EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,
In February, it was 19 years since our little Forest Flower first saw the light
of day. What began as an eight-page quarterly Tamil/English newsletter
slowly grew to the familiar 24-page format. With the April 2004 issue, it
went monthly, and in October 2007, with the launch of Isha Kattu Poo, we
shifted to English only. Still the design remained pretty much the same.
A revamp has been in the back of our minds for quite some time, and now it
finally has taken shape! We are excited to present you Isha Forest Flower in
a fresh, contemporary design and layout, starting from this edition. Please
let us know how you like the new look and feel.
Living up to its supernatural name, Yaksha 2015 treated us to seven
expositions of classical Indian music and dance that were truly out of this
world. These artistes, who all have carved out a name for themselves in the
world of Indian classical music, seemed to naturally meet their maximum
potential in the sacred space of the Isha Yoga Center. As Pandit Rajan Misra
remarked, Its like we have greater levels of energy when we perform here.
All this was only the prelude to Mahashivarathri 2015 12 hours of
exuberance and depth in the presence of Sadhguru, and under the grace
of the Adiyogi. Enjoy the absolute highlights of these events in words and
pictures!
With the fifth part of our Mahabharat series, we wrap up the introduction and
get to meet the first characters The Story Unfolds. Need a gentle push
to get up and do your hatha yoga in the morning, or a solid argumentation
to convince skeptics? Read Yogasanas More than Postures. In our
Lead Article, Dont Step into Other Peoples Karma, Sadhguru opens up
dimensions of a simple custom that most of us probably dont even know
exist. As the temperatures already rise high, the chef recommends a Fresh
Potpourri Salad with an exceptional chargrilled-capsicum dressing!
Enjoy the read!
The Editorial Team

Editorial Team:
Isha Forest Flower c/o Isha Yoga Center, Semmedu P.O., Velliangiri Foothills, Coimbatore 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org

4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

April 2015

CONTENT
DONT STEP INTO OTHER PEOPLES KARMA

Sadhguru on the Truth behind a Custom

MAHABHARAT

Part 5: The Story Unfolds

11

Isha Hatha Yoga

Part 16: Yogasanas More than Postures

Lead Article
Dont Step into Other Peoples Karma

Sadhguru on the Truth behind a Custom

Mahabharat
Part 5: The Story Unfolds

11

News & Events

Yaksha 2015
Celebrating the Magnificence of Indian Classical Music and Dance

14

Mahashivarathri 2015
Night of Nameless Ecstasy

17

Upcoming Programs and Events

Yantra Ceremony with Sadhguru

20

Isha Program and Event Highlights

20

Isha Recipe
This Month: Fresh Potpourri Salad

21

Zen Speaks
Black Bamboo, Red Bamboo

23

April 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 3

ISHA HATHA YOGA

possibility. In these postures, the body will

not be a barrier but a stepping stone for your
growth and development.
Right now, when you are trying to do hatha
yoga, the biggest barrier is the limitations of
your body. In fact, whatever human beings
want to do, the biggest barrier is their body
and their mind. What should have been a
stepping stone has turned into an obstacle,
simply because they have not explored it
considerably.

PART 16

Yogasanas
More than Postures

Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. Can you

tell us about the science behind asanas?
Sadhguru: The word asana literally means
posture. Every posture the body can assume
is an asana. Out of these innumerable postures,
we identified 84 asanas as yogasanas. These
84 postures are possibilities for your body not
to be a hurdle but a channel for your ultimate
4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

After a profound and thorough exploration

of the human system, we arrived at these 84
postures through which you can transform
your body and your mind into a great
possibility for your ultimate wellbeing. Most
other spiritual processes talk about putting
down the body because the body is an
obstacle. If you want to sit and meditate, your
legs tell you, I need to stretch. I need to walk.
When I ask you in the morning to stretch your
body, you say, No, I want to rest. If you do
an asana and we ask you to stretch, you say,
No, I dont want to stretch. But if we ask you
to sit unmoving, your body wants to stretch.
Likewise, it has to eat, it has to sleep, it has to
relieve itself the body needs so many things.
The body is a constant manifestation of various
levels of compulsiveness, depending upon
the type of information that has gone into
the system. The information that is imprinted
upon your physiological system is what we
refer to as the karmic body. This information
determines how much compulsiveness you
suffer from, and how much freedom you
naturally enjoy within yourself. In Hatha Yoga,
we are not concerned about who our fathers
and forefathers were, what kind of genetics
and karmic substance we received from them,
and what we have imbibed in the process of
living. It does not matter what has happened
until this moment we have decided to take
charge of our life.
In the Indian tradition, if you are a serious
April 2015

practitioner of yoga, no astrologer will want

to make a prediction for you, because even
he understands that you have taken charge
of your life. This is what a yogasana
means you are taking charge of your life.
You are transforming your body and mind
into a possibility in your life. It is becoming a
passage, not a block.
Every posture that you assume for a period
of time induces distinct physiological,
psychological, emotional, energy, and chemical
changes in your body. Conversely, for every
emotional and psychological experience, and
for different states of consciousness that you
experience, your body naturally tends to take
a certain posture. If you are angry, you sit one
way. If you are peaceful, you sit another way.
If you are in turmoil, you sit one way. If you
are tranquil, you sit another way. Similarly,
for different states of consciousness that you
experience, your body tends to take certain
postures.
The science of asanas is based on this. By
consciously getting your body into a certain
posture, you can elevate your consciousness.
The very way you think, feel, perceive, and
understand life can be altered by the way
you sit. Yogasanas are a way to transform the
body from a compulsive mode to a conscious
mode. When your body is in a compulsive
mode, you will not like to be in a certain
position. Only when it is in a conscious mode,
can you remain in the position and benefit
from it.
The process of transforming the body,
changing the texture of the body, changing the
fundamental information in the body, which
makes it go in certain compulsive patterns,
needs a certain determination, forcefulness,
and adamancy. You are not willing to give in
to the cycles of compulsiveness. You go the
way you want to go.

Ha and tha describe sun and moon. Hatha is

about bringing a balance between the two.
April 2015

If these two dimensions are balanced within

you, naturally, the body becomes a conducive
place to live in for your being. If you mess
up the place around you, you can move
elsewhere. But if you mess up the body from
within, you cannot go elsewhere until you die.
As long as you live in this life, the body is the
abode of your existence.

Yogasanas are a way to transform the

body from a compulsive mode to
a conscious mode.
It is important that an atmosphere is conducive
rather than being compulsive. If your home
is a very compulsive place, you will feel
suffocated. Every situation, every atmosphere
is set up for a certain purpose. Your home may
be set up for one kind of purpose. The ashram
may be set up for another kind of purpose.
An industry or a business may be set up for a
different kind of purpose. Every atmosphere
should serve the purpose that we have set it
up for.
You must decide what purpose your body
should serve. We will do the appropriate yoga
for that. If your idea of a good life is being one
step ahead of others, we will do one type of
yoga. If you do not compare yourself to others,
but you want to find your ultimate potential in
terms of activity, we will do another kind of
yoga. If all you want to do is dissolve into the
ultimate nature of existence, we will do yet
another kind of yoga. We can practice yoga in
different ways.
These 84 fundamental yogasanas are 84
ways to make the body into a passage. It is
actually not necessary for everyone to do 84
asanas one can be enough. Those who take
Hatha Yoga as their path to liberation usually
practice only one asana. It is difficult for a
thinking mind to understand why someone
would spend his whole life trying to sit in a
particular way. But if you learn to sit right, if
you learn to hold your body right, you can
internally know everything that you need to
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5

know in this universe. This is known as asana

siddhi. If you can stay in one posture stably
and comfortably for 2 1/2 hours, we say you
have attained to asana siddhi.
How is it possible to know everything that you
can know by staying in one posture? It is like
having a television at home. The television is
just a box with some electronics in it, but it
can become a world by itself, simply because
there is a receiver. If you adjust the receiver
properly, the whole world streams into this
box that we call television. If the receiver is
not set right, the same instrument cannot do
anything. This applies to human beings as
well.
An individual human being becomes who
he or she is only because of what he or she
perceives. You are who you are right now
only because of what you have perceived in
your life until now, and you will be who you
will be only because of what you will perceive
in future. The whole system of yoga is about
enhancing perception.

entities, but essentially, there are only two

you and the rest of existence because there
are only two dimensions of experience within
you. You do not know what is up and down in
this cosmos. You do not know what is forward
and backward in this cosmos. These are all
things that we have made up for convenience.
Essentially, there are only two dimensions
of experience inner experiences and outer
experiences.
Yoga is about creating a union between these
two dimensions inner and outer, you and the
rest, you and the other. When there is no you
and the other, when there is just you and
you, that is yoga. Asanas are a physical form
of approaching this ultimate union, because
the physical body is the easiest thing to work
with. If you try to come to this union with your
mind, it will play too many tricks. With the
body, at least you know whether it is doing it
right or not, whether it is cooperating or not.
If you push the mind too hard, it will make you
believe all kinds of things and dump you the
next day. The body is a more reliable factor. If
you work with it sensibly, the yogasanas can

If you hold the posture right, if your alignment

is right, it matches with the cosmic alignment
in some way. The 84 yogasanas represent 84
alignments, because existence as we know it
now is seen as the 84th creation. The memory
of these 84 creations is reflected in our body.
We are trying to release and activate this
memory. If one gets into these 84 postures,
or if one masters a single posture and
approaches the remaining 83 through that,
one can know everything that has happened
in creation until now, because the memory of
that is within ones system in a codified way.
If this memory touches another dimension
outside of yourself, it can be activated and
ignited.
Yogasanas are a powerful means to connect.
Do not forget yoga means union. Union means
two have become one. There are only two in
existence you and the rest of existence. In the
rest of existence, you may identify individual
6 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

April 2015

definitely lead to ultimate union.

In the meantime, before this alignment with
the ultimate happens, by getting into the
postures, inner alignment happens, which will
naturally create a chemistry of healthfulness,
joyfulness, and blissfulness and above all
balance. Balance is something that modern
societies have ignored, and they are paying a
huge price for it. Whatever your intelligence,
whatever your competence, education,
and qualifications if you do not have the
necessary balance, you will not succeed. You
will not go very far in your life.

The most important thing for people who

are seeking to be successful whether in the
corporate sector, in politics, in the military, or
any other field is balance. Only if you have
a balance that is not disturbed by external
situations, are you capable of making use of
the competence and intelligence within you.
Otherwise, even the most wonderful qualities
that one may have will go waste, simply
because of lack of balance. Hatha Yoga brings
this balance.

Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru at the Isha Hatha Yoga School.

The Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program is an opportunity to be trained in classical
hatha yoga devised by Sadhguru. Upcoming dates: 31 July to 25 December 2015 at the
Isha Yoga Center in India.
For dates and details of hatha yoga programs, visit www.ishahathayoga.com
For more information, please send an email to info@ishahathayoga.com

April 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7

LEAD ARTICLE

Dont Step into Other Peoples Karma

Sadhguru on the Truth behind a Custom
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. In our
culture, when someone is sitting or lying down,
we are not supposed to step over them. Is this
just a custom, or is there some understanding
or science behind it?
Sadhguru: This actually does not only apply
to human beings but to all creatures. In India,
people would not even step over a sleeping
dog. Do not think that if you do not touch but
only step over them, it is okay.
When your experience of life is limited to
physicality, you think the boundary of a human
being is the skin. If you expand the way you
experience life a little more, you will see the
boundary of a human being goes beyond the
skin to what extent depends upon who he
or she is. I am the fattest guy in this hall the
very body is very big. That is also why I am
wearing the loosest clothes. The more you
close your eyes and sit, the fatter you get
not in terms of fat as a substance you get
bigger. The less thinking you do, the larger
your presence becomes.
Most people experience some semblance of
peace and balance within them only when
they are sleeping. Sleep is the most profound
state that they know in their life. This is a
most unfortunate way to live. When they are
fast asleep, they are reasonably peaceful and
balanced. When they are awake, they are all
over the place.
When you lie down, your energy body
becomes about 50% to 100% bigger on one
side, especially when you are lying on a hard
8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

floor. Instead of your energies being all around

you, they naturally are above you. Let us say
your energy body is one foot beyond your
skin if you lie down, it could be approximately
one and a half or two feet. Because there is no
room for it to find expression on the side that
you lie on, it goes up to where there is space.
That is why when people are lying down, when
they are in a restful state, the energy body is
much bigger than when they are walking.
Without you knowing, some amount of
clearing up or expanding of the energy body
naturally happens. At those times, people
will keep more distance from you not out
of respect but simply because of the size of
your energy body at that moment. This is the
way it should be as it is required for that
moment. If you have a certain sensitivity, you
will naturally know these things. You may
say this is some special endowment I do
not entirely deny that. But at the same time,
people do not have this kind of sensitivity
largely because they cannot pay attention
to anything. They cannot pay attention to
anything because they are dismissive about
life around them.
When I was a five, six-year-old boy, I used
to sit in the house, staring at something or
sometimes at nothing. Much later, I realized
in yoga, there is a mudra called akashi mudra,
where you simply stare at nothing. Nothing
is high, nothing is low. Something and
nothing are the same to you you are simply
looking. Suddenly, my mother would pass by.
Initially, I would see her, but the next time she
would pass by, she would be all blurred and
April 2015

somewhat bigger. When she would pass by

again, she would be almost transparent and
even bigger.
Then my father would come I would look at
him with an empty stare. He would gesticulate
in front of my eyes. Obviously, he was saying,
Why are you not studying? or something like
that. I did not hear the words I just looked,
and I saw all kinds of things. Depending upon
what kind of forms I saw, I knew what he was
saying. He was worried that this boy was
losing his mind, the way he was staring. He
did not know I was doing akashi mudra. If you
paid enough attention, you would experience
this yourself.
In the yogic physiology, there are three
physical dimensions of your existence the
physical body, the mental body, and the

energy body annamaya kosha, manomaya

kosha, pranamaya kosha. The physical body is
made of physical material that we take from
the planet in the form of food. The mental
body is also made of material from the world
around you, but this material is much subtler.
We build the mental body with information,
reverberation, sounds, and impressions.
Since the physical body is made of physical
substance, it takes a reasonably proper form.
Most peoples mental body does not have a
clear-cut form. They are not even conscious
of what they have gathered. For most human
beings, not even 1% of the content is conscious.
Because 99% is gathered unconsciously, the
mental structure is scattered. If you can create
a conscious structure to your mental form,
and you are able to change the structure as
per the requirement of the situation, your

The more you close your eyes and sit, the fatter you get not
in terms of fat as a substance you get bigger. The less thinking
you do, the larger your presence becomes.
April 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9

mind will be a magical instrument.

Whether you are sitting in a sathsang or in a
music concert, walking or doing whatever
else you can maintain a certain awareness
about who is around you and how to be.
Different people are at different levels of
awareness as to what kind of being is passing
by or who is around them. Some are conscious
of even a slight movement of air around them
others need a cyclone. It takes some amount
of striving to consciously move upward. And
no matter who you are, do not think you have
gotten somewhere. Wherever you are, there
is a lot more. For a human being, there is no
upper limit. It is an endless possibility.
Like your energy structure, your mental
structure also hangs around you. And as most
of it is unconscious, it is quite a mess. People
who are conscious do not want to trip over your
mental body or your energy body. Your energy
body too carries information. What form it
takes depends upon what type of information
is there within you. The information on the
level of the physical body is called genetics.
Likewise, there is information on the mental
structure, and there is information on the
energy structure.
We do not know what kind of karma someone
is carrying, but when they are sleeping or they
are just about to fall asleep, everyone looks
like an infant. At that time, the unconscious
play of the karmic structure is at its highest.
Because you do not perform any conscious
activity, the unconscious activity is full-scale.
People who are conscious do not want to
trip over or walk into someone elses karma.
By stepping over someone, you are kind of
walking into their karma.
It is wise not to pick up other peoples stuff,
because handling your own stuff is challenging
enough. This is why once you are on spiritual
sadhana, as a brahmachari, you do not hug
anyone doing Namaskaram is enough.
We do not want to trip over your karma.
10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

Whether it is good or bad we do not want

to take it away from you. When your Guru has
evolved a strategy for your specific karma,
you should not mix it up with all kinds of
people. Otherwise, it becomes unnecessarily
complicated. From a simple thing like not
stepping over somebody who is lying down to
sleeping with somebody as a brahmachari,
you avoid all this because you do not want to
trip over anyones karma.
If you take in too much input from everywhere,
the karmic process becomes very complicated.
And whatever strategy for your karma you
evolve will not work if you keep mixing it up
with someone elses karma all the time. Why
some who are in serious sadhana withdraw
into a solitary cave or the like is because
they do not want to complicate things. They
understood the complexity of their own karma
and do not want to complicate it any more.
All this comes from a fundamental
understanding about life. No matter what you
were doing you were running a business, you
were married, bearing and raising children,
fighting a battle for anyone who was born in
this land, there was only one goal ultimate
liberation. Mukti was the only goal. The whole
culture was structured around this. Many
strategies were evolved so that you do not trip
over someone elses karma. You do not want
to acquire anything new because you know
the complexity of what you already have. If
you undo your own puzzle, it is good enough.
You do not want to complicate it.
That is why you do not step over anybody.
You can go around them it is also a mark of
respect. And apart from that, it would disturb
that person if you step over them. If you disturb
their energy body, they may not immediately
wake up, but internally, it disturbs them.
Whether they are sleeping or sitting quietly,
you do not step over them, because it would
cause a disturbance to that person, and you
would be tripping over their karmic structure.
April 2015

MAHABHARAT
SERIES

PART 5

Mahabharat
The Story Unfolds
In the fifth part of our Mahabharat series,
Sadhguru speaks about Vyasa, the compiler of
the Vedas and author of the Mahabharat, and
delves into the greatest epic of all times.
Vyasa, Compiler of the Vedas
Krishna Dwaipayana, the great sage who is
also known as Vyasa, not only authored the
Mahabharat but also compiled the Vedas.
The Vedas are considered to be over 100,000
years old. They were transmitted orally from
generation to generation. People understood
the significance and impact of sound, so they
refused to write it down. Of all the things
that we use, the subtlest form of physicality
is sound. The next level, including what
happens in your brain, is electromagnetic.
They did not attach too much importance to
thoughts, emotions, and whatever else, but
sound was considered significant because it
is the subtlest form of physicality, and it can
be used to create an immense impact.
The Vedas remained an oral tradition until the
time when the rich Gangetic plain was struck
by a famine that lasted for over 14 years. They
say there was not a drop of rain in all those
years. Crops dried up, and the civilization
of the day wilted away. People forgot to
recite the Vedas, because they were busy
gathering whatever food they could find. They
completely forgot their traditions. When once
again the rains came, and Vyasa saw the loss
that had occurred to that civilization because
they had lost the Vedas, he thought it is best
to write them down. They were classified
into four segments, called Rig Veda, Atharva
April 2015

Veda, Sama Veda, and Yajur Veda. This is the

traditional order, not the one people use today.
Even today, these four Vedas are considered
to be among the greatest documents that
humanity has ever created.
The next thing he wanted to do was to
compile a great, eternal story that could be
relevant to people forever and ever. He told
it to two people one was Vaishampayana,
his disciple, who listened in awe. But disciples
can distort things, you know. The method of
oral transmission through human memory
worked in the Satya Yuga when people were
of a certain mental caliber. As Kali Yuga
approached, the caliber of the human mind
and its memory capacity decreased. Vyasa
thought it best not to take any chances, so
he hired a god Ganapati to write down the
Vedas.
There was one person writing down, another
person only listening. But unfortunately,
the written document was so attractive, it
was such a grand piece of literature that
the gods came and stole it. Mahabharat
as we know it today is only the part that
Vaishampayana remembered, not the way
Ganapati had written it down. After the war
was over, Vaishampayana told the story to
emperor Janamejaya of Hastinapur, who was
the second successor of Yudhishthira. These
100,000 verses that we know today are only
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11

a fragment of what Vyasa had spoken. Out of

these 100,000, I will speak about less than 8%.
Embrace the Characters to Understand the
Story
You need to be absolutely involved, not
looking at it like a piece of his-story but as
your story, being a part of it. We want to walk
through the story, not hear someone elses
story. As I already mentioned, it would be
completely unfair to judge people from 5000
years ago by your values, your morals, your
ethics, or whatever else. I want you to think
like them, be like them, experience it the way
they did not the way you think today. These
were times when transactions between the
planet Earth and other forms of life were very
frequent.
There are various aspects of the Mahabharat
that you will find simply unbelievable, but you
should not disbelieve anything. Because we
are in the 21st century, we value dissection more
than an embrace. But right now, I want you
to embrace this story and these characters,
the human beings, animals, yakshas, kinnaras1,
ganas, devas, gods, and goddesses all kinds.
Only then will you understand why it was the
way it was, and above all, why it is relevant to
you. In a state of dissection, you would miss
the whole spirit of it.
Brihaspati, Chief Priest of Indra
Many thousands of years ago, there was a
master priest and scholar, whose name was
Brihaspati. Naturally, Indra, the King of Gods
himself, hired him as his official priest. A priest
was very important because it was Dwapara
Yuga, a time when rituals were the most
significant aspect of peoples lives. They learnt
to use methods and substances to impact
their own life, the situations around them, and
the lives of others. A remnant of this ritualistic
culture still lives on in the southern part of the
country.
Kerala has probably kept up more ritual, and
1

in greater purity, than any other part of the

country. It is completely, horribly corrupted
up north where the story happened. Middle
India has kept it up to some extent, but not
with profound understanding of it. The worst
you will find in Tibet, where original Hindu
rituals are distorted very badly.
Unfortunately, Gautama Buddha is being
tortured with rituals. His life was to free
humanity from ritual, because he was at the
cusp between Kali Yuga and Dwapara Yuga.
He knew that in the previous Dwapara Yuga,
people were extremely ritualistic, and he
wanted to relieve humanity of ritual. That is
why he insisted on meditation alone. But
today, the Buddhist cultures have become far
more ritualistic than any Hindu cultures.
Brihaspati and His Wife Tara
Brihaspati, who was the main priest of Indra,
the king of devas, had a wife by the name of
Tara. Brihaspati represents the planet Jupiter.
Tara means star. In ancient India, the womans
place in rituals was as important as the mans.
This arrangement, that a man could not
perform a ritual without his wife, made sure
that though the physical conditions outside
were harsh, still women had an equal place.
A man could not receive blessings without his
wife. A man could not go to heaven without
his wife. A man could not attain mukti without
his wife.

Today, women have a little bit of

freedom, but unfortunately, with
this freedom, they are losing many
privileges they used to have.

All the rituals were established in such a way

that at no point, society could disregard
women in any sense. Today, women have
a little bit of freedom, but unfortunately,
with this freedom, they are losing many

An ancient tribe of the Himalayas

12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

April 2015

privileges they used to have. Today women

have reasonably equal rights I am saying
reasonably because maybe by law they are
equal, but in terms of enforcement, it is still
only reasonable.
This shift towards equal rights has happened
only because modern technology sort of
levels the field and not because of a true
transformation of humanity. Many women
are here in the program today; many have
travelled long distances; many have come
from overseas. Suppose we announced the
Mahabharat program 2000 years ago, and
you got the news how many of you would
swim across the Atlantic or get onto a ship
or sailboat, sail for six months, and come
to Mahabharat? Maybe a few men would
make it, but women would probably avoid it
completely. Today it is possible only because
of technology.
In Brihaspatis time, the social norms or
what was referred to as dharma ensured
that a woman could not be used, abused, or
neglected, because she was a very important
part of a mans life. In terms of physical
strength and muscles, he would have just
wiped her out. But the spiritual dimension of
life was not possible for him unless his woman
was next to him. Therefore, he had to value
her.
Tara Falls in Love with the Moon God
Though he was the King of Gods priest,
Brihaspati needed Tara for whatever he did.
He was holding on to her only because he
would otherwise lose his employment. And
he himself philandered all over the place.
Seeing this, one day, Tara looked up at the
full moon, and she fell in love with the moon
god Chandra. Chandra himself came down to
earth. They got into a big romance, and after
some time, she eloped with him.
Brihaspati became furious, because it was
not just about losing his wife but losing his
job, his prestige, his place in society, and he
April 2015

would not be able to enter Devaloka, the

gods world, anymore. He called Indra and
said, I want my wife back. You have to get
her back otherwise, I will not perform your
rituals. Indra interfered and compelled Tara
to come back. This was the first time that
someone was compelled to stick to a certain
family structure. When Indra said, You have
to come back, Tara answered, No, my love
is up there. He said, Your emotions do not
matter. Your dharma is to be with Brihaspati,
because unless you stay with him, my rituals
will go bad. So she was brought back.
Taras and Chandras Child
Tara was pregnant. Brihaspati wanted to know
whose child it was. Tara refused to speak.
People gathered. She still refused to speak.
Then from inside the womb, the unborn child
asked the question, Whose child am I really?
In appreciation of the intelligence of this child,
who, while still in the womb, wanted to know
what seed he was made of, people said, You
may refuse to tell your husband; you may
refuse to tell the gods, but you cannot refuse
to tell your unborn child. Tara said, It is
Chandras child.
Brihaspati got very angry that his wife was
carrying the child of another man. He cursed
the child, saying, May you become a neuter
neither a man nor a woman. The child was
born and named Budha, after the planet
Mercury. As he grew up, he lamented to his
mother, What am I supposed to do? Should I
live as a man? Should I live as a woman? What
is my dharma? Should I become an ascetic?
Should I get married? Should I marry a man
or a woman? Tara said, Existence has space
for all these billions and billions of stars, all
the other kinds of things, and a variety of
creatures who are neither men nor women nor
gods nor devils. When existence has space for
all that, dont you worry for you too, there
is space. For you too, there will be a life. You
simply be. Life will come your way.

To be continued
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13

News & Events

For the sixth year in

a row, Yaksha, Ishas
annual celebration of
music and dance in
the week leading up to
Mahashivarathri, brought
us an exquisite line-up of artistes. Here
are the highlights of seven scintillating
evening performances.

Padmashri Geeta Chandran

(Bharatanatyam Dance) Day 1
Yaksha 2015 opened with a Bharatanatyam
performance by the accomplished dancer and
choreographer Padmashri Geeta Chandran.
Much to the delight of her audience, she had
put together a repertoire that celebrates
Shiva in all his magnificence. Her recital
included Chokkanathar Kauthuvam, an
item that depicts Shiva in various forms;
an interpretation of Adi Shankaras Shiva
Panchakshara Shlokam; a romantic and
expressive varnam in raga Kharaharapriya; a
ninda stuti or playful song of satirical praise;
Enneramum, an homage to Chidambaram,
the sacred shrine of the cosmic dancer
Nataraja; and finally, Aigiri Nandini, a rousing
tribute to Devi, in whose beautiful courtyard
Yaksha was yet again taking place.
Pandit Tejendra Narayan Majumdar
(Hindustani Sarod) Day 2
Day 2 of Yaksha 2015 saw a concert by
one of the best-known sarod players of
this generation, Pandit Tejendra Narayan
Majumdar. The Grammy-nominee and disciple
of the illustrious Ustad Ali Akbar Khan began
the concert with the melodious evening raga
Jhinjhoti. His sensitive exploration of the
romance and joy intrinsic to this raga received
enthusiastic applause. The second raga in the
recital, Hindol-Hem, a relatively rare one that

14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

YAKSHA 2015
Celebrating the
Magnificence of Indian
Classical Music and
Dance
was created by Pandit Majumdars musical
guru, being a combination of two existing
ragas, seemed apt for the time we found
ourselves in between winter and spring.
The concluding rendition of fast-paced raga
Malkauns not only invoked the majesty of this
raga but also provided a stunning display of
Panditjis mastery over his fretless instrument.
Padma Bhushan T. V. Sankaranarayanan
(Carnatic Vocal) Day 3
Eminent Carnatic vocalist Padma Bhushan and
Sangeeta Kalanidhi T. V. Sankaranarayanan
presented a series of short, lyric-intensive
songs from a range of sources, including
Ka va va, a heart-tugging composition
addressed to Lord Muruga by Papanasam
Sivan; Purandara Dasas Ee pariya sobagava
in praise of Krishna; a dramatic sahityam
lauding the Satguru, the dispeller of darkness;
a virtuosic rendition of Papanasam Sivans
Andavane unnai nambinen; and a freeflowing salute to Devi in her many forms,
culminating in the Syama Sastri masterpiece
Sarojadala netri in raga Sankarabharanam.

April 2015

Pt. Tejendra Narayan Majumdar

Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar

Vidushi
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath

Padmashri Geeta Chandran

Ganesh and Kumaresh

Padma Bhushan
T. V. Sankaranarayanan

Eppo varuvaro, a song referring to Shiva in

raga Jonpuri, crowned this highly-charged
concert.
Padma Bhushans Pandits Rajan and Sajan
Misra (Hindustani Vocal) Day 4
The artistes of the evening, Pandits Rajan and
Sajan Misra, world-renowned exponents of the
Banaras Gharana, shared before the concert
how delighted they were about being at the
Isha Yoga Center. Pandit Sajan Misra said,
The beauty of this place there is no other
place like this! The spiritual wind that blows
around here just sweeps me away. His brother
Pandit Rajan Misra added, The energy of this
place is phenomenal. Its like we have greater
April 2015

Padma Bhushans
Pandits Rajan and Sajan Misra

levels of energy when we perform here. They

started their recital with an aradhana, Prabhu
ke charan kamal in raga Shree, which is
believed to have come from Shiva himself,
as Pandit Rajan Misra explained before they
began. With the very first few notes of this
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15

auspicious evening raga, the brothers seemed

to put the listeners into a deeply meditative
state. Their repertoire featured a number of
beautiful bandishes, such as Shankar Bhole
Maheshwar; Guru bin gyan na pave in raga
Marwa; a rendition of the Bhagawati Stotram
composed by Sage Vyasa; a laudatory pad
to Shiva; and, as the concluding item, the
wonderfully appropriate bhajan, Sadho aisa
hi guru bhave in praise of the Guru.
Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar
(Hindustani Vocal) Day 5
Day 5 of Yaksha 2015 offered a special treat in
the form of dhrupad, one of the oldest genres of
music, which is thought to trace back to Vedic
times. Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar upholds this
cultural treasure, which has been passed on
from generation to generation in his family, in
its greatest purity. After an opening Ganesh
shloka, he delved into a highly devotional
composition in the relatively rare evening
raga Jaitshree, a favorite, he revealed, of
Ustad Tansen Pandes (his father and musical
guru). Ustadji was accompanied by the muchsought-after percussionist Mohan Shyam
Sharma on the pakhawaj. His sons Aneesuddin
and Nafeesuddin Dagar, who accompanied
him as supporting vocalists, gave reason to
hope that they will be worthy torchbearers
of this genre. The next offering was a bandish
in raga Jaijaiwanti about a gopis longing to
meet Krishna, and her frustration about his
absence. Ustadji rounded out the concert with
a rousing interpretation of Shiva Shiva Shiva
in raga Adana, before concluding with a lively
dhamar in raga Khammaj, featuring a hori in
which Radha describes how she felt when she
first caught sight of Krishna.
Ganesh and Kumaresh
(Carnatic Violin) Day 6
Day 6 once again featured two brothers who
perform together as one the talented Carnatic
violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh. Both began
their musical training at the tender age of 2 or
3 years, and were considered prodigies. The
dynamic duo began the evening with a quick,
16 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

riff-filled, fusion-style piece with freewheeling

solos, and followed it up with more
structured renditions to the accompaniment
of percussion. Shri Ganesh then briefly put
aside the violin to sing Pirava varam tharum,
the Papanasam Sivan composition in raga
Latangi, which they then elaborated on with
finesse. The artistes ended the concert with
a haunting fusion-meets-ragamalika piece,
which combined phrases set in several ragas
into a novel blend. The concluding piece also
had Shri Ganesh singing the composition
was Patanjalis Nataraja Stotram.
Vidushi Bombay Jayashri Ramnath
(Carnatic Vocal) Day 7
On the last day of Yaksha 2015, we had
an extremely versatile artiste, someone
whose music is as accomplished as it is
accessible Carnatic vocalist Kalaimamani
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath. She began her
concert with an invocation to Ganapathi
Vakratunda mahakaya before segueing
into Jaya Tunga Tarange Gange, a lovely
composition by Sadashiva Brahmendra in raga
Kuntalavarali. The artiste then paid obeisance
to Devi with Akhilandeshwari rakshamam,
the Muthuswami Dikshitar composition in
raga Dvijavanti. After a beautiful alapana,
she went on to sing Shambho Mahadeva,
Tyagarajas moving composition in praise of
Shiva in raga Kamavardhani. The devotional
Parameshwara Stotram, set in raga Hamir
Kalyani, revealed glimpses of her Hindustani
training. Then came a couple of items that,
given the audience, could not fail to be crowdpleasers: Anai Vaidyanatha Iyers composition
Chandrashekhara Isha Isha Sundareshvara
and the bhajan Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva naam
sumar kara. Bombay Jayashri concluded
the concert with Sarvam Brahmamayam,
a profound composition by Sadashiva
Brahmendra about the universality of
existence. What a superb finale to a fantastic
festival of classical music and dance!

April 2015

Mahashivarathri
Night of Nameless Ecstasy

Mahashivarathri 2015 was the crowning

culmination of a week of festivity, which
was heralded by Yaksha Ishas annual
festival of Indian classical music and dance.
Now for the 21st year, Mahashivarathri
traditionally the greatest event of the year
in Isha brought us 12 hours exuberance,
celebration, and profundity. Here is a brief
recap of an unforgettable night.
The Highlights:
Pancha Bhuta Aradhana with Sadhguru
Mahashivarathri is the one time in a year when
Sadhguru himself conducts the Pancha Bhuta
Aradhana at the Dhyanalinga, a process to
purify the five fundamental elements within
the human system. The subsequent Guru
Pooja invoked the Grace of the great Gurus of
the past an ideal beginning for this sacred
night of Shiva, the Adiguru and Adiyogi.
Adiyogi Sculpture Inaugurated
Sadhguru inaugurated an imposing 21-foot
Adiyogi sculpture in front of the Suryakund.
This second Adiyogi sculpture now presides
over the Isha Yoga Center and will at a later
point go to Bengaluru, while the first one,
which was unveiled on Guru Pournami in July
2014, has travelled to the Isha Institute of
Inner-sciences in Tennessee, USA. In a personal
tweet, Sadhguru pointed out the significance
as follows: On the 21st Mahashivarathri at
April 2015

2015

the Isha Yoga Center, a 21-feet Adiyogi. His

presence you must know.
Upbeat Opening with Sadhguru
As Sadhguru made his grand entrance at the
festival grounds, brahmacharis chanted the
1000-year-old Nirvana Shatakam that was
composed by Adi Shankaracharya. Sadhguru
then walked through the audience chanting
Yogishwaraya, a powerful chant that invokes
different aspects of Shiva.
Zila Khan Approaching the Mystical
through Music
Pouring her heart into every note she sang,
Indian Sufi singer Zila Khan moved many in the
audience to tears with her vibrant, passionate
renditions. The experience of the concert that
crossed musical and conceptual boundaries
was probably most aptly summed up by
Sadhguru in his personal tweet: Zila Khan
rocking on Karpoora Gauram...Shambho.
Midnight Meditation
With the story about Kirtimukha, the demon
who ate himself up upon Shivas instruction,
and who by doing so became a glorious face
that now can be seen above the entrance of
many temples, Sadhguru segued into the
much awaited midnight meditation. Before
initiating the Maha Mantra Aum Namah
Shivaya, Sadhguru urged everyone present to
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17

do the mantra in such a way that it consumes

ones little self (ones personality) for ones
glorious self to find expression.
Discourse by Sadhguru
After the meditation session and the Yoga
Yoga Yogishwaraya chant that Sadhguru
had devised as a preparatory sadhana for
Mahashivarathri this year, he explained the
meaning and significance of its different
aspects: Yogishwaraya the boundless one,
Bhuteshwarya the one who has mastery
over the elements, Kaleshwaraya the one
who has mastery over time, Shiva that which
is not, Sarveshwarya, and Shambho the key
to ultimate liberation. To a question about
what the just-unveiled Adiyogi represents,
Sadhguru said he is there to remind us that
only by turning inward, one can know true
wellbeing. When asked about the different
forms of Shiva, he pointed out that there are
innumerable forms of Shiva; in every piece
of creation, there is the source of creation or
nothingness.

Let this night, in some way, be a turning point

for you to move towards your awakening.
However intelligent, capable or strong we are,
without an element of Grace in our lives, there
will be no success. Genuine success will happen
only when there is Grace. Otherwise, you will

Adiyogi Sculpture

Parthiv Gohil
In the early morning hours, just as a hint of
sleepiness crept in for some, Parthiv Gohil and
band took the stage. And this bundle of energy
not only managed to stir up even the sleepy
ones with his energetic performance. With the
intonation of the all-time Isha favorite, Alai
Alai, he quite literally raised a wave of joy and
exuberance that spread across the crowd.
Worldwide Participation
The 21st celebration of Mahashivarathri in
Isha was one of superlatives. Hundreds of
thousands of people directly participated in
the event at the Isha Yoga Center, and millions
more across the world followed the event
through live webcasts and telecasts.
The Beginning of a Transformed You
Just before dawn, Sadhguru concluded with a
reassuring promise of Grace and an inspiring
appeal to take a next step in our journey of
individual transformation:
18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

have all the parts but no lubrication, and that

machine cannot function. The immense Grace
of the Velliangiri Mountains, the Dhyanalinga
and Mahadeva allow this to nourish you and
live through you. Every one of you can strive
to become a wonderful human being. Write
down three things you think make a wonderful
human being, and make it a reality in your life.
Do not do what I think, please do what you
think is the highest. In this life, if you do not do
what you want, it will become a wasted life.
So, please make these three things a reality
for yourself, and in a years time we will meet
again with a transformed you.
April 2015

Zila Khan

Parthiv Gohil

April 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19

Upcoming Programs
and Events

YANTRA CEREMONY
WITH SADHGURU

The Linga Bhairavi Yantras are designed to powerfully impact your system,
the space in which you live, and the direction and destiny of your life.
Sadhguru
Linga Bhairavi feminine, powerful, compassionate all that and much more. Her Grace is not
only a possibility for health, prosperity and wellbeing but a pathway to the Ultimate.
Receive a uniquely personalized Linga Bhairavi or Linga Bhairavi Avighna Yantra in an intimate
ceremony with Sadhguru. Connect with the Grace of Devi through a powerful initiation,
happening on 2 June 2015 at the Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore.
For Registrations: +919442504720 / 9489045132 yantra@lingabhairavi.org

PROGRAM AND EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Date

Program

Place

Contact

58 Apr
2015

Guru Pooja Training

Isha Yoga Center

83000 93555 / 0422-2515300

iycprograms@ishayoga.org

812 Apr
2015

Ayur Rasayana
Intensive

Isha Yoga Center

04222515464 / 94890 45084

isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

912 Apr
2015

Inner Engineering
Retreat

Isha Yoga Center

94890 45164
ieretreat@ishafoundation.org

1317 Apr
2015

Sunetra Eye
Program

Isha Yoga Center

04222515464 / 94890 45084

isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

2326 Apr
2015

Inner Engineering
Retreat

Isha Yoga Center

94890 45164
ieretreat@ishafoundation.org

These programs are conducted in English, unless indicated otherwise. Current at the time of print, however subject to change.
For full program schedules and updates, please visit our website: www.ishafoundation.org

20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

April 2015

Isha Recipes

FRESH POTPOURRI SALAD

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS
For the Dressing:
For the Salad:
1 Red Capsicum
1 Broccoli head
50 g Cashews
1 Cucumber
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Yellow Capsicum
1 cm piece Ginger
2 Tomatoes
2 Tbsps. Olive oil
1/2 Small Iceberg lettuce
1/2 Tsp. Cumin (jeera) powder
Black Pepper (freshly ground) to taste
Salt to taste
6-8 Sprigs fresh Coriander leaves (chopped; for garnish)
METHOD
1. For the dressing, chargrill the red capsicum and remove from fire/oven when the skin is
burned. Removed the charred skin, deseed the capsicum, and cut it into pieces. Keep aside.
2. Break the broccoli into florets. Blanch them in lightly salted water for about 34 minutes
until they turn bright green. Drain and rinse the broccoli in cold water to prevent it from
cooking further. Cut it into smaller pieces.
3. Peel the cucumber. Chop into 1/2 inch squares.
4. Cut the capsicum and tomatoes into 1/2 inch squares.
5. Chop or tear the Iceberg lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
6. Put the cucumber, tomato, capsicum, broccoli, and lettuce in a deep bowl.
7. Now for the dressing, mix the chargrilled red capsicum pieces, cashews, lemon juice, olive oil,
salt, and pepper in a blender. If necessary, add a little water to achieve a smooth consistency.
8. Add the dressing to the salad and toss carefully. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.
Tip:
Sprinkle roasted cashew pieces on the salad before serving, for a nutty flavor.
April 2015

ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21

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