I want to dedicate a room in
the house for yoga, how should I set it up?

Sadhguru: There are certain points of the

body that, when they touch, create a certain
energy circuit. That is why, in many hatha yoga
postures, you keep the feet together, with the
heels and the big toes touching. Wearing socks
would prevent the connection of this circuitry.
Above all, when you are doing yoga, you first
experience oneness with the earth. To be in
touch with the earth is important. As a proper
yogi, if you can afford to do this, you should
plaster a room with mud or clay, and you line it
either with raw silk or cotton cloth. The fabric
should not be sanforized. If you do yoga in such
a space, it will have maximum impact.
You may not always be aware of it, but the body
knows that it is just a piece of the planet. When
you practice yoga, you want it to be a conscious,
living process so that you experience yourself as
one with the earth on which we live. And I would
say eighty percent of your health depends on
how in tune you are with the earth. Eighty percent
of chronic ailments can just vanish simply if you
find a rapport with the earth. In this context, it

pains me to see people using rubber mats for

yoga. They tell me cotton mats get dirty, and
that rubber mats insulate you better. Again, the
question is are you here to experience life or
dodge life? Unknowingly, in so many ways, you
insulate yourself from life.
You know, the microbes in your body outnumber
the human cells. That means only a fraction of
this whole structure is yours. What you have
inherited from your forefathers is definitely
present, but at least it is within the family. By
contrast, these microbes are constantly in and
out of your system that is the way it is made. If
you insulate yourself from the rest of existence,
that itself is sickness. The potential of who you
are is being lowered continuously. If you are
doing yoga at home, it is best you use a cotton
or raw silk mat. Rubber mats are for people who
go to Central Park every now and then to roll
out their yoga mats and show everyone they are
doing yoga. If you are doing proper Hatha Yoga,
you must be connected with the earth, so the
yoga mat should be made of organic material, so
that there is no break in the contact.
Socks are not necessary when practicing yoga. If
you do Hatha Yoga right, it generates enormous
heat in the system. Once ushna or heat is created
on the cellular level, even in a cold country, you
will not feel cold anymore.

For dates and details of Hatha Yoga programs, visit www.ishahathayoga.com.

4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

LEAD ARTICLE

The Geometry of Energy

Sadhguru on the Human System, Energy, and Consciousness
How Your Energy System and Imagination
Are Connected
There is a certain geometry to the physical
existence and to the energy existence. Everything
in the universe, from the atomic to the cosmic,
works the way it does because of geometric
perfection. One of the most fundamental and the
most stable forms in geometry is a triangle. In the
human energy system, there are two equilateral
triangles an upward-facing one below, and a
downward-facing one above. Normally, these two
triangles meet just above the anahata. To work
with your mind and imagination, it is important to
adjust the alignment of the two triangles in your
energy system at least to some extent. The ideal
alignment would be that the upward-facing and
the downward-facing triangles intersect to such
an extent that they form a perfect six-pointed
star with six equilateral triangles on the outside.
With the necessary alignment, you will be able to
exercise your imagination in such a way that you
can manifest what you want outside of you. To
enhance the power of your imagination, you need
to lift the upward-facing triangle, which in terms
of the geometry of the body is the foundation,
to such an extent that it includes the vishuddhi,
which is the basis of your imagination. There is
July 2016

sadhana to move it up and hold it there, all the

time. If you do not have such sadhana, a simple
way to achieve this is not to eat for a period of
time. Generally, when the stomach is empty, the
upward-facing triangle tends to rise by itself.
Once you eat, it descends again.

The Importance of Keeping the Chakras

Mobile
There are one hundred and fourteen chakras
in the body. The seventy-two thousand nadis
or energy pathways in the system have one
hundred and fourteen significant junction
points, where the nadis meet in substantial
numbers and redistribute themselves. These
points are generally known as chakras, which
literally means wheel or circle, though they
are actually triangles. We call these junction
points chakras because that suggests
movement moving forward. Out of these
hundred and fourteen, two are outside of the
physical realm. For most human beings, these
two are very feeble, unless they put in the
necessary sadhana. The remaining hundred and
twelve chakras can be used as hundred and
twelve doorways to your ultimate nature. That is
why Adiyogi gave one hundred and twelve ways
to attain to the ultimate.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5

Among the one hundred and twelve chakras, a few

are generally, geographically located in certain
parts of the body. The rest of the chakras could
be moving to some extent. The way the chakras
move depends on what you do with yourself. If
you want to empower yourself to do different
types of activities and to adjust to different
types of situations, the pranic physiology or the
chakra physiology of the body needs to be able
to adjust accordingly. Doing the necessary work
to keep the chakras mobile is important because
the mobility of the chakras determines how
flexible and effective you are in different types
of situations, in order to meet different types of
requirements. The problem with most human
beings is in one situation, they function well in
another situation, they are a total mess. This is
because they can only think, feel, and act in a
particular way.
The majority of people can be effective only in
one kind of situation. This happened. A man got
fired from his sales job for lack of courtesy to the
customers. After a few weeks, his boss saw him
dressed as a police officer and said, Hey, youve
become an officer? The man replied, Yeah, Ive
been waiting for a job like this my entire life,
where the customer is always wrong. If your
chakra physiology is rigid, it will be difficult for
you to function in different kinds of situations. In
contrast, if your chakra physiology is mobile, you
will be fine in any kind of situation.
This is not only a question of attitude. To give
you an example I was to play golf with one of
the greatest cricket players of our times. But he
could not hit a golf ball straight. I said, Whats
the problem with you? You could hit a moving
ball. Why cant you hit a sitting one? Hitting a
cricket ball is not an easy thing. It comes at you
at a speed of somewhere between one hundred
and thirty and one hundred and sixty kilometers
per hour a hard ball pitches on the ground
and turns whichever way it wants, and many
times, it comes straight at your head. Cricket is
a very dangerous game people who are only
watching it on television do not understand this.
For those who face the ball, it can be deadly.
6 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

A cricketer has to hit a ball that comes at

different levels of spin, swings, and so on. And
the moment it pitches on the ground, it gives
you a fraction of a second to make your decision
and strike the ball. This man has been doing that
fantastically well, all his life. But he cannot hit
a golf ball. In golf, the ball just sits there. You
have all the time in the world, there is no noise,
no roaring crowd, or any other disturbance. But
still, he cannot hit it straight. This is how it is
when there is no mobility in your energy.
You may be great at one thing but a total mess
at something else. You should be able to do
everything well, with a little practice. But this
will not work if your energy system is rigid. So,
keeping your system mobile is important, not
just because we want to do different kinds of
activities in the world. It also gives you a certain
flexibility of experience, that you are comfortable
in any kind of situation. To be at ease, your
energies must be flexible.
To be able to move this complex triangular
structure of your physiology the way you want
it requires a different level of sadhana. But
the most fundamental thing is that these two
triangles should intersect. Normally, the upward
facing triangle is below and the downward facing
triangle is above. If you bring the two equilateral
triangles to a point where they intersect in such
a way that they form a star with six equilateral
triangles, the system is in balance and becomes
very receptive. My work is about presence and
transmitting something, for which you need
receptivity. My words are not going to enlighten
you. I only say things to confuse you, because
you cannot enlighten anyone by talking. It is the
presence that has the power to transform.

From Conclusions
Consciousness

to

Confusion

to

Talking is a good tool only to destroy the idiotic

conclusions that people have made. When
conclusions are destroyed, confusion happens.
Being joyfully confused about everything in the
universe is a good state to be in. This means you
are constantly paying attention to everything.
July 2016

Once you realize that you do not know a thing,

you become receptive. If you have conclusions
about everything, there is no possibility, no
receptivity. If you have conclusions, you do not
have to be attentive you can go through life like
you are dead. The more conclusions you have,
the more rigor mortis in your mind, and in your
body as well.
If you are doing hatha yoga every day, you will
notice that on a day when your attitude is kind
of rigid, your body will not bend. On another day,
when you are happy and mentally flexible, your
body will bend much better. The nature of your
consciousness is manifesting in every cell of
your body, every moment of your life. That is why
there are many kinds of self-inflicted diseases
in the world today. Never before, human beings
had as many food choices as we have today. In
earlier times, people only ate what was locally
available. Today, in spite of so much variety,
there is so much illness. In fact, the more choices
people have, the sicker they get.

wait until mealtime, sit at the table, chant the

invocation, and rather than stuffing your face
with both hands, eat with your right hand (or
cutlery). This is being conscious. If you go by
the body alone, you will want to eat immediately.
But since you have the necessary intelligence
and awareness to hold back the compulsions
of the body, you can respond to the situation
in a conscious manner. If someone behaves
very compulsively, they say he is like an animal.
So, this is a journey from compulsiveness to
consciousness.
Consciousness gives you the possibility to
become free from your tendencies. Even if you
have been ruled by all kinds of tendencies until
this moment, if you respond fully consciously
now, there will be a distance between you and
the accumulated tendencies that you have. If
you make every aspect of life conscious not
only in action, but also in thought, emotion, and
energy you will be on top of the world.

The United States is probably one of the

countries with the greatest variety of food
choices, but they also spend a huge amount of
money on healthcare three trillion dollars per
year. That is a crime against humanity. If those
who do not get sufficient nourishment are ill, it
is understandable. But if those who are eating
well are sick, it means something fundamental
is going wrong. We have not understood that
every cell in your body was created by the nature
of your consciousness. If you do not know how
to keep the nature of your consciousness well,
you will not know how to keep your system well.
Then you will function by accident, which need
not be so.
We, as human beings, do everything that other
creatures do we eat, sleep, reproduce, and die.
They do this too, but without fuss. But the most
important difference about human beings is we
can do all these things fully consciously. For
example, you can eat fully consciously. Lets say
you are hungry. If you were some other creature,
you would just pick up whatever suits you and
devour it. But as a human being, you are able to
July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7

MAHABHARAT
SERIES

PART 20

Mahabharat

The Best Archer in the World

As part of their graduation ceremony in martial
arts, the Pandavas and Kauravas were to give
a display of their skills, to build trust among
the citizenry that these young princes have the
necessary capabilities to protect them, and
that they will bring wealth and wellbeing to the
nation. On the outside, it was just supposed
to be a display, but between the Pandavas and
Kauravas, it was a competition unto death.
The event began. Unable to beat each other,
Bhima and Duryodhana fought until they were
exhausted. Everyone else showed their skills
too. The final item was Arjunas demonstration
of his archery skills, which had assumed magical
dimensions. In those times, archery and the
occult were connected. Arjuna used his occult
powers to create whatever he wanted, right there
in the stadium. People were awestruck how
whole landscapes appeared and disappeared in
front of their eyes. Arjuna burrowed himself in a
desert and came out of a snow-clad mountain.
He jumped into an ocean and came out of a cave.
No one else could match him in his art, and he
enjoyed the attention.
While all this was happening, a golden warrior
strolled into the stadium. His very demeanor and
bearing were such that people held their breath
and watched him, not knowing who he was. It
was Karna who gatecrashed the display, because
he was dying to display his capabilities too, and
there was no place for him. He said, Oh, Arjuna!
When there is no competition, being a winner
doesnt mean anything. Winning a competition
where there are no competitors is no victory.
Without another word, he started displaying his
8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

occult and archery skills. His mountains were

taller, the oceans bigger, the winds stronger,
and the forests thicker both his occult and his
archery were way better than Arjunas.
Arjunas only goal in life was to be the best
archer in the world. He was a great warrior, but
a very withdrawn man. While very disciplined
and absolutely focused, he was terribly insecure
throughout his life. His concern was always that
someone else would become a better archer
than him. He did inhumane things to prevent
that. On a certain day, a boy named Ekalavya
came to Drona. He was not an Arya but a
Nishada, which is one of the indigenous tribes
of India. This is how the scriptures describe him
when he walked, he was like a panther. He was
dark-skinned, dreadlocked, a graceful human
being with enormous strength. He expressed his
wish to learn archery. Drona said, You are not a
Kshatriya, so I cannot teach you.
The boy fell at Dronas feet and said, I
understand the social norm. Just bless me.
With your blessing, I will learn. Drona looked at
this humility and sincerity, put his hand on his
head and said, I bless you. Ekalavya went into
the forest. With the clay from a river, he started
sculpting the form of Drona, as if obsessed. If
you want to be great singer, you not only need a
great voice you need great ears. It is your sense
of hearing that makes you a musician. Similarly
if you want to be an archer, it is not only about
your hands, it is about the keenness of your eyes
how keenly you can observe something, and
how keenly you can maintain your attention.
Arjuna displayed these qualities. One day when
they were training, Drona wanted to check their
archery skills, so he put a small wooden bird on
the top of a tree and told them to aim at the eye of
the bird. One by one, the Kauravas and then the
Pandavas aimed. Drona asked them, What do
you see? They said, A leaf, the tree, a mango, the
bird, the sky different things. Drona dismissed
them all. Finally, it was Arjunas turn. When Drona
asked him, What do you see? Arjuna stood in
the famous stance called Alidha in yoga we
use this stance a lot because it stabilizes the
July 2016

body. For an archer, a stable posture is most

important. If you just slightly waver, you will be
way off the target. Arjuna stood in this position
and looked at the bird. When Drona asked, What
do you see? Arjuna replied, I just see a birds
eye. Drona said, You are the only one who is
ready for advanced training, and he taught him
the fine art of archery, which included shooting
blind, shooting in the darkness hitting the
target without even seeing it. He made Arjuna
eat his food in a pitch dark cell every day. He told
him, If you can put food into your mouth without
seeing it, why cant you put the arrow into the
heart of your enemy without seeing him?
Arjuna trained in all these advanced techniques
and believed he was the best archer in the
world. But then Ekalavya came, received Dronas
blessings, and went back into the forest. When
Ekalavya came to Drona, Drona immediately fell
in love with him, because of the way the boy
looked at Drona and paid attention to even the
minutest detail. This is the quality of an archer
his vision does not miss anything. Someone
July 2016

who misses details when looking at something

will definitely miss them when he shoots too. So
because he took in Dronas image, he went there
and created a clay image of him and bowed down
to this image and started practicing with Dronas
blessings. One day the Pandavas and Kauravas
went into the forest hunting. Their hunting dog
went ahead of them. At some point, the dog
started barking. They thought it had found prey
and started pursuing it. Then the dog became
silent. They thought a tiger or a bear must have
killed it. They went in search of the dog, but
then the dog came back to them with six arrows
around his mouth, clamping his mouth in such a
way that it could not bark.
When they saw this, the first question that Bhima
asked was if Drona was somewhere in the forest,
because no one else could do this, not even
Arjuna. Someone would have needed to shoot
six arrows in a split second for them to become
a clamp around the dogs mouth. They went in
search of him and found a strapping youth who
was like a panther dark-skinned, dreadlocked,
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9

with his arrow pointed straight at Arjunas

temple. Arjuna gasped because he knew these
eyes. He knew someone with such an unwavering
focus will not miss. He knew the boy must have
been the archer who had silenced the dog with
this clamp of arrows. Arjuna was distraught that
there was a better archer than him.
Arjuna asked him, Who are you? Where did you
learn this? You are not even a Kshatriya! The boy
said, Im Ekalavya. Drona is my teacher. Arjuna
ran straight to Drona and cried, You promised
me that I will be the greatest archer, but you have
made someone else better than me. This is not
fair. Drona asked, What are you talking about?
He said, There is this boy in the jungle who is
better than me, and he says you are his teacher.
He has got your statue and is practicing archery.
Drona being who he is said, Yes, I have promised
you to make you the best. You are important for
this kingdom, and I will not get my fee if you are
not the best. Let me fix this for you. He went
into the forest and met Ekalavya. Ekalavya saw
the one he considered as his guru, though he had
not taught him anything, and fell at Dronas feet.
In great ecstasy, he welcomed him and brought
him flowers and fruits. But Drona had something

10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

else on his mind. He said, It is wonderful that

you have become a great archer, but where is my
guru dakshina? In those days, the custom was
that unless the guru gets his donation, he would
not let his disciple go and use what he had learnt.
Ekalavya said, Master, whatever you want is
yours. Then Drona said, I want your right
thumb. In traditional Indian archery, the bow
was drawn with the right thumb. Without the
right thumb, you could not be an archer. Archers
were valued so highly in those days because they
could kill from a distance, unlike swordsmen or
lancers. They could kill without risking their own
lives to the extent that close combat warriors had
to. This made them most valuable and efficient.
When Ekalavya dutifully pulled out his sword to
cut off his own right thumb, Drona told him to
stop for a moment, and he looked whether Arjuna
would relent. But Arjuna looked on coldly, as if it
was a ritual that had to be done. Though Arjuna
had many wonderful qualities, he was ruled by
insecurity. He wanted to be the best archer on
the planet, and with Ekalavyas thumb cut, once
again, Arjuna was the best.
To be continued

July 2016

MUSING

How to Prevent and Reverse Depression?

Questioner: Sadhguru, depression, anxiety, and
similar illnesses are on the rise today. What
has changed in society, compared to earlier
generations, to cause such a dramatic increase?

Sadhguru: Depressive syndromes have assumed

epidemic proportions in the world today. The
most fundamental cause is that we are eating
too much and do not have enough physical
activity. Physical activity is a very important
part of maintaining the chemical balance in
the system. Over the last few generations, our
physical activity has decreased substantially.
Therefore, maintaining the chemical balance
in the system becomes difficult. Depression
is just one manifestation of that. Some sit in a
corner and sulk. Others, who are bipolar, can get
violent. The common approach is to tranquilize
them with chemicals, tablets or injections. This
destroys the potential of the individual.
One of the simplest and best ways of establishing
balance is lots of physical activity in a natural
environment ideally from an early age. Another
aspect is being consciously in touch with the five
elements of nature earth, water, air, sunlight
or fire, and space. In earlier times, human
beings had to be consciously in touch with the
July 2016

elements. Suppose you are cultivating land or

walking in the jungle, you have to know what is
happening with the different elements of nature
and how they affect you and everything around
at any given moment.
Being exposed to nature and being conscious
of the elements are two aspects of establishing
balance. Doing substantial physical activity
is another. One more factor is the type of food
that you eat over-processed food should
be avoided. Yet another factor is the lack of
emotional security that modern generations
are suffering. They cannot really invest their
emotions in anyone, because no one will be
around for too long.
To sum it up, the rise of depression is mainly
due to changing lifestyles. Too much eating,
not enough activity, no exposure to nature, no
contact with the five elements, no emotional
security these are the main reasons why
depression has become so widespread in
the world today. If we take care of these
aspects, we can considerably reduce the
incidence and prevalence of depression and
other mental disorders.

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11

Consecration A Possibility for Everyone?

Questioner: Namaskar, Sadhguru. Could you
please share with us how you know how to
energize things and consecrate spaces? Were
you born with this capability or is this something
that you have learnt over time? Could I learn
this too?

Sadhguru: What we are teaching you in our

programs is a methodology with which you
can slowly consecrate yourself. If you do not
consecrate yourself first, how can you consecrate
something else? Whatever you wish to do in life,
you cannot do anything that you are not. You can
try to fake it, but it will not work. If you want to be
able to transmit a certain quality to something
or someone, first you must make it happen for
yourself. What is not happening within you, you
cannot make happen in the world. In this culture,
people who are doing sadhana were always told
to withdraw if they were in a state of turmoil,
because you should not let your mess spill to

the world. Similarly, I would say, if you are too

messed up, you should not get married. If not the
entire world, at least save one life.
First of all, I want you to be consecrated. In a
way, consecrating forms or spaces is not the
ideal thing to do. Consecrating people would be
easier and better if only ninety-eight percent
of human beings did not shift their priorities
every few minutes. Those who are continuously
making U-turns obviously have no intention
to go anywhere. Now that you are here in this
space of the Isha Yoga Center, unknowingly,
Adiyogi will seep into you. Today you are talking
about consecrated spaces. Let me see if you
maintain this intention long-term. If you want
to consecrate anything, first you must become
a living temple.
Excerpted from a darshan with Sadhguru at the
Isha Yoga Center

How to Connect with Devi

Questioner: How to approach Devi in such a
way that when I ask her for something, my wish
gets fulfilled?

Sadhguru: The best way is not to ask for

anything. Rather, see how profoundly you can
connect with this feminine dimension of the
Divine. If you ask, you will only ask from what
you know, which is actually a backward step. If
you want anything to happen that is beyond what
you know, you should stop asking. If you simply
connect with this energy, things will happen.
Whichever way it happens should be fine with
you. First, you need to establish yourself in
12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

such a way that what happens around you does

not determine the quality of your life. What
happens around you determines the quality of
your work and activity in the world, but it should
not determine the quality of who and what you
are. There are more profound ways to live. Do
not become anxious about whether something
is going to happen or not. If it happens, good. If
it does not happen, very good. Should you drive
the Divine, or should the Divine drive you? If you
make seeking the Divine your priority, there will
be no issue.

July 2016

How Millions of Gods Came into Being

Sanjiv Goenka in Conversation with Sadhguru
Sanjiv Goenka, billionaire chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, met Sadhguru on 26 May
2016 in Kolkata for a conversation on Guts, Gumption, and Gods. Here is an excerpt from
their Q & A session.
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. Why
are there so many gods and goddesses in
this country?
Sadhguru: This is a godless culture. We never

have forgotten that we created them, but that is

how it is. Making up a god does not mean just
imagining something. In this culture, we evolved
the technology of god-making.

projected the God at any time. We always told

you your life is your karma that means it is your
making. Everything that you are is a consequence
of what you do to yourself, consciously or
unconsciously. If you do it consciously, it
will turn out the way you want it. If you do it
unconsciously, it will turn out some other way,
and you may think something or someone else
did it to you. When we say it is your karma, it
means you are the maker of your life.

In southern India, we also refer to the deity as

a yantra. A yantra is a form or a machine that
works for you. Essentially, every machine is only
an enhancement of a faculty that we have. It
does what we can do, but in a better way. To give
a few examples we can walk. With a bicycle
or car, we can move much faster. We can see.
With a telescope, we can see much farther. We
can speak. With a microphone, we can speak
much louder. So, every machine is only an
enhancement of our existing faculties.

They say we have thirty-three million gods and

goddesses. This number came up when our
population was thirty-three million. Since then,
we have become a little shy of creating gods,
because people, who did not understand the
science and technology of god-making, came
and told us there is only one God. In this country,
everyone made up their own gods. Some people

As we have created physical machines, we have

created subjective machines. We call them
deities, murtis, or gods. These are machines
that can do something for us that we ourselves
cannot do to the same extent. In other words,
they greatly enhance our faculties. There are
innumerable examples of people using their
deities or yantras in ways that have made

July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13

them into incredible human beings. The great

mathematician Ramanujam is one of them.
He simply poured out mathematics. When
asked where all this comes from, he credited
it to his goddess. Things he wrote in the early
twentieth century are still being figured today.
And just a few years ago, scientists realized
that some of the formulas that he built are
actually describing black holes. He created
a mathematical backbone for black holes, at
a time when there was not even a concept of
black holes.
Deities are subjective tools with which you can
open up a certain window to existence. I am a
living example the only qualification I have
is that with great care, I remained uneducated.
Remaining uneducated actually takes a lot more
than getting educated, because from the day you
are born, your parents, teachers, pandits, priests,
mullahs, all kinds of people are busy teaching
something that has not worked in their lives. If
someone gives you any advice, first look at their
face are they really more joyful than you? If
something has worked for someone, it should
have made them into a really exuberant life.
Suppose your neighbor comes and says he has
special manure for your mango tree. Before you
apply that manure to your mango tree, you must
look at his mango tree, how many fruits it bears.
Only if his mango tree is laden with fruit, unlike
yours, should you take his manure. Or, between

14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

you and your children who is more joyful?

Obviously your children. Then who should be a
consultant for life?
So, these deities are tools. Whenever I refer to
the Dhyanalinga as a tool, people get upset,
because to them, it is more than their life. They
find the word tool too mundane and crude in
this context. Then I tell them, Suppose I give you
a plumbing job and you are only allowed to use
your bare hands and teeth, no tools. If after three
days of working like that, I give you a spanner,
will you worship the spanner or not? Do not
underestimate the power of the tool. As human
beings, we are who we are only because of our
ability to create and use tools. That is what sets
us apart.
So, we built subjective tools which, today, are
being referred to as gods. We appropriately
called them yantras because these are machines
that work for us. Towards this end, there was a
certain way to operate a certain machine, and
a certain way to access it a particular sound
pattern, a particular form, and a particular process.
Unfortunately, these processes have gotten
distorted in many places, but if a deity is alive, and
you know how to use it, it can do incredible things
for you. This is not a belief system; this is not a
religion; this is a technology a technology of a
different kind.

July 2016

News & Events

Sadhguru Conducts
Program for
Rajasthan Government
On 20 and 21 May 2016, Sadhguru conducted
an Inner Engineering program in Jaipur, for the
Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara
Raje and her cabinet. This included Rajasthans
legislators, several parliamentarians, and 600
IAS, IPS, IFS, and senior RAS officers. An official
from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said,
The program will ensure a better lifestyle for
the participants, who work under tremendous
pressure and have long working hours. An
official release from the CMO stated, It will help
the participants to maintain a healthy, balanced,
and energetic life.
In January 2015, Sadhguru conducted a similar
program for the Andhra Pradesh government, in
which Chief Minister Shri Chandrababu Naidu
participated, along with the AP legislators and
bureaucrats. On completion of the program,

the AP CM said, Inner Engineering teaches us

to abandon our miseries and live blissfully. The
most important take-away from the program was
that we need to make a life instead of earning a
living. Transformation of the self is the toughest
but most blissful thing one can do.
Ishas powerful yoga programs have touched
many millions of lives around the world. The
programs are also offered to those who keep
Indias administration running. The Department
of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has included
Inner Engineering in the official list of training
programs that IAS officers can opt for as a
part of their in-service training. Additionally,
Isha also offers Angamardana to the countrys
paramilitary personnel, and has trained over
5000 so far.

Sadhgurus Recent Events

Highlights in Pictures

July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15

Hatha Yoga Program with 2000 participants; 26 May to 2 June 2016; Adiyogi Alayam, Isha Yoga Center

Sanjiv Goenka, one of Indias leading industrialists and chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, in conversation with Sadhguru; title:
Of Guts, Gumption and Gods; 26 May 2016; Kolkata

Sadhguru holding a session at the Ladies Study Group;

27 May 2016; Kolkata

Public Launch of Ishas Initiatives for the International Day

of Yoga 2016; opportunity to learn and get trained to teach
upa-yoga; satsang with Sadhguru; 5 June 2016; Chennai

Sadhguru launches Tamil biography about Dr. Prathap C. Reddy,

founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals group;
5 June 2016; Chennai

Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director Apollo Hospitals Group, in

conversation with Sadhguru; 5 June 2016; Chennai

16 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

SADHGURU SPOT

On the Threshold of a Golden Age

Excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 18 May 2016
The last few months have been a monstrous
amount of travel for me. I was hoping that as I
age, I would graduate from living out of a suitcase
to a cupboard, but I am back to the suitcase.
We were at a cusp for the last one and a half to
two months, and around end of April, beginning
of May, I have completed five solar cycles. The
coming twelve years will be the golden age for
spirituality on the planet. In many ways, it will be
a time of great possibilities. When we move into
top gear, it will be a good speed, a good time for
the spiritual movement, for Isha, and for all of
you. That will also mean a lot of work. I will take
the brunt of it, in terms of activity, but you know
I believe in sharing what I have. As all I have is
only work, you will get it too. It is important that
we do this well, with maximum impact.
Humanity is at a crossroads. Something
fundamental is shifting in the very way human
beings are. Things that have given hope to
humanity are crumbling and falling apart. If you
believed everything they told to you, you would
not seek spiritual process. You would think you
know the entire creation, God, heaven, and hell.
Without knowing, life would pass you by. For
most human beings, nothing has ever touched
them profoundly. They have never looked at a tree
with tears in their eyes. They have never looked
at a butterfly, trembling with it. They have never
caught the sunlight before it hits the blades of
grass. They live without being truly alive.
July 2016

In the coming few years, spiritually and socially,

big things will happen. There will be a lot of
change in the world, and a lot of change about
me too. Be ready for that. This is going to be
a good time, but like all good things, it comes
with lots of activity. Many other groups are
also working towards this, but we will have a
significant role to play. Top level universities in
the United States, such as Stanford, Harvard,
Yale, the Wharton Business School, and many
other Ivy League schools are opening up to the
spiritual process, for the very first time. It is due
to lack of time we are accepting selectively, but
my intention is to touch the entire spectrum of
youth. As such, universities do not mean much
to me I live in this universe. But these were the
last bastions of resistance. Now academics are
beginning to accept mysticism and spirituality
as a part of their lives.
It is a good thing for the world that established
sectors corporate sectors, academics, and
even politicians are opening up to spiritual
process. We recently did programs for the Andhra
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments, and
in a few days, we are going to do a program for the
government of Rajasthan, from Chief Minister, to
all the ministers, and the bureaucrats. This is a
blessing of many sages and seers of the past,
who all aspired to marry the spiritual process
and the political process. Administering a nation
as diverse as India is not an enviable job.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17

Some politicians have done terrible things, but

wonderful things have been achieved too. From
1947 to today, there has been a phenomenal
transformation in the country. We could have
done better, but still, we have not done too badly.
And the next five to ten years are going to be a
golden age for India.
Economic development is essential for spiritual
process to spread, because people have to see
that after eating well, shopping well, still life is not
fulfilling. You cannot tell this to a hungry man it
would be cruel. You must make his stomach full,
and he must realize with a full stomach, still life
is not fulfilling. So, economic development is an
important aspect for spiritual process to happen
to people. And spiritual process is an important
element for fulfilling the purpose of economic
development human wellbeing. If there is
economic development, but still, people are not
feeling well, it is cruel too. And that is a reality in
the world. Nearly forty percent of Europeans are
on psychiatric medication. One in ten people in
Tamil Nadu is diabetic, and a major part of the
population is getting drunk the moment they
have a little money. This is not wellbeing.
Unless economic wellbeing is bolstered with
spiritual wellbeing, you will have everything yet
have nothing. In this context India is fortunate,
because economic and spiritual wellbeing will
largely happen together in the next twelve years.
But when it comes to spiritual wellbeing, we
have to think in terms of wellbeing of humanity
as a whole. I want you to know the joy of creating
something you really care for. A few young
people, who stood up to become teachers and
fulltime volunteers have been wearing their lives
out to reach you, to come to your town and offer
programs for you. It is time you also stand up
and do that, because a spiritual movement is
successful only if it creates a trend towards
spirituality in the world. Your individual salvation
will be taken care of that is not even an issue
for us. But is it not important that we live in a
world that has a spiritual fragrance, wherever
we go?

as he was, would have spoken gently, so only a

few people heard him. Gautama the Buddha was
a little more single-minded. He may have spoken
a little louder, and a few more people would have
heard him. Today, we are so technologically
empowered that if we do the necessary work,
we can sit here and talk to seven billion people.
Never before was this possible. When all kinds
of rubbish are reaching the entire world, it is
high time spiritual process reaches the entire
world too.
At this stage, already two thirds of the people
who are with us, participating in many ways,
have not done any program with us. They are
with us on YouTube, Facebook, reading a book,
or seeing us on television, and they are inspired.
To give an example when I recently went to the
kumbh in Ujjain, there were armed policemen as
part of the security detail for the Prime Minister.
The moment they saw me, they gleefully chanted,
ShivaShiva, echoing the thunderclap of
Mahashivaratri. They have all been with us on
Mahashivaratri via live broadcast, and as far as
they are concerned, they are one with us.
The wonders of technology should be made use
of for the right purposes, that is, for the wellbeing
of humanity. Only if the spiritual process, the
economic process, and the political process come
together as one, will human wellbeing happen. I
want all of you to gear up for this momentous
time. Many things are in the pipeline. You will
start seeing it take shape in the next couple of
years, in many different ways. I have said this
before as we are changing gears and picking
up speed, hold on tight or you will fall off. I have
seen too many people who were very dear to me
fall off, right through my life. The most important
thing for me is that when a change in momentum
happens, you do not fall off. So I am telling all of
you, we are changing gears right now. All those
sleeping ones do not fall off. Lets make this
happen for yourself and the world.
Love & Grace,

This spiritual springtime must be a worldwide

phenomenon. Never before in the history of
humanity has there been a Guru who could talk to
one billion people at once. Krishna, as wonderful
18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

SHARING EXPERIENCE

Magician

Poem by Isha Meditator

When I was a child, I saw a dream.
I saw Shiva, the moon and a sun-beam.
As I grew older, I lost the dream
Pursued endless fantasies of golden sheen
But mere substitutes, they could not quench
The longing that grew to fever pitch.
It drove me crazy the constant itch.
I grappled around to find a switch.
When all was done that I could do
A magician appeared with logic to woo.
Here again the sun, the moon,
Here again was Shivas swoon.
The magician chuckles as I catch my breath.
I recover my balance and look ahead.
Fantasies vanish, all confusions dead.
I begin to dance the stage is set.
As I become the dance divine,
Sweet ecstasies engulf the body and mind.
I lose all sense of space and time.
Nothing to lose and nothing to find.
Every breath, a fragrant bliss.
The body delights in every swish.
The mind settles, theres nothing I miss.
My being permeated by His immortal wish.
Such beauty the possibility.
My magician, my master, I bow down to thee,
May I give up this puny me.
And throb with thy eternity.
Siddharth Chhawchharia

July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Date

Program

Place

Contact

13 Jul
2016

Guru Pooja Training

Jayanagar, Bangalore India

80951 63111 / 98450 66812

bangalore@ishayoga.org

3 Jul 2016

Sadhguru in Berlin

Tempodrom, Berlin Germany

germany@ishafoundation.org

59 Jul
2016

Sunetra Eye Program

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515464
isharejuvenation@
ishafoundation.org

710 Jul
2016

Inner Engineering
Retreat

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45164 / 0422-2515300

ieretreat@ishayoga.org

1014 Jul
2016

Diabetes Management
Program

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515464
isharejuvenation@
ishafoundation.org

1215 Jul
2016

Inner Engineering
Retreat

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45164 / 0422-2515300

ieretreat@ishayoga.org

13 Jul 2
Aug 2016

21-Day Hatha Yoga

Program

Isha Place, Jayanagar, Bangalore India

95355 58367
bangalore@ishayoga.org

2124 Jul
2016

Bhava Spandana
(Ladies)

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

2124 Jul
2016

Inner Engineering
Retreat (Isha Life)

Isha Life, Mylapore, Chennai India

94442 30403
chennai.retreat@ishayoga.org

2125 Jul
2016

Ayur Rasayana
Intensive

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

0422-2515464 / 94890 45084

isharejuvenation@
ishafoundation.org

2431 Jul
2016

Isha Summer Program

for Children

Isha Institute of Inner-sciences,

McMinnville, TN USA

+1(931) 668-1900
childrenscamp@ishausa.org

2730 Jul
2016

Inner Engineering
Retreat

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45164 / 0422-2515300

ieretreat@ishayoga.org

30 Jul 2016

Ishanga 7% Nanmai
Uruvam Ceremony with
Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94425 04655 / 94425 04737

7percent@ishafoundation.org

2 Aug 2016

Yantra Ceremony with

Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center,

Velliangiri Foothills,
Coimbatore India

94890 45136
yantra@lingabhairavi.org

Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit our
website: www.ishafoundation.org.

20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

ISHA RECIPE

MANGO MOR KUZHAMBU

Mango Mor Kuzhambu
(Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

METHOD METHOD

1 cup mango pulp (run through the mixer)

3/4 cup coconut gratings
1 cup curd
1/2 tsp.oil
2 red chilies
1/2 tsp.fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp.turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Sugar (if needed)

1. Mix the mango pulp with 1/4 cup of water in a

pan. Add turmeric and boil for 34 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a kadai
or deep pan, add fenugreek seeds and red
chilies. Saut for a minute. Remove and grind
these spices along with coconut gratings to a
smooth paste, adding water.
3. Once the mango pulp cooks, add the coconut
mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Blend the curd in a mixer and add it to the
boiling mixture. Add salt and sugar if needed.
Bring this to a boil, then switch off the stove.
5. Gently roast the mustard seeds, cut the red
chili, and roast the curry leaves in oil. Sprinkle
over the kuzhambu as a garnish.

For the garnish:

1 tsp.oil
1/2 tsp.mustard seeds
1 red chili (optional)
5 curry leaves METHOD

July 2016

Note: The mango should be ripe and should taste

both sweet and sour. If it is too sweet, add
sour curd to the kuzhambu. If it is too sour,
add fresh curd (not sour) and a little sugar.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21

SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Insightful Inspiring Informative
I would like to

Subscribe for myself

Renew my subscription

Change the mailing address

One year 12 issues (within India by regular mail) `180

Payment By Cheque
`50 Extra

One year 12 issues (within India by courier) `480

Mode of Payment:

Cash

Demand Draft

Subscribe as a gift

Money Order

Cheque

Name*
Address*

City*
State*

PIN*

Phone: (Mobile)*............................... (Home)*............................... (Work)*..........................

Email* .....................................................................................................................
Name*
Address*

City*
State*

PIN*

Phone: (Mobile)*............................... (Home)*............................... (Work)*..........................

Email* .....................................................................................................................

Enclosed DD/Cheque/MO No. ............................................................. dated ...............................

drawn on ...................................................................... (bank), payable at Coimbatore for `...........
in favor of

Isha Foundation.

For payments by cheque, please add `50/- to the subscription amount towards clearing charges.
Please mail the completed subscription form along with your payment to: ISHA FOREST FLOWER
nd
F-4, Sri Balaji Apartments, 2 Floor, New No.4, old No.6, Rajambal Street, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600017
For further inquiries, please contact:
Date:

(044) 45011137, 96770 16700 8 subscriptions.FF@ishafoundation.org

Subscriber Signature:

RECEIPT DETAILS (For Ofce Use Only)

Receipt No.:........................ Receipt Date:........................

Amount received:........................Received by:........................Remarks:........................
FOR ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONS AND RENEWALS, visit www.ishafoundation.org/ForestFlower
22 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

July 2016

* These elds are mandatory

Please complete in BLOCK LETTERS

Please complete in BLOCK LETTERS

SEND GIFT TO

SUBSCRIBER

FF CODE (Forest Flower subscription No.):

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
July 2016

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 23

Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. TNENG/2013/53333 WPP license no : TN/PMG (CCR)/WPP- 446/2015 - 2016
Registered with Patrika Channel Egmore RMS under Registration No. TN/CH(C)/492/14 16. Published on 2nd of every month July 2016

July 2016
24 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

Recognizing the Divine

in each other is the
most graceful way.