CONTENTS

Main Article
Zen Speaks
Action Entangling or Liberating?
4
23 Zen Speaks: Tall Bamboo, Short Bamboo
Musings
7
May 2011 FOREST FLOWER 3
Sadhguru on the Workings of Karma and Kriya
Coconut Pomegranate Juice 22
Isha Recipes - For Healthy Living
What Has To Happen Will Happen
Fortunate Misfortunes
No Temple without a Snake
Dont Plan Your Life Away
12
14
Upcoming Programs and Events
Isha Yoga Program Highlights
21
10
8
11
Sadhguru on How to Progress on the Path
Sadhguru on Shifting Perspective on Life Situations
Shekhar Kapur in Conversation with Sadhguru
Krishna Embarks to Retrieve His Gurus Son 3
Leela Series
Special Feature
The path of the playful Part XXII:
15
16
The Whip of Destiny
Ishanga 7% A Partnership with Sadhguru
News & Happenings
Sharing Experiences
Buddha Pournami 2011
Madness Poem by an Isha Teacher
Commemorations in Isha Yoga Center and iii
Helicopter Flying
18
Excerpted from Sadhgurus Spot 11 May 2011
SADHGURU
Q: How do we know if by whatever action we
perform, we dissolve karma or create new karma?
Sadhguru: The word karma evokes different types
of understandings in peoples minds. Karma means
action. Action is on many different levels. There is
physical action, mental action, emotional action,
energy action these are all forms of actions which
we can call karma. If the action sinks deeper than
these four dimensions, we call it kriya. Kriya and
karma both mean action, but karma is that kind of
action which will leave residual impact upon the
system; that means, the memory or chemistry of
that action remains. Kriya is a type of action which
imprints itself on a completely different dimension
and begins to dismantle the karmic impact or karmic
residue that has accumulated in the system.
Karma is of many kinds, layers, and dimensions. As
we said earlier, karma means action or the imprint
of action which remains within you. And it is not
just your actions the actions that your father
performed are also working within you in so many
different ways, not just in terms of your situation in
every cell of your body. It is not so easy to get rid of
your parents; [laughs] they act up from within. Even
your grandfather and your great-grandfather are
still kicking within you in so many different ways.
Many of you may have noticed this: when you were
18, 20 years of age, you completely rebelled against
your father or your mother. But by the time you are
40, 45 you are beginning to behave just like them
you speak like them, you act like them, you are even
beginning to look like them. That is a hopeless way
4
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
Action Entangling or Liberating?
Sadhguru on the Workings of Karma and Kriya
to live because if life is going to repeat itself, if this
generation is going to behave, act, live, experience
life just the way the previous generation did, then
this is a wasted generation. This generation should
experience life in a way that the previous generation
never even imagined, not by doing something crazy
or something that your parents did not do; but the
way you experience can be completely altered, it
can be taken to the next level of experience unless
your father happens to be an enlightened being or
in a very evolved state of consciousness; even if that
is so, it is still possible to stretch yourself beyond
where the last generation stopped.
Karma is not just yours, not just your fathers, not
just your grandfathers the frst life form, that
single-celled little piece of lifes karma is also acting
up within you, even today. Do you know that in
a human body, the number of bacteria outnumbers
human cells ten to one? How is that for you? Hi,
how are you, bacteria? [Laughter] Because you
are more bacteria than human cells. Most of you is
actually bacteria. Even your bacteria carry a certain
karmic content, behave in a certain way and make
the quality of your life in a certain way. You have
to transform trillions of bacteria within you to
really feel transformed. So all the grand ideas that
you have about yourself, about your person, are
very false. This is why we told you, it is all maya,
[laughs] because the way things are playing within
you is such that almost everything that you do is
controlled by the past information.
Does it mean to say I am hopelessly entangled?
Entangled for sure not hopelessly. From being a
pashu
2
, a composite expression of animal nature,
starting from that single-celled animal to the highest
one, there is a possibility of becoming a Pashupati.
3

One can leave all this behind and transcend.
It would be absurd for me to try to explain the
mechanics of this system in a few minutes but lets
try. If you look at the basic energy skeleton of the
human system, the basic blueprint of energy that is
there has 112 chakras or junction points where it
is held together. When you do the Shakti Chalana
Kriya
4
, you are trying to strengthen every junction
point so that this becomes a solid framework, so that
tomorrow, if you want to do something bigger, you
have the necessary foundation to hold it.
The way most people are made right now, if you
initiate them into a strong kriya yoga process,
they will break because they have not prepared
the foundation substantially. In many ways, this
generation of people is the weakest generation
in the history of humanity, both physically and
energy-wise. Physically for sure, never before,
humanity has been this weak. If you want to know
what strength is, join somebody who is working on
the feld. They may look skinny and puny, but if
you start working with them on the feld, you will
see within two hours time, you will be completely
exhausted. And the next day morning, you wont
be able to get up; thats how your body will feel.
But day after day, they are able to do it because
that strength is built over a period of time. That is
physical strength but the energy body has to be
strengthened too.
So the Shakti Chalana Kriya is about strengthening
these 112 chakras, which are within the physical
framework of the body but function according to
the infuence of the karmic residue that is there
within the system. If you keep this energy skeleton
vibrant, it will allow you to transcend many times
but it is not completely free. The karmic residue or
past memory which makes this life process happen
always controls these 112 chakras. There are a few
chakras which will allow you access to the beyond,
but most of them function within the framework
of the karmic infuence. But there are another two
chakras, 113 and 114, which are outside the physical
framework of the body. They generally remain very
minimal or almost dormant in most people, but
if you have done enough sadhana, they become
active. The 114
th
chakra pulsates in a certain way
which, right from ancient times, has been described
as an ouroboros
5
. Ouroboros is the symbol of a
snake eating its own tail, that is, it is trying to
swallow itself. In India, in Greece, in Egypt, and in
5
1
Refers to ones body, mind, emotion, and energy
2
Sanskrit for animal
3
Lord of Animals, a form of Shiva
4
A yogic practice offered in advanced Isha Yoga Programs such as Shoonya Intensive
5
Greek for one who eats the tail; an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
Mesopotamia, in all those ancient cultures which
were focused more upon the beyond than what is
here, you will see the symbol of ouroboros.
So the 114
th
chakra pulsates in the form of an
ouroboros or the infnite. If your energies touch
this dimension within you, whatever action you
do, will be a process of liberation. If it is within the
112 chakras, every action that you do has a residue,
so it is best that you do the right kind of action so
that it leaves a pleasant residue upon you, not an
unpleasant one. But if your energy transcends the
112 and resides mostly in those 2 chakras which
are beyond the physical framework, then you need
not bother about your actions. Then, whichever
way you act, only leads to your liberation because
action will not be yours anymore, it will be of
infnite nature.
So whether activity is entangling or a process of
liberation essentially depends on ones level of
sadhana and also on the attitude and the volition
with which action is done. If people try to do
sadhana without performing the needed activity
in their lives, sadhana will be a great struggle. If
you come here and I tell you, You dont need to
do anything, we will take care of you; just sit 12
hours a day and meditate, initially, it looks like
a great fortune, but after a months time, you will
go nuts. If you cross that madness, you will cross
everything but most people give up when
the madness arises within them. They will
freak out and try to run away as it is not going
to be easy because this will be the primal
cry of your father, your grandfather, your
forefathers and the bacteria. All of them will
scream to fnd expression; they wont keep quiet.
Millions of lives will scream from within. They
wont let you go free just like that; they want to
have their say. They will say, Why are we not
being allowed to live through you? Parents are
demanding things like that, isnt it so? If you say,
I want to do something, they will say, No, you
are my son; you have to do what I want you to do
because I have to live through you. All my dreams
have to be fulflled through you. This is not just a
verbal saying; they will scream from within.
One way is to obliterate them, which is a harder
path that needs a lot more sadhana. Otherwise,
you need to distance yourself from all of them
let them scream, use earplugs and you wont be
bothered because you dont hear them. These are
two different ways but you cannot ignore them
because they throb in every cell in your body.
Karma is not just things that you did, good or
bad it is the memory of life. The very way the
body is structured depends on this. Your body
is built the way it is built only because there is
this memory of life, right from that single-celled
animal to every other form. Do you know that
within your brain, there is a reptilian brain which
is almost the size of a brain of a crocodile? Do you
understand why you go snapping at everybody?
Because the reptilian brain functions from within
you you cant help it. [Laughter]
So to distance yourself from all that takes a little bit
of work or simply devotion. If you have to do it by
yourself, it will be a lot of work. If you want to ride
the Grace, there will be no work for you but you are
not in the drivers seat. Either you learn to drive
which involves many risks or an expert driver will
drive; you sit and doze off in the back seat. Some
people went to Kailash and came back like this. I
drove all the way, in the most treacherous terrain,
every moment being alert otherwise you will get
killed. I saw Kailash. Those who went there with
bobbing head, they also saw Kailash. As long as you
get there, what does it matter how? If you just allow
Grace to happen, life becomes beautiful.
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru
6
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
Q: Sadhguru, what should I do to progress rapidly
on the spiritual path and live joyfully and well?
Sadhguru: First of all, your priorities must be set. Do
not think of what kind of things you want; just see
how you want to be and work towards that. Things
will arrange themselves anyway, according to your
skill, your capability, and the situation in which you
exist. Rather than thinking what kind of house to
live in, what kind of thing to do, just say I want
to be spiritually focused and I want to live joyfully
and well. Other things will arrange themselves
around that. Maybe you will walk ten miles every
day and enjoy that or maybe you will drive a BMW
or maybe you will ride a bicycle thats not the
important thing. The important thing is that you are
going about your life joyfully, enjoying every bit of
it. Isnt that the most important thing? Other things
are only arrangements. But when people have no
sense of wellbeing within themselves, their only
way to be well is to be better than somebody else.
You wanting to be better than somebody is a
sickness; it is not wellbeing. This sickness has
caught the world so badly. Now people want to
own so many things, only because nobody else
can have them. Suppose I give you the biggest
diamond in the world, if you were just a human
being who just looks at this, it is just a stone.
Only in the marketplace, they made it such a big
thing; otherwise it is just a stone. A simple granite
stone that you fnd on the street, if you look at it
carefully enough, is equally beautiful in a different
way. But there are too many granite stones, so you
wont pick it up. There are a few diamonds on
the planet; everybody cannot have them; so you
hang it around your neck or on your nose or on
your ears; not because its beautiful dont believe
such things.
Human life has gotten poisoned with wrong ideas
about life. Just trying to be better than somebody,
how many human beings have destroyed themselves!
How many human beings have wasted their lives
on this planet just trying to look a little better than
somebody else! Dont waste your life trying to look
better than somebody else. It is such a horrible
waste of life, because you will never blossom into
your full potential if you keep thinking how to be
better than somebody. Fix the priority of your life
and leave it. Do the best that you can what has to
happen will happen.
Extracted from a talk by Sadhguru
What Has
To Happen
Will Happen
Sadhguru on How to
Progress on the Path
7
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
8
After I got into teaching
1
, I spent all my money very
rapidly, traveling and organizing programs. That
was the tradition those days: whatever nominal
fee was collected, at the end of the program, we
would show the balance sheet to the participants,
This is the amount thats been spent; this is the
amount thats left. We would then call an old
age home, orphanage, or some other people who
needed money, donate it to them in full, 100%,
and walk away.
After about three-and-a-half years, I had fnished
up my savings, so I had to grow something to make
a living. [Laughs] I decided to grow cabbage because
it was doing great in the market at that time. My
own farm was in a remote area where there were a
lot of wild boar. If I had grown cabbage there, they
would have feasted on it. [Laughs] So a friend gave
me a few acres on his farm. I went to stay there
and gave myself ninety days to grow the crop,
including preparation, harvesting and everything.
I had spent all my money. So I tried to make
simple meals to survive and physically worked on
the farm. Hybrid cabbage seeds are expensive, so
we frst grew them in a tray inside the house. After
they all came up, we took each one of them and
transplanted them. If you plant them in the day
time, their survival rate is low. So in the evenings
after sunset, I would sit and work till 01:00 a.m.,
planting with a torch light.
I did all this backbreaking work and in about
1215 days, tiny little cabbages were forming.
This was the month of November when Mysore
is most of the time misty and foggy in the
mornings. I just sat there in the morning mist; I
wanted to see when the frst light falls on these
cabbages. It was the most incredible scene. It
almost felt like delivering 10,000 babies. [Laughs]
Every day, each one of them was getting bigger.
I sat up in the morning because one thing, I
liked to watch them; another thing, I didnt want
somebody to eat them up. [Laughs]
My father was going crazy, Hes left a successful
business and now hes sitting and growing cabbages
in somebody elses farm! Not even on my own
land. But I had such an incredible experience
growing them. The cabbages all sized up nicely
and I was counting money in my head.
Though it was such a beautiful experience to
grow the cabbage, when the time to harvest
came, the vegetable prices crashed. It became 25
paisa per kilogram. 25 paisa means a quarter of a
rupee. One rupee means 1/45
th
of a dollar. For 25
paisa, it is not even worth harvesting and loading
them on a truck because it doesnt even cover
the transport costs.
One day, I saw they had ripened fully but still
the market prices were no good. So I just told
the villagers, Come and take fve cabbages per
family. Still there were plenty. So I just left
them to the cattle. I saw the cattle were so
happy. They had not eaten anything so juicy in
their life. Then I counted the money backwards.
[Laughter] Growing the crop was great but the
harvest was no good.
So when you are harvesting something for
the market, sometimes it can become a bitter
experience. For most people, they might have
enjoyed their college time, but the fnal phase of
going to the examination is when they are most
tense and bitter. Not me because I went to the
examination when I wanted [laughs] and I left
when I wanted, so it didnt bother me. But for
most people, examination is the harvesting time.
That is because we are harvesting for the market.
Fortunate Misfortunes
8

1
Refers to the time when after his profound spiritual experience on Chamundi Hill at age 25, Sadhguru started teaching yoga
programs to make this inner experience available to others
Sadhguru on Shifting Perspective on Life Situations
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
9
We are harvesting to get somebodys approval
either in terms of money or marks or whatever
else. If that is not the issue, then harvest is great.
When I saw the cattle eating the cabbage, initially
I felt distressed, Oh my God, how much have I
spent! Three months and all the money that has
gone into it they are eating up all my money.
Then when I saw the joy in their faces, the way
they were going at it, I said, Okay, what the
hell! [Laughs] And it is again part of the plan that
though all my projects found enormous success,
when the time to harvest money came, either I
lost interest or something else happened. It was
part of the scheduling elsewhere that I shouldnt
fnd farming too attractive. [Laughter] It has
always worked like that.
If I wanted to complain, I could complain a lot
because in a way, I have been used and misused
and abused like a slave but I like being that. It
relieves me of everything. I have been enslaved for
lifetimes just to do what somebody else pleases. But
when I look back and see, I wouldnt prefer it any
other way because nobodys logical intelligence
could ever work to produce what this enslaving
schedule has produced for me. So if something of a
higher intelligence enslaves you, it is a fortune. If
you get enslaved by a tyrant of a lower intelligence
than yourself, it is a misfortune isnt it so?
When it is time to harvest, you must just gather
what comes. It will all be worthwhile if you
simply gather. What a great thing that the market
fell on that day because the way I was then, if the
market had worked, I would have thought, Okay,
let me grow one more crop. Let me try to squeeze
the next crop in 60 days instead of 90 days. And
maybe then one more, and maybe I would have
become a very rich cabbage farmer. [Laughter]
How fortunate the market crashed and it all got
washed out. A similar thing happened to me when
I was doing the sericulture it caught fre. You
know the story
2
. Otherwise I would be raising
silkworms successfully as some of my friends still
are. They are very successful silkworm rearers in
Karnataka today. They are doing very well they
believe so. [Laughter]
If so-called misfortunes strike, you must learn to
take them in your stride because there may be
a deeper intelligence to these misfortunes. What
is fortune and what is misfortune is a social
thing. But in terms of life, what is fortune and
misfortune is of a completely different nature. The
spiritual process is not about causing a particular
event. It is about causing a certain way of being,
that whatever the situation, it turns into a fortune.
Those who look at certain situations as fortune
and certain other situations as misfortune are the
unfortunate people on the planet because then you
are a slave of those situations.
Once you are beginning to touch another
dimension of energy, intelligence, and possibility,
you should learn to count your fortune and
misfortune in a completely different way. Where
are my cabbages, where are my cabbages? That
is not the way to look at it. The cabbages were
eaten by the cows, but what a fortune it was that
they were eaten by the cows. If you sat there and
started crying for the cabbages, you would have
missed out on something very, very signifcant
isnt it so?
If you keep counting your fortunes and misfortunes
by the same old social standards as you have been
trained to do for a lifetime, you will continuously
count in misfortune when there is no misfortune.
The greatest misfortune for a human being is
when even if fortune falls upon him, he thinks
it is a misfortune. And that is happening to too
many people I see this every day. And that is
why these days, I am more in tears than laughing.
[Laughs] Because when I see people and I laugh,
they feel insulted. They think I am arrogant. If
I cry, at least they think I am crying for their
misery. I am not crying for their misery. I am
crying for my misery. [Laughter] So its good.
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru
9

1
Refers to an incident where Sadhguru was rearing silkworms until one day, all the mulberry trees burnt to ashes
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
10
Q: I am planning my life and I get so lost in my
plans but things are still not happening the way I
want them to. What do I do?
Sadhguru: See, a plan is something that is in your
mind. But you can only work with what is in your
hands. How much time you dedicate to planning,
and how much time for work is something each
individual has to decide depending upon the nature
of his life. If you are part of the planning commission,
you are only planning thats your job; executing
it is somebody elses job. Whatever the nature of
your work, the nature of life is such that you can
only eat now, you can only breathe now, you can
only live now. Planning too, you can only do now.
You can plan about tomorrow but you cannot plan
tomorrow. A plan is just an idea, and all our plans
come from what we already know. Our plan is an
improved version of the past. A plan is like us taking
a piece of the past and applying make-up on it. This
is a very poor way to live. Yes, we need to have a
plan, but if your life goes according to your plan,
it means you have lived a very poor life. Your life
should happen in a way that you could not imagine.
The possibility of life is so vast that nobody can
ever plan to that extent. So keep a plan as a fallback,
but let life happen; explore the possibilities of life
as it is now. You never know what will open up.
Something that has never happened till now to any
human being may happen to you. But if your life
goes according to your plan, only the same nonsense
that has happened in this world till now will happen
to you; nothing new will ever happen to you. If
your life goes according to plan, love cannot happen
to you, bliss cannot happen to you, enlightenment
can never happen to you because it is not within
your imagination. You can go hold a girls or a boys
hand and run around the tree as somebody else did
according to your plan but still you will not know
what love is. You can get married according to your
plan still you will not know what love is. You can
produce children but you will still not know what
love is. When it happens, it will not be in your plan.
It cannot be in your plan because a plan comes from
what you already know, from the information and
experience of the past.
Something new can never ever touch your life if
your life goes according to your plan. So you must
know to what extent to plan. If you dont have a
plan at all, you may not know what to do tomorrow.
So it is a certain balance, it is a certain wisdom about
life as to what to plan and what to live by abandon.
Your plan is not coming from some great vision.
Your plan is essentially coming out of your fear
of not being able to face the unexpected. The only
misery that human beings have is that their life is
not happening the way they think it should happen.
Just that one stupid plan that you have is not
happening; something much bigger is happening.
In the morning, you wanted your coffee; the coffee
didnt happen, so you are miserable. But a glorious
sunrise is happening, and you are missing it.
In this cosmic scape, in the dance of life that is
happening around you, your plan is such a miserably
small thing. Dont give so much importance to your
plan. Yes, you need a plan to know what to do
tomorrow morning; but dont ever expect your life
to go by the plan. And above all, always dream and
pray that your life will happen way beyond your
plan, your imagination, and all your expectations. If
it goes by your plan, it is a miserable life.
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru
Dont Plan Your Life Away
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
11
1
Fundamental life energy
Shekhar Kapur: Here in India, there are a lot
of snake sculptures in temples, while in the
West, a snake is seen as something threatening
sometimes with a sexual connotation, sometimes
with an evil connotation. Can you tell us
something about why snakes?
Sadhguru: This is a symbolism. You see Shiva
always has a snake on top of his head. The snake is
seen as the fundamental energy. The Kundalini
1
is
symbolized as a snake in the yogic systems. When
Shiva has a snake on top of his head, it is to indicate
that his energies have reached the peak. That is the
essence of asceticism that his energies have hit the
peak. When his energies have hit the peak, it means
his perception has also reached the Ultimate. That
is why the snake on top of the head and the Third
Eye are symbolic. The Third Eye means your
perception has reached the highest level. You have
seen everything that can be seen in the existence,
mainly because you are energized in the highest
possible way.
If your perception has to evolve and enhance itself,
the most important thing is, your energy has to
evolve and enhance itself. So the whole sadhana
that yoga practitioners are doing is to evolve
and refne their energies in such a way that their
perception is enhanced, and their Third Eye opens.
The Third Eye just means that your perception has
gone beyond the dualities of life. You are able to see
life just the way it is; not just the way it is necessary
for your survival.
Now, if we look at Christian theology Adam
and Eve, the frst man and the frst woman, didnt
know what to do with each other. [Laughs] Then
the snake came and made them eat the fruit of
knowledge. Anybody who makes you eat the fruit
of knowledge, is he evil or divine?
Shekhar Kapur: I would say divine.
Sadhguru: And, by eating this fruit of knowledge,
life got initiated on this planet. The whole life
process became possible only because of the snake
tempting Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge and to
share it with Adam. Only someone who is out and
out against the fundamental processes of life would
say that the snake is an agent of the devil. One who
initiates life has to be an agent of the Divine, isnt
it so? So here, we always saw the snake as the agent
of the Divine. There is no temple in India without
a snake. And, above all, Shiva keeps this crawling
creature on top of his head, not at his feet, to
indicate that this is what initiated the life process.
Shekhar Kapur: So how did the idea come up that
the fruit was a temptation and therefore, it was
immoral that Eve shared the fruit with Adam?
Sadhguru: I think it is the priests and the pundits
who have no sense of life. For such people, religion
is not a gateway to the Divine, religion is a business,
religion is a way to control people, religion is a
way to organize people, religion is a way to make
people their kind. So I would say, there is nothing
religious about this idea. It is more of a political or
a social tool.
No Temple without a Snake
Shekhar Kapur in Conversation with Sadhguru
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
12
The Whip of Destiny
Krishna Embarks to Retrieve His Gurus Son 3
What happened so far: Krishna embarks on the
endeavor to bring back Punardatta, the son of his
Guru Sandipani. Punardatta had been captured
and sold by pirates. Krishna and Balarama
manage to get onto the pirate ship. The chief
pirate, Panchajanya, plans to sell the two boys
and initially treats them well. But when Krishna
repeatedly undermines the pirates authority, the
latter decides to make an example.
Panchajanya decided that the boys need to be
punished in front of everybody. He called the
whole crew on deck, had them bring the boys and
he told Hullu, Whip these boys. Hullu looked
at Krishna. Krishna just smiled at him. Hullu got
terrifed. This is some kind of evil spirit. He came
out of the cage without breaking it. Since he came,
he has been doing such strange things, Hullu
thought. Terror took over and he could not use his
whip. Panchajanya saw that things were going out
of control and since he did not want the situation
to look like Hukku or Hullu were not following his
instructions, he said, Let me do this personally.
Give me the whip. Handling a very long cattle
whip needs some skill. Unless you know how to
handle it, you will most probably end up whipping
yourself. It is like doing fy fshing if you dont
know how to do it, you wont catch any fsh; you
will probably pull out your eyeball. [Laughter]
Similarly, a cattle whip is something that you must
know how to use.
Panchajanya was not an expert in using a cattle whip ,
while Krishna, right from his infancy, had lived
among cattle and knew how to use a cattle whip
very well. Panchajanya tried to whip Krishna but
the whip did not make proper contact. Normally, it
would peel off the skin but in this case, it just left a
Leela Series
The path of the playful
Part XXII
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
13
The Whip of Destiny
welt on Krishnas back. Krishna caught hold of the
end of the whip, pulled it out of Panchajanyas hand
and gave him the whipping of his life. This big man
was whipped to such an extent that very little of his
epidermis was left, and he passed out. With the help
of Hukku and Hullu, Krishna transported him to his
cabin. So after he had peeled off Panchajanyas skin,
he nursed him, made him conscious again and told
him, See, I have no business with you. My business
is just to save my brother, my Gurus son whom
you sold. I see that you hold no hatred towards my
Guru or his son. You are just into some business of
your own. You are a thief this is your dharma. I
am doing my dharma as a disciple. Just drop me on
that coast and go your way. I dont want to have
anything to do with you.
But Panchajanya was not made that way. He was
groaning in pain but burning with the humiliation
that he had gone through in front of his crew.
He knew that if he did not do something drastic,
nobody would take orders from him anymore and
he would be fnished as a captain of the ship.
Panchajanya had a most beautiful conch, perfectly
made, which he always wore around his shoulder.
He used it as a signal to order, to sail away and these
kinds of things. Conches were used extensively in
India at that time; but this was a very special one
which had a powerful musical tone. Krishna just
helped himself to this fne conch of Panchajanya
and said, Im going to keep this conch for myself.
I take this as a gift from Panchajanya. [Laughter]
Since then, he wore this conch. He named it
Panchajanya and it remained with Krishna for his
whole life. The conch Panchajana played a very
important role throughout Mahabharat. It became
the symbol of power and victory.
After nursing Panchajanya, Krishna came up on deck
and put the ship back on course to the destination
he wanted to go, a kingdom which was ruled by
a woman who was known as the Mother Goddess.
Krishna had acquired the skill of navigating a ship
and he was handling it himself.
In the night, Krishna and Balarama saw a big fgure
approaching them with a short sword; Panchajanya
was coming to attack them. He was a very big man;
fghting with him when he has a sword in his hand
would have been very diffcult. Krishna looked for
a way out. It seemed like the only way out was to
jump off the ship to save his life. When he was just
about to do that, Hullu, who had been a slave of
Panchajanya for all his life, suddenly came from
behind, picked up Panchajanya, and threw him
overboard into the ocean. A skinless man in salt
water And they continued the journey.
To be continued
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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I took Shiva as my partner. The guy does nothing;
its me who is doing all the work, but life has become
so blessed and beautiful because I kept him as my
partner always, every moment.
I thought it is time we strike a proper partnership
and this 7% partnership is not empty words...
Generally, I have always been a little hardcore
that this Grace should be used only for spiritual
wellbeing, but I am beginning to offer myself on
all levels because I believe if we smoothen your
economic, social, family and other activities with
a certain level of Grace, you will allot much more
time for your Ultimate Wellbeing.
If you look at yourself as a machine, you have brains,
you have a body but Grace is the lubrication.
Without the necessary lubrication, even a great
engine cannot function well.
Sadhguru
Ishanga literally means Limb of Isha. Ishanga 7%
is a partnership with Sadhguru an opportunity to
be a part of making his vision happen while allowing
Grace to function in your life and lead you towards
your Ultimate Wellbeing.
Experiences:
The opportunity of having Sadhguru as
a partner is just unbelievable. Ever since I
signed up for the 7% partnership, Sadhgurus
Grace has become an all-pervasive Presence in
whatever I am attempting to do whether it is
work, extracurricular activities, relationships,
or my spiritual quest. New dimensions and
opportunities are opening up. My partner is
making life happen in a big way. in every
way.
Kalpana Maniar,
Ishanga and Head Business Solutions
& IT - BSG & Tech, Mumbai
I have no words to adequately express my
deepest gratitude to Sadhguru for agreeing to
be my partner. Ever since, my private life and
my business life have never been the same.
My business has grown in leaps and bounds.
Everything is just happening effortlessly.
Rashid Surti,
Ishanga and businessman, Mumbai
Ishanga 7%
Contact: 094425 04672 / 0422-2515378 donations@ishafoundation.org
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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Buddha Pournami 2011
The Tree The Moon The Man
Isha Yoga Center celebrated Buddha Pournami,
that momentous full moon night when Gautama
blossomed into a Buddha, as Sadhguru put it, on 17
May 2011 with sacred Buddhist chants and offerings
at the Dhyanalinga Temple, as well as evening and
full moon meditations.
Buddha Pournami is the full moon day that marks
the birth, enlightenment (nirvana) and ultimate
liberation (parinirvana or mahasamadhi) of
Gautama Buddha. The planetary positions on this
day are considered to be very conducive for ones
inner evolution. Via live webcast, people from all
over the world had the opportunity to tune in to
Sadhgurus darshan at the Isha Institute of Inner
Sciences, USA.
A poem that Sadhguru wrote on the occasion:
Commemorations in Isha Yoga Center and Isha Institute of Inner Sciences
A prince wrapped in the folds
of regal pleasures and platitudes
Stung by the pain of ignorance
leaves all that a lesser man would cherish
Te power of princehood, comfort of palace
warmth of a loving wife and joys of an infant son
Te scourge of ignorance sears his mind
that he chooses to beg than be a Baron
Te barrenness of not knowing
transforms into striving extraordinaire
Te fower of knowing could not be denied
to the one who was a burning longing
Te coolness of the full moon
An appropriate setting for the fowering
Tat cooled and quenched...
O the blossoming of Knowing
Love and Blessings,
Love & Blessings
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
Helicopter Flying
Excerpted from
The level of activity thats happening with Isha
in India, particularly in South India, has grown
manifold. In the last 3 years, weve multiplied 15-20
times over. So, one commodity that is in tremendous
scarcity with me is time. Time has become such a
big issue. I looked at it Im spending so much time
on the road just traveling, even though I generally
push it twice the speed of the rest of the traffc on
the street, on average at least.
Today, the kind of response we have across India is
such that literally every door is open. If I can visit
a town once, they are willing to do anything its
become like that. During the Ananda Alai tour of
Tamil Nadu, we had major events in 23 towns in 3
months. Chennai gathered over 100,000 people and
even among the medium-sized towns, none was
less than 30,000. Its been a phenomenal response.
And I set up this challenge for them I said if
you enroll 10,000 people for an Inner Engineering
program, which is a 3-day commitment, I will come
to your town. They said, we will do it Sadhguru. I
went to smaller towns and said if you enroll 5,000
people, I will come to your town. They said, we
will do it. Then, among themselves, there was
competition saying if this one enrolls 5,000, well
enroll 8,000 but we want the frst date. The spirit
and enthusiasm are unprecedented and infectious.
We fxed 5 cities, but we had to cancel 2 because
we couldnt ft them into our schedule. We did
programs in 3 cities Madurai for 10,035 people,
Trichy for about 9,500 and Chennai for 14,157.
Now Chennai is asking for another date. Theyre
saying if you give us another date in 2011, well get
25,000; it has picked up that kind of momentum
across the state. And in every little town, theyre
saying well enroll 5,000, please come to our town.
So we set a target in six years time, there should
not be a single human being in Tamil Nadu who
does not have at least a drop of spiritual process in
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June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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their life. Doesnt matter what the religion, caste,
creed, gender it doesnt matter. Everybody should
have it. Were rapidly moving in that direction. So,
the biggest challenge has become time and I noticed
Im wasting so much time on the road just driving.
Nothing is fast enough. So I thought Ill learn to
fy a helicopter. And Im doing that right now.
Today I landed twice, took off 34 times. I think
in another few days, Ill be fne with fying. One
must know that a helicopter is a unique machine;
that is, it is not like any fying object on this planet,
man-made or otherwise. It has no wings and the
general parameters of aerodynamics function quite
differently in a helicopter compared to anything
else, either a bird or a plane.
With all the variety of things going on, I thought
the helicopter would help to manage my time a
little better. The rotor blades are not only going to
churn up the air, were going to really churn up a
spiritual revolution in Tamil Nadu. I have already
earmarked about 62 towns. Probably in 3 months
time, I should be hopping around Tamil Nadu. It
will be extremely useful in India for whatever work
were doing.
Chuk Chuk Chuk Next time you hear it, maybe
Im landing on your rooftop.
Love and Grace,
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Like Madness You have entered me
Never to leave
Your sweetness leaves me hungry
And nothing else can sustain
Bliss is your quality
And ecstasy your energy
And I have become sof for you...
I wish to hold you every moment
But still you come and go...
But you will not always escape me
I will make myself for you
I am hopelessly yours
This life has come for you
Now that you have awakened me
Dont let me shut my doors
Let the blaze of your sunshine
Burn me to nothing
Let the salt of your ocean
Dissolve me into You.
The Madness of Love
Never seemed so sane
The Madness of You
I have begun to taste.
Erin, Isha Yoga Teacher
Madness
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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We are also seeking dynamic candidates for the following positions at Isha:
Interior designer Minimum requirements: 23 years experience in interior design; AutoCAD
Factory Supervisor Minimum requirement: 56 years experience in factory operations
If you are interested in any of the above positions, please email your resume to
hrd@ishafoundation.org or call us at 04223537070 / 9790409179
Work Opportunities at Isha
For our residential Isha Home School, we are seeking qualifed
teachers in the following subjects:
Besides an attractive salary, free board and lodging will be provided.
Teachers are required to stay on the premises.
Chemistry Accounts & Commerce
Mathematics Arts
Biology English
Social Studies
Program with
Coming up soon:
Sadhguru
8
th
( Fri ) - 10
th
( Sun ) July, 2011
For questions or registration details:
94808 36603, 94808 36604 bangalore@ishafoundation.org
Palace Grounds, Tripura Vasini
Entrance, Near Mekhri Circle,
Bangalore, India
Session Info:
Fri, 08
th
July - 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
Sat, 09
th
July - 8.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Sun, 10
th
July - 6.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple
Reviving a Glorious Tradition
The next major steps towards the completion of the Dhyanalinga Temple complex:
A 80,000 sq. ft. columnless sadhana hall, as such the largest in India. This space
will be open to all who are willing to receive an initiation into spiritual practices.
A second energized water body with three rasa lingas
(energy forms made of solidifed mercury).
Of the many ways one human can contribute and serve
another human being, to offer the spiritual possibility that
fullls ones ultimate wellbeing, is supreme.
Sadhguru
It is up to all of us to make this happen!
For each Rs. 2100, you can sponsor one square foot of the Dhyanalinga Temple complex!
For more information on how to donate, please contact us:
Phone: +91-422-2515378, 94425 04672 Email: donations@ishafoundation.org
To donate online: www.ishafoundation.org/donate
www.dhyanalinga.org
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER
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
4 - 24 June 2011
3-Week Sadhana
Residential Program
IIIS, USA
+1-931-668-1900
registration.iii@ishafoundation.org
7 - 10 July 2011
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
8 - 10 July 2011
Inner Engineering
conducted by Sadhguru
Bangalore, India
94808 36603, 94808 36604
bangalore@ishafoundation.org
9 - 19 July 2011
Isha Summer Program
For Children
Residential Program
(aged between 7 and 13)
IIIS, USA
+1-931-668-1900
childrenscamp.iii@ishafoundation.org
14 July 2011
Yantra Ceremony
conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
94432 51234, 0 94438 35000
yantra@ishafoundation.org
14 - 18 July 2011
Samyama Sadhana
Residential Program
Chouf, Lebanon
+961-3-747178, +961-3-365173
lebanon@ishafoundation.org
20 - 26 July 2011
Inner Engineering
(English)
Registrations are open
till 19 July
Delhi, India
9650092102, 9650092103
delhi@ishafoundation.org
21 - 24 July 2011
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Residential Program
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
0422-2515421
maa.karpoori@ishafoundation.org
31 July - 7 Aug
2011
Isha Yoga For Children
(aged between 7 and 12)
UK
+44-7788761764
programmes.uk@ishafoundation.org
15 Sep - 3 Oct 2011
(Two travel plans)
Himalayan Dhyan Yatra Indian Himalayas
9488 111 777
info@ishakailash.com
6 Jul - 21 Aug
2011 (In ten 15-day
batches)
Kailash Manasarovar
Sojourn
Nepal, Tibet
9488 111 777
info@ishakailash.com
Rescheduled:
11 - 18 Feb 2011
Mahabharat
Residential Program
conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore, India
94449 02058
mahabharat@ishafoundation.org
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Isha Recipes
For Healthy Living
Ingredients:
1 Tender coconut
A handful of Pomegranate seeds
Palm sugar / jaggery to taste
COCONUT POMEGRANATE JUICE
Method:
Blend the pomegranate seeds in an electric blender until they are broken up.
Add tender coconut water and coconut meat and blend. Add palm sugar / jaggery to taste. Filter.
Serve cool.
1.
2.
Note:
A delicious, refreshing drink for the summer season.
Coconut water, the juice of young tender coconuts, is natures solution to help replenish
the potassium, other electrolytes and water that you need when dehydrated. This natural,
low-calorie energy drink also reduces body heat.
According to Ayurveda, coconut water helps in digestion and clears the urinary path.
It is used to treat urinary stones as well as certain intestinal disturbances. When
applied externally, it effectively prevents rashes and other skin conditions, especially
those due to heat.
June 2011 FOREST FLOWER