Isha forest flower dec 2014

Volume - 2 / Issue - 12 `15 Annual Subscription `180 December 2014
light for the Blind
Fire of my Mind
Fire of my Heart
Fire of my Body
Immense fire of my Being
I Condensed into cool fire
The coolness of my fire
makes my fire unconditional
Doesn’t feed upon life giving oxygen
Underwater or in ice or in cold space
My fire flourishes to be light
Light that is beyond senses
light that is eternal
light that even the blind can know.
light up your Blindness
with my cool fire
Grace & Blessings

Dear Readers,
For over six years, we indulged in monthly tidbits of Krishna’s Leela, as narrated and interpreted
by Sadhguru during the 2005 program of the same name. In this edition of Isha Forest Flower, we
embark on a new exploration into one of India’s great cultural legacies – the Mahabharat saga.
In the first part, “Equations of Time and Creation,” Sadhguru exemplifies the connection between
time, space, planets, and the human system. If the torrent of scientific numbers overwhelms you,
don’t worry – this is only a preparation before we delve into the epic world of Mahabharat.
We dug deep into our archives to unearth a gem from the early days of Isha. Our article “The Way
of Acceptance” is based on a talk by Sadhguru from the legendary 1994 Wholeness program,
during which Sadhguru unleashed the mystic and Guru in him before the incredulous eyes of the
participants. Here, he bespeaks the importance of acceptance for those who are serious about
the spiritual path.
In the aftermath of the grand Mahashivaratri celebrations this year, Shekhar Kapur and Sadhguru
quietly came together in front of Linga Bhairavi to discuss matters of creativity, the feminine, and
more. Our article “Tools to Tap the Source of Creation” is a first excerpt of this enjoyably lively
conversation.
Sadhguru urges us to get the fundamentals in place before aiming for lofty goals such as
enlightenment. “How to Get a Grip on Your Body and Your Mind” is the most imperative question
to be dealt with before aiming at higher dimensions, and our Lead Article has Sadhguru’s practical
advice on how to tackle it. In this context, breath awareness is one of the most basic yet easily
forgotten instructions in Isha Hatha Yoga. In this month’s hatha yoga article, Sadhguru expounds
on “Why Focusing on the Breath is Essential.”
Finally, with the winter fast approaching, we offer you a hearty, spicy “Paneer Butter Masala”
recipe – brought to you directly from the Akshaya (ashram kitchen).
Enjoy the read!
The Editorial Team
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2
ISHA FOREST FLOWER December 2014

CONTENTS
Lead Article
How to Get a Grip on Your Body and Your Mind
Sadhguru on Benefitting from the Yogic Science and Technology 4
In Conversation with the Mystic
Tools to Tap the Source of Creation
Shekhar Kapur in Conversation with Sadhguru 6
Musings
Right or Left?
Sadhguru on the Difference between Our Two Sides 9
The Way of Acceptance
Sadhguru on a Transformative Power on the Path 10
Mahabharat
Part I:Equations of Time and Creation (1) 13
Isha Hatha Yoga
Part 12: Why Focusing on the Breath is Essential 16
News & Events in Brief
Adiyogi Lands in America 17
Sadhguru Speaks at the United Nations
Golfing for Human Rights
World Peace Day 2014 at the iii
Sharing Experiences
Tides of Time – Poem 18
Sadhguru Spot
Teaching – A Life Fulfilled 19
Upcoming Programs and Events
Isha Yoga – Program Highlights 20
Isha Recipe
This Month: Paneer Butter Masala 21
Zen Speaks
Everything is Empty / Vow of Silence 23
December 2014 ISHA FOREST FLOWER 3

How to Get a Grip on Your Body and Your Mind
Sadhguru on Benefitting from the Yogic Science and Technology
The following is an excerpt from a darshan with
Sadhguru on 17 September 2014 at the Isha Yoga
Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. Whenever I
try to stop any negative emotion like anger, it only
becomes stronger. How can I get a grip on my mind?
Sadhguru: If you try to stop what you don’t want,
only that will happen. This has always been the
nature of your mind and human mind as such.
The whole system of yoga is about experientially
exploring the nature of your body and your mind.
When you get up in the morning and you do your
asanas, it is not because it is a stretching exercise, as a
whole lot of idiots across the planet describe it. Yes,
you have to stretch to do it, but fundamentally, it is
an exploration of your body and your mind. Because
the biggest problem in your life is you are trying to
live here without having a grasp of the two basic
vehicles without which you cannot go through this
life – your physical body and your mind.
SADHGURU
How comfortably you travel through life depends
on how deeply you have grasped your body and
your mind. For the journey to be comfortable, the
vehicle has to be good, and you must understand the
vehicle – how it behaves, what it does, and why it
does what it does. This is not enlightenment – this is
necessary even if you only want to live an ignorant
life. They used to say, “Ignorance is bliss” – if that
was true, the world should be blissed out by now.
Even if you have chosen to be ignorant because
you think it is blissful, to walk through this world,
you must have a grasp of this body and this mind.
Otherwise, doing anything is a problem. I will not
go into this further intellectually, because then
you would get all wound up. That is why the yogic
system is an experiential exploration without trying
to go into it intellectually.
When you do your asanas, you explore the nature
of your body and your mind. If you move your
fingers in a certain way, your mind will function
4 ISHA FOREST FLOWER December 2014

accordingly. Everything that you do with your body
does something with your mind. You will not come
to this understanding by reading a book. It will
come to you only by exploration. If you close your
eyes and try to forcefully remove something from
your mind, you will never be successful.
This is the most basic and at the same time the
most important realization that everyone needs to
come to. Without this realization, you will make
a complete mess out of yourself. If you are not so
sharp in your head, it will be okay. But if you are
sharp, you will cut yourself all over, and before
anyone can save you, you will be mutilated. Every
day, such mutilated human beings come to me and
say, “Sadhguru, I’m interested in enlightenment.”
First fix the wounds, or at least stop causing further
wounds, because you have a very sharp knife.
Even to shave themselves, a whole lot of men cut
their faces. I have no such issues, but I have seen
people bleeding in the face because they want to
cut themselves close and it gets closer than planned.
Understanding the fundamentals, grasping as to
how your mind functions, does not come from an
intellectual analysis – it is an exploration. What
you need to do is, hold your body in one posture,
and see your mind functions in a certain way. Hold
your body in another posture, and see your mind
functions in a different way.
If you stay in an asana and breathe properly, you
will see as you go through this process, the mind
will go into various states. This exploration is the
most fundamental aspect of yoga. Hatha Yoga is
not the peak – it is preparatory. If you try to go to
the peak without that preparatory step, you will
probably crash. At least 80% of humanity will not
be able to do any kind of meditation in their life
unless they do some kind of physical preparation.
The very way they sit, the very way they move
their body, it is clear that they cannot meditate, no
matter how hard they try. Some amount of physical
preparation is needed, because body and mind are
not two separate things – or is your brain outside
your body?
What happens to your little finger happens to the
brain. What happens to the brain happens to the
little finger. It works both ways. The brain is not a
separate entity by itself. Doctors have learned about
the body by dissecting dead bodies – if you open a
dead body and cut out different organs and keep
them in different places, it is all separate. But that
is not how your body is – it is all one. Only to a
discriminating scalpel it is separate, but for a living
human being, it is all one. That is why the yogic
system is designed the way it is.
As an experiment, try to resist the things that you
want. You will see they will manifest strongly
within you. If you want something to happen, try
to not make it happen. It will definitely happen.
That is because you are in a state where when you
want to put your mind in first gear, it goes into
reverse gear. This is not the best way to do things,
but you could try this to understand that this is
how it is right now – if you resist something, only
that will happen.
From tomorrow, get up at five o’ clock in the
morning, have a cold shower, and start your
sadhana at 5:30, every day. After some time, so
many things which were a problem in your mind
will be gone. It works – that is all that matters.
If you want to understand how it works, what
the mechanism and the process are, it takes a
lot of effort and time. To make it work does not
take much. But if you want to know the whole
intricacy of what makes it happen, why it happens
the way it happens, why a particular asana has a
particular effect, then it is lifetimes of study.
Those who want to benefit from the technology
should simply learn to use it. For those who
want to know the basis and the science behind
the technology, it is lifetimes of work. It took me
three lifetimes to understand how it works. You
have come to me, and after all the things I do – no
sweetness, no promise of heaven, no miracles, not
even a pleasant word, no hug – you are still here, so
I assume that you are smart. Just do your hatha yoga
for an hour a day. It works.

Tools to Tap the Source of Creation
Shekhar Kapur in Conversation with Sadhguru
The day after Mahashivartri 2014, internationally acclaimed film director Shekhar
Kapur and Sadhguru came together at the Isha Yoga Center for a new edition of the
“In Conversation with the Mystic” series. This first excerpt of their discussion spans the
topics of creativity, the feminine, the divine, and tools to enhance one’s life.
Shekhar Kapur: Sadhguru, when the consecration
of Linga Bhairavi took place, you said, “Shekhar,
as a creative person, you must come.” So my first
question to you today is about the relationship
between Bhairavi and creativity.
Sadhguru: The greatest masterpiece of physical
creation, of what we know on this planet, is the
human body. There is no physical mechanism
that is as sophisticated and as fantastic as this one.
And though there is an input from the masculine,
it is essentially manufactured in the womb of the
feminine. Bhairavi is the ultimate feminine nature –
creativity in its essence.
Shekhar: You’re saying my feminine nature is the
source of my creativity?
Sadhguru: I don’t believe a human being can be
creative. If we perceive creation around us with
a certain profoundness, we can imitate in many
different ways, in permutations and combinations,
and seem creative in society, but actually, we are
not really creative. Everything that can be created
has already been done in creation. We are clever
craftsmen at the most. If you define the word
“creativity” as really creating something – whether
you make a movie or you paint something or I build
a building, I speak, or whatever else I do – this is
not really creative – it is clever imitation. Because
we have paid attention to different aspects of life,
we are able to imitate in ways that others have
not thought possible. Or if you don’t like the word
“imitate,” you could say “replicate.”

Shekhar: I prefer “imitate” to “replicate.” Or
would you give me as a creative person the word
“interpret?”
Sadhguru: No, I would give you “transmit.” In
transmission, you can make some changes of color
and form to it.
Shekhar: Okay, I am going to replace the word
“creativity” with the word “transmission.” Let’s
talk about transmission. How do I transmit? Is
there a relationship between transmission and
Bhairavi? How do I become part of or how can I
access the source?
Sadhguru: She herself is a transmission. We have
always used the word “window” in yoga. Somehow,
Bill Gates stole it from us [Laughter], because we
didn’t make it as popular as he did. It is all about
opening a new window. If you open a new window,
suddenly existence looks completely different.
Suppose you have lived in a contraption of a home
all your life. Now if you open one window, you will
see the temple, and you will think the world is a
temple. If you open another window, you will think
the world is a mountain. If you open yet another
window, you will think the world is a jungle. If you
open a different window, you will think the world
is a town. Similarly, you can open a million different
windows and still it will be something new, because
such is the phenomenon of creation.
Bhairavi herself is a window. Anything could be
made into a window, but it has not been done.
We established a window and keep it open so that
more people are able to see. But through Bhairavi,
people are able to experience, know, and achieve
things that they would have never been able to do
by themselves. You should listen to the stories of a
lot of people who are every day in Bhairavi sadhana
through the Bhairavi yantra – incredible! If you
use her as a window, suddenly she opens up a new
dimension for you, an enhanced level of capability
and competence.
Another way of looking at it is all deities can also
be referred to as yantra. In a way, a yantra is a
machine. The word “yantra” actually means “form.”
A machine is a complex arrangement of forms. Why
do we invent machines? All machines that human
beings have ever made are only about enhancing
what we can already do in a certain way. We can do
it in a small way – the machine can do it in a bigger
way. We can walk, so we came up with a bicycle.
If you were immobile like a tree, you would have
never thought of a bicycle.
All machines, whether it is a phone, a bicycle, a car,
a computer, or whatever else, are just enhancements
of our own capabilities and competence. In that
sense, a Bhairavi yantra is also a machine. There is
a different way to work with her because she is not
a physical machine – she is an energy machine. If
you use the right code, a mantra or a certain way to
connect with her, and she works for you, suddenly,
in different levels, your capacity is greatly enhanced.
If you remember when you first learned how
to ride a bicycle, the new level of freedom was
tremendous. A bicycle is one of the most basic
machines, but when you first ride it, this experience
of shifting your ability to locomote to the next level
is phenomenal. The only reason why human beings
are in a dominant position on this planet is because
we created tools and machines. You can’t run as fast
as a panther. You can’t fight with a tiger. You are
no match for an elephant at all. You are not even
a match for a bull or a cow. Only because we have
tools and machines, our lives are enhanced.
These yantras are machines that function in
a completely different dimension. They are
machines for inner wellbeing. Whenever I refer
to the Dhyanalinga as a tool, people feel offended,
“Sadhguru, don’t call it a tool – for us it’s a god!” I
say, “It’s okay – God is also a tool.” When people
go to the temple and say, “Shiva, do this for me,”
they are trying to use him as a tool for their
wellbeing. People do not understand how fantastic
a thing a tool is. God is not so fantastic – tools are
fantastic. Suppose I ask you to unscrew this screw
in this piece of furniture – you may lose all your
fingernails and a few teeth, but it won’t come out.
If I give you a little screwdriver – done. That’s the

power of a tool – it enables you to do things that
you could not do by yourself.
You might have stood on your head, got into all
kinds of pretzel forms, and still you were not
able to meditate. Now if you come and sit at the
Dhyanalinga, you will become meditative. So many
people who have never been able to meditate in
their whole life just sit there and become meditative.
It is a powerful tool in that direction – that’s why it
is called Dhyanalinga. Similarly, Bhairavi is a tool
for wellbeing on a different level. Such sophisticated
forms were created to take you to spaces that you by
yourself would not be able to go to.
If I had not been to those spaces, I would not have
been able to manifest Bhairavi the way she is right
now. If everyone had to make the journey without
a tool, without a machine, it would be an arduous
task. Essentially, it is only because of tools and
machines that if one generation leaves something
at a certain point, the next generation can take the
next step without having to start all over again or
having to repeat the previous step.
These yantras are powerful tools. It is just that this
form of science, which is far more ancient, far more
profound, and far more complex than the present
physical sciences, is subjective in nature. Today’s
science is concerned with the physical nature of
the universe alone. By changing the physicality,
you will only change the appearance of life – you
will not change the quality of life in any way.
Suppose you start cycling, running, exercising, and
building muscle every day, your appearance will
change, socially something may change, but in your
experience of life, nothing will change. You will be
miserable with big muscles – that’s all.
But if you change the dimension that is beyond
physicality, everything, the way you exist, the way
you perceive life will change. Your very connection
with the universe will change. After all, you can’t
really make anything that’s life. Life is for you to
perceive and experience. The choice you have is
to perceive and experience it more profoundly.
Unfortunately, that dimension has been completely
ignored in today’s world because of this madness
about the physical.
Yantra Ceremony with Sadhguru
“The Linga Bhairavi Yantras are designed to powerfully impact your system, the
space in which you live, and the direction and destiny of your life.”
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Right or Left?
Sadhguru on the Difference between Our Two S ides
Questioner: Sadhguru, in the Indian culture,
people always eat and receive with the right hand,
and even in the West, it is encouraged to do things
with the right hand rather than with the left. I am
wondering why this is so.
Sadhguru: One reason is that our cardiac system is
on the left side. There are studies which suggest that
people who are left-handed tend to live shorter lives
than right-handed people. The human system is
designed in such a way that you should not use your
left as much as you use your right. This is relevant
for activities like throwing a ball. But why receiving
or giving with the right? Left and right are very
different in quality. Whether you keep the right
hand or leg over the left, or the left over the right
makes a big difference. In the yogic culture, except
for certain types of activities that are generally
considered as occult, we always keep the left leg
tucked in. However, when I am in the Devi temple,
I sit with my right leg tucked in.
The left is the feminine in you – it needs to be
protected and nurtured. The right is the masculine
in you. Everything that you want to do outside,
you should do with the right. The right is more
robust – the left more sensitive. If I want to feel
you out, I will always open my left hand, because
it is receptive and sensitive. You want to keep the
left soft and nice so that it receives well and feels
things out well. If you use it for other activities,
it will lose that sensitivity. You use your left hand
only if something needs a very subtle touch. To
give an example – it takes a certain amount of
getting your masculinity out of your mind to play
golf. That is why I end up using my left hand
most of the time. To go furthest, you do not need
power – you need a subtle touch.
That is the nature of the feminine, and the left is
feminine. Because most people have killed the
feminine in themselves, they do not notice any
difference. Had they kept the feminine active
within themselves, they would. But today, our idea
of equality is to level everything. There has been
a huge effort in Western societies and now also
everywhere else in the world to level the masculine
and the feminine, which is most unfortunate and
crude. Men are becoming less masculine; women
are becoming less feminine, which is a tragedy.
Somewhere, we perceive being feminine as weak
because we are ruled by gross values.
Only the masculine can survive when economics
is the sole value you have. Economics is essentially
survival process. We are elevating survival process
as the greatest value on the planet, which is a
foolish way to live. Once you do this, there is not
much room for the feminine, because providing
for yourself and people around you is essentially a
masculine process. It is not that women should be
incapable of that, but in terms of qualities, we are
destroying one quality completely, and then we are
wondering why the world is so brutal and gross.
With the values we are setting in today’s societies, it
cannot be any other way.
For the feminine to function, the left has to be
kept gentle and alert. The right hand is for doing
things in the world – to earn a living, throw a ball,
or whatever else. For all survival processes, we use
the right hand. If you do something very subtle,
you should use the left hand. Some people are born
with their heart on the right side. Just like that,
some people are born left-handed. Their energies
are such that they invariably use the left hand. But
otherwise, naturally, you can do more activity with
the right hand than the left. The left needs to be
kept in a different way because it is designed for
a different purpose. This does not mean that you
should for example only exercise with the right
hand. It is just that you should not use your left side
as aggressively as you use your right side. It must be
preserved for receptivity. Otherwise, there will be
no receptivity in you.

The Way of Acceptance
Sadhguru on a Transformative Power on the Path
The following excerpt from the legendary Wholeness program at the
nascent Isha Yoga Center in 1994, during which Sadhguru sought to prepare
participants for the consecration of the Dhyanalinga. Here, Sadhguru discusses
a fundamental aspect of spirituality.
No Intensity, No Transformation
Whether you walk the path of karma, gnana, kriya,
or bhakti, it is your intensity which keeps you going,
not the path itself. No practices or kriyas will do
anything when there is no intensity. In turn, when
there is intensity, the practices have the power to
move you into a different dimension.
It is not the kriya as such which will transform
you – it is your intensity. When you have this
intensity, the kriya is a tremendous support that
enhances it more and more. That is the whole
purpose of doing the practices. Whichever path
you walk, by itself, the practice does not do
anything except create a little bit of physical and
psychological wellbeing. It is not going to make
you realize anything unless you have intensity.
If you half-heartedly love someone, there is no
love. It is either 100% or zero. If you think you can
love someone 99%, you have not known love at all.
The same goes for any kind of action. If you do not
perform your action 100%, it is meaningless. It is
not going to produce anything great. At the most,
it will earn you food. Unless your action is 100%, it
cannot transform you. Unless your kriya is 100%,
it cannot transform you. Unless your love is 100%,
it cannot transform you. It may be a device to get
something, like a barter system, but in existential
terms, nothing happens.

Misunderstood Tolerance
Once, in a certain village, there was a serpent that
had gained a very bad reputation because it was
vicious. It would not allow anyone to pass that
particular path. Many people had paid with their
lives. The village people were afraid to walk this
path because at any time, the serpent could strike.
One day, a certain Master came to the village and
wanted to go that way. Everyone warned him not
to go that way because of this wicked serpent. He
anyway went. As usual, the serpent was waiting
there and he wanted to set on this Master. But his
presence was such that the serpent melted, and the
Master initiated him into the spiritual path.
He said, “Why are you wasting your life being
wicked? By becoming a great bandit, you are not
going to achieve anything. Maybe, you will not
get caught, but you will still be running like a dog,
endlessly. What is the point?” From that day, the
serpent was transformed. He started meditating. For
the first time, he did something other than biting.
After some time, the boys in the village realized the
serpent had lost its teeth or was not willing to bite
anymore. Slowly, they became bolder. They went
closer and started throwing stones. When he did
not react, they started poking and beating him with
sticks. Whatever they did, he was just lying there.
After one year, the Master came by again. Excited
that his Guru had come, the serpent went to him
and fell at his feet. The Master saw that the serpent
was in a miserable state. He had not eaten for a long
time because if he came out, people would torture
him in so many ways. So he stayed in his cave. And
on top of that, the body was badly damaged. The
Master asked, “What happened to you?” The serpent
said, “It is just that I didn’t eat, so I became weak.”
He had reached a level of tolerance where he did
not even complain that people were beating him.
The Master saw all the wounds on the serpent’s body
and said, “Not eating will not do this to you. Tell me
what happened.” Then the serpent said, “The boys
just want to play with me, so they come and poke.”
The Master said, “I told you not to bite anyone, but
I never told you not to hiss. You could have hissed
at least. This is not spirituality – you have missed the
point. If you don’t hiss, they will forget that you are
a snake and do all kinds of things to you.”
Acceptance and Tolerance
Sometimes, we have to hiss. But one quality that
is essential to develop is acceptance. Acceptance
will release you from everything. That is the path.
Acceptance is far superior to tolerance. But if you
are not aware, if acceptance is not possible for you
and you get irritated about every small thing, you
must at least develop tolerance.
You know, Jesus said if someone slaps you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also. Don’t
react – tolerate. This is tolerance. Mind you, Jesus
only said this to his 12 disciples, not to the public.
The public sometimes has to slap back. But to those
who really wanted to be spiritual, he said that if
they slap back, it is the end of their spirituality.
Gautama went a little further with what he told
his disciples. The main activity for Buddhist monks
was to wander through fields and forest. In those
times, the Pindaris, a bandit tribe by tradition, were
terrorizing North India. Robbery was their way of
life. The more you robbed, the bigger a man you
became in the tribe. The concept of right and wrong
was inverted in their culture.
For anyone who travelled by foot or by bullock cart,
these Pindaris were a real menace. They generally
spared the Hindu sadhus and sanyasis. But the
Buddhist monks, since they were new, were poked
by the public and fair game for the bandits. Gautama
said, “Suppose you get waylaid in the forest, even
if the bandits slowly cut your limbs with a two-handled
saw, not a bit of resistance should arise in
your heart, not one curse should come from your
lips – only then you are my disciple.” He also talked
about tolerance.
Your Life, Your Karma
If you really see that it is your own karma which
is playing havoc with your life, what is the point

in cursing the man who saws off your limbs and
acquiring more karma? If you do not see this, or if
you understand it only on the surface, if it is not a
truth for you, you will say it is karma only when
it is convenient for you – otherwise, you will say
it is someone else’s fault. Everything that you
are today, the good and the bad, is actually your
own responsibility and your own karma. Then
what is the point in complaining if something
is not convenient? For a few things, you may be
willing to say it is your karma, but what about the
remaining things?
If there is acceptance, anything is possible – this
is the best way. But when people are not alert
enough to accept every moment, then you have
to fix substitutes. Tolerance is a poor substitute for
acceptance, but you need at least that.
Mastering Pain
The asanas are to cultivate physical tolerance.
From tomorrow, try to increase the duration of
how long you stay in the asanas. Stretch to
the maximum and remain there for some time.
Only initially, pain is a problem. Beyond that,
you can easily stay in the position.
Why if something hurts, people in this culture
call God’s name, is fundamentally to develop
tolerance. If for example you hit your leg and
say “Shiva,” it gives you tolerance. “Ayyoh” or
“ouch” does not give you tolerance. This is not
about calling God. This is a device for you to
settle down, and the sound or mantra itself has
some impact on you. Moreover, anger needs an
object. If you say God’s name, you direct your
attention to the highest, which is supposed to be
everywhere. That means, once again, there is no
direction. When there is no direction, there can
be no anger, no desire. That is the whole purpose
of chanting God’s name. It releases you.
Another aspect is, you have to master pain rather
than avoid it. Let’s say you see someone who just
cut off his finger or hand – you cannot imagine
how he can bear the pain. But for him, it is not
that bad. In the first moment, the pain is terrible,
but then, as acceptance develops, the pain is not that
unbearable anymore. It is there – that is all. That is
how pain is. There is no way you can come out of
your fears if you are scared of pain. When pain is
not a problem for you anymore, a large amount of
your fear disappears, because at least 50% of your
fear is about your physical wellbeing, about what
is going to happen to your body, which means it is
about pain.
Total Acceptance
Once you master pain, the level of fear about your
physical wellbeing decreases considerably. But
again, these are poor substitutes. Neither mastering
pain nor learning tolerance nor anything else is
needed if you are in a state of acceptance. Everything
is mastered in one stroke. Once your acceptance is
total, you will light up. There will be a new surge of
energy within you. Everything will be new. That is
how it should be – acceptance.
12 ISHA FOREST FLOWER

Mahabharat
“This is not a story of either love or war, nor of treachery, devotion or greed, but of
all that humans are made of, and of the possibility of rising beyond. If there ever can
be a complete depiction of the human creature – this is it.” - Sadhguru
Part I: Equations of Time and Creation (1)
The Mahabharat program was not just a breathtaking explosion of arts, culture, and
beauty but an insightful exploration of an unparalleled saga, inimitably interpreted
by Sadhguru. In the first part of our new Mahabharat series, Sadhguru throws light
on the connection between time, space, planets, and the human system, to establish
the necessary context before delving into the epic world of Mahabharat.
From the infiniteness of pre-creation arose three
possibilities of creation. Through the limitless
space, it chose to find expression in the form of
time, energy, and gravity. These three fundamentals
trapped this timeless, limitless space into a time-bound,
limited creation. Of these three, time – the
relentless time – elates and bludgeons, nurtures
and gnashes, rises and falls. Time gives respite
to no one. A worm or a bird, the hunted or the
hunter, the ruled or the ruler, the slave or the
emperor, beautiful bodies and wondrous palaces,
prime of fame and angst of shame – everything
goes back to nothingness, to dust and ashes.
Kala, time, is one factor that is relentlessly on.
Either you ride this time and live a beautiful life,
or you get bludgeoned by this relentless wheel of
time. Either one is destroyed by the process of time,
or one is delivered by the process of time. Either
one is entrapped by the process of time, or one uses
time to transcend and liberate oneself. Time is the
most significant dimension of creation – not only a
human concept, as most people believe. If there was
no time, there would be no beginning and no end.
If there was no beginning and no end, there would
be no creation.
It is in time that we exist. It is in time that we were
born. It is in time that we will die. If one understands
the significance of time, the laws of time, the dharma
of time and is in tune with the dharma of time, one
is not just a jaya – one is a vijaya. One makes it
here and one makes it elsewhere. Conversely, one
who is not in tune with the dharma of time will

get crushed and crumbled by the process of life.
Life is just a play of time. Understanding this, the
ancient sages, seers, and yogis of this region looked
at time with enormous attention. Our idea of time is
essentially based on the way we are connected with
the immediate creation around us – the planet and
the solar system.
There is night and day only because the planet
is spinning. The spin of the planet, the human
body, the human energies, the human possibilities,
and the human destiny are deeply entwined. If
one does not understand and is not in tune with
the law or dharma that governs this, one will be
spinning eternally. If you spin around for some
time, you do not know where you are going. This
is the state of most human beings – unconsciously,
they are spinning with the planet, not knowing
where they are going.
According to the Surya Siddhanta1, the sunlight
moves at a speed of 2,202 yojanas in 0.5 nimisha.
One yojana is nine miles. 2,202 yojanas amount to
19,818 miles. One nimisha is equal to 16/75 of a
second. Half a nimisha amounts to 8/75 of a second,
which is 0.106666 seconds. A speed of 19,818 miles
in 0.10666 seconds equals 185,793 miles per second.
This is approximately in line with the modern
calculations, according to which the speed of light
is 186,282 miles per second. Modern science has
arrived at this number with great difficulty and all
kinds of instruments, while a few thousand years
ago, they got this number by simple observation
of how the human system and the solar system
function together.
The distances between the Sun and the Earth, the
distances between the Moon and the Earth, the way
the planet rotates and the impact it has – all these
things have been looked at with great care. The
diameter of the Sun multiplied by 108 equals the
distance between Sun and Earth, and the diameter
of the Moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance
between Earth and Moon. The diameter of the Sun
is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
That is why we have 108 beads in a mala.
Similarly, I could go on with all kinds of fabulous
figures, but the most important thing is the deep
connection between the making of time and the
making of the human body. You know, the planet
is approximately round and it has a slightly tilted
orbit. As it travels, as it spins, it forms a circle.
Today we know it takes 25,920 years to complete
this cycle [a complete shift in orientation of the
earth’s axis]. This tilt mainly happens because of
the gravitational pull of the moon over the earth.
And that many years are called one cycle of yugas 2.
Each of these cycles has eight yugas.
Back to one cycle of axial procession – 25,920
divided by 60 (which is also the number of heart
beats per minute if you are healthy) – comes to
432. Four hundred thirty two is a number that
comes up in various cultures – the Norse culture,
the ancient Jewish culture, the Egyptian culture,
the Mesopotamian culture, and very much in this
culture here. Why 432? If you are in a state of
excitement, it may be more, but otherwise, if you
are in good health and in good condition, your heart
beats about 60 times per minute, which is 3600 per
hour, and 3600 by 24 equals 86,400 heartbeats per
day. If you divide 864 by 2, again you have 432.
If you are in a state of great excitement, it could be
more; if you have done lots of sadhana, it could be
only 12; but otherwise, you take about 15 breaths
per minute. Fifteen breaths per minute means
900 breaths per hour and 21,600 per day. 216
divided by 2 becomes 432 again. If you take the
circumference of the earth – there is something
called a nautical mile which is the real mile in the
sense that it has something to do with the way the
planet is. The other units of measurement were
created for ease of calculation.
You know there are 360° in a circle. Likewise, there
are 360° upon the planet, and each degree is divided
into 60 minutes. One of these minutes accounts for
one nautical mile. That means the circumference of
the earth at the equator is 21,600 nautical miles –
1 Ancient Indian treatise about astronomy
2 There are 4 yugas: Kali, Dwapara, Treta and Krita yuga. Each of these occurs twice per 25920-year cycle.

that is also how many breaths you take per day. That
means the planet is spinning on time and you are
doing well. If the planet was not spinning on time, it
would be no good at all for us. If you are not in tune
with it, it is also no good for you.
This is to show you time is not a concept that we
invented – time is deep-rooted in the system,
in the very way we are made. When we go into
Mahabharat, there is so much talk about the yugas
and how they function. I want you to look at the
impact of time in human life from a different
context. This is not something that someone thought
up – this is a phenomenal and profound science.
Yoga has always been deeply involved with this. It
is just that we don’t believe in propounding theories
about it. By practice, we try to attune the body to
the times and spaces of creation, because without
being in tune with them, you do not get very far. If
you are not riding the time, you will live a mediocre
life – probably a suffering life. Only if you are riding
the time, you will live an extraordinary life, which
is what a human being and the human brain are
designed for.
The numbers in brief:
There are 2202 yojanas in 0.5 nimisha.
1 yojana = 9 miles
1 nimisha = 16/75 seconds
2202 yojana in 0.5 nimisha = 2202 x 9 miles in
0.5 x 16/75 seconds
= 19,818 miles in 0.10666 seconds
= 185,793 miles/second
To be continued

In this series, Sadhguru discusses various aspects that can significantly
impact the quality of your yogic practice.
Part 12:
Why Focusing on the Breath is Essential
Questioner: Why should we focus on the breath
during asanas?
Sadhguru: Your mind and emotions need a single
object to focus on. If both of them stay with the
same object, you are at maximum ease. If your body
goes in one direction, your mind goes in another,
and your emotions go in yet another direction, you
will be struggling. Let’s say you have a job that you
are very involved with, a family at home, and an
affair on the side, you will be in a lot of mess – never
at ease. Only if your body, mind, and emotions are
focused in one direction, you will be at total ease.
Nothing and no one – neither your job nor your
wealth nor your family nor your love affair – are
as reliable as your breath. As long as you live, it
will always be there. It is the most steady and
reliable thing to focus your mind on. If while
doing an asana, you do not focus your mind on to
the breath, it will go all over the place. Therefore,
focus on the breath. If I take away your breath
now, you and your body will fall apart. It is your
breath which holds you and your body together.
This kurma nadi, as we call it in yoga, is like a
thread that ties you and your body together.
If you constantly stay with your breath, if you really
travel with it, one day, you will understand where
you and your body are linked. Once you know this,
you can hold your body at a distance, and all your
trouble and suffering will be over. All the trouble
and suffering in your life arise from your body and
your mind. If you can hold your body and your mind
at a distance to yourself, this is the end of suffering.
And only when there is no fear of suffering, a human
being will dare to explore his life at full stride.
Therefore, being with the breath is very important.
One thing is your mind has a steady companion to
stay with. Anyone may leave you, but your breath
will not leave you until you die. And another thing
is it will transport you to a place where you and
your body are linked. It is important to know this
place. Otherwise, you cannot do or undo your life
by choice – your life will be determined by multiple
factors of compulsiveness.
Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru at the
Isha Hatha Yoga School.
For dates and details of hatha yoga programs,
visit www.ishahathayoga.com.
The Hatha Yoga Teacher Training program
is an opportunity to be trained in
classical hatha yoga devised by Sadhguru.
Upcoming dates: 31 July to 25 December 2015 at
the Isha Yoga Center in India.
For more information, please send an email to
info@ishahathayoga.com.
16 ISHA FOREST FLOWER
December 2014

News & Events in Brief
Adiyogi Lands in America
After months of preparation and the exciting unveiling at the Isha Yoga Center on Guru Pournami, the
over 60,000 pounds heavy Adiyogi sculpture travelled by sea from Chennai across the Indian Ocean and
the Atlantic to Savannah, Georgia, and was finally welcomed at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences in
McMinnville, Tennessee, on 6 November 2014. Adiyogi’s shelter, a two-story structure, is currently under
construction. “The Abode of Yoga,” as it will be known, is designed to spread Adiyogi’s grace and glory in
the Western Hemisphere and to offer the yogic sciences as a powerful live process.
Sadhguru Speaks at the United Nations
On 30 October 2014, Sadhguru spoke at the United
Nations in New York on the subject of “Pluralism
and Democracy: Role, Expectations and Challenges.”
The other panelist was Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe,
Director General, RMP and a national vice president
of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The UN broadcast the
talk live on their website.

Golfing for Human Rights
On 17 October 2014, Sadhguru teed off at
Hyannisport Club, Massachusetts at the 25th
Annual Golf Tournament of Robert F. Kennedy’s
Center for Justice and Human Rights. More than
150 guests joined the tournament, including actors
Bill Murray and Dennis Haysbert, legendary Boston
Celtics Bill Russell and John Havlicek, gold medal
decathlete Rafer Johnson, Congressman Steny
Hoyer, and comedian Rob Riggle, among others.
The tournament raised more than US$ 600,000 to
support the human rights work around the globe.
World Peace Day 2014 at the iii
What would it be like to live in a truly peaceful world?
How would different people behave towards each
other, resolve disagreements, and explore new ideas?
How would individuals feel within themselves? On
27 September 2014, over 1000 visitors to the Isha
Institute of Inner-sciences discovered a microcosm
of what a peaceful world might resemble – filled
with people of all ages, cultures and walks of life
joyfully coming together, sharing their voices and
their talents, and experiencing the inner peace that
exists in us all. Throughout the World Peace Day
celebration, as participants explored possibilities
and solutions for creating harmonious societies, all
were reminded that global peace is possible only
through individual transformation.
Tides of Time
Carried away in the tides
Of this endless breath
My lives unfold like lies
Of a blinding caress
Sweet remembrance...
Could it be the final fall,
my Abyss?
Or just another tale
Just another stale tale
Oh Master of Time
Tell me where the tides
Unravel
– Marie-Christine, Lebanon

Teaching – A Life Fulfilled
Excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 29 October 2014
There is a certain trajectory to human development
and what will happen to the world in the next
few decades. You will see that individual human
beings will be empowered in ways that were
never before imagined possible, because of certain
technological developments. If human beings want
to enjoy the fruits of science and technology, it will
become of paramount importance that internally,
they are equipped for it. Otherwise, this external
empowerment will be disastrous.
I thought we must do our bit, because we are
more qualified than most to offer solutions. As
every nation plans to produce a certain number
of engineers, doctors, soldiers, businessmen, or
athletes, it will become imperative for nations to
also produce people who can transmit something
for inner wellbeing in a proper, scientific way.
India probably has a bigger responsibility in
creating teachers who can do something for
inner wellbeing. It is not just necessary that we
produce yoga teachers – at some point, we have to
produce yogis. We need people with strong inner
experience. We are confident and hopeful that the
Isha Yoga Center will offer more than its share of
teachers and yogis to the planet, because we have
done enough groundwork.
One aspect of Isha Yoga programs has always been
to maintain a certain dimension of aliveness in what
is being offered. It is not about a teacher delivering
a bundle of information but bringing a live quality
into the process. To experience something far
bigger than yourself happening through you is a
tremendous possibility. When a woman delivers a
baby, in her experience, it is immense, because she
cannot create life, but it is happening through her.
As a teacher, something even more fundamental
than physical life can happen through you, even if
you have no idea what it is.
Most people never get to do anything that is
befitting of their own stature. Even fewer get to do
that which is far bigger than themselves. Becoming
a teacher is an opportunity to do something that is
far bigger than you. Isha Yoga teachers have this
privilege. People are with them for seven days –
how they are the first day and how they are when
they leave is incomparable. Many have not shed a
single tear for many years, but after a few days, 80%
of the people are looking at you with tears of joy and
love in their eyes. No other activity on the planet
can give you this level of fulfillment.
There are many things we can do to satisfy
ourselves. We can pursue professions, conduct
businesses, or pursue arts. I am not saying yoga is
the only or the best thing that you can do in your
life, but if you really give yourself, you do not
have to seek fulfillment in your action anymore.
Towards this end, we are offering an intensive
teacher training program this February. And
for the first time in nearly 20 years, I will be
conducting the program myself. So please get
ready either to become a yoga teacher or a yogi,
whichever you choose, because it is no longer a
luxury – it is an absolute necessity on this planet.
The Inner Engineering Teacher Training
program with Sadhguru will be conducted from
17 Feb – 5 Apr 2015 at the Isha Yoga Center. This
is open only to those who are willing to commit
themselves as fulltime volunteers with Isha after
the training. For more information, please contact
an Isha Yoga teacher in your center, or write to
teacherstraining@ishafoundation.org.

Program & Event Highlights
Date Program Place Contact
3–6 Dec 2014 Hatha Yoga
Isha Yoga Center,
Coimbatore – India
98840 04475
iycprograms@ishayoga.org
3–9 Dec 2014 Inner Engineering
A.S. Raonagar-
Secunderabad,
Hyderabad – India
85000 68000 / 90102 91379
hyderabad@ishayoga.org
Thycaud,
Trivandrum – India
98460 17776
trivandrum@ishayoga.org
3–9 Dec 2014 Inner Engineering Mysore – India
95354 42708
mysore@ishayoga.org
7 Dec 2014 Pre-Samyama Meet
Isha Yoga Center,
0422-2515300
8–11 Dec 2014
Bhava Spandana
(Ladies/English)
Isha Yoga Center,
98840 04475
Jayanagar,
Bangalore – India
96201 90104
bangalore@ishayoga.org
Ulsoor,
Bangalore – India
81052 69126
bangalore@ishayoga.org
11–14 Dec 2014
Inner Engineering
Retreat
Isha Yoga Center,
94890 45164
ieretreat@ishafoundation.org
12–15 Dec 2014
Bhava Spandana
(Gents/English)
Isha Yoga Center,
98840 04475
20–22 Dec 2014
Yantra Ceremony
with Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
94425 04720
yantra@lingabhairavi.org
21–28 Feb 2015
Samyama
Conducted by Sadhguru
Isha Yoga Center,
0422-2515300
samyama@ishayoga.org
These programs are conducted in English, unless indicated otherwise. Current at the time of print, however subject
to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit our website: www.ishafoundation.org.

Isha Recipes
Ingredients
100g Paneer
2 heaped tbsps. Dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
75g Cashews
4 Tomatoes
1 tbsp. Tomato sauce
2 tsps. Oil
2 tsps. Cumin (jeera) powder
2 tsps. Coriander (dhania) powder
Preparation
For the Garnish:
Paneer Butter Masala
Dry-fry the kasuri methi; powder it and keep aside.
Soak the cashews in hot water. Grind them into a fine paste. Keep aside.
Bring a cup of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. When cooked, remove the skin and puree
the tomatoes. Keep aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a kadai or heavy bottom pan. Add ginger paste and sauté for a minute.
Add tomato puree, mix, and sauté till thick.
Add the kashmiri chili powder and 4 teaspoons of butter; mix everything until the butter melts.
Add dhania powder, jeera powder, chili powder, half of the kasuri methi powder, sugar, ginger
paste, and tomato sauce.
When the oil separates, add the cashew paste and sauté everything for a few minutes
Add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of water. Add salt to taste. Allow the mixture to cook for about
7–8 minutes.
Add the paneer, the remaining kasuri methi, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter. Mix well until the
butter melts.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
3 tsps. Kashmiri chili powder
5 ½ tsps. Butter
2 tsps. Chili powder
3 tsps. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Ginger paste
1 cup Milk
Salt to taste
4–5 tsps. Fresh coriander leaves
Note: Kashmiri chili powder is a relatively mild kind of chili powder with a vibrant red color.
It is a slightly hotter than paprika but a lot milder than common red chili or cayenne pepper.

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Published by: B. RAJESH CHANDER on behalf of ISHA FOUNDATION
Published from 117/50, Luz Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004
Printed by: S. PRAKASH; at FINE DOTS, No.15, Boo Begum 3rd Street,
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Many images of life
Linger for ever, an album
Of all that has been. Thanx
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Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. TNENG/2013/53333
Registered with Patrika Channel Egmore RMS under Registration No. TN/CH(C)/492/14 –16. Published on 2nd of every month – December 2014

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