April 2012 FOREST FLOWER

3 June 2012 FOREST FLOWER

CONTENTS
Main Article
How to Reduce Your Karmic Load
Sadhguru on the Maya of the Many 4
Musings
Whos Responsible?
Sadhguru on the Idea of Good and Bad Energy 7

In Conversation with the Mystic
The Business of Environment - part 3
Sadhguru in Conversation with Seemantinee Khot and Jacques Rocher 8
News & Happenings
Project GreenHands Receives Tamil Nadu State Environment Award 10
Special Feature
Neutralize your Carbon Footprint!
Let Project GreenHands Plant Trees for You 11
Leela Series
The path of the playful part XXXII: 13
Krishna and the Women 3
News & Happenings
Sadhguru in Singapore 15
Guru Sangamam A Confluence of Gurus 16
Isha Takes Up Higher Education 18
Sadhguru Spot
Cultivating Leadership at All Levels 19
Upcoming Programs and Events
Isha Yoga Program Highlights 20
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
This Month: Soya Rice Flake Puttu 21
Zen Speaks: Something Valuable 23
Excerpted from a Q & A session with Sadhguru
during the In the Presence of the Master
Meditators sathsang on 15 September 2009
at Mahima, Isha Institute of Inner-sciences,
McMinnville, Tennessee, USA
Q: Ive been reading what you said about karma, and
I am wondering if the only way to get rid of karma is
through an enlightened beings grace?
Sadhguru: Every moment of your life, whatever
you do, whatever you do not do, your karma is
dissolving you do not have to do anything about
it. The very life process is dissolution of karma. You
have a certain amount of allotted karma, which we
refer to as prarabdha. The prarabdha is working
itself out. The problem is, the dissolution can only
happen at a certain pace but the karma production
factory is working overtime, so karma is being piled
up rapidly. If you look at a standard day in your life,
from the moment of waking till you go to sleep, how
much activity you actually do, simply working, and
how much you think up things what you think
up could be 50 times more than what you do. I am
being very conservative. So, you are producing 50
times more karma than you can work out. It is just
like calories. Lets say you are burning 600 calories
but you are eating 6000 calories it has to pile up
somewhere.
If you simply sit without producing any new karma,
still the allotted karma is working itself out. This
is the reason why spiritual atmospheres are made
in such a way that you do not decide when to eat,
what to eat. You do not choose, not because we are
against enjoying food, it is just that for the simple
act of eating, you otherwise produce a lot of karma
by desiring and thinking about it. After all, you can
only eat that much. I like food too; I enjoy food as
much as anybody can. But food should be on your
tongue or in your stomach, or, if you like to cook,
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SADHGURU
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
HoW to Reduce
Your Karmic Load
Sadhguru on the Maya of the Many
it should be in the pan. Your head is not the place
for food. If you cook food, if you joyfully eat, if
you digest it and make it a part of yourself, you are
working out karma. But if you have food in your
head, you are creating karma. Please look like this
at every aspect of your life. On a daily basis, you
create 50 times or 100 times more karma than you
are working out.
The simple process of life itself works out the
karma. Spiritual path means we want to set your
karmic process on fast-forward. We want to take
up more load of karma than what has been allotted
for this lifetime because we do not want to come
back and do the same thing again and again. We
want to just take up a big load and fnish it off right
now. So, if you enter an active spiritual process,
you suddenly may fnd everything is moving at a
bewildering pace. Earlier, trouble used to come to
you once in six months. Now, every six hours, you
are in deep trouble, because your karmic process
is on fast-forward. This is a conscious choice you
have to make do you want to slowly work it
out, or do you want all the nonsense to be over as
quickly as possible?
Once you are on an active spiritual path, you will
see, you are in more trouble than ever before.
Only fools who have sanitized themselves from life
believe that spirituality means to be peaceful. No.
To be spiritual means to be on fre inside, outside,
everywhere. It is not about being peaceful. Peace
will happen when you rest in peace. [Laughter]
Now is the time for exuberant life! People have given
up on an ecstatic way of living, they have given up
on a blissful way of living, they have given up on a
joyful way of living, they have even given up on a
loving way of living, so they have settled for peace
it is the lowest rung of pleasantness. This does not
mean I am against being peaceful it will naturally
happen when you feel pleasant within yourself.
Today, we are not seeing how to intensify life, we
are always seeing how to elongate life. Prarabdha
means a certain amount of karma that has been
allotted for this lifetime. Karma means a certain
kind of software that you unconsciously created.
Before you are born, from somewhere between
40 to 48 days after conception, this karmic fber is
tightening itself like a spring coil. Depending upon
the past information, the strength of your body, the
nature of your parents, the type of conception, and
various other factors, it chooses a certain amount
of information to be tightened into something like
a coiled spring. If you simply sit here, your karma
will slowly unwind itself; you do not have to do
anything. The more still you sit, the faster it will
unwind itself. But because you are in activity and
you are piling up new karma, it unwinds itself at a
certain pace.
If we look at the tension in your karmic fber when
you are born, we can approximately tell you how
many years you will live. If you lead a normal life,
we know it will work itself out at a certain pace and
this means that many years. That is if you do not
get smashed by a drunken driver, and if you do not
come in touch with any spiritual master. This has
been a common thing in India: when a child was
born, the frst thing people did was, they invited a
guru, yogi or sage to their house or took the child
to one because they wanted him to feel the child.
Today, generally, birthday parties have replaced
this; earlier, this was the most signifcant thing.
If there was any over-tightening of the spring, he
could fx it to ensure the childs well-being. But
still, a drunken driver could knock him down, some
crazy master could come and unwind him too fast,
or he could load up many lifetimes of karma onto
his present load. Accidents can happen, whether
you get hit by a truck or you end up in Isha Yoga.
[Laughter] So, karma works itself out at a certain
pace, unless some aberration happens and it gets all
wound up once again, or for certain reasons it gets
released too fast.
Now, without taking care of the karmic fber, we
are just trying to elongate the physical life of a
human being because we have a certain amount of
mastery over biochemistry. Using medicine, surgery
and so on, we are trying to stretch the physical life.
This could be one of the major reasons for people
losing their memory and mental faculties beyond a
certain age because there is no software left, but the
5
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
hardware is still kept up. It is like a dumb computer
do what you want, it just stares at you. If people, as
they are trying to enhance their physical life, also
strive to enhance the other dimension of their life,
if they had done a little bit of spiritual work, they
could live for 1000 years and still have software
because there is a warehouse of karma elsewhere
which has not been opened up right now; this is
called sanchita. Or you could program yourself in
such a way that when your software is going away,
you also have the freedom to shed your hardware.
But now, with a replaced heart, kidney, knees, hips,
or whatever else, the hardware is still chugging, the
software is gone.
Karma essentially is a force by itself only because
of the maya or illusion of the many. As long as
you are established in this is me that is you,
karma is a well-established reality. If you look
around and you do not know which is you and
which is not you, the karmic structure collapses.
It is the maya of the many which keeps the
karma strong. If this is me that is you is well
established, karma is like a solid, real structure.
If you ever fell in love with somebody, suddenly
you started doing what you thought you could
not do because who is you and who is the
other is getting mixed up. If there is a little bit of
oneness between two people, the karma loses its
foundation, it is crumbling. Once you get into
a fght, suddenly all the karma stands up again;
you cannot give in an inch for that man or
woman anymore. This is the maya of the many.
The illusion of the many is the foundation of
karmic substance.
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June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
Isha Offerings
Q: Sadhguru, you said that for example the linga in
Uttarkashi is still as if it was consecrated yesterday,
whereas the linga in the Thanjavur temple has a
receding, negative energy. How do we know that a
temple or space has good energy?
Sadhguru: Suppose someone is singing Carnatic
music, whichever way they sing, I would say for
ninety percent of the people here, as long as dumu-
dumu [refers to drums] is going on, it will be quite
okay. Probably only ten percent have a certain
keenness of listening. Even if they have not learnt
music, they notice if something is even a little bit
out-of-tune. For all others, dumu-dumu-dumu
is good enough music. If you listen to it keenly
enough, it is there for you to notice if something
is out-of-tune. But I would say at the minimum,
ninety-eight percent of the people cannot make it
out. Some people may be trained, so they know. But
even if there is training, essentially, it is about the
keenness of listening. Even without training, if you
listen, you can simply know.
Similarly, to know how the energy is, you need a
certain keenness of perception; otherwise, you will
make all kinds of conclusions. If you dont like a
place, you will say, This is bad energy. This energy
talk has become a fad everywhere. Particularly in
the West and in the big cities in India, everybody is
talking about good energy and bad energy. Wherever
they are not doing well, they say it is because of bad
energy. That is one thing that we wanted to fx with
Isha Yoga: There is no good energy, no bad energy.
When you are doing bad, you are doing bad thats
all. When you are doing good, you are doing good
thats all. This is very important: energy is neither
bad nor good. There are people who even make use
of so-called evil spirits for their wellbeing. Poison
can be medicine.
If you make yourself in a certain way, you will
attract all the positive things. If you make yourself in
a certain other way, you will attract all the negative
things. You will go to all the wrong places. All the
wrong situations will come to you. This is why we
said, Your life is your karma. That means it is
your making. What kind of place you go to; what
kind of people come to you; how your life unfolds
is essentially your making. If you keep yourself in
a certain way, naturally you will go to the right
temple, not to the wrong one. And even if you go
to the wrong one, there will be one right corner,
you will naturally go and settle there. That is how
life works.
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru
Whos Responsible?
Sadhguru on the Idea of Good and Bad Energ
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FOREST FLOWER June 2012
88
Seemantinee: Whatever the root causes are,
whether business houses hold the purse strings,
whether it is a lack of political will or vested
interests of individuals, how should we go about it
and where do we start?
Sadhguru: There is no one place to start. One
important thing is, we need responsible movements
because today, the world is largely democratic.
Politicians and administrations depend upon
common people who cast their vote. The business
may have money, but the people have the vote,
which is the real thing. So it is very important
that we build a movement which can put enough
pressure both on businesses and law-makers in
the area. Normally, activists take a very violent,
anti-somebody kind of mode. But our lives are not
separate from each other; it is an integrated and
connected life. As an ecological movement, you
should not be against anybody; you should be for
everybody. Only somebody who is for all life upon
the planet, not just human beings, can take up
ecological work. But till now, eco-movements have
always been against somebody. This mode has to
change. The eco-movements and the activists have
to change and mature to a different level of activism.
One thing that we are proud of with the Project
GreenHands movement apart from the planting
which has happened phenomenally well because of
peoples support is that it has bred so many other
movements. And the government of Tamil Nadu
itself is trying to outdo us now. This year, we are
planting sixty lakh or six million trees. They are
planting sixty-four [lakh]. We will make sure our
survival rate is very good. I am sure they will also try
their best. That is what is needed, that this becomes
part of everybodys life. In the schools, the children
are talking about it. Once the children are talking
about it, they will make their parents eco-friendly.
All these things are not yet a solution but if they
become a movement, beyond a certain point, the
necessary laws will come. Without the necessary
laws, there is no solution; it is only cosmetic. We
can do it for our satisfaction, but there will be no
solution. I dont want to do this for my satisfaction.
I want to see that there is a solution somewhere.
Seemantinee: Sure. I think a point will come
where it will not be a choice any more lets not
wait until then.
Sadhguru: When that point comes, turning around
is not going to be easy. It is going to be at the cost
of millions and millions of lives. Not just human
lives; there are more precious lives on this planet
than human lives. The Living Earth statistics says,
if all the insects on this planet die, the life on this
The Business of Environment Part 3
Excerpted from a recent edition of
the In Conversation with the Mystic
series, the following is the third
part of the episode The Business
of Environment, where Sadhguru,
Seemantinee Khot of Suzlon, a global
wind power company, and Jacques
Rocher of Yves Rocher Group, a
worldwide cosmetics and beauty
brand, discuss the question on how to
prevent the looming environmental
disaster.
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
99
planet has only little more than twenty years before
it all disappears. If all the worms on this planet die
tomorrow morning, the life upon this planet has
only eight years left. But if you and I disappear, the
planet will fourish. [Laughter]
In our mind, we may be thinking that the life upon
this planet is human-centric. But life upon this planet
is not human-centric. In natural terms, the worms
and insects, and the birds and the other animals are
far more important than human beings. Because
we as human beings have become the controlling
power, we think that we are the most important life.
This mindset has to change. We need to recognize
every life as life. For this, it becomes vital that
spiritual movements take up ecological concerns
because the essence of spiritual process is just this
seeing life as life, not seeing you as you and me
as me; just seeing all this as manifestations of life.
Unless humanity begins to recognize life as life, there
is no solution. This is the reason why spiritual process
is ultimately the only solution for the ecological
disaster that is looming upon us. Right now, all CSR
1
and ecological solutions are only oriented towards
making human life a little better. So laws are
needed. Laws will not come unless there are strong
ecological movements, responsible movements
which are oriented towards solutions, not to beat
somebody down. So far, movements always have an
enemy. But there is no enemy here except ourselves.
We are the enemy. We need movements that come
from this level of consciousness that we are the
enemy. Just movement on the street is not going
to help. It must be action-oriented and large-scale
to gain respectability in the world. Only then we
can change the laws. But right now, the problem
is, if one nation is willing to change the law and
restrict their country, the other one is not, they just
want to beneft; so in the end, nobody is going to
do it. Who is to bell the cat is the whole problem
because there is no one body that can enforce the
law internationally.
At one time, we were building the United Nations
to a point where if something was really needed to
be done in the world, the United Nations could say
so. But in the last ten to ffteen years, that has been
completely lost. Nations talk about self-interest, and
so do individuals. Now who should bell the cat? So it
must be a worldwide movement. Local movements
should learn to connect and create an international
movement. There must be so much pressure on the
governments that they will change the laws. All this
cannot happen in one day; it is a continuous work.
But in our lifetime, we have to change enough laws
to at least stop those activities that are destroying
the environment at a very rapid pace. We cannot
stop the generator from roaring right now, it has to
roar, but we can change the law so that these fve
million trees that we plant dont go waste in three
days time. Like this, we could plan what laws we
need to bring in step-by-step in the next twenty-
fve years, so that it does not hurt us too quickly. If
we make too drastic changes, people will not take it.
If changes are step-by-step, you give them enough
time to understand why such a change has been
made, and bring the next one and the next one.
Jacques: From what I see, there are two problems:
one is the population we are seven billion on
the earth today. Two centuries ago, it was just one
billion. The second problem is consumption.
Sadhguru: Without reducing human population,
there is no solution. Whatever you do, they will
gobble it up. Instead of trying to reduce human
aspirations, it is better to reduce human population.
It is a much simpler thing to do. So we were
planning that in the villages, we take an oath, This
year, in our village, it will be a no-conception year.
[Applause] Just enjoy your honeymoon, dont make
babies [laughter and applause]. All these things
will take a lot of effort but if we dont control the
population, whatever you do will go waste because
the estimated population in 2050 is 9.5 billion. At
9.5 billion, all of us will have to live on forty percent
less resource than what we are enjoying right now.
When I say resource, I am not talking about gold,
diamonds, oil, and so on; I am talking about water,
food, and air to breathe. Forty percent less resource
that is why I said we give a legacy of disaster to our
children.
1
Corporate Social Responsibility; a concept whereby organizations take responsibility for the impact of their activities
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
10
This is not going to change simply because of small
actions. Even if I plant a hundred million trees, it is
not something to be proud of or to think that my life
is fulflled now, because that is still not the solution.
If I plant a hundred million trees, they will pull the
same number down in thirty-three days. So it doesnt
make any sense in some way, but still we have to
plant, we cannot give it up. We have to work for
the solution. But it is silly to believe that creating a
small solution already is the solution for such a huge
problem. What we are doing by planting a hundred
and fourteen million trees is not a big solution. It
is like sending an ant to fght an elephant. But we
believe the brave ant will inspire. [Applause]
We cannot expect people to change by themselves.
Strict laws that take ecological concerns into
account have to be made. And above all, right
now, the whole world is driven by economics. In
this country, just about thirty years ago, the idea
of well-being was not just economics. Money does
not decide well-being. Well-being is determined by
various other aspects of your life. To bring that back
is what spiritual movements are striving for because
otherwise, there is no solution. The Living Earth
statistics says if every human being upon this planet
has to have as much as an average American citizen
has, we need four and a half planets but we still
have only one.
To be continued
Project GreenHands (PGH) was awarded the
Environment Award for 2010 by the Government
of Tamil Nadu, Department of Environment.
PGH was recognized in the Environmental
Protection and Management Activities
category for its outstanding contributions in
creating environmental awareness and reversing
ecological degradation. The award was presented
by Mr. B.V. Ramanaa, Minister for Environment,
Tamil Nadu Government, at the GRT Grand
Hotel in Chennai. Criteria such as replicability
of the work, innovativeness, target groups such
as women, rural populations and the urban poor,
impact of the programs in relation to the resources
employed, and sustainability of the project were
assessed for the award.
This is not the frst award that PGH has received
for its environmental restoration efforts. In 2010,
PGH was awarded the prestigious Indira Gandhi
Paryavaran Puraskar (IGPP) by the Government
of India. It also received the international Beyond
Sports Award for 2010, under the Sports for
Environment category, acknowledging PGHs
use of sports in rural areas to promote community
bonding and environmental awareness.
PGH is a grassroots ecological initiative
established by Isha Foundation, which aims to
take corrective measures to increase the green
cover, restore soil health and manage natural
resources appropriately. Towards this end, PGH
has thus far successfully overseen the planting
of more than fourteen million trees by over two
million volunteers. PGH is involved in an array of
rural and urban greening campaigns across Tamil
Nadu, and has over the years partnered with
the government, corporates, schools, colleges,
and NGOs in various environmental initiatives.
For further details, please visit the website
www.projectgreenhands.org.
ProJect GreenHands Receives
Tamil Nadu State Environment AWard
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
11
Pollution the very word conjures up images of
traffc and factories bellowing smoke, of trash
and sewage, smog and soot. The impact of our
lifestyles on the environment goes far beyond our
immediate surroundings.
The idea of a carbon footprint was conceived
by scientists to measure an individuals impact
on the environment. Almost every activity we do
and every resource we consume releases carbon
dioxide (CO
2
). Before the industrial age, manmade
CO
2
emissions were easily compensated by the
surrounding forests and trees that absorb carbon
dioxide, release oxygen, and store carbon.
With the beginning of the industrial age, the
burning of fossil fuels became the largest source
of CO
2
emissions. In addition, vast amounts of
forests were cleared to create agricultural land to
support exploding populations. Today, there just
arent enough trees to absorb the amount of CO
2

released into the air.
What does carbon dioxide do?
Carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere; that means it retains heat radiated
from the sun. Manmade greenhouse gas is the
main factor for global warming. This leads to
climate change summers are hotter, there are
unseasonal rains, droughts or foods, winters are
colder and so on. This affects all life on earth
including our own.
How do we contribute to CO
2
emissions?
Apart from the pollution caused by vehicles we
drive, we contribute to CO
2
emissions in the
following ways (among many others):
Electricity: The electricity we use is
mostly produced by burning fossil fuels
(such as coal, gas, and oil), which releases
CO
2
. The more we use electrical and
electronic devices, the more fossil fuels
are being burnt to generate electricity,
and more CO
2
gets released.
Food: The food we eat is also a major
contributor to our carbon footprint,
especially if it is highly processed and not
sourced locally.
Destruction of Forests: The creation
of agricultural land, building sites, the
exploitation of timber, and mining are just
some of the activities done at the expense
of forests and trees.
Industrial Products: Most of the things
that we use are made in factories, using
minerals and fuel from the earth that are
not renewable, and are transported over
great distances.
All this and more contributes to your individual
carbon footprint. Did you know that an average
urban dweller in India is responsible for releasing
4 tons of CO
2
per year? We all have a collective
stake in our environments wellbeing.
What can we do?
There are many ways to reduce your carbon
footprint. One is by reducing the total amount
of CO
2
you are responsible for. This means
consuming responsibly, recycling, using public
transportation or walking whenever possible,
using local and recycled products, eating less
processed and more locally sourced foods and so
on.
Another way is to enable the absorption of CO
2.

Planting trees is the simplest, most effective
way to do this. A single tree is responsible for
sequestering one ton of CO
2
over its lifetime.
You can become carbon-neutral, which means
that you completely erase your carbon footprint
Neutralize your
Carbon Footprint!
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
12
by planting and nurturing the same amount of
trees that it would take to absorb all the CO
2
that
you are responsible for.
So lets start planting right away!
Project GreenHands, Ishas environmental
initiative, has now launched a new campaign to
mark the occasion of this World Environment
Day. The campaign aims at increasing awareness
about your carbon footprint and assisting you in
reducing your carbon footprint by planting trees
on your behalf. For just Rs. 50 per sapling, you
can get a tree planted and receive a tree planting
certifcate that enables you to know exactly where
your trees are located. For more information,
please visit www.giveisha.org/pgh
Yes, Id like to have Isha PGH plant ...................................................... trees for me!
Amount: ............................................ Mode of Payment: Cheque DD
Name: ..............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
Address: ..........................................................................................................................
Telephone number ........................................................................................................
Cheque/DD should be in favor of Isha Outreach, payable at Coimbatore.
Please fll out this form, attach it to your payment and send it to:
Project GreenHands
IshaYoga Center, Velliangiri Foothills,
Semmedu P.O., Coimbatore - 641 114.
For further details, please contact 94425 90062.
.............................................
CUT HERE
.............................................
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
13
Krishna and the Women 3
What has happened so far: As a young girl,
Rukmini, a princess, saw Krishna for the frst time
when he was wrestling with Chanura and slew the
evil king Kamsa. Since then, she decided she wanted
to marry him and tried to get his attention. His
brother intended otherwise and wanted to get her
married to someone else to form a strategic alliance
and gain power. Rukmini was fercely determined
not to marry anyone else. Krishna came to know
about this and prevented her being married against
her will.
After a few years, another Swayamvara
1
was fxed
up for Rukmini. She made it very clear that she
was not going to marry anybody else but Krishna.
Rukminis determination and the way she fought
had spread all over and become a legend in her
own time, that a princess was really standing up
and fghting her father, the emperor, her brother,
and everybody else to make manifest what she
loves. Never before had a princess stood up and
fought against so many forces. But Rukmini was
fghting and being successful. In the meantime,
Krishna and the whole population of Mathura had
to leave their town. In a great exodus, they all
went on a 2200-kilometers trek from Mathura to
Dwaraka. When they were going, a point came at
the river crossing where he had to risk his life; he
decided to sacrifce himself to save others and went
back to Kalayavana
2
. When he was leaving, he told
Udhava, Death looks certain to me. Most probably
I will not come back. So just tell the people that
they must stick to dharma. Let them go and prosper
in Dwaraka but they must live righteously. Only
then, my life is worth sacrifcing.
And he made one last request: Dont allow this
to happen to Rukmini. If you dont go and get
her forcefully, she will kill herself. Gather a few
young men, go and forcefully take the girl and
bring her back to Dwaraka; let her live there.
Even if Im not there, at least let her not fall into
somebody elses hands. If before you reach there,
she is already dead, bring her ashes and establish a
shrine for her because the single-pointed love with
which the girl has lived is very sacred. She is ft to
be worshipped. And he left. It took more than a
miracle for Krishna to escape and to put an end to
Kalayavana. By the time he came back, everybody
believed that he was dead.
To fulfll his word, an army of Yadavas went to
Vidharbha to get Rukmini. In the meantime, another
Swayamvara was happening, but with Udhavas and
Svetaketus help, Rukmini set up that she would
escape from the temple and set fre to herself on
the riverbank. By the time they brought her to the
riverbank, Krishna had made it back. He took her
with him and she was his wife for the rest of his life.
Rukmini rose in stature because of her single-pointed
blue madness. There are many stories to depict who
she was. Krishnas second wife, Satyabhama, was a
very proud and vain woman. She believed she was
the most beautiful, she believed she was the richest
because her father was an extremely rich man
and she had all the wealth and the jewels that she
wanted. She wanted to display to everybody how
much she loves Krishna. So she decided that on his
birthday, she would weigh him in gold. She would
put him on one side of the scales and whatever his
weight was, she would put the equivalent of it in
gold on the other side, and then distribute that gold
Leela Series
The path of the playful
Part XXXII
2
Generally a festival of choice where a girl of marriageable age chooses amongst a list of suitors; in this particular case, it was a set-up
affair that did not leave Rukmini a real choice
2
Kalayavana was an asura (demon) who surrounded Mathura with his large army. Krishna departed to build the city of Dwaraka and
brought all his people there. Then Krishna returned and slew Kalayavana.
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
14
to the people. This is called tulabara. It is something
that happens in temples: people weigh themselves
against butter, ghee, rice, salt, gram, or gold, and
then distribute it to people. You give your own
weight of whatever you can afford as a donation.
That is part of the tradition.
So Satyabhama set up a tulabara for Krishna
and said, I will give away his weight in gold.
Common people would be impressed but the blue
one was not impressed by such things. Krishna saw
her vanity. He went and sat in the scale. She knew
approximately what his weight was and had that
much gold ready. She put that gold on the scale but
it did not move a little bit. Something similar had
happened when he was a child. A certain demon
came and tried to carry him away. So Krishna
became extremely heavy and the demon just got
crushed and died with Krishna on top of him. In
kriya yoga, there is a way for a yogi to increase or
decrease his weight. There are many stories about
yogis who became as heavy as a mountain.
So Krishna increased his weight and sat in the
tulabara. Satyabhama put all the gold that she
thought would balance the scales, but it did not
happen. She asked her servants to bring all the
jewelry she had. One by one, she put the pieces
on the scale, hoping it will work. Finally, she put
everything there, even whatever she wore. But the
scales did not move. She started weeping because
it was a shame. The whole town had gathered
there for this ritual, but she who had always been so
proud of her fortune and riches did not have enough
gold. She did not know what to do. A person that
she had always been a little jealous of and whom
she had trouble with was Rukmini. But out of her
desperation, she looked at Rukmini and said, Sister,
this shame is not just for me this is for you, me,
and everybody. What to do? Rukmini looked at
the situation and just went, took three leaves from a
tulasi plant, put it on the scale, and Krishna went up.
Rukminis love was celebrated in many ways
because she did not waver for a moment. Because
of Krishna, she faced various kinds of situations that
she would otherwise have never faced as a princess.
Had she married any other man, any other prince or
king, she would have lived a comfortable life. But
being married to Krishna, she went through many,
many upheavals that a princess is not supposed to
go through. But not for one moment did she falter.
She constantly maintained her madness about the
blue one. Krishna valued this very much. In another
situation where he was risking his life to save a
sinking ship, he also told people, If something
happens to me and I dont come back, she must be
regarded as a goddess. You must build a temple for
her because she is worthy of that.
Almost everywhere in the world, the earth has been
considered as the mother; the earth is always looked
at as feminine. Since we are talking about Krishnas
woman whether it was his wife or the gopis or any
other woman that he met, he said, The moment I
meet a woman, whether she becomes my mother or
my sister or my lover or my wife is left to her. But as
far as I am concerned, I build an altar around her. It
is up to her how she handles her fres.
To be continued
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru during Leela,
the path of the playful, a unique exploration with
Sadhguru into the mystical realm of Krishna that
took place at Isha Yoga Center in September 2005
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
Sadhguru in Singapore Sadhguru in Singapore
Singapore a beautiful tropical island state and truly
a melting pot of cultures. From 31 March to 1 April,
it witnessed the frst ever Shambhavi Mahamudra
program conducted by Sadhguru in the city-state.
The event had people coming in from China, Japan,
Germany, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, and even
Canada.
Day One began with a thunderstorm! But nothing
could dampen the spirit of the Singapore volunteers,
who were organized to the T. Months and months
of planning, meetings and running around fnally
culminated in a beautiful beginning to the program.
With 500 participants and 250 volunteers, the
whole venue complex was abuzz! The whole space
seemed flled with the loving care given by the
volunteers who created the perfect atmosphere for
the participants to drop everything else and begin
their inward journey.
There was pin drop silence as Sadhguru entered
the hall until then, the participants had only
seen him on video and photos. While most were
in anticipation, some were already in tears, some
smiled gleefully and others just looked on. Sadhguru
had them laughing one moment and stunned in the
next, pensive in one and jaunty in the next. The
participants were fully involved, and Sadhguru
charmed everyone with his humor and wit to
explore their own being.
How deeply they had been touched by the end of
these two days was clearly written on the faces
of both participants and volunteers. In fact, some
volunteers were already heard planning, in hushed
voices, for Sadhgurus next visit to the island
Sadhguru about his visit to Singapore
(excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of
4 April 2012):
This was the frst initiation after the Inner
Engineering Online program in this part of
the world. Participation was great but the
cutest part of the event was to have ten to
twelve participants from China who would
not understand a word of English. They
arrived with a translator, went through the
preparatory steps with our local teacher, and
went through the initiation process also with
translations. They have been following Isha
activity for the last one year on the web. Their
longing to know, intensity of participation and
exuberance of experience was truly touching.
This was beyond words communication with
me for them.
Singapore is an extraordinary nation; a nation
without any great resource, but smart and
disciplined handling has made it into a great
nation. A place where business is pleasure.
Just a little over seven hundred square
kilometers, 4.5 million people, a trillion
dollar economy with a per capita income of
over 60,000 Singapore dollars. It is a success
story without compare. A nation that is very
environmentally aware with stringent laws to
protect the ecosystem. India has more than a
lesson to learn from this little nation.
15 FOREST FLOWER June 2012
Guru Sangamam A Confluence of Gurus
Guru Sangamam, a confuence of leading fgures
of indigenous spiritual movements in the country,
was convened on Thursday, 12 April 2012, at the
Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi. This
unique confederation of gurus was formed on
6 January last year. In a single year, the event has
expanded from a meeting of seventeen spiritual
fgures to include over a hundred like-minded gurus,
spanning a spectrum of traditions, from Hindu to
Jain, Sikh to Buddhist.
The event brought together several leaders of
eminence, such as Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri
Deshikendra Mahaswamii (of the Suttur Math,
Karnataka), Swami Chidanand Saraswati Maharajji
(of Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh), Dr. Lokesh
Munii (of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti), Jathedar Gyani
Gurbachan Singh (of Akal Takht), the Gyalwang
Drukpaji (of the Drukpa Order, Ladakh), among
others, and Sadhguru of course.
In the day-long meeting, several issues relating
to the promotion and preservation of Indian
spirituality were deliberated. Sadhguru about the
objectives: The idea is to present India as a spiritual
gateway to the world, to make all dimensions of
spirituality available on one platform. Another very
important factor is that this initiative should protect
the spiritual process, so that it does not become
exploitative. It is also an effort to make spiritual
leadership a more effective possibility in the world.
The gathering further discussed the possibility of
evolving a comprehensive web portal that presents
the varied spiritual traditions of the country. The
panelists also touched upon how to promote Guru
Pournima as a celebration of national signifcance.
17
Sadhguru about the Guru Sangamam (Excerpted
from Sadhguru Spot of 18 April 2012):
India as a land, as Bharat, as Hindustan, is something
which has been recognized for over 12,000 years.
Though at many times, we have been over 200
political units within the subcontinent, everywhere
in the world we were always recognized as one
nation. Politically, we were different and culturally,
we are so different. Every few kilometers that you
travel in this country, you will see that we look
different, dress different, eat different we are
different in every possible way. But still, what has
held us together as a nation for thousands of years
is just the fundamental spiritual thread; that every
human being born in this land is seeking his ultimate
wellbeing or his liberation.
Over the last thousand years, external invasions
have come and tried to dominate this culture in so
many ways. This is the only country where after
hundreds of years of occupation, the invaders still
could not change the fundamental ethos because
spirituality did not have one organizational
head. It was not one organization or an authority
transmitting the spiritual process. Every family
was a spiritual process by itself. From parents to
children, the spiritual process went on. For the frst
time, we are reaching a place where parents do not
know what to tell their children. For the frst time,
we are facing a generation of people who may not
pass the spiritual process on to the next generation.
So the responsibility and the place that spiritual
leaders of today have is much bigger than it ever
was in the past. This is the fundamental reason for
Guru Sangamam.
Never before has the world been as ready for what
India has to offer because everywhere else in the
world, there is an imposition of belief systems. This
is the only culture which has always encouraged
seeking. It does not matter what the scriptures
say, what the gurus have said, what the avatars
have said, an individual person can still seek his
own truth. In ancient times, people always looked
up to somebody to be told what to do. But for the
frst time, humanity is in a place where everybody
wants to seek; everybody wants to craft his own life
outside and inside within himself. So we have put
Sanatana Dharma on a larger span as it was originally
meant; that Sanatana does not only mean eternal, it
also means universal and all-inclusive it does not
exclude any human being.
The idea of forming a Guru Sangamam like this is to
present to the world that our diversity is not against
each other, our diversity is a possibility, so that every
human being has his own way of seeking. There has
been such a tremendous repository of knowledge,
possibilities and methods for human emancipation
and wellbeing. I feel it is time we assimilate and
present this on one platform. This does not mean
each spiritual leader has to give up what he is doing
and do the same thing. Everybody does their thing,
but we state the many ways for the same purpose to
be fulflled. A human being needs this one way is
never going to work for all human beings.
India has always been the spiritual gateway, but we
have been losing that in the last 30 years. What the
sword and gun could not do, MTV is doing. So it is
time that we present ourselves on a platform where
all varieties are available for people to choose. And
today, the internet is one of the biggest platforms
upon which people assemble people meet, mingle
and exchange ideas. Every day, about 400,000
people type the word spiritual on the net. So it is
time we present the spiritual traditions of India on a
powerful platform, that if anybody seeks spirituality,
this should be the direction that they turn to. We
have already fxed the date for the next meeting for
April 4, 2013 and we are very sure there will be over
500 representatives from across the world. We can
establish this if all of these leaders stay together and
make this happen, and this is very much a doable
thing; the necessary technology and competence are
with us.
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
Indias education sector boasts a large number
of schools and colleges, however, the quality of
education in the country needs improvement.
Embracing the responsibility of rectifying this
situation, Sadhguru has, for close to a decade, guided
the growth and blossoming of Isha Home School
and Isha Vidhya education initiatives.
With the experience and success of these initiatives,
moving towards higher education was a natural step.
Earlier this year, the Mahendra Educational Trust
(MET), a Tamil Nadu based group of educational
institutions, invited Isha Education (Isha
Foundations education trust) to partner with them
to improve the quality of education offered in their
institutions. The agreement signed on 6 May calls
on Isha to help enhance major processes ranging
from admission, to the teaching-learning process,
industry-focused training, and placement. Isha will
be closely involved in every aspect from enhancing
the teaching quality provided to teaming up with
corporate companies to enhance employability,
innovation, and research & development.
The Mahendra Educational Trust is a respected group
of institutions that includes Engineering Colleges,
an Arts & Science College, Polytechnic Colleges,
Teacher Training Institutes, and High Schools in
and around Salem, Namakkal and Thiruchengode,
in the state of Tamil Nadu. Offering undergraduate
and postgraduate programs which are currently
affliated to Anna University, the colleges also
equip students with valuable skills such as language
fuency and problem-solving techniques.
This initiative is a big step towards creating a brighter
future for students, industry, and society. In the
coming years, Isha will take up more such initiatives
and will play a signifcant role in redefning the
quality of technical education in colleges in the
country.
We invite you to join us as students,
resource persons, technical experts,
supporters or ambassadors of this endeavor!
For admissions, please contact:
95427 12345, 95248 12345, 95788 12345
For other inquiries regarding this project:
94878 95001
Isha TaKes Up Higher Education
18
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
The more powerful are always bullying the less
powerful. Whether it is in the form of nations,
communities or individual human beings, bullying
is happening everywhere, all the time. We have
structured the world in such a way that if you do not
learn to bully, at least in societys eyes, you wont
get anywhere. Bullying can either be crude, just on
the strength of muscle, or it can be done in subtle
ways, but it is happening all over the place. I want
you to understand, the world, the international
situation, is not any different from the street corner.
The strong lean on the weak in so many ways. It
is still a cavemans world of survival of the fttest
conducted in a more cunning manner. It is not
straightforward.
Leaders are always bullies who know how to
elbow their way through everything and then fst
you down in some way. We have set up a system
like that in the world, where only bullies can be
leaders. Because we have not produced the right
kind of leaders, bullies are considered leaders.
Compassionate human beings people with a larger
vision of humanity are not considered leaders; they
are considered philosophers in this world. They are
dismissed as visionaries. This has to change, but it is
not going to change overnight.
We are in the process of starting an Isha Leadership
Academy with various programs that will nurture
and develop leaders. We are launching this in
grand fashion at the end of the year. Right now
in this country, if a good leader comes up, people
will worship him. But different tiers of leadership
do not exist. So, one of the important things is to
produce many tiers of leaders which will support
the main leadership. Leadership should not be in
the Parliament or legislature alone. On the street,
at home, in your offce, wherever we need people
who take charge of situations. We want to offer
programs to people at all levels because anybody
who can impact fve to ten people is a leader.
This needs a lot of work on humanity. General
statements and slogans on the street will not help;
it needs pointed work on individual human beings,
but there has not been enough infrastructure to do
that kind of work.
19
Cultivating Leadership at All Levels
Excerpted fom Sadhguru Spot of 11 April 2012
Visit: Sadhguru.org/spot for weekly updated
Musings from the Master
Sadhguru Spot Sadhguru Spot
Musings from the Master Musings from the Master
FOREST FLOWER June 2012
Program Highlights
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.
Date Program Place Contact
7 - 10 Jun 2012
Inner Engineering Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
9 - 10 Jun 2012
Shambhavi Mahamudra
Conducted by Sadhguru
ExCel, London,
UK
+44-7765567347
info@sadhguruinlondon.com
15 - 17 Jun 2012
Inner Engineering
with Sadhguru
HITEC City,
Hyderabad, India
98666 61196
hyderabad@ishafoundation.org
17 Jun 2012 Pancha Bhuta Aradhana
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515426, 94878 95878
pba@ishafoundation.org
21 - 24 Jun 2012
Inner Engineering Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
22 - 24 Jun 2012
Sadhguruvudan
Isha Yoga (in Tamil)
Pondicherry,
India
83000 16000
pondicherry@ishayoga.org
29 Jun - 1 Jul 2012
Sadhguruvudan
Isha Yoga (in Tamil)
Nagercoil, India
83000 66000
nagercoil@ishayoga.org
15 - 21 Jul 2012
Isha Summer Program
for Children
Isha Institute of
Inner Sciences,
USA
+1-931-570-4438
childrenscamp.iii@ishafoundation.org
17 Jul 2012 Pancha Bhuta Aradhana
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515426, 94878 95878
pba@ishafoundation.org
26 - 29 Jul 2012
Inner Engineering Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
11 - 12 Aug 2012
Shambhavi Mahamudra
Conducted by Sadhguru
Melbourne,
Australia
+61-433643215
australia@ishayoga.org
24 - 26 Aug 2012
Inner Engineering
with Sadhguru
Guindy, Chennai,
India
83000 42000
programinfo.chennai@ishayoga.org
20
June 2012 FOREST FLOWER
21 April 2012 FOREST FLOWER
Isha Recipes For Healthy Living
SOYA RICE FLAKE PUTTU
METHOD OF PREPARATION
Place half a teaspoon of ghee in a pan and add the soya flakes. Saut till it gives a nice aroma.
Remove from heat, allow to cool.
In the same pan, add the rice flakes and roast on medium-low heat till they turn crispy. Allow
to cool.
Put the sauted soya flakes in the jar of a mixer and grind into a powder. Transfer into a broad-
based vessel. Now put the cooled rice flakes in the jar of the mixer, grind to a powder, and add
that to the broad-based vessel as well.
Put the salt in a cup and mix in cup lukewarm water. Sprinkle this solution on the powdered
ingredients and mix everything well together.
Place 2 cups of water to boil in a deep pan and add the washed dal. Cook on medium heat till
the dal is just done. Take care that it is not overcooked. Drain in a colander.
To make a syrup, place the jaggery in a small pan, pour just enough water to cover it, boil until
it foams and strain it. Transfer the syrup into a large pan and add to it the powdered flakes and
boiled dal.
Grate the coconut and add to the pan. Cook on low heat for a few minutes and add the
cardamom powder.
Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan and saut the cashew nuts in it till lightly browned.
Add cashew nuts with ghee to the puttu. Stir well and cook till everything is well blended.
Remove from heat and serve.
INGREDIENTS
cup Thin soya fakes
cup Thin rice fakes (aval)
2 teaspoons Ghee (or gingelly oil)
teaspoon Salt
cup Split pigeon pea (toor dal)
cup Grated jaggery
Fresh coconut
teaspoon Green cardamom powder
10 Cashew nuts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Note: This method of preparation does not require steaming the puttu in a
cylindrical form.
Tip: Makes for a nice breakfast. Best served hot. Goes well with banana.
21 FOREST FLOWER June 2012
22
April 2012 FOREST FLOWER
22 22
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