1

Collection of Some Articles written or spoken

by Sadhguru

2

1 The Three Fundamental Nadis ndash Ida Pingala and Sushumna

Sadhguru speaks about the three fundamental nadis or energy pathways in the system

the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

Sadhguru Within the spine if you know its physical construction you will know there are

two holes on either side of the spine which are like conduit pipes for all the nerves to pass

This is the Ida and the Pingala the left and the right channels

In the Pranamayakosha or the energy body there are 72000 nadis The 72000 nadis spring

from three basic nadis ndash the left the right and the central ndash the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

The word ldquonadirdquo does not mean nerve Nadis are pathways or channels of prana in the

system These 72000 nadis donrsquot have a physical manifestation In the sense if you cut the

body and look in you will not find them But as you become more aware you will notice the

energy is not moving at random it is moving in established pathways There are 72000

different ways in which the energy or prana moves

Only when energies enter into Sushumna life really begins

The Ida and Pingala represent the basic duality in the existence It is this duality which we

traditionally personify as Shiva and Shakti Or you can simply call it masculine and

feminine or it can be the logical and the intuitive aspect of you It is based on this that life is

created Without these two dualities life wouldnrsquot exist as it does right now In the

beginning everything is primordial there is no duality But once creation happens there is

duality

When I say masculine and feminine I am not talking in terms of sex ndash about being male or

female ndash but in terms of certain qualities in nature Certain qualities in nature have been

identified as masculine Certain other qualities have been identified as feminine You may

be a man but if your Ida is more pronounced the feminine may be dominant in you You

may be a woman but if your Pingala is more pronounced the masculine may be dominant

in you

Bringing a balance between the Ida and Pingala will make you effective in the world it will make

you handle life aspects well Most people live and die in Ida and Pingala Sushumna the

3

central space remains dormant But Sushumna is the most significant aspect of human

physiology Only when energies enter into Sushumna life really begins

Vairagya

Fundamentally Sushumna is attribute-less it has no quality of its own It is like empty

space If there is empty space you can create anything you want Once energies enter into

Sushumna we say you attain to Vairagya ldquoRagardquo means color ldquoVairagrdquo means no color you

have become transparent If you have become transparent if what is behind you is red you

turn red too If what is behind you is blue you turn blue too If what is behind you is yellow

you turn yellow too You are unprejudiced Wherever you are you become a part of that but

nothing sticks to you Only if you are like this only if you are in a state of Vairag then you

will dare to explore all dimensions of life when you live here

Right now you are reasonably balanced but if for some reason the outside situation goes

crazy you will also go crazy in reaction to that because that is the nature of Ida and Pingala It

is reactive to what is outside But once the energies enter into Sushumna you attain to a

new kind of balance an inner balance where whatever happens outside there is a certain

space within you which never gets disturbed which is never in any kind of turmoil

which cannot be touched by the outside situations Only if you create this stable situation within

yourself you will dare to scale the peaks of consciousness

4

2 The Types of Yoga Understanding the Four Essential

Paths

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru answers a question on the different types of yoga and explains

that any yoga that you do comes under four essential paths

Questioner Sadhguru there are so many different types of yoga How do I know which kind of yoga

is best for me

Sadhguru Right now the only things which are in your experience areyour body your mind

and your emotions You know them to some extent and you can infer that if these three

things have to happen the way they are happening there must be an energy that makes

them happen Without energy all this cannot be happening Some of you might have

experienced it Others can easily infer that for these three things to function there must be

an energy behind them For example a microphone amplifies a personrsquos voice Even if you

donrsquot know anything about the microphone you can infer that there is a source that powers

it

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and energy Whatever you

wish to do with yourself it must be on these four levels Whatever you wish to do you can

only do it with your body your mind your emotions or your energy If you use your

emotions and try to reach the ultimate we call this bhakti yoga That means the path of

devotion If you use your intelligence and try to reach the ultimate we call this gnana yoga

That means the path of intelligence If you use your body or physical action to reach the

ultimate we call this karma yoga That means the path of action If you transform your

energies and try to reach the ultimate we call this kriya yoga That means internal action

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and

energy Whatever you wish to do with yourself it must be on these four

levels

These are the only four ways you can get somewhere either through karma gnana bhakti

or kriya ndash body mind emotion or energy ldquoNo no I am on the path of faith I donrsquot need to

do anything elserdquo Is there anyone who is only head no heart hands and energy Is there

anyone who is only heart not the other things You are a combination of these four things

5

It is just that in one person the heart may be dominant in another person the head may be

dominant in yet another person the hands may be dominant but everybody is a

combination of these four So you need a combination of these four It is just that only if it

is mixed in the right way for you it works best for you What we give for one person if it is

given to you it may not work well for you because that person is so much heart and this

much head That is why on the spiritual path there is so much stress on a live Guru He

mixes the cocktail right for you otherwise there is no punch

The four yogis

It happened once Four men were walking in the forest The first was a gnana yogi the

second was a bhakti yogi the third was a karma yogi and the fourth was a kriya yogi

Usually these four people can never be together The gnana yogi has total disdain for all

other types of yoga His is the yoga of intelligence and normally an intellectual has

complete disdain for everyone else particularly these bhakti types who look upward and

chant Godrsquos name all the time They look like a bunch of idiots to him

But a bhakti yogi a devotee thinks all this gnana karma and kriya yoga is a waste of time

He pities the others who donrsquot see that when God is here all you need to do is hold His hand

and walk All this mind-splitting philosophy this bone-bending yoga is not needed God is

here because God is everywhere

Then there is the karma yogi the man of action He thinks all the other types of yogis with

their fancy philosophies are just lazy

But a kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all He laughs at everyone Donrsquot they know that all

of existence is energy If you donrsquot transform your energy whether you long for God or you

long for anything else nothing is going to happen There will be no transformation

These four people customarily canrsquot get along But today they happened to be walking

together in the forest and a storm broke out It grew very intense and began raining heavily

They started running looking for shelter

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

2

1 The Three Fundamental Nadis ndash Ida Pingala and Sushumna

Sadhguru speaks about the three fundamental nadis or energy pathways in the system

the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

Sadhguru Within the spine if you know its physical construction you will know there are

two holes on either side of the spine which are like conduit pipes for all the nerves to pass

This is the Ida and the Pingala the left and the right channels

In the Pranamayakosha or the energy body there are 72000 nadis The 72000 nadis spring

from three basic nadis ndash the left the right and the central ndash the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

The word ldquonadirdquo does not mean nerve Nadis are pathways or channels of prana in the

system These 72000 nadis donrsquot have a physical manifestation In the sense if you cut the

body and look in you will not find them But as you become more aware you will notice the

energy is not moving at random it is moving in established pathways There are 72000

different ways in which the energy or prana moves

Only when energies enter into Sushumna life really begins

The Ida and Pingala represent the basic duality in the existence It is this duality which we

traditionally personify as Shiva and Shakti Or you can simply call it masculine and

feminine or it can be the logical and the intuitive aspect of you It is based on this that life is

created Without these two dualities life wouldnrsquot exist as it does right now In the

beginning everything is primordial there is no duality But once creation happens there is

duality

When I say masculine and feminine I am not talking in terms of sex ndash about being male or

female ndash but in terms of certain qualities in nature Certain qualities in nature have been

identified as masculine Certain other qualities have been identified as feminine You may

be a man but if your Ida is more pronounced the feminine may be dominant in you You

may be a woman but if your Pingala is more pronounced the masculine may be dominant

in you

Bringing a balance between the Ida and Pingala will make you effective in the world it will make

you handle life aspects well Most people live and die in Ida and Pingala Sushumna the

3

central space remains dormant But Sushumna is the most significant aspect of human

physiology Only when energies enter into Sushumna life really begins

Vairagya

Fundamentally Sushumna is attribute-less it has no quality of its own It is like empty

space If there is empty space you can create anything you want Once energies enter into

Sushumna we say you attain to Vairagya ldquoRagardquo means color ldquoVairagrdquo means no color you

have become transparent If you have become transparent if what is behind you is red you

turn red too If what is behind you is blue you turn blue too If what is behind you is yellow

you turn yellow too You are unprejudiced Wherever you are you become a part of that but

nothing sticks to you Only if you are like this only if you are in a state of Vairag then you

will dare to explore all dimensions of life when you live here

Right now you are reasonably balanced but if for some reason the outside situation goes

crazy you will also go crazy in reaction to that because that is the nature of Ida and Pingala It

is reactive to what is outside But once the energies enter into Sushumna you attain to a

new kind of balance an inner balance where whatever happens outside there is a certain

space within you which never gets disturbed which is never in any kind of turmoil

which cannot be touched by the outside situations Only if you create this stable situation within

yourself you will dare to scale the peaks of consciousness

4

2 The Types of Yoga Understanding the Four Essential

Paths

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru answers a question on the different types of yoga and explains

that any yoga that you do comes under four essential paths

Questioner Sadhguru there are so many different types of yoga How do I know which kind of yoga

is best for me

Sadhguru Right now the only things which are in your experience areyour body your mind

and your emotions You know them to some extent and you can infer that if these three

things have to happen the way they are happening there must be an energy that makes

them happen Without energy all this cannot be happening Some of you might have

experienced it Others can easily infer that for these three things to function there must be

an energy behind them For example a microphone amplifies a personrsquos voice Even if you

donrsquot know anything about the microphone you can infer that there is a source that powers

it

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and energy Whatever you

wish to do with yourself it must be on these four levels Whatever you wish to do you can

only do it with your body your mind your emotions or your energy If you use your

emotions and try to reach the ultimate we call this bhakti yoga That means the path of

devotion If you use your intelligence and try to reach the ultimate we call this gnana yoga

That means the path of intelligence If you use your body or physical action to reach the

ultimate we call this karma yoga That means the path of action If you transform your

energies and try to reach the ultimate we call this kriya yoga That means internal action

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and

energy Whatever you wish to do with yourself it must be on these four

levels

These are the only four ways you can get somewhere either through karma gnana bhakti

or kriya ndash body mind emotion or energy ldquoNo no I am on the path of faith I donrsquot need to

do anything elserdquo Is there anyone who is only head no heart hands and energy Is there

anyone who is only heart not the other things You are a combination of these four things

5

It is just that in one person the heart may be dominant in another person the head may be

dominant in yet another person the hands may be dominant but everybody is a

combination of these four So you need a combination of these four It is just that only if it

is mixed in the right way for you it works best for you What we give for one person if it is

given to you it may not work well for you because that person is so much heart and this

much head That is why on the spiritual path there is so much stress on a live Guru He

mixes the cocktail right for you otherwise there is no punch

The four yogis

It happened once Four men were walking in the forest The first was a gnana yogi the

second was a bhakti yogi the third was a karma yogi and the fourth was a kriya yogi

Usually these four people can never be together The gnana yogi has total disdain for all

other types of yoga His is the yoga of intelligence and normally an intellectual has

complete disdain for everyone else particularly these bhakti types who look upward and

chant Godrsquos name all the time They look like a bunch of idiots to him

But a bhakti yogi a devotee thinks all this gnana karma and kriya yoga is a waste of time

He pities the others who donrsquot see that when God is here all you need to do is hold His hand

and walk All this mind-splitting philosophy this bone-bending yoga is not needed God is

here because God is everywhere

Then there is the karma yogi the man of action He thinks all the other types of yogis with

their fancy philosophies are just lazy

But a kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all He laughs at everyone Donrsquot they know that all

of existence is energy If you donrsquot transform your energy whether you long for God or you

long for anything else nothing is going to happen There will be no transformation

These four people customarily canrsquot get along But today they happened to be walking

together in the forest and a storm broke out It grew very intense and began raining heavily

They started running looking for shelter

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

3

central space remains dormant But Sushumna is the most significant aspect of human

physiology Only when energies enter into Sushumna life really begins

Vairagya

Fundamentally Sushumna is attribute-less it has no quality of its own It is like empty

space If there is empty space you can create anything you want Once energies enter into

Sushumna we say you attain to Vairagya ldquoRagardquo means color ldquoVairagrdquo means no color you

have become transparent If you have become transparent if what is behind you is red you

turn red too If what is behind you is blue you turn blue too If what is behind you is yellow

you turn yellow too You are unprejudiced Wherever you are you become a part of that but

nothing sticks to you Only if you are like this only if you are in a state of Vairag then you

will dare to explore all dimensions of life when you live here

Right now you are reasonably balanced but if for some reason the outside situation goes

crazy you will also go crazy in reaction to that because that is the nature of Ida and Pingala It

is reactive to what is outside But once the energies enter into Sushumna you attain to a

new kind of balance an inner balance where whatever happens outside there is a certain

space within you which never gets disturbed which is never in any kind of turmoil

which cannot be touched by the outside situations Only if you create this stable situation within

yourself you will dare to scale the peaks of consciousness

4

2 The Types of Yoga Understanding the Four Essential

Paths

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru answers a question on the different types of yoga and explains

that any yoga that you do comes under four essential paths

Questioner Sadhguru there are so many different types of yoga How do I know which kind of yoga

is best for me

Sadhguru Right now the only things which are in your experience areyour body your mind

and your emotions You know them to some extent and you can infer that if these three

things have to happen the way they are happening there must be an energy that makes

them happen Without energy all this cannot be happening Some of you might have

experienced it Others can easily infer that for these three things to function there must be

an energy behind them For example a microphone amplifies a personrsquos voice Even if you

donrsquot know anything about the microphone you can infer that there is a source that powers

it

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and energy Whatever you

wish to do with yourself it must be on these four levels Whatever you wish to do you can

only do it with your body your mind your emotions or your energy If you use your

emotions and try to reach the ultimate we call this bhakti yoga That means the path of

devotion If you use your intelligence and try to reach the ultimate we call this gnana yoga

That means the path of intelligence If you use your body or physical action to reach the

ultimate we call this karma yoga That means the path of action If you transform your

energies and try to reach the ultimate we call this kriya yoga That means internal action

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and

energy Whatever you wish to do with yourself it must be on these four

levels

These are the only four ways you can get somewhere either through karma gnana bhakti

or kriya ndash body mind emotion or energy ldquoNo no I am on the path of faith I donrsquot need to

do anything elserdquo Is there anyone who is only head no heart hands and energy Is there

anyone who is only heart not the other things You are a combination of these four things

5

It is just that in one person the heart may be dominant in another person the head may be

dominant in yet another person the hands may be dominant but everybody is a

combination of these four So you need a combination of these four It is just that only if it

is mixed in the right way for you it works best for you What we give for one person if it is

given to you it may not work well for you because that person is so much heart and this

much head That is why on the spiritual path there is so much stress on a live Guru He

mixes the cocktail right for you otherwise there is no punch

The four yogis

It happened once Four men were walking in the forest The first was a gnana yogi the

second was a bhakti yogi the third was a karma yogi and the fourth was a kriya yogi

Usually these four people can never be together The gnana yogi has total disdain for all

other types of yoga His is the yoga of intelligence and normally an intellectual has

complete disdain for everyone else particularly these bhakti types who look upward and

chant Godrsquos name all the time They look like a bunch of idiots to him

But a bhakti yogi a devotee thinks all this gnana karma and kriya yoga is a waste of time

He pities the others who donrsquot see that when God is here all you need to do is hold His hand

and walk All this mind-splitting philosophy this bone-bending yoga is not needed God is

here because God is everywhere

Then there is the karma yogi the man of action He thinks all the other types of yogis with

their fancy philosophies are just lazy

But a kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all He laughs at everyone Donrsquot they know that all

of existence is energy If you donrsquot transform your energy whether you long for God or you

long for anything else nothing is going to happen There will be no transformation

These four people customarily canrsquot get along But today they happened to be walking

together in the forest and a storm broke out It grew very intense and began raining heavily

They started running looking for shelter

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

4

2 The Types of Yoga Understanding the Four Essential

Paths

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru answers a question on the different types of yoga and explains

that any yoga that you do comes under four essential paths

Questioner Sadhguru there are so many different types of yoga How do I know which kind of yoga

is best for me

Sadhguru Right now the only things which are in your experience areyour body your mind

and your emotions You know them to some extent and you can infer that if these three

things have to happen the way they are happening there must be an energy that makes

them happen Without energy all this cannot be happening Some of you might have

experienced it Others can easily infer that for these three things to function there must be

an energy behind them For example a microphone amplifies a personrsquos voice Even if you

donrsquot know anything about the microphone you can infer that there is a source that powers

it

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and energy Whatever you

wish to do with yourself it must be on these four levels Whatever you wish to do you can

only do it with your body your mind your emotions or your energy If you use your

emotions and try to reach the ultimate we call this bhakti yoga That means the path of

devotion If you use your intelligence and try to reach the ultimate we call this gnana yoga

That means the path of intelligence If you use your body or physical action to reach the

ultimate we call this karma yoga That means the path of action If you transform your

energies and try to reach the ultimate we call this kriya yoga That means internal action

These are the only four realities in your life body mind emotion and

energy Whatever you wish to do with yourself it must be on these four

levels

These are the only four ways you can get somewhere either through karma gnana bhakti

or kriya ndash body mind emotion or energy ldquoNo no I am on the path of faith I donrsquot need to

do anything elserdquo Is there anyone who is only head no heart hands and energy Is there

anyone who is only heart not the other things You are a combination of these four things

5

It is just that in one person the heart may be dominant in another person the head may be

dominant in yet another person the hands may be dominant but everybody is a

combination of these four So you need a combination of these four It is just that only if it

is mixed in the right way for you it works best for you What we give for one person if it is

given to you it may not work well for you because that person is so much heart and this

much head That is why on the spiritual path there is so much stress on a live Guru He

mixes the cocktail right for you otherwise there is no punch

The four yogis

It happened once Four men were walking in the forest The first was a gnana yogi the

second was a bhakti yogi the third was a karma yogi and the fourth was a kriya yogi

Usually these four people can never be together The gnana yogi has total disdain for all

other types of yoga His is the yoga of intelligence and normally an intellectual has

complete disdain for everyone else particularly these bhakti types who look upward and

chant Godrsquos name all the time They look like a bunch of idiots to him

But a bhakti yogi a devotee thinks all this gnana karma and kriya yoga is a waste of time

He pities the others who donrsquot see that when God is here all you need to do is hold His hand

and walk All this mind-splitting philosophy this bone-bending yoga is not needed God is

here because God is everywhere

Then there is the karma yogi the man of action He thinks all the other types of yogis with

their fancy philosophies are just lazy

But a kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all He laughs at everyone Donrsquot they know that all

of existence is energy If you donrsquot transform your energy whether you long for God or you

long for anything else nothing is going to happen There will be no transformation

These four people customarily canrsquot get along But today they happened to be walking

together in the forest and a storm broke out It grew very intense and began raining heavily

They started running looking for shelter

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

5

It is just that in one person the heart may be dominant in another person the head may be

dominant in yet another person the hands may be dominant but everybody is a

combination of these four So you need a combination of these four It is just that only if it

is mixed in the right way for you it works best for you What we give for one person if it is

given to you it may not work well for you because that person is so much heart and this

much head That is why on the spiritual path there is so much stress on a live Guru He

mixes the cocktail right for you otherwise there is no punch

The four yogis

It happened once Four men were walking in the forest The first was a gnana yogi the

second was a bhakti yogi the third was a karma yogi and the fourth was a kriya yogi

Usually these four people can never be together The gnana yogi has total disdain for all

other types of yoga His is the yoga of intelligence and normally an intellectual has

complete disdain for everyone else particularly these bhakti types who look upward and

chant Godrsquos name all the time They look like a bunch of idiots to him

But a bhakti yogi a devotee thinks all this gnana karma and kriya yoga is a waste of time

He pities the others who donrsquot see that when God is here all you need to do is hold His hand

and walk All this mind-splitting philosophy this bone-bending yoga is not needed God is

here because God is everywhere

Then there is the karma yogi the man of action He thinks all the other types of yogis with

their fancy philosophies are just lazy

But a kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all He laughs at everyone Donrsquot they know that all

of existence is energy If you donrsquot transform your energy whether you long for God or you

long for anything else nothing is going to happen There will be no transformation

These four people customarily canrsquot get along But today they happened to be walking

together in the forest and a storm broke out It grew very intense and began raining heavily

They started running looking for shelter

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

6

The bhakti yogi the devotion man said ldquoIn this direction there is an ancient temple Letrsquos

go thererdquo Hersquos a devotee he knows the geography of temples very well

They all ran in that direction They came to an ancient temple All the walls had crumbled

long ago just the roof and four columns remained They rushed into the temple not out of

love for God but just to escape the rain

There was a deity in the center They ran towards it The rain was lashing down from every

direction There was no other place to go so they moved closer and closer Finally there was

no alternative They just hugged the deity and sat down

The moment these four people hugged the idol there was a huge fifth presence Suddenly

God appeared

In all their four minds the same question arose Why now They wondered ldquoWe expounded

so many philosophies did so many poojas served so many people did so much body-

breaking sadhana but you didnrsquot come Now when wersquore just escaping the rain you turn up

Whyrdquo

God said ldquoAt last you four idiots got togetherrdquo

If these dimensions donrsquot walk together human beings will be one big mess Right now for

most people these dimensions are aligned in different directions Your mind is thinking and

feeling one way your physical body is going another way your energy another way Yoga is

simply the science of aligning these three dimensions

Yoga ndash The ultimate union

When we say ldquoyogardquo for many of you it probably means some impossible physical postures

That is not what we are referring to here Yoga simply means to be in perfect tune When

you are in yoga your body mind and energy and existence are in absolute harmony When

your body and mind are in a relaxed state and at a certain level of blissfulness you can be

free of so many nagging ailments Let us say you go and sit in your office with a nagging

headache Your headache is not a major disease but just that throbbing could take away

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

7

some of your enthusiasm for work and perhaps some of your capability for that day But

with the practice of yoga your body and mind can be kept at the highest possible peak

When you experience everything as one in your consciousness then you are in yoga

The word ldquoyogardquo literally means ldquounionrdquo When you experience everything as one in your

consciousness then you are in yoga To attain to that unity within you there are many ways

For example there is hatha yoga Hatha yoga means you start with the body The body itself

has its own attitudes its own ego its own nature Apart from your mind do you see your

body has its own ego Suppose you say ldquoFrom tomorrow I want to get up at five in the

morning and walk on the beachrdquo You set the alarm The alarm rings You want to get up but

your body says ldquoShut up and sleeprdquo It has its own way

So we start with the body Hatha yoga is a way of working with the body disciplining the

body purifying the body and preparing the body for higher levels of energy All of us are

alive all of us are human beings But all of us do not experience life to the same intensity

because our pranic energies are not the same Different people experience life in different

levels of intensity

For example someone sees a tree A tree is just a tree Most people donrsquot even see it

Somebody sees the tree in more detail An artist sees every shade of it Someone else not

only sees the tree but also sees the divine in it Seeing is not the same because the level of

intensity with which you experience life is not the same

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next step into the unknown We have made

this yogic science almost like a physical science

The whole process of yoga is to take you from something that you know and take the next

step into the unknown We have made this yogic science almost like a physical science

Suppose you mix two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen you get water Even when a

great scientist puts it together it is water Even if an idiot puts it together it is only water

Similarly in yoga too whether a great yogi does it or an ignorant person does it it does not

matter If he does the practices and sadhana properly the result is there to be seen

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

8

In yoga these systems have been identified To start with you work with the body then you

move to thebreath then to the mind then to the inner self Like this many steps have been

created They are only different aspects They are not really different types of yoga In fact

we address all of them at once It is important that in a very balanced way all of them are

addressed at once as one unit Otherwise if you work just with the body it is only

preparatory in nature So there is really no division as such Yoga is a union of all these

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

9

3 Kundalini Yoga Beneficial or Dangerous

Sadhguru speaks about what kundalini is and looks at the process of Kundalini Yoga He

explores how this powerful spiritual process should be approached with utmost

responsibility and reverence

Sadhguru In the yogic culture the snake is a symbolism for kundalini ndash the unmanifest

energy within you The nature of kundalini is such that when it is still you do not even know

it exists Only when it moves you realize there is so much power within you Till it moves it

is almost non-existent Because of this kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-

up snake is so hard to see unless it moves Similarly you do not see this coiled-up energy

unless it moves If your kundalini is aroused miraculous things that you cannot believe

possible will happen with you An unleashing of a completely new level of energy begins and

your body and everything behaves in a completely different way

Kundalini is symbolized as a snake because a coiled-up snake is so hard to see unless it moves

Heightened states of energy are also heightened states ofperception The whole yogic system

is aimed only towards enhancing your perception A spiritual process essentially means just

that ndash to enhance your perception because you know only what you perceive This is the

reason for the symbolism of Shiva and a snake It indicates that his energies have reached

the peak His energies have reached the top of his head and so his third eye has opened

The Third Eye

The third eye does not mean someonersquos forehead has cracked and something came out It

simply means another dimension of perception has opened up The two eyes can see only

that which is physical If I just cover them with my hand they cannot look beyond that That

is how limited they are If the third eye has opened it means another dimension of

perception which is inward looking which looks at life completely differently has opened

up and everything that can be perceived is perceived

If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and

dangerous

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

10

Nowadays a lot of books and yoga studios talk about Kundalini Yoga and its benefits

though they donrsquot know anything about it Even to utter the word ldquokundalinirdquo we always

bring a sense of reverence and then utter the word because it is so enormous If you have to

activate the kundalini the necessary preparation in your body mind and emotion should

happen because if you pump energy into a system which is not ready for that kind of voltage

or volume things will fuse out So many people have come to me who have lost their mental

balance and physical capabilities because they tried to do Kundalini Yoga without the

necessary guidance and assistance If the necessary supportive atmosphere is not there

simply attempting to raise kundalini could be very irresponsible and dangerous

Energy has no discretion

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous

because it is the most potent also What is most potent is always the most dangerous if

improperly handled For example there are various kinds of ways in which electricity is

being produced One of the ways we do it is through nuclear reactors It is the most efficient

way of producing energy that we know right now but it is also the most dangerous way isnrsquot

it When things are going right it is the easiest and best way to produce energy on the

planet When things go wrong they go seriously wrong in ways that you canrsquot fix it Similarly

with Kundalini Yoga it is the most potent and it is the most dangerous Without the

necessary preparation without constant expert guidance and observation no one should

ever attempt it But the problem is books have been written about it and everybody wants to

do the highest yoga Nobody wants to start with ldquoArdquo everybody wants to start the alphabet

with ldquoZrdquo This attitude itself is dangerous

Kundalini Yoga in its essence is the most dangerous form of yoga I am saying dangerous because it is the most potent also

In classical yogic traditions there is a certain type of yoga we teach for people who live in

family situations There is a certain other type of yoga we teach for ascetics We never teach

those in family situations the ascetic form That is the most potent way to do it but it will

demand a certain dimension of discipline and focus which your regular lives will not allow

If you do that kind of yoga it will dismantle your outside life instantly

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

11

This doesnrsquot mean there is something wrong with Kundalini Yoga It is a very fantastic

process but it needs to be done properly because energy has no discretion of its own You

can make your life out of it or you can burn your life out of it Electricity is making our life

But if you stick your little finger into it you know what will happen Energy has no

discretion How you use it is how it is Kundalini is also like that You are using it right now

but in a minimal way If you maximize it you can raise beyond your limitations of existence

All yoga in one way is towards that but Kundalini Yoga is particularly towards that In fact

all life is towards that In some way people want to experience life more intensely than they

are experiencing it right now Someone wants to sing someone else wants to dance

someone wants to drink alcohol someone else wants to pray ndash why are they doing all this

They want to experience life more intensely Everyone is trying to raise their kundalini but

they are doing it haphazardly When you approach it scientifically with a proper method we

say it is yoga

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

12

4The Benefits of Meditation ndash Shambhavi and Good Health

Meditation is a powerful tool for spiritual growth and is essentially a process to take one

beyond the limitations of body and mind Teachers and practitioners of these ldquoinner

technologiesrdquo have also experienced the many physical and mental benefits of meditation

and yoga In recent years a growing number of scientific studies and research on meditation

have corroborated these experiences

Isharsquos introductory practice is the Shambhavi Mahamudra an ancient kriya that has

millions of dedicated practitioners who aver that they experience greater emotional balance

concentration focus stability and better health with regular practice of the meditation In

fact there have been several scientific studies that measure the various benefits of

practicing the kriya regularly ndash both with regard to brain activity during the kriya as well as

statistical research of how it affects peoplersquos health and well-being

How does the Kriya Work

The reason why most people are unhappy or unhealthy is that the physical the mental and

the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru says ldquoThere is a certain way to engineer our system to make this body to make

this mindhellip the very chemistry within us the way we want itrdquo Traditionally yoga sees the

human being as five layers of body the physical body the mental body the pranic energy

body the etheric body and the bliss body The reason why most people are unhappy or

unhealthy is that the physical the mental and the ldquopranicrdquo body are not in alignment

Sadhguru explains ldquoIf they are properly aligned a natural expression an overwhelming

expression of joyfulness will naturally happen within a human being Now we are looking at

the technology of keeping these three bodies constantly aligned so that joyfulness is not an

accidental happening joyfulness becomes a normal condition a natural way of living for

yourdquo

The Studies

Studies on Shambhavi Mahamudra have been varied some have examined its impact on

disease status and medicine usage some have looked specifically at menstrual disorders

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

13

while others have studied the benefits of this meditation on sleep heart rate variability

brain activity etc Other studies have researched general well-being and improved attention

spans among regular meditators

Letrsquos take a look at the results of some of the key studies

Improved Cardiac Health

Two studies published in 2008 and 2012 examined how Shambhavi Mahamudra supported

cardiac health The studies showed that participants had a more well-balanced Cardiac

Autonomic Nervous System and an overall increase in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) during

the practice A higher HRV has been linked to better immunity to stressful situations and is

said to bestow a greater survival advantage on individuals A lower HRV on the other hand

has been linked to various heart diseases such as coronary artery disease hypertension

chronic heart failure and myocardial infarction The researchers conclude that practitioners

of the Shambhavi Mahamudra and other Isha Yoga practices have higher exercise tolerance

better cardiac response to stressful situation lower probability of undergoing hypertension

of cardiac troubles such as ischemia or infarction

Greater Coherence Within the Brain

A study from the Centre for Biomedical Engineering IIT Delhi looked at EEG

(Electroencephalography) data from practitionerrsquos brains before during and after practicing

the kriya The results show that practitioners experienced a greater level of coherence

between the right and left hemispheres of the brain EEG coherence is known to be a

measure of how well connected various regions of the brain are Higher coherence indicates

greater exchange of information between various regions as well as improved functional

coupling and coordination Higher levels of coherence are also correlated to higher scores

on IQ and creativity tests as well emotional stability and cognitive flexibility

The researchers also measured signals at various prominent EEG spectral bands known as

the alpha beta delta and theta Shambhavi practitioners were seen to have higher alpha

band power in general indicating that they experienced lower stress levels There was a high

increase in delta band power and theta band and a notable reduction in beta band power A

reduction in beta band power indicates reduced susceptibility to mental tension excitement

and anxiety Higher theta and delta activity have been noted in previous research as

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

14

indicative of conscious access to deeper states of meditation ldquoDelta rhythms combined with

alpha are known to reflect an inner intuitive empathetic radar a kind of sixth senserdquo the

researchers note

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

15

4 Why North isnrsquot the Best Direction and Position To Sleep

Sadhguru looks at why Indians traditionally never slept with their heads pointing north

and explores a few other things that can help us sleep well and rest better

Sadhguru In India you were told that you should not place your head to the north

while sleeping Why First letrsquos look at the way your body is engineered Your heart is not

located half-way down it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up

against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down The blood vessels which go upward

are a finer arrangement compared to those going down As they go up into the brain they

are almost hair-like to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop If one extra

drop is pumped in something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain This does not incapacitate you in any major

way but small damages happen You may become duller which people are becoming Your

level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to

keep it up You are managing because of your memory not because of your intelligence

When you put your head to the north what happens If you have any kind of blood-related

problem letrsquos say anemia what would a doctor prescribe Iron It is an important

ingredient in your blood You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet In many ways

the earth is engineered because of its magnetism Thatrsquos how powerful the magnetic forces

are on the planet

When the body is positioned horizontally you can immediately make out that your pulse

rate drops The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level

too much will go into your head causing damage Now if you place your head to the north

and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain If

you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak you could have hemorrhages

and paralytic strokes Or if your system is sturdy and these things donrsquot happen to you you

could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be

when you are sleeping It is not that if you do this for one day you will fall dead But if you

do this every day you are asking for trouble What kind of trouble depends on how strong

your system is

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

16

So which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards East is the best

direction North-east is okay West is alright South if you must North no This is true as

long as you are in the northern hemisphere ndash sleeping with your head towards any side

except north is okay In the southern hemisphere donrsquot put your head to the south

The Right and Wrong Side of the Bed

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology The station that pumps life across the

body ndash if this one thing doesnrsquot happen nothing happens ndash starts from your left side In

India the culture has always said that when you wake up you must roll to your right side

and then get out of bed When your body is in a certain state of relaxation its metabolic

activity is low When you get up there is a certain surge of activity So you need to roll over

to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity if you suddenly

roll to your left you will put pressure upon your cardiac system

The First Thing You See

In the tradition they also told you that before you get up in the morning you must rub your

hands together and place your palms upon your eyes They said that if you do this you will

see God It is not about seeing God

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands If you rub your palms

together all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately

When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy just do this and see

everything comes awake Instantly a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and

other aspects of your senses come awake Before you move your body your body and brain

should be active You shouldnrsquot get up dumb thatrsquos the idea

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

17

5 Kriya Yoga ndash A Powerful Way To Walk The Spiritual Path

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at what kriya yoga means and what it takes to walk this path and

explore the very mechanics of the life process

Sadhguru Fundamentally kriya means internal action When you do inner action it does

not involve the body and the mind because both the body and the mind are still external to

you When you have a certain mastery to do action with your energy then it is a kriya

If you do external activity we call it karma If you do internal activity we call it kriya In a

way both are certain kind of karmas or both are certain kind of kriyas But traditionally or

in the general sense of the term it is understood like this karmas are those which bind you

kriyas are those which release you

Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a different kind of depth to life

Whatever we do with your body your attitudes and your thought for example today your

thoughts may go in one direction Tomorrow if another person comes and influences you

they will go another way Similarly whatever we do with your body your body is well today

so it likes asanas Tomorrow morning if your body is stiff you will hate asanas

Youremotions are not at all reliable At any moment they can shift from this to that But your

energies are different Once we start working with the energy in a certain way it has a

different kind of depth to life Suddenly there is a different dimension to every aspect of

your life because your energies have been touched and activated in a completely different

way

A powerful way

Kriya yoga is a very powerful way to walk the spiritual path but at the same time it is a very

demanding way What it demands out of a person is so tremendous For a modern educated

person today kriya yoga would be inhuman because it needs that kind of discipline and a

certain exactness about everything Most people donrsquot have the body the mind or the

stability of emotion for the kriya yoga path anymore because right from childhood people

are in too much comfort Comfort does not mean physical comfort Sitting in a comfortable

chair is not an obstruction But your whole being is seeking comfort always that is a great

obstruction If you are sitting on something which is comfortable enjoy it ndash there is no

problem about it But if you are constantly seeking comfort then that kind of mind and

emotion is unsuitable for the path of kriya yoga Kriya yoga cannot be done with people who

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

18

are loose people who talk ldquofreedomrdquo everywhere ldquoAm I not free to do this am I not free to

do that canrsquot I eat this canrsquot I sleep thererdquo

If you take someone into the path of kriya if I tell you sleep with your legs up and head

down that is how you should sleep without asking questions because all of it can never be

explained You may understand as you go but it can never be explained And if it has to be

explained the essence of the kriya will be lost If people start asking stupid logical questions

for everything kriyas cannot be imparted

If we want to teach you kriyas just as a physical practice I can write a book about it and you

can read and learn it But if you want the kriya to be a live process if we want the kriya to be

imprinted into your system in a certain way then it needs discipline and dedication It

needs trust to open up your energies to the other person so that you become absolutely

vulnerable He may do anything with you and initially you will start wondering what the

hell he is doing with you because the initial stages of kriyas can be such that you donrsquot know

whether you are getting enlightened or you are going mad You must have enough trust to

sustain through those periods Otherwise kriya will be difficult

So generally on the path of kriya most Gurus make the disciples wait You come and you

want to learn kriya yoga ldquoOkay sweep the floorrdquo ldquoNo I want to learn kriya yogardquo ldquoThat is

why I said sweep the floorrdquo You swept the floor for one year and said ldquoI did one year of

sweepingrdquo ldquoOh you are done with one year of sweeping the floor Wash the dishesrdquo Just

make him wait wait and wait Use him misuse him abuse him and still his trust does not

shake ldquoOh there must be some reasonrdquo When he comes to this then he can be initiated

into kriyas Otherwise once you power him in a particular way that his system is vibrant

beyond normal standards if his attitudes and emotions are not proper he will cause

immense damage to himself

But in todayrsquos world to get that kind of time with people to make them wait and go through

all this and when they come to that kind of trust then imprinting this is a little remote It is

not impossible but it is a little remote in the modern world

The mechanics of life

Kriya yoga is important only if you want to do things beyond realization If your interest is

only to somehow escape this prison and get away you just want enlightenment or mukti

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

19

then you donrsquot really have to walk the kriya yoga path because kriyas are so elaborate and

involve so much discipline and focus If you just want to be liberated then kriyas can be

used in a small way it need not be too intense Kriya as a whole path is not necessary

because it needs too much application

With the path of kriya you are not only seeking realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making

If you follow the path of kriya very intensely without guidance it may take a few lifetimes to

mature If there is someone alive who can do things with you then it can happen in this life

Otherwise kriya is a little roundabout way With the path of kriya you are not only seeking

realization you also want to know the mechanics of life-making You want to know the

engineering of how life is built ndash what to do about it That is why it is a much longer process

People who have come up on kriya have a completely different kind of presence about them

because of the mastery over their energies They can dismantle life and put it back together

But if you are just pursuing other ways like gnana for example you are razor-sharp you can

do many things with your mind but still there is nothing much you can do with your energy

If you are on bhakti there is nothing you can do and you donrsquot care you only want to

dissolve If you are on the path of karma yoga you do many things in the world but you can

do nothing with yourself But kriya yogis can do whatever they wish with themselves in

terms of energy and they can do a lot with the world also

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

20

7The Moment of Death ndash Using the Dying Process For

Spiritual Growth

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the dying process and how maintaining awareness at the

moment of death can be a means of spiritual growth He also explains how some of the traditions

in Indian culture surrounding the moment of death evolved

Questioner In the Bhagavad Gita it says that whatever state of being one remembers during

the dying process he will attain that state being absorbed in its thought Is it so Sadhguru

Can we use the moment of death to create pleasantness in whatver comes later

Sadhguru Yes it is that simple Buthellip There is a very beautiful story Wherever he went

Sage Narada only said ldquoNarayana Narayanardquo Narada had a passport for all the three worlds

ndash he freely traveled everywhere One day he saw a farmer plowing his land in a state of

ecstasy and bliss Narada was eager to find out what the secret of his bliss was When he

approached the farmer to talk to him the farmer did not even notice him so engrossed he

was in plowing his land At noon time he took a break from his work and went to eat under

a tree He opened the container with whatever little food he had and just said ldquoNarayana

Narayana Narayanardquo and started eating The farmer wanted to share the meal with him but

because of the caste system Narada would not eat with him Narada inquired ldquoWhat is the

source of your blissrdquo The farmer said ldquoEvery day Narayana appears in his true form to me

That is the source of my blissrdquo Narada asked him ldquoWhat sadhana do you dordquo The farmer

said ldquoI donrsquot know anything Irsquom an ignorant illiterate man It is just that when I wake up in

the morning I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I start my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I end my work I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three times When I eat I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three

times When I go to bed I say lsquoNarayanarsquo three timesrdquo Narada calculated how many times

in 24 hours he himself was saying lsquoNarayanarsquo It ran into millions But still if he wanted to

see Narayana he had to go all the way to Vaikuntha[1] which was a long journey But to this

farmer who just said ldquoNarayanardquo three times before eating before plowing and whatever

else Narayana came right there Narada thought this is not fair it must be some kind of a

mistake

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that

moment you must practice awareness for a lifetime

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

21

Immediately he made his journey to Vaikuntha and asked Vishnu ldquoI say your name all the

time but you donrsquot appear for me I have to come and see you But to this farmer you

appear every day and he is living in ecstasyrdquo Vishnu looked at Narada asked Lakshmi to get

a vessel filled to the brim with oil and told Narada ldquoFirst there is an errand to be done

Please take this vessel full of oil to Bhuloka without spilling a drop leave it there and come

back We will answer the question laterrdquo Narada took the vessel with oil went to Bhuloka

left it there and came back ldquoNow answer my questionrdquo Vishnu asked ldquoWhen you were

carrying this vessel full of oil how many times did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquordquo Narada said ldquoHow

could I say lsquoNarayanarsquo at that time You said not a drop should spill so I had to pay

attention to that But coming back Irsquove said many lsquoNarayanasrsquordquo Vishnu said ldquoThat is the

whole thing This farmerrsquos life is like carrying a vessel full of oil that may spill any moment

He has to earn his food he has to do so many things In spite of that he is saying

lsquoNarayanarsquo When you carried the oil in this vessel not once did you utter lsquoNarayanarsquo When

you have nothing to do it is easyrdquo

Using the dying process

When the moment of death comes it takes something to be aware enough to say what you

want to say Most people die in unawareness In this culture if someone is dying they will

always start a chant like ldquoRam naam satya hairdquo ldquoAum Namah Shivayardquo or whatever they

know because they want the dying one to utter a godrsquos name or somehow become aware in

the last moment You donrsquot even have to say anything If you can maintain your awareness

in the moment you are shifting from one dimension of life to another from the physical to

the beyond that is mukti But to come to awareness in that moment you must practice

awareness for a lifetime Or you must be in the presence of someone who can make that

happen for you In that context Krishna said that if you can think of him in the moment of

death he will be there and ensure that you pass

Here he talks about an inner reality ndash the yoga of attaining the Absolute When it comes to

attaining the Absolute if you do the right things it is 100 sure that it will work because

the only ingredient is you ndash nothing else but you So he could say with absolute certainty ldquoIf

you do this I will take care of itrdquo When it comes to outer realities he would never have said

such a thing because he knew life ndash external realities are subject to so many factors

If you can maintain your awareness in the moment of transition from the physical to the

beyond you can attain This is why for most people the moment of realization and the

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

22

moment of leaving the body are the same If the awareness comes when you are leaving the

body anyway you will leave it But even if it is not yet time to leave your body but your

awareness rises to such a peak where you and your body are clearly separated you most

probably will not have the necessary capability to hang on to the body unless you are in

situations where certain control mechanisms are in place that ensure you will not slip out of

the body

The moment of death and future births

If you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the quality of your future birthThat is the reason why in this

culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go to the forest to die ndash this is Vanaprastha

One more aspect is if you have a certain thought at the moment of death it becomes the

quality of your future birth We must create an atmosphere of peacefulness and wellbeing for

people during the dying process because whatever is the dominant factor in their mind and

emotions in the last moment will become the quality of their future lives That is the reason

why in this culture we always said you should not die among your family People used to go

to the forest to die ndash this isVanaprastha Even emperor Dhritarashtra his queen Gandhari

and Kunti went into the forest after the Kurukshetra war with just Sanjaya as an assistant

They had all become old so they went to the forest to die there rather than in the palace

Though Dhritarashtra was blind and stupid in many ways that much awareness was there

which is missing in the world today Now that her children had become emperors Kunti

who had suffered all kinds of hardship in her life could have enjoyed the palace but she

also decided to go and die in the forest

So they went into the forest and climbed up a very steep hill There was a forest fire Since

they were old they could not run or fight the forest fire so they just decided to offer

themselves to the fire So Dhritarashtra told Sanjaya ldquoYou have served me very well till

now but you are still a young man ndash go away The three of us will give ourselves to the firerdquo

Sanjaya refused to leave them and all four got burnt in the forest fire

If you die among the family you will die with a huge sense of attachment which in the

future will not bring wellbeing You know that in India even today people go to Kashi to

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

23

die because it is a holy place They want to die in the grace of Shiva They donrsquot want to die

with their family throwing their emotions at them

Time to pay back the loan

Death is the only certainty in life If you lived your life well death is not at all a bad thing If

when you were alive every moment there was hesitation fear hatred anger it means you

never lived If when death comes you want to live that is no good After all what is death

You are shedding the body The body is a loan you took from Mother Earth If you take letrsquos

say 10 million loan from the bank and letrsquos say in the next 50 years you made these 10

million into 10 billion if your banker comes to reclaim the loan you will pay him joyously

with interest You will treat him and give him gifts But suppose you squandered these 10

million and lost everything if the banker comes terror arises within you You will try to

hide So many tricks you will try to play Similarly the Earth gave you this loan If you have

made this into a blessed life if you really put it to absolute use and you lived in great

sweetness within yourself then when Mother Earth says it is time to pay back the loan you

will joyfully pay it back And there is no interest For one who joyfully pays back the loan it

is over because when you are joyful being aware comes naturally When you are aware you

are on the path of liberation Definitely the last momentrsquos quality will become a major

quality of your future lives ndash if you wish to have future lives If you want dissolution into the

Ultimate if you want to become one with it then there is no future life People have been

telling me ldquoSadhguru donrsquot use this negative terminology ndash it scares us We are going to

dissolve and become nothingrdquo We could say instead ldquoWhen you attain mukti you will

become everythingrdquo

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

24

8 A Home for Growth ndash Sadhguru on How to Grow

Spiritually

Can onersquos home feel like an ashram even in the midst of the city madness Sadhguru looks at how to

grow spiritually and create a conducive atmosphere at home

Questioner When I stay in the ashram my spiritual practices happen so effortlessly But

when I go home after a while it becomes very mechanical How to grow spiritually and

maintain this effortlessness even at home

Sadhguru Essentially a home is an arrangement to live People make arrangements

according to their means and according to their needs ndash or sometimes according to their

neighborsrsquo needs I hope your home is according to your needs and not according to

someone elsersquos idea as to how you should live You must make your home the way it works

for you

A home is not just the building It also includes all your other arrangements ndash your wife or

husband your children maybe your parents your neighbors and the neighborhood The idea of

living in a town or city instead of living in the forest is to make our lives easier to have

infrastructure and a community It may not be working for you right now but you chose to

live in the city so that life would be a little more effortless You choose an arrangement that

is convenient for whatever purpose you live for

What Makes an Ashram an Ashram

What makes an ashram an ashram is that everyone is here because they want to be here ndash they

are not trapped here You need to create such a situation in your home too Just see if

anyone is feeling trapped in your home There may be people who feel that way and you

donrsquot even know They may be speaking to the neighbors not to you They may not feel

entirely trapped but maybe suffocated in some way If they are feeling suffocated open

larger windows for them or put them on the rooftop ndash whatever is needed to make sure

everyone is there because they want to be there

Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at home toohellipYour home should be an arrangement for your growth

Once you create this atmosphere suddenly home is a nice place to be But if there is even

one person who does not want to be there he will create a certain atmosphere and a vibe

that is difficult to live with First of all check yourself ndash is this the place you want to be If it

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

25

is not see why If it is see why Engineer your home in such a way that it feels like a

wonderful place for you to do your sadhana(spiritual practices) to live well to be peaceful

and to be joyful Let this not become a hellhole for you ndash it is your home It is an

arrangement that you made ndash no one shoved you into it It must work the way you want it to

Above all clean yourself from all the stupid competition and opinions that you have about

how you should live in the city You do not have to be in a particular way to achieve certain

things You can be completely different do completely different things and still get there In

many ways I am a living example of this regarding the spiritual process People think you

are not spiritual if you turn your head briskly They think you must turn it slowly and you

must speak gently People have certain ideas how someone who is spiritual is supposed to

be Set patterns are destroying your life

Set Up A Conducive Atmosphere

If you are a spiritual seeker why canrsquot your home be set up like an ashram It would be great

if everyone was a volunteer at home Do not volunteer only in the ashram ndash be a volunteer at

home too Many people have shared with me ldquoNever in my life I ever thought cutting

vegetables could be such a fantastic experiencerdquo I said ldquoWhy You never ate vegetables in

your liferdquo ldquoYes buthelliprdquo When they are at home they expect someone else to do it

The fundamental thing is to make sure everyone is there because they want to be there Set

an atmosphere where your home is not a place to be stuck in but a place to grow in Your

home should be an arrangement for your growth

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

26

9 The Golden Mean of Blissfulness

Sadhguru answers a question about the ups and downs of life and looks at the importance of

creating a golden mean of blissfulness as a stable platform to go through life

Questioner Sadhguru there are days when I am extremely happy and there are days when I

am extremely sad for no reason How to deal with these ups and downs

Sadhguru In southern India if someone laughs too much and is too happy they say ldquoDonrsquot

laugh so much It will be followed by miseryrdquo This is an unfortunate kind of wisdom some

people have come to because life has been like that to them If they experience too much joy

today misery will strike them tomorrow This is because people work themselves up In

their minds they multiply both misery and joy Now you may ask ldquoIf we donrsquot do this

where is the beauty in liferdquo Life is beautiful as it is You do not have to give it a coat of

make-up

It is because you have no attention for life in its fundamental sense that you are lost in your

psychological reality The psychological and physiological aspects of who you are happen in

cycles You may be overly exuberant and on a high today and hit the bottom tomorrow Most

human beings are going through this psychological rollercoaster You will always find some

outside influence as an excuse but even if we lock you up in a room and there is no one who

can cause happiness or misery to you still these psychological cycles will happen Similarly

there are physiological cycles and both the psychological and the physiological cycles can

influence each other depending on which is the bigger force at that moment

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful

The knowledge about these cycles has sunk into people in a certain way and they kind of

psych themselves into believing that anyway misery will strike them ndash and it will If you

understand that you alone make up both joy and misery there will be no problem The

biggest mistake that people make is they try to be happy And not only happy ndash they try to

be happier than someone else That is a serious problem Do not try to be happy Once you

experientially know that whatever happens within you is caused by you and nothing else but

you you will be blissful You will neither be flying high nor will you be in the dumps ndash you

will just be blissful This maintainable height of pleasantness may be different from person

to person depending upon the intensity and the amount of energy that you have but it is a

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

27

stable platform If you want to enjoy an ecstatic state you can always go up and come back

If you like melancholy you can go down and come back up again

The Golden Mean

This mean experience of blissfulness is the golden mean the middle path that the Buddha

and others have talked about It is just that different people arrive at a different mean This

is not a passive sedate state but a lively pleasant state ndash like a nice morning No thunder

claps but everything is fine going well This is where the ldquoGood morningrdquo comes from

When you wake up in the morning after having been removed from the world for a period of

time it feels so nice Even the afternoon is nice and so is the evening and everything else

but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this It is like after having nothing but kanji

[liquid porridge] for five days you eat regular food again You will suddenly notice how nice

it is Every moment is good in its own way but it takes a withdrawal for you to notice this

This golden mean is not non-participating If you want you can fly up and land again or

you can go down and come back again but in any case you maintain a certain level of

blissfulness Organizing this blissfulness is the work of your kriya If you do your kriya

properly you will hit that golden mean and maintain it From there you can strive to set

your golden mean at a higher more exuberant level Depending on how much energy and

aliveness you generate within yourself your mean will settle at a higher or lower level But

wherever it settles it will be a beautiful experience for you It is not effervescent ecstasy

because you cannot maintain that or if you do you cannot be active in the world You can

get sozzled with ecstasy but then you will not be able to do whatever you have to do

If you want to be effective in the world you need to maintain the golden mean of

blissfulness ndash a blissfulness that is for lack of better words a combination of natural

peacefulness and joyfulness Letrsquos say you are moving around in the morning making your

breakfast humming without knowing you simply feel nice ndash this is blissfulness Ecstasy is a

freaked-out state of pleasantness You cannot stay there unless you have reached a certain

level of energy There are yogis ndash they are called avadhutas ndash who are in such states of

ecstasy that they do not even know that they must eat They do not care to do anything

Someone has to feed them someone has to take them to the toilet ndash as if they were

completely drugged out But in todayrsquos world there is no one to take care of you ndash you better

come down

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

28

A Stable Platform

You must hit your golden mean It is time to simply sit ndash no matter if your knees swell your

ankles hurt like hell ndash you are blissful One part is in heaven one part is in hell ndash in between

is the golden mean That is why long meditations ndash to arrive at a state where you can be

engaged in everything in the world but still be blissful If you do not have this stable

platform and you get into activity you will get lost In todayrsquos world most of peoplersquos lives

are too controlled ndash nothing extreme happens to you Suppose you were living in the wild

your golden mean of blissfulness would make you very alert and enhance your survival

capabilities

If you are miserable and depressed you will not survive well ndash you will want it all to end and

become the tigerrsquos lunch today If you are too ecstatic you do not care if the tiger eats you

either Only if you are in the golden mean you can maintain your survival instinct do all the

work that you can and still be pleasant to yourself and to everyone around you which is

important if you want to live in the world If you are so freaked out in ecstasy that you do

not care what happens around you have to withdraw completely Such people usually will

not last too long ndash they will die young but this does not matter ndash ecstasy serves its own

purpose They are in such a freaked-out state of ecstasy that life may pop out any moment

If instead of living for fifty years they were in freaked-out ecstasy for five years and then

died it is perfectly all right They have seen everything that human experience can touch ndash

there is nothing more to do

The Bhava Spandana program is to show you that you can freak out in ecstasy for no reason

which is nice but you cannot stay there If you want to always be in a pleasant state you

need to create a stable platform ndash a golden mean of blissfulness Meditating a few days in a

year will not do The idea is to take the sadhana into your life If you give yourself to

sadhana I will be a living reality in your life Right now I am a thought a memory in your

mind If you want me to be a living reality every moment of your life you have to invest

some time into bringing clarity to who you are If who you are is murky whatever I am will

be missed There is no space no nook or corner not one atom which is not touched by the

Grace of the Creator but you completely miss it as long as who you are is murky If you

settle this suddenly it will be like a new existence altogether

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

29

10 Patanjali ndash The Father of Modern Yoga

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru explores the incredible life and capabilities of Patanjali the father of

modern yoga and the author of the celebrated yoga sutras

Sadhguru If you look at Patanjali as an enlightened being he canrsquot be more enlightened

than someone else There is no such thing Realization is realization But as a man and

above all as an intellect he is such an intellect that the great scientists of today look like

kindergarten children in front of him The breadth of his understanding of life is so big that

you cannot believe that this is possible in one human being In his mastery of language

mathematics and in his perception of astronomy he is so fantastic Todayrsquos scholars argue

that this is not one manrsquos work that many people must have worked to make this happen

because it is so big it cannot fit into one manrsquos intellect It is one manrsquos work He is probably

one of the greatest intellects ever on this planet

He is known as the father of modern yoga He did not invent yoga Yoga was already there in

various forms which he assimilated into a system Shiva the Adiyogi or first yogi

transmitted yoga to the Sapta Rishis or the seven sages many thousands of years ago He had

the highest understanding of human nature but he didnrsquot put anything down in writing He

was too wild to be a scholar He found it was too difficult to put everything he knew into one

person so he chose seven people and put different aspects of yoga into them These became

the seven basic forms of yoga Even today though these have branched off into hundreds of

systems yoga has still maintained seven distinct forms

The Yoga Sutras

Patanjali came much later and sort of assimilated everything He saw that it was getting too

diversified and complex for anyone to understand in any meaningful way So he assimilated

and included all aspects into a certain format ndash as the Yoga Sutras

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the human body mind consciousnesshellip

Sutra literally means a thread Or in modern language we can say it is like a formula

Anyone who knows the English alphabet even a kindergarten child can say E=mcsup2 but

there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people do

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

30

not understand The sutras are like this in thread form Out of ignorance people have just

taken these sutras and are trying to implement it as it is A thread is of no consequence by

itself There can never be a garland without the thread but no one ever wears a garland for

the sake of the thread The thread was given so that each master makes his own kind of

garland You can put flowers on it or beads or pearls or diamonds The thread is vital but

that is not a goal by itself

Unless you are exposed to the culture it is a little difficult to understand what kind of mind

Patanjali is Even though the Indian scriptures like theVedas and the Upanishads are quite

phenomenal by themselves both in terms of grammatical excellence and in their poetic

beauty and content the Yoga Sutras are an absolutely brilliant piece of work compared to

any of the scriptures on the planet talking about life and beyond

They are a tremendous document about life and the most uninterestingbook on the planet It

is the driest and dullest book you can read It is not scholarly in the usual sense Patanjali

does not teach any practice in them He did this intentionally and his mastery over

language and composition was such that he wrote it in a way that no scholar would be

interested in it The idea is this is a formula to open up life If people like the poetry and

literary part of it all kinds of people especially scholars will read it Once they read it they

will make a 100 different interpretations of it

The sutra will mean something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience

Otherwise it is just a bundle of words which donrsquot make any sense Someone who is

exploring his consciousness if he is in a certain state of experience if he just reads one

sutra it will be explosive You are not required to read the whole book If you read one sutra

and make it true with your life thatrsquos enough It will realize you

And Now Yoga

Just to give you some sense of what kind of a man he is ndash he starts such a great document of

life in such a strange way the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras is just half a sentence not

even a full sentence The sentence is like this ldquoAnd Now Yogardquo What do you make out of it

Intellectually it doesnrsquot make any sense but experientially what it is saying is if you still

think that building a new house or finding a new wife or getting your daughter married will

settle your life it is not yet time for yoga If you have seen money power wealth and

pleasure you have tasted everything in your life and you have realized that nothing is going

to fulfill you ultimately and work in the real sense if you have gotten that point then it is

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

31

time for yoga All the nonsense that the whole world is involved in Patanjali just brushes it

aside with half a sentence This is why the first sutra is ldquoand now yogardquo That means you

know nothing works and you do not have a clue about what the hell this is The pain of

ignorance is tearing you apart Now yoga Now there is a way to know

It is improper to call Patanjalirsquos Yoga Sutras a book because it is not a book It is a complex

arrangement of tools ndash such fantastic tools arranged in such a brilliant way that if at all

something similar ever happens it is too far away Because someone with that kind of inner

experience usually would not care or bother with scholarly nonsense And someone who is

so scholarly is usually so lost in his scholarship that he never has any inner experience

Never before has there been one person with an absolute depth of inner experience but with

that kind of erudition and scholarly mastery over language

He just understood humanity inside out ndash not as people but as a total mechanism of the

human body human mind human consciousness ndash everything ndash in such absolute detail and

completeness There is simply no better way to look at it It is not fair actually because

whatever you try to say the guy has already said it You think of the most brilliant idea and

try to say something but he has already said it He did not leave anything for anyone to say

about life

The musician

They say he played a variety of instruments and was a great musician and singer The veena

was one of his favorite instruments and he composed many ragas His intellect was such

that he could find a way through anything He was absolutely audacious in everything and

did things in a challenging way that no one could break through

There was another sage Vyagrapada who was his contemporary Vyagrapada means ldquoone

who has tigerrsquos feetrdquo And there was someone else with a name that meant ldquoone with horns

on his headrdquo Once in their banter they got into an argument and teased Patanjali He then

took a challenge that he will compose music in any raga without using alphabets with

ldquohornsrdquo This is almost impossible but he composed a complicated series of music If you

listen to it you will just see it seems impossible but still the music sticks to the tones and

tunes of the ragas without those alphabets It is so incredible That is the kind of man he

was

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

32

Chidambaram temple

In South India there were five lingas created for the five elements in nature Patanjali

consecrated the linga for space which is inChidambaram

In the yogic system the snake is used as a symbolism for unmanifest energy

or kundalini because till it moves you donrsquot even realize that it is there Patanjali was such a

great being for him divinity is not an upward movement He is a cascade of divinity He is a

kind of human being that gods would be envious of He is symbolically depicted in the

famous half-man half-snake form indicating that he has risen above the duality of life and

attained to ultimate oneness and in doing so has opened the door for others to achieve the

same Half of his body has been symbolically made into snake because he is not seen as a

person anymore He is seen as the very basis of the yogic system

Chitta Vritti Nirodha

Patanjali defined yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha which literally means that if you still the

modifications and activity of the mind you are in yoga Everything has become one in your

consciousness We may be pursuing many things in our lives and going through processes

that we call achievements but to go beyond the modifications of the mind is the most

fundamental and at the same time the highest achievement one can attain because this

releases a human being from what he is seeking ndash from what is within and what is outside ndash

from everything If only he stills his mind he becomes an ultimate possibility The mind

becomes a plain mirror not a wavy mirror A wavy mirror will distort onersquos whole

perception of life At least if you donrsquot look at it you may have some idea how you are but if

you look at it every day it will give you a completely distorted vision of everything

Right now most human beings are using their mind only between their memory and

imagination Memory and imagination are not two separate things Memory is accumulated

past imagination is an exaggerated version of that If you bring your mind to a state where

you are neither contaminated by memory nor deluded by imagination then it is a truly

intelligent penetrative mind It sees everything there is to see ndash life and its source For the

survival process your memory and imagination are good enough but if you want to explore

other dimensions of life then memory and imagination are not sufficient because they are

only a recycling of your past Once you recycle your past there is a pattern to your life And it

is an unbreakable pattern if your mind is just engaged in memory and imagination Once

you are trapped by a pattern it does not matter who created the pattern it is a kind of

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

33

slavery Essentially realizing that one is trapped in psychological realities and missing out

on the existential experience of the grandeur of creation is the first step towards liberation

This is the reason why of all the beautiful ways in which it could be expressed Patanjali

chose the description Chitta Vritti Nirodha for yoga ndash a technology which can take you

towards your liberation or realization

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

34

11 The Most Important Things in Life to Fulfill Your

Potential

Yogi and mystic Sadhguru looks at the most important things in life that can help every

individual live a full-fledged life and blossom to their fullest potential

1 Reflect what is around you

Sadhguru Your inner world ndash if you want to call it that ndash should only be a reflection of what

is around you This may be diametrically opposite to some moral theories that say the outer and

the inner should not touch each other otherwise you would immediately get corrupted by

everything around you That is not true You get corrupted by what is around you only when

you have opinions about everything

You look at one thing as good something else as bad You get attached to what you consider as

good You desperately try to avoid what you consider as bad and of course that will rule you

from inside This is not the way to be Seeing everything just the way it is ndash that is the way to be

within If you see something other than what is there it means you are contaminating the

world with your opinions and prejudices

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and emotions is the greatest and one of the

most important things in life you can do

Creation is made so that you see it the way it is not to make it the way you want to make it

This is an obscenity that humanity is committing upon the Creatorrsquos creation Such a

magnificent creation ndash what is there for you to do Absorb it if you can ndash nothing more ndash

and even that is not simple because creation is phenomenally multi-tiered There are not

just things so many phenomena are happening right here ndash one inside the other all in one

space all in one time

Everything that you think is past everything that you think will be future is right here If

you see everything the way it is if the whole creation reflects within you if you can contain

creation the way it is within you you become the very source of creation That is the way to

be inside and outside

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

35

2 Donrsquot be a psychological case

Either you exist here as a piece of creation which is pretty good or you become like the very

source of creation which is fantastic But being a psychological case is not a good thing To

be just a psychological case you need not have put your mother through the trouble of

delivering you She could have delivered a file and someone could have studied the case It

is not worth being a psychological case If you consider only your thoughts and emotions as

your life and there is nothing beyond that for you you are a psychological case You should

not die as a psychological case ndash abundle of thoughts emotions opinions and prejudices You

must become a vibrant full-fledged life These are the most important things in life

Touching the ultimate rather than defining yourself through patterns of thoughts and

emotions is the greatest and one of the most important things in life you can do You should

strive to become an absolutely full-fledged life A full-fledged life does not mean going out

and doing all kinds of exploits in the world It means allowing yourself to grow to full depth

and dimension Every human being should do this

3 Doing whatrsquos really needed What we do is determined by what is needed These days wherever I go people recognize me

as someone who planted so many trees educating so many children built so many hospitals

and so on I squirm at the thought that this is what I am known for It is most unfortunate

that most people cannot think beyond food education and things like that

Suppose the country or the world was doing really well ndash everyone had enough to eat

everyone was well educated everything was happening well ndash what meaning would it have

to start an Isha Vidhya school and to give a midday meal Right now when the children have

not eaten properly the midday meal seems like a great blessing It is a blessing only because

of the cruelty of poverty It is not a true blessing Only because we created human beings

without having the necessary food for them serving them a meal feels like a great thing I

donrsquot think it is It is unfortunate that such things are still needed in the world

Your inner world should only be a reflection of what is around you

Even if everyone had eaten well and they had everything they wanted enhancing the

experience of life to its ultimate possibility would still always be relevant Ultimately this is

the purpose of all life ndash to blossom to its fullest potential Whether it is a little plant a tree

an elephant an ant a man or a woman ndash the ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged life

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

36

But being in the world we have to play some game Let us play a game that is of maximum

usefulness and meaning to everyone around us If you reflect creation just the way it is

there is no personal need to play a game and no compulsion to be a part of any game

Whether you withdraw into a cave or plunge into the marketplace it is still a game The only

way to not be part of any game is to dissolve That is a great thing to do but when human

beings attain to a certain clarity within themselves they are of immense value to everyone

around so it is good if they hang around for a while and bring a little more clarity to others

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

37

12What is Conscience ndash Should I listen to what it says

How do we decide what is the right thing to do and not do Can our conscience help

Letrsquos look at what is conscience with yogi and mystic Sadhguru as he explores the limitations of

morality and contrasts it against our humanity

Question What is conscience Should we allow it to guide us in life

Sadhguru Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great What

you feel guilty about or what you feel is right or wrong is essentially a social phenomenon

That has been injected into you by social norms Morality is of the society and it is different

from one group of people to another Different times in history and different points of

geography have had different moralities Whatever your grandmother thought was

absolutely immoral is something you do shamelessly today So morality always differs from

person to person according to times and situations It has no existential relevance But your

humanity has existential relevance

What is conscience Conscience means that which hurts when everything else is feeling great

If your humanity was alive and active every moment of your life it wouldnrsquot be necessary for

somebody to tell you to behave this way or that way It is only because people failed to keep

their humanity up that society has tried fixing it with morality But though everyone has

received every kind of moral that they should we havenrsquot been able to fix the world With

morality you have just learnt to pretend with the rest of the people around you Within

yourself all the nonsense is still going on If your humanity is full-blown you wouldnrsquot need

morality You would be fine the way you are

Consciousness vs Conscience

With morality you will develop a conscience not consciousness If your humanity is full-

blown and on full-time you will not need any morality Morality is an imitation of humanity

Morality may fix a few things in society but it will cause complete havoc within the inner

nature of the human being Humanity will also bring social order but in a loose way without

any enforcement It will make the human being beautiful That is what is most important If

humanity flowers and overflows then divinity will be the next natural step Only if you allow

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

38

your humanity to overflow within you then divinity will flower Without the richness of

humanity divinity cannot happen no matter what you do

Make a list of all the things that the major religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin

Morality never brought divinity It has brought guilt shame and fear because no one can

fulfill the kind of morals which have been set Make a list of all the things that the major

religions of the world call as sin You will see just to be alive is a sin Anything that you do is

a sin Your very birth is a sin Since the very process of life is supposed to be a sin you

always feel guilty and terrified

India is a culture without morality There are no morals carved in stone to tell you ldquoThis is what

you do and this is what you donrsquot dordquo We never depended upon morality because we

created human beings who are capable of stirring up humanity in such a big way So the

need for morality or a moral code never arose in each generation

Three keys for humanity

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals

To stir up this humanity we set up three fundamentals One is absolute passion towards

the source of creation This is manifested in this culture in a million different ways When

we wanted to build a town or a city the first thing we built was a grand temple The people

who built this temple lived in huts but they built a phenomenally grand temple This is

especially so in the south of India The other two fundamentals are compassion for all life

around you and dispassion towards yourself If you maintain these three things your

humanity will be always on Otherwise your humanity will get switched off and you will have

to pretend like a fake human being with a set of morals Then you will develop a conscience

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

39

13The True Miracle of Life

Are miracles real or are they just stories told to the gullible Yogi and mystic Sadhguru reminds us

that the answer lies in realizing that the true miracles are in the life happening around us every day

Sadhguru A lot of people keep asking me ldquoSadhguru all the othergurus are claiming all

kinds of miracles Why arenrsquot you performing any miraclesrdquo According to them a miracle

means you must pull a rabbit out of a tissue box At least if you pull a tissue you can use it

but what will you do with a rabbit

Anything that is not in peoplersquos perception or understanding is called a miracle Today with

a piece of plastic and a little bit of metal I can call and talk to someone across the ocean If I

did this a hundred years ago and told you I was talking to someone half way around the

world if you were a rationalist you would definitely think I was either bluffing or I was some

kind of an idiot talking to himself But today it is a simple fact

Everything in Life is a Miracle

As your understanding and knowing of the existence widens and expands there is no miracle for

you Everything is just reality If your understanding and experience of life is very limited

everything is a miracle for you Life happens in many different ways Because people have

limited themselves to just the physical and the logical ndash physical in experience and logical in

thinking ndash they call anything beyond this a miracle So there are no miracles at least in the

way people are thinking If there is a miracle then everything in existence is a miracle

Every atom is a miracle Otherwise there are no miracles and everything is just the way it is

It is natural Whether you call it natural or a miracle it is the same thing

These are the two ways to look at life You see everything as a miracle or you see nothing as

a miracle Everything is explainable This is the difference of approach between science and

mysticism A scientist sees everything as a process A mystic looks at everything as a miracle

Just look at the soil beneath your feet If you put manure into it you get a beautiful flower

on the tree You put stinking manure but look at the fragrance If you did not know the

process and I were to tell you I am going to convert manure into a fragrant flower would

you believe me But now it is going through the tree and happening Suppose if I were to

take a lump of dung in my hands and make it into a beautiful flower then you would call it a

miracle But when a tree does it you donrsquot think itrsquos a miracle Why this prejudice

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

40

The True Miracle of Life

The true miracle of life is not in you doing something but in you realizing that life is already

a big miracle Everything here is magical If you eat a banana or a piece of bread or a fish it

becomes a human being over an afternoon What greater miracle do you want All of you

are performing the miracle The only problem is that it is happening unconsciously If you

could consciously make a banana into a human being you are the very Creator isnrsquot it

Either you exist as the Creator or you exist as a piece of creation If you live on the surface

you live as a piece of creation If you go a little deeper you exist as the Creator That is the

choice every human being has

Recently I happened to have some time before a meeting so I decided to go swimming

After swimming we met for lunch and one of the people said ldquoI saw you swimming in the

poolrdquo I said ldquoWere you expecting me to walk upon waterrdquo He said ldquoNo but you

were swimmingrdquo I said ldquoYes I swim in the water and walk upon the earth Do you want it

another wayrdquo Land is good enough for walking isnrsquot it If you start walking on water

where will you swim

We are missing the essence of life by getting diverted by all kinds of fanciful things Silly

stories are being passed off as great But let me tell you about my miracle I can show you

hundreds of people around me for whom not a single day passes without tears of bliss flowing

from their eyes This is my fortune that people around me are shedding tears of bliss around

me wherever I go I can show you people for whom not a single moment of irritation or

agitation have come in them in many months I think this is the miracle the world needs

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

41

15Reality Check ndash 5 Things You Should Never Forget

Given the fast-paced world we live in life can get overwhelming at times if we do not find ways to

stay rooted in reality Here is a quick checklist of five things you could try not to forget

1 There is great intelligence in humility

Sadhguru

The difference between a fool and an intelligent person is that an intelligent person knows

how foolish he is a fool does not Noticing the stupidity of who you are is great intelligence

Anything in this existence ndash a tree a blade of grass a grain of sand one single atom ndash do

you understand any of these things fully No When this is your level of intelligence and

perception how should you walk in the world Gently with a little humility respect and

love for everything around you

If not love then at least with awe because you donrsquot understand a damn thing in this world

If you just learn to walk like this you will not escape a spiritual process You donrsquot need any

teaching It will happen to you anyway This is why in the eastern cultures always you bow

down to whatever you see whether it is a rock an animal or a human being Being in

reverence towards the very earth that you walk upon towards the air that you breathe the

water that you drink the food that you eat the people that you come in touch with and

everything else that you use including your body and mind is a way of ensuring success in

every endeavor that we partake in

2 Joy is not for saving

Sadhguru

What you save will never be your quality What you dispense will be your quality If you save

your joy at the end of your life no one will take account ldquoShe saved every bit of joy in her

shersquos the most joyfully deadrdquo They will say ldquoThis horrible creature never even smiled in her

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

42

liferdquo But if every day you dispensed your joy and love people would say ldquoOh she was a

joyful and loving beingrdquo

3 You are mortal

Sadhguru

A significant thing every human being has to do is structure their psychological and

emotional framework around the most fundamental fact of their life ndashtheir mortality Right

now it takes a lifetime for people to understand that they are mortal they need a heart

attack or the appearance of a malignant lump somewhere to remind them

You need to celebrate and enjoy every moment of your life because life does not wait for you

even for a moment If you were immortal you could enjoy a hundred years each of

depression anxiety madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary you could

become joyful But that is not the case You are mortal and it is ticking away So there is no

time for frustration depression anxiety anger or for any unpleasantness in this life

In the ashram I always tell people no matter what work you are doingevery day you must

stick your fingers into the earth at least for an hour This will build a natural physical memory

a bodily memory in you that you are mortal

4 You can create a loving world

Sadhguru

You can create a loving world in every single activity that you do in your life Creating a

loving world does not mean doing something more or less If you live your life constantly

focused on what you want it will unquestionably happen in your immediate surroundings

and it will also begin to happen in the larger surroundings

Creating a loving world is not a service that you do for someone else Within yourself is it

more pleasant to be loving or to be angry hateful and jealous Which is a more intelligent

way to exist Loving isnrsquot it All I am saying is please live intelligently This is not for

someone elsersquos sake It is pleasant and beautiful for you It is an intelligent way to exist

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

43

5 The quality of life is determined by what lies within

Sadhguru

In many ways peoplersquos happiness peace and love are mortgaged to the external situation

So if the stock market goes up you are happy if the stock market goes down you are

unhappy The quality of life is not about what is around you Our ability to live joyfully here

does not depend on the size of the house we live in or the car that we drive These things

make your life comfortable and convenient but the essential quality of your life is how you

are within yourself right now

Living joyfully and peacefully is not new to you You were like that as a child isnrsquot it So I am

not talking about taking you beyond I am just talking about starting at the square one of

your life

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

44

16 Hellow Magazines Interview with Sadhguru

Sadhguru was recently interviewed by the lifestyle magazine Hello in which he responded to a range

of interesting questions In a three-part series we have been bringing you excerpts from the piece

which appeared in the magazinersquos May 2013 issue While the first two posts dealt with materialism

and spirituality and the challenges of modern life the third and final instalment has Sadhguru

speaking about our duty as human beings and how to reach our potential

Q Who is a good human being What are his primary duties towards himselfherself and

society

Sadhguru As a human being your only duty is that you grow to your full potential If you

grow to your full potential your very way of being is absolutely useful The best things will

happen around you there is no need for you to do any duty

If you do not know how to make yourself happy is there any possibility of you making the

world a happy place to live in If you do not know how to manage your body mind and

emotions can you manage the world It is not going to happen If you do not know how to

keep yourself you will definitely not know how to keep the world So donrsquot worry about

your duty see how to nurture yourself to the highest possible level Then you will do what

you should do

Q How can one align the mind body and soul in a way that holds the three together in a fine

balance

Sadhguru In yoga we look at the human body as five sheaths The first sheath is

called annamaya kosha or the ldquofood bodyrdquo because what you call as the physical body is just a

heap of food The second sheath is calledmanomaya kosha or the mental body These two

layers can only function in connection with the third dimension the energy body

or pranamaya kosha You can compare this to computers today ndash there is hardware and

software but by themselves they cannot do anything unless you plug the computer into

quality power

Pranamaya kosha is the dimension in which most of the yogic practices function If you keep

your pranamaya kosha in perfect balance and fully activated there can be no such thing

as disease either in your physical or mental body Keeping the energy body in full flow is not

about doinghealing or things like that This is about going to the foundations of your energy

system and activating it in a proper way by building a foundational yogic practice that

establishes your energy in such a way that your bodyand mind are naturally fine

Q How does one evoke happiness from within

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

45

Sadhguru As there is a science and technology for external wellbeing there is a science and

technology for inner wellbeing Yoga is an inner technology When I say yoga donrsquot think in

terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands This is a deeper

understanding of your own body mind and energy and about creating an inner situation

where you are joyful and peaceful by your own natureBeing peaceful and joyful is not the

ultimate goal in life it is the most fundamental thing in a human beingrsquos life If you cannot

be peaceful and joyful you are incapable of exploring any other dimension within yourself

So to be peaceful and joyful we have simple methods If you just make your life energies

function in a certain way you are naturally peaceful and joyful by your own nature

Q How does one get rid of fear especially fear of disease death and material loss

Sadhguru The physical in the existence is constantly under threat because the physical is

always within limited boundaries ndash it is always demarcated With anything which is

demarcated there is always a fear of losing it For instance this physical ldquoyourdquo is constantly

under threat No matter how healthy strong or young you are right now tomorrow morning

you may be dead I am not wishing it upon you but you may be dead isnrsquot it Because the

physical is under constant threat Nobody can avoid it

Fear has become so fundamental simply because your experience of life has not gone

beyond the physical If we had explored and established ourselves in other dimensions of

experience the body would not be such a big issue But now no matter what kind of

teachings other people give you whether someone tells you that you

are atman paramatman or whatever else your whole experience is limited to the physical

body So the fear of losing it is natural But if you establish yourself in other dimensions of

experience the body becomes an easy thing to handle Life or death wonrsquot make such a big

difference

Q Do you think we control our destinies or does destiny control us

Sadhguru What you refer to as ldquodestinyrdquo are those situations which are going on without

your permission they seem to be unfolding themselves without your intent I know you

have been told that God is making your destiny and plotting your life for you but I think you

are adult enough these days There is no such thing as destiny Whatever you call destiny is

something you have created unconsciously

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously I would say for most average

educated intelligent human beings only about two percent of their life is conscious They

create an enormous amount of their life unconsciously which leads them in so many

directions

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

46

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously

instead of blundering through it Once you make that effort you will see more and more of

your life becomes self-determined not pre-determined If you have mastery over your

physical body 15 to 20 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have mastery

over your mind 50 to 60 of your life and destiny will be in your hands If you have

mastery over your very life energy 100 of your life and destiny will be in your hands ndash

every moment of your life can become self-determined

Questioner You have talked about attaining spirituality while being in the material world

and enjoying its benefits Is there anything one must give up to experience a higher state of

being

Sadhguru These questions are always being asked ldquoIf I follow a spiritual path can I live

with my family Can I wear good clothes and eat wellrdquo Distinguishing between material

and spiritual life has come from a certain level of ignorance The earth you walk upon the

air you breathe and the food you eat are material The body itself is material Can we

separate whatever you refer to as the spirit in you from your body So how can you separate

the material and the spiritual

What we need to change is not the content of our life We need to change the context of our

life Even if you go to a Himalayan cave you are still the same person arenrsquot you So this is

not about changing our world we are changing the way we experience it

As far as I can see everyone is striving for happiness everyone is striving to be free That

means every human being is seeking spirituality A few are striving consciously most are

striving unconsciously If you find unconscious expression to it it gets labeled as

materialism If you find conscious expression to it we call it a spiritual process Isnrsquot it

better to seek consciously with eyes open rather than closed

Questioner In times when not managing a front-row invite the latest designer bagcar or a

fancy holiday can cause stress to many how does one justify material want when it is likely

to come with much angst

Sadhguru Essentially every human being is trying to have a larger slice of life If he knows

only money he is thinking of a little more money if he knows power a little more power if

he knows love a little more love But if you apply your awareness and look at it you can

clearly see that you are not seeking money property love or pleasure what you are seeking

is expansion How much expansion would settle you for good If you look at this you can

see that you are looking for infinite expansion It is definitely time to stop and look at what

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

47

is driving us like crazy to possess more and do more because it is not the ldquothingsrdquo that we

are after There is something within you which does not like boundaries which is looking for

a boundless experience

It is wonderful that you are seeking the infinite itself but the problem is you are seeking it in

installments You can never reach the infinite by counting 1 2 3hellip Unless you use the right

instrument it will not happen If you are looking for something boundless it has to be non-

physical The moment you seek that which is not physical we say you are spiritual

Questioner Some critics have often termed new-age spirituality as a fad How would you

respond to them

Sadhguru Unfortunately today spirituality is the most misunderstood and misrepresented

aspect of life The way it is being presented worldwide some of it is utterly ridiculous a lot

of it is crooked much more of it is well-meaning but stupid Sometime ago in the US

someone took me to a spiritual expo where they were selling spiritual bath soap spiritual

toothpaste and what not This is like an Indian village shandy where they sell you a root

which makes you invisible People are desperately trying to make simple situations of life

mystical Any number of things have become spiritual except the human being ndash thatrsquos the

whole problem

Spirituality is not about right and wrong or about God and heaven Spirituality is

about exploring the ultimate limits of who you are Once you come here as a human being all

that is possible in this human being every dimension that exists as ldquoyourdquo must be

experienced isnrsquot it If you go without experiencing yourself thatrsquos a wasted life If there

was a possibility that every moment of your life no matter what is happening with the

outside situation you could be bursting with ecstasy within yourself wouldnrsquot you want it

Work-stress is a universal problem How should one deal with it

Sadhguru

It is not your lifestyle your work your family or the situations in which you exist which

cause stress The cause is your inability to manage your system ndash your body mind emotions

and energy It is your lack of understanding and your inability to use this system the way it

should be used

What can you do about stress You need not do anything about it Stress is like friction in a

machine There is friction either because the parts arenrsquot moving properly or there isnrsquot

enough lubrication The less friction you have the more efficient the machine becomes

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

48

I am not talking about managing stress or keeping it under the surface I am talking about

how not to create it because stress is your creation If you start a simple yogic process you

will find your whole system begins functioning at a certain ease Then there is no such thing

as stress You can be most effective in your life only when everything is at complete ease

within yourself If your ability to act becomes effortless then naturally there is no such thing

as stress

Q Divorces are becoming common What is the right approach towards a peaceful marriage

especially when couples complain of boredom in marriages

Sadhguru Relationships have become a problem because we are not using it to enhance our

lives we are trying to fill the gaps in our lives If relationships have to be really beautiful it

is very important that a human being turns inward and looks at himself or herself in a very

deep way before looking at someone else If you become a source of joy by yourself and your

relationships are about sharing your joy not squeezing joy out of someone you would have

wonderful relationships with anyone Is there anyone in the world who would have any

problem with you if you are going to share your joy with them No You are trying to extract

joy from them That is where the problem is If your relationship is about extracting

something out of someone it does not matter how much you manage there will be constant

trouble If your relationship was an offering to the person who is next to you right now

everything would be fantastic

Q Petty crimes as well as heinous ones such as rape and murder are on the rise We have

leaders with blood on their hands Can we change this fabric of society with individual effort

Sadhguru It has become a fashion to talk about how horrible the politicians are Politicians

did not land here from the sky They are one among us who stood up to do something Now

for whatever reasons they have become the way they have become ndash and we cannot

generalize that because you do not know how many have become like that and how many

havenrsquot Whenever I go to public meetings people say ldquoThe politicians are corruptrdquo I ask a

simple question ldquoIf you are driving in your city and there is no policeman how many of you

will stop at a red light Not even 10 So if I make you the Minister what kind of Minister

will you berdquo We only have the kind of leaders we deserve No better no worse

Democracy is a peoplersquos government It cannot be a spectator sport it is a participatory

process Participation does not mean you come out once in five years to vote and your

responsibility is over Democracy has various instruments through which you can

participate on a daily basis in the governance of your country state city and street People

have not educated themselves about this because they have not cared Only when people are

actively involved in implementing government policies those in power will also be in line

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

49

Q These days babies are born with iPads and mobile phones next to them What is your

opinion of this generation of children that is so tech-savvy that they learn to operate remotes

before they learn to walk

Sadhguru Today there are so many forces influencing children ndash friends Facebook

advisors televisions three-year-old kids are glued to the screen and we donrsquot know what

they understand or take in This moment there is a toothpaste advertisement the next

moment somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world the next moment there is a

bombing We donrsquot know how a three-year-old is drinking it up

Would you give a sharp knife to an infant No I am telling you the technology that you

have today is sharper than a knife You must choose an appropriate age and level of

maturity before a child handles it Unfortunately society has moved in a certain way in

imitation of what somebody else is doing in the West Statistics say that there are 25-year-

old video game addicts in the United States who spend more than six hours a day playing

video games Twenty-five is the age when a man makes his life But they are playing video

games which are just ridiculous kidsrsquo stuff six hours a day They canrsquot come off it theyrsquore

just on it

Technology has no quality of its own How we use it can make us or break us It is left to the

individual and the culture to bring this awareness into the child that technology is made for

our wellbeing not to destroy ourselves If this is taught to every child I think they will use it

in a positive way

17 म का उ चारण मह वपण ह अथ नह

अगर हम िकसी म13 या ाथना का अथ नह पता हो तो या उसका उचारण करना बकार ह िकतना मायन रखता ह म13 का अथ जानना बता

रह ह

सद ग

सद ग गात ह

जनम सखदम मरण क13ण

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

50

िमलनम मधरम मरण क13ण

कलावशािधः सकल क13ण

समयािधपतः अिखल क13ण

सीः इसस पहल िक हम अपनी बातचीत क शआत कर इस म क बार म कछ बताए

सद ग यह एक आampान ह आampान )ाथ+ना नह ह )ाथ+ना िकसी स बातचीत करन क कोिशश होती ह जो हमार िव0ास स

पदा होती ह कोई िकसी चीज म िव0ास करता ह तो कोई नह करता यहा अलग-अलग स3कितय5 क लोग मौजद ह8 िजनका अपना-

अपना िव0ास ह आान का अथ ह अपन अतरतम को सबोिधत करना जीवन म अलग-अलग तरह क काम को करन क िलए हम अलग-अलग तरह क1 मनोदशा क1 ज3रत होती ह अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान हamp िजनक( मदद स आप अपन

अदर एक खास िथित म- आ सकत हamp

मान लीिजए आप 100 मीटर क1 दौड़ म भाग लना चाहत ह तो आपको एक खास तरह क1 मनोदशा म होना होगा अगर आप दतर म काम करना चाहत ह तो आपको एक अलग मनोदशा म आना होगा आप ltयान करना चाहत ह तो आपका मन एक अलग दशा म होना चािहए आपका शरीर मन भावनाए और ऊजा-इन सबको उस काम क िहसाब स तयार होना पड़ता ह िजस आप करन वाल ह

अकसर आप न अनभव िकया होगा िक िकसी िदन तो आप अपन काम को ठीक वस ही कर पात ह जसा आपन सोचा था जबिक िकसी दसर िदन उBह छोट-छोट काम को करन म आपको जझना पड़ता ह अगर आप चीज को सहज करन म सEम ह तो आप कहत ह िक आज म सही िFथित म हG तो आजकल Hयादातर लोग जीवन को जस-तस परी सहजता और कशलता क साथ जी पा रह ह ऐसा बस य ही हो रहा ह इसक पीछ कोई िवशष िLया नह ह लिकन योिगक पMित म हमन एक परा तरीका ईजाद िकया ह जो िसखाता ह िक िकसी काम को करन क िलए अपन अदर एक खास दशा म कस आए अलग-अलग काम क िलए अलग-अलग तरह क आान ह िजनक1 मदद स आप अपन अदर एक खास िFथित म आ सकत ह

भल ही अथ इतना महNवपण न हो लिकन आान का महNव तो ह हालािक असली चीज ह ltविन यिक कल िमलाकर हम इसम ltविन ही तो पदा कर रह ह अथ तो दसर लोग क िदमाग म बनत ह अब अगर म अOजी म बात कर रहा हG तो दरअसल म कवल ltविन पदा कर रहा हG मरी ltविन का अथ तो आप अपन िदमाग म बना रह ह तो असली चीज ltविन ही ह ltविन का ही अिFतNव ह शPद तो मनोवQािनक ह

अपन दश म म कोई भी म13 बोल सकता हG िकसी को उसका अथ समझ नह आता लिकन इसस उBह कोई फक नह पड़ता लिकन अमSरका म आपको अथ क1 ज3रत होती ह म इसका अथ आसान शPद म समझाता हG जBमम सखदम का अथ हः जBम कित या अिFतNव क1 कपा ह इसी तरह स मNय भी एक बहVत बड़ी कपा ह मान लीिजए आप मर नह सकत ओह िकतनी भयानक िFथित होगी मान लीिजए आपको यहा अगल दस हजार साल तक रहना पड़ सोिचए या हालत होगी आपक1 इसिलए हम इस बात को समझना चािहए िक मNय भी अपन आप म एक तरह क1 कपा ही ह

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

51

अगर कोई इसान समय स पर चला जाए तो उसक िलए हर चीज कपा ही ह समय हमार अनभव म ह यिक हम एक तरह स भौितकता म ही अटक हVए ह आपक पास एक Fथल शरीर ह और आप अपन आपको Fथल शरीर क 3प म ही महसस करत ह यही वजह ह िक हमार िलए यहा लब समय तक बठना एक समFया ह

आयािमक होन का अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क( कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह

ह ना अगर आप यहा दो घट तक बठ रह तो आपका शरीर चाहगा िक यहा स कह और चला जाए यिक भौितकता तो िववशताओ क1 एक [खला ह इन िववशताओ क1 वजह स ही हमार अनभव म समय मायन रखता ह इसीिलए कहा जाता ह िक अगर आप अपनी भौितक कित का अितLमण कर जात ह तो परा का परा ]ाड कणा ही ह और तब आपक िलए हर चीज शानदार होगी यिक आप भौितकता स पर जा चक ह

आज rsquoआltयािNमकrsquo शPद का इFतमाल हर जगह हो रहा ह कई जगह पर इस शPद का बहद गलत तरीक स योग हो रहा ह आltयािNमक होन का

अथ ह-भौितकता स पर क1 कोई चीज आपक िलए एक जीवत अनभव बन गई ह यिक हम इस कोई नाम नह दना चाहत हम इस आltयािNमक

कह दत ह लिकन इसका अथ भी िबगड़ चका ह

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

52

18 Launching of Vivaha by Sandhguru

We will be launching Vivaha mdash a certain form of consecration for marriages This is a very

ancient form probably not in vogue for quite some time Its origin is in the yogic system

where the fundamental process is Bhuta Shuddhi which means having knowledge and

mastery over the magic of the five elements The whole system of yoga is focused on this

When one wants to transcend he takes to sanyas and uses the methods ofBhuta Shuddhi to

bypass life But for those who have succumbed to the ways of life or have fallen in love with

the process of life and are not just focused on the ultimate goal there is another system The

same process of Bhuta Shuddhi can be used to bring a maximum sense of involvement and

merger between two people with minimum sense of entanglement

What Bhuta Shuddhi means on one level is purification of the five elements The refinement

of the elements will determine what type of life anyone or anything becomes In its grossest

form a life form will be inanimate As it refines it becomes many things a human being is

supposed to be the highest level of refinement If a human being refines further the

possibility of touching divinity is there and this is what the whole system of yoga is about

This refinement of elements also brings a certain union The separation of each individual

form is actually determined by the grossness of the elements in every human being

The nature ofVivaha is such that the benefit is not only for the bride and

the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it

At times you feel trapped in the limitations of your physical boundaries There are other

moments when you feel like you are part of everything else This is essentially determined

by how the elements are functioning within you With just these five what a magnificent

mischief has been created in the form of the Cosmos and in the form of life

With Radhe and Sandeeprsquos marriage we set this process We are now making it available to

the world We will be training people of a certain integrity and devotion to make this process

available to everyone For those of you who are interested in offering this to others you may

contact us particularly if you are a married couple

Offering this service to the bride groom and their families can be the most valued and

important process in their lives The nature of Vivaha is such that the benefit is not only for

the bride and the groom but for everyone who witnesses and engages in it Love amp Grace Sadhguru

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

53

19 What is Intuition- Sadhguru

Question What is intuition Can you please explain if it is an aspect of the spiritual path

Sadhguru What is intuition Everything that a human being does is happening from the

information that he or she has gathered Information does not mean you read a book or a

newspaper The five senses constantly gather information through what you see hear smell

taste and touch This continues to happen even when you are fast sleep Experiments have

been done where a person was fast asleep and ten sentences were spoken to him in a

language that he did not even understand In spite of that much later they could hypnotize

him and he would speak those ten sentences again He was not conscious but all of it was

recorded as good as on a tape-recorder

Intuition is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different

dimension of computing

So there is a phenomenal amount of information that you are not conscious of Just look at

the fact that you can walk Walking is so simple But if you analyze the process of what it

takes to walk on two legs it is an extremely complex process How the weight shifts what

happens in the muscles and how the whole thing happens is a phenomenally complex

process If you have to logically understand this you will go crazy You will not get it even if

you study it for a lifetime Thatrsquos how complex it is but all of us can walk We know this

intuitively not intellectually

A better analogy would be driving When you were first learning to drive a car you turned

on the ignition then pressed the clutch then the first gear and you slowly released the

clutch but the damn thing would just jump and stop no matter how many times you tried

But now you have been driving for ten years and you could be talking on your cell phone

and still everything happens right And even today after ten years of driving if you sit in the

car and think ldquoWhat should I do properly First ignition then clutch then first gear then

clutchhelliprdquo again you wonrsquot know how to drive

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance

your perception beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

54

If you go intellectually for every little thing that you do there are ten steps Instead of going

through these ten steps from one to ten if you jump that is what is intuition But intuition

is not a different dimension of perception it is just a different dimension of computing You

are computing it faster but still it is the same information If your brain becomes more

intuitive you can use what you know better To move from a ldquodumbrdquo phone to a smart

phone and from a smart phone to an iPad we did not discover anything new We are just

learning to use it better It is the same thing with your brain when you are intuitive But that

is not another dimension of perception

If another dimension of perception has to happen you have to enhance your perception

beyond its present boundaries Thatrsquos what spirituality is ndash to enhance your perception

Essentially to be spiritual means to go beyond the physical If a dimension beyond the

physical becomes a living reality for you you are spiritual When I say physical it is not just

the body andmind Everything else that you perceive through the five sense organs is

physical If you transcend that or if your perception transcends the limitations of the five

senses then you are spiritual

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

55

20 Why Vegetarian or Vegetarianism by Sadhguru

Questioner What is the benefit of eating a vegetarian diet and how it can be easily implemented in a

personrsquos life

Sadhguru What kind of food you eat should depend not on what you think about it or on

your values and ethics but on what the body wants Food is about the body When it comes

to food donrsquot ask your doctors or your nutrition experts because these people keep changing

their opinion every five years When it comes to food ask the body with what kind of food it

is really happy Try different foods and see how your body feels after eating the food If your

body feels very agile energetic and nice that means the body is happy If the body feels

lethargic and needs to be pumped up with caffeine or nicotine to stay awake the body is not

happy isnrsquot it

If you listen to your body your body will clearly tell you with what kind of food it is happy

But right now you are listening to your mind Your mind keeps lying to you all the time

Hasnrsquot it lied to you before Today it tells you this is it Tomorrow it makes you feel like a

fool for what you believed yesterday So donrsquot go by your mind You just have to learn to

listen to your body

Every animal every creature knows what to eat and what not to eat The human species are

supposed to be the most intelligent on the planet but they donrsquot even know what to eat

Forget about how to be human beings do not even know what to eat So it takes a certain

mindfulness and attention to learn to listen to your body Once you have that you know

what to eat and what not to eat

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form

what a difference it will make

In terms of the quality of food that is entering you definitely vegetarian food is far better for

the system than non-vegetarian We are not looking at it from a moral standpoint We are

just looking at what is suitable for the system ndash we try to eat foods which would make you

comfortable in the body Whether you want to do your business properly or study properly

or do any activity properly it is extremely important that your body is at ease So the kind

of food with which your body would be most at ease and would not struggle to get

nourishment out of that is the kind of food we should eat

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

56

Just experiment and see when you eat vegetarian food in its live form what a difference it

will make The idea is to eat as much live food as possible ndash whatever can be consumed in its

aliveness A live cell has everything to sustain life If you consume a live cell you will see the

sense of health in your system will be very different from anything that you have known

When we cook the foods it destroys the life in it Eating foods after its process of

destruction does not give the same amount of life energy to the system But when you eat

live foods it brings a different level of aliveness in you If one eats lots of sprouts fruit and

whatever vegetables that can be eaten in a live condition if you bring in at least thirty to

forty percent live food ndash things that are alive ndash you will see it will sustain the life within you

also very well

Above all the food that you eat is life It is other forms of life that we are eating ndash the other

forms of lives are giving up their life to sustain our life If we can eat with enormous

gratitude for all the living things which give up their life to sustain our lives then the food

will behave in a very different way within you

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

57

21कम और मि खद ही बध हamp खद ही मgt त हगः

सदग

आप िजनस बहVत म करत ह या िजनस आप बहVत घणा करत ह उन दोन क साथ ही आपका बहVत सारा कम बधन ह कई बार होता ह िक आप

िकसी इसान स कभी नह िमल और वो भी कह बहVत दर ह िफर भी आप उसस नफरत करत ह

बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना जAरी नह ह इस तो आप खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत हamp अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म- अकल बठ कर िबता सकत हamp और

वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत हamp

िनि_त तौर पर आपका िलथआिनया क1 अपEा पािकFतान क साथ कम बधन Hयादा ह यिक भारत और पािकFतान क बीच इतना सब चल रहा ह तो कम इस वजह स नह होता यिक आप जीवन म िकसी स सबध बनात ह बि`क कम इसिलए ह िक आप अपन भीतर िकस तरह जझ रह ह यह ऐसी चीज ह जो जीवन आपक साथ नह कर रहा बि`क आप अपन साथ खद कर रह ह इसिलए आप अपन साथ िकस तरह का कम करत ह इसका चनाव आपको खद करना ह अगर आप चाह तो आप आनद पाल सकत ह इसी तरह

आप चाह तो दख पाल सकत ह आप चाह तो आनदमय हो सकत ह और चाह तो कतQता म जी सकत ह आप चाह तो िबना कारण खद को तकलीफ द सकत ह सब कछ आपका ही िकया-धरा ह इसिलए इस बात को समझना होगा िक कम का अथ हः करनी िकसक1 करनी मरी अपनी

करनी दसर शPद म कह तो यह आपक जीवन का एक बड़ा सच ह आपको यह समझ लना ह िक जीवन Fवय आपका रचा हVआ ह यह आपक1 खद क1 करनी ह िकसी और क1 नह चिक यह िसफ आपक1 करनी हकवल आपक( करनी इसिलए इसस मिa पाई जा सकती ह अगर यह भगवान क1 करनी होती तो आप इसका तोड़ कहा स िनकाल पात अगर यह भगवान का बनाया फदा होता रचियता का फदा तो आप सब कछ कर लत िफर भी इस तोड़ नह पात चिक इस आपन बनाया ह इसिलए आप ही इस तोड़ सकत ह आिखर यह आपक1 करनी जो ह

आप आसपास मौजद इसान का इFतमाल अपन कम को तोडन मिa का कम करन या िफर बधन का कम करन जस िकसी भी 3प म कर सकत ह इस तरह स आप लगातार कछ न कछ करत रहत ह कछ िकए िबना आप रह नह सकत ह िक नह सोत जागत शारीSरक मानिसक भावनाNमक व ऊजा क Fतर पर हर हाल म आपक साथ हमशा कछ-न-कछ होता रहता ह आप इसस छट नह सकत अगर आप जाग3क ह तो मिa का कम करग लिकन अगर आप जाग3क नह ह तो बधन का कम करग बधन का कम करन क िलए आपका िववािहत होना ज3री नह ह इस तो आप

खद-ब-खद भी कर सकत ह अपना शष जीवन एक कमर म अकल बठ कर िबता सकत ह और वहा बठ बठ भी आप ससार क अनिगनत लोग क साथ कम कर सकत ह इसक िलए िकसी क1 ज3रत नह यिक इसम तो आप जो कछ भी कर रह ह वो अपन साथ कर रह ह

यह िकसी और क साथ ससग या सपक नह ह यह वो ह जो आपक भीतर होता रहता ह आप रशम क क1ड़ क1 तरह ह रशम तो बहVत ही सदर धागा और कपड़ा होता ह लिकन यह रशम क उस क1ड़ क1 तरह ह जो अपनी ही मHजा स वह अपन िलए एक ककननमा कद बनता ह इस ककन यानी िपटारी का अपना महNव हअगर वह क1ड़ा िकसी िदन उस ककन को नह तोड़गा तो यह ककन एक िदन उसी का ाण ल लगा लिकन उस ककन को

तोड़ दन पर वह उसम स एक सदर िततली बन कर बाहर िनकलता ह और उडऩ क िलए Fवत13 हो जाता ह अगर वह ऐसा नह करता तो उस िपटारी क अदर ही दम तोड़ दगा बस यही कम ह

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

58

िजस पल आप सोचत हamp िक मरा कम मरी पनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हFआ मरी

ही करनी

यिद आप उसक1 पचीदगी को समझ ल तो यह आपक1 मिa का आधार बन जाता ह और िफर कछ ऐसा घिटत होता ह जो बहVत सदर होगा कोई भी क1ड़ा यह क`पना नह कर सकता िक िततली होन का मतलब या ह ह नलिकन अगर इस िपटारी क अदर रहत हVए आपक1 मNय हो जाती ह तो यह एक बहVत बड़ा बधन बन जाता ह यिक आप िकसी और क1 बनी हVई नह बि`क अपनी ही बनी हVई िपटारी म दम तोड़

दत ह इसका अथ यह ह िक कम िकसी और क बार म नह ह व आपक ियजन ह या दर का कोई और इसान होइसस कोई फक नह पड़ता कम वो ह जो आप अपन भीतर कर रह ह कम क1 मल बात यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह म जो कछ भी हG वह मरा ही िकया हVआ ह िजस पल आप सोचत ह िक मरा कम मरी पNनी क कारण ह तो आप परी बात पर गौर नह कर पात कम उसक या िकसी और क कारण नह ह कम का अथ ह मरा िकया हVआ मरी ही करनी यह मरा बनाया हVआ ह सार बधन मर बनाय हVए ह इसिलए मिa भी मरी ही करनी होनी चािहए हा कोई आपक1 सहायता कर सकता ह पर यह आपका आतSरक काय ह चिक यह आतSरक काय ह इसिलए थोड़ी-सी बाहरी सहायता क1 ज3रत होती ह हो सकता ह िक दो cयिa साथ रहत ह बहVत-स काम साथ करत ह लिकन सभव ह िक उनम स एक मa हो जाए और दसरा बधन म उलझ जाए या ऐसा नह हया ऐसा नह हो रहा दोन एक साथ रहत ह एक ही काम करत ह लिकन एक इस करनी का उपयोग बधन म उलझन क िलए कर रहा ह और दसरा मिa क माग पर आग बढऩ क िलए यिक यह उनक1 Fवय क1 करनी ह अगर यह परFपर एक-दसर क िलए क1 गई करनी होती तो दोन बधन म उलझ गए होत लिकन ऐसा नह ह कम शPद का अथ ही यह ह िक यह मरी करनी ह इसस िकसी दसर का कोई लना-दना नह ह

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

59

22दवता और राGस बस जरा सा अतर हः सदग

दिनया म दो तरह क ाणी होत ह कछ ाणी जो ाe करत ह उस व अपन तक ही सीिमत रखत ह और कछ ाणी उस बाट दत ह अगर आप बाटन

का चनाव करत ह तो आप दव बन जात ह

अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल- िफर उस खब यान स दख- आप पाएग िक सार क सार Kाणी िजतना Lयादा स

Lयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह हamp

अगर आप उस जमा करत जात ह तो आप राEस बन जात ह आप राEस इसिलए नह बनत यिक आप जो कर रह ह वो दसर क1 नजर म बरा ह बि`क इसिलए बनत ह यिक आपम दन का कोई भाव नह ह दव ऐस ाणी होत ह जो तजFवी होत ह िजनम िबखरन का गण होता ह

दन का भाव होन स मतलब यह नह ह िक य चीज दना या वो चीज दना इसका मतलब बस इतना ह िक आपक1 जीवन िLया ही ऐसी हो जाए िक आप हमशा कछ द रह ह जो भी िदया जा सकता ह उस द िदया जाए जहा भी उसक1 ज3रत हो इसम यह महNवपण नह ह िक आपको कहा दना ह िकतना दना ह और या दना ह इस तरह क िहसाब स सब बकार हो जाता ह अगर आप अपन जीवन को lsquoम या पा सकता हGrsquo स lsquoम या द सकता हGrsquo म 3पातSरत कर द तो आप दव बन जात ह

िसफ परोपकार क बार म सोच कर आप तजFवी नह बन जात आप तजFवी तब बनत ह जब आपक भीतर रख लन का भाव खNम हो जाता ह आप जीवन को थोड़ा ltयान स दखन क1 कोिशश कर आप पाएग िक यहा कछ भी ऐसा नह ह जो िदया जा सक यिक यहा ऐसा कछ भी नह ह जो आप अपन साथ लकर आए थ आज आपक पास जो कछ भी ह वह सब कछ आपन इसी धरती स िलया ह जरा सोच कर दिखए lsquoअगर म सब कछ द द तो मर साथ या होगाrsquo तब होगा य िक सारी दिनया आपक1 हो जाएगी हम अकसर सोचत ह lsquoअगर म यह द दगा तो इतना चला जाएगा अगर मन वह द िदया तो उतना चला जाएगाrsquo जबिक य सब िहसाब-िकताब बकार ह घिटया ह सच तो यह ह िक अगर आप अपना जीवन अपन आसपास मौजद हर इसान स बाटत रहत ह उनको दत रहत ह तो हर कोई आपक1 दखभाल करगा

lsquoमझ या करना चािहए अपनी तनfवाह का िकतना िहFसा मझ दान करना चािहएrsquo बात इसक1 नह ह आपको खद को 3पातSरत करना होगा या आपको लगता ह िक एक नाSरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाSरयल दन चािहए अगर म सौ नाSरयल द दगा तो य लोग Hयादा पस बना लग

gtया आपको लगता ह िक एक नाNरयल का पड़ य िहसाब लगाता ह िक मझ िकतन नाNरयल दन चािहए

चलो म पचास नाSरयल ही दता हG या आपको लगता ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ खद को रोक रहा ह सच तो यह ह िक नाSरयल का पड़ िजतना भी पोषण हो सकता ह उस पान क1 कोिशश करता ह और िफर Hयादा स Hयादा नाSरयल दता ह या आपको भी इसी तरीक स नह जीना चािहए

इस जीवन को तजFवी बनान क िलए आपको धमOथ पढ़न क1 ज3रत नह ह- Hयादा धमOथ आपको हजम नह हग दवताओ को पान क िलए ऊपर या नीच मत दिखए इस अिFतNव म बस एक ाणी को चन लीिजए अगर आपको क1ड़ा सही लगता ह तो क1ड़ा ही ल लीिजए अगर आपको पड़ अछा लगता ह तो पड़ को चन लीिजए बस िकसी भी एक जीवन को चन ल िफर उस खब ltयान स दख आप पाएग िक सार क सार ाणी िजतना Hयादा स Hयादा जीवन हो सकता ह व द रह ह

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग

60

य िसफ इसान ही ह जो चीज अपन पास रोक रखन क1 कोिशश कर रहा ह शायद इसक1 वजह यह ह िक उसक1 बिM तो तािक क ह लिकन वह उसका सही इFतमाल करना नह जानता इस अिFतNव न सhा न आपको बिM इसिलए दी ह िक आप उसका वस इFतमाल कर सक जस ससार क दसर ाणी नह कर सकत- ऊचा उठन क िलए अपन 3पातरण क िलए न िक सचय क िलए यह बिM आपको इसिलए दी गई थी िक आप उन चीज तक पहVच सक जो इस दिनया स पर क1 ह कित को िवiास था िक आप उस असीम कित को खोजन क1 कोिशश करग न िक िहसाब

लगान म उलझ जाएग