EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,

With Guru Pournami coming up on 31 July, this edition of Isha Forest Flower is
all about the Guru. The question in our Lead Article Limitless Emptiness gets
right down to the core of the matter: What is it that makes Sadhguru (or any
other real Guru) a Guru?

On Fire offers a retrospect by Sadhguru on his previous life as Sadhguru Sri

Brahma and his special link to the Seventh Hill of Velliangiri. The short article
The Guru goes still further back in time to allow us a rare glimpse of Sadhgurus
own Guru.

The intimate discussion, which evolved between a meditator and Sadhguru while
driving across the Tibetan plateau to Kailash and is reproduced in On the Path,
explores the necessity of a Guru and devotion for ones spiritual evolution. In
the article From Discrimination to Yoga, Sadhguru expands on the topic of
devotion, and in particular on using bhakti sadhana as a vehicle towards making
devotion ones very quality.

The quality of our food and its impact on our health continues to be the pivotal
topic between the bestselling holistic medicine stalwart Mark Hyman and
Sadhguru. In Mind Your Food, the third and last part of this conversation, they
provide valuable pointers to prevent and reverse mental and physical diseases.
They also establish the connection between the food industry and corresponding
government policies.

Following Sadhgurus exploration of the Mahabharat, we now come to the point

where, among others, Shantanu and his amorous pursuits enter the stage.
Lastly, we serve you a Hearty Sweet Potato Pie recipe a guilt-free comfort
food in this rainy season. Enjoy!

The Editorial Team

Contact the Editorial Team:

Isha Forest Flower, Isha Yoga Center, Semmedu P.O., Velliangiri Foothills, Coimbatore 641114
forestflower@ishafoundation.org

2 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015

CONTENTS
LIMITLESS EMPTINESS MAHABHARAT

Part 8: From Bharata to

Sadhguru on What Makes Him a Guru 5 Shantanu 16
Isha Hatha Yoga
Part 19: No Struggle, No Progress 4

Lead Article
Limitless Emptiness 5
Sadhguru on What Makes Him a Guru

Musings
The Guru 6
A Rare Expression from Sadhguru about His Guru
On Fire 7
Sadhguru on Sadhguru Sri Brahma and the Seventh Hill
On the Path
9
Sadhguru on Devotion, Guru, and the Path
From Discrimination to Yoga
11
Sadhguru on the Importance of Bhakti Sadhana

Sharing Experiences
Two 12
Poem by Isha Volunteer

In Conversation with the Mystic

Mind Your Food 13
Mark Hyman in Conversation with Sadhguru Part 3

Mahabharat
Part 8: From Bharata to Shantanu
16

Upcoming Programs and Events

Isha Yoga Program Highlights
20

Isha Recipe
21
This Month: Hearty Sweet Potato Pie
Zen Speaks
Everything is Empty 23

July 2015 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 3

ISHA HATHA YOGA One fundamental goal of yoga is to put your life
and your karmic cycle on fast-forward. Today,
finding a solution for your backache or some
psychological issue may be your focus, but
ultimately, the goal is mukti. When you put your
karmic cycle on fast-forward, the suffering that
you would have had in a diluted form over 20
years may come to you in a concentrated form
in 2 years or 2 weeks, and that is good. When
you work through that, you will come to a plateau
where, if you look back, you cannot believe you
went through all these things. Every sadhaka
goes through such phases.

Comparison and Competition

In this series, Sadhguru discusses various
aspects that can signicantly impact the
quality of your yogic practice and your life.
Questioner: Some time after starting to practice
Hatha Yoga, I seem to have caught some virus
and it took me a while to recover from it. Another
thing is, sometimes, I get frustrated when I see
other people are much more flexible than I am.
Can you say something about that?
The Ultimate Goal
Sadhguru: It may happen to people who start
practicing Hatha Yoga that initially, they feel
wonderful for a couple of weeks; after that, they
may experience some sickness, small accidents,
or emotional upheavals. That is when you need
to continue to do the practice. It is like starting
plain physical exercises everything hurts the
next day. If you give it up, you will never progress.
If you continue to work through that pain, after
some time, you will become stronger. Similarly,
when you practice yoga, many karmic processes
will happen.
Give it more time, rather than getting frustrated
or comparing yourself to someone else. When
practicing yoga, never compare yourself to
others. Work with where you are right now. Do
not try to do what others are doing. Once you
compare yourself to others, competition is
inevitable. So, no comparison, but do not spare
yourself. You must always go to your fullest,
but do not try to be like someone else. This is
a fundamental discipline you have to bring into
your life if you want to progress on the spiritual
path.
Whether you are bending or twisting your body,
for me, essentially, it is a spiritual process. Even
if people come to us because of their backache,
we want to set up the process towards the
ultimate for them. How far they go is left to them.
If you put in more time, you will see, once you go
beyond a certain point, so many things which you
thought were a part of you are suddenly not there
anymore. This is the nature of the sadhana. So
do not compare yourself with someone else and
frustrate yourself. That is not necessary at all.

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, devised by Sadhguru, is an opportunity
to be trained in classical Hatha Yoga. 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
or call +91-83000 97444.
4 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015

Questioner: For those who have been initiated
by you, things are happening in ways beyond our
understanding. Still I am wondering, or maybe
even more so, who are you really? And how do
you function as a Guru?
Sadhguru: As a person, I am quite terrible. As
a Guru, I am absolutely empty. I am a Guru not
because of my knowledge. I am a Guru because
my ignorance is totally limitless, and that is all
that matters. If something within you becomes
limitless whatever it is it will work. If you
become limitless ignorance, it will work. If you
become limitless love, it will work. If you become
limitless anger, it will work. If you become
limitless in anything, it will work.
I found being limitless in ignorance is the easiest
way. My whole spiritual process started because
I realized I did not know anything, and that is not
a small thing. What is limitless cannot be small.
If you try to become limitless in knowledge, how
July 2015
LEAD ARTICLE
much can you know? How much ever you know,
it is still limited. I realized the trick of existence
what is labeled as knowledge is ignorance; what
is labeled as ignorance is true knowing.
Because I am like empty space, I have become
a doorway for Adiyogi to function through me. If
you meet me on the street, my head is empty. If
you look behind the person, you will find nothing.
And when it comes to the person, I have been
changing it every few years. People have been
confused and confounded about that. I always
warn those who have been around me for a long
time that I am going to change my personality,
but in spite of that, many of them get shocked
some hang on, some fall off.
The person is crafted in such a way he is terrible
enough that you do not want to have anything
to do with him, but at the same time, he is sweet
enough that you cannot leave him. If I become a
little more terrible, no one will be here. If I become
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 5
a little sweeter, no one will be able to leave for a
moment. I keep myself on the edge so that they
cannot stand me they cannot be without me,
because that is needed for them to seek.
If they sense me as too sweet, they will make
me bigger than their seeking, which is not good.
If they sense me as too terrible, they will give
up their seeking, which is not good either. I am
crafting a personality that creates enough of
both so that their seeking never dies. Even if they
look beyond for no other reason but being tired
of me, it will work. A Guru is not a goal. A Guru
is a means. A Guru is like a doorway. If you pass
through the doorway, you find reality.
scriptures, full of conclusions. A doorway has to
be empty. Only if you can pass through it easily,
without any struggle, it is useful. Therefore, do
not try to find something in the door. If you find
something in the door, it is a closed door.
I am not a destination, just an open doorway
a doorway to all that we refer to as Adiyogi a
doorway to all his knowing, to all the possibilities
that he was. A doorway without a doorkeeper. If
you are willing to go through it, no one can stop
you.

It is good to go through me, because it is one of

the few empty spots that you can find. Everywhere
else, it is opaque full of knowledge, full of

MUSINGS
The Guru
A Rare Expression from Sadhguru about His Guru

The most dominant factor of my life has been my
Guru, and nothing else. Even today, in my mind,
or rather literally in every crevice of my body,
in every pulsation of my system, and in my very
energy, it is his presence that is the most dominant
within me. To keep it this way has been easy for me
because I do not have a mind of my own. Probably
because of this, just about everything in me
reverberates in a way that is far beyond me, far
bigger than me.
I do not know if this was his act that he turned
himself into this form, or if that is how he really
was at that time. But this experience has left me
in a place where ever since, I do not have to make
any attempt to know anything. Whatever I need
to know, He [Guru] and He [Shiva] are there, all
the time.

I did not see my Guru as a man who touched

me, though his touch brought me to the highest
level of experience, and a revelation of life and
beyond. The old mental structure within me
somewhere would not accept a human being as
a Guru, because it was always said that unless it
comes from Adiyogi, unless it comes from Shiva
himself, it is not real. So the compassion of my
Master made him turn himself into the form of
Shiva.
6 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015
On Fire
Sadhguru on Sadhguru Sri Brahma
and the Seventh Hill

Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. I have been

to the Seventh Hill, and I found the energy there
was strongly different compared to any other
place. Can you speak a little bit about that?

Sadhguru: Sadhguru Sri Brahma was not a nice

guy. He never called anyone by name he only
said, Eh! Eh was the one name for everyone.
People were terrified of him, just because of the
way he was. But at the same time, they loved him
immensely. That is the beauty of contradictions.

They did not love him because he was nice to

them. They loved him because they could not
help it. Thousands were drawn to him. He set up
70 institutions in Tamil Nadu, within a short span
of time. He mostly travelled around and spent
very little time in one place. But wherever he
went, people gave lands and things to him so he
could set up institutions. They did this because
they could not help loving him, not because he
was nice to them.

The energy at the Seventh Hill is very different
because Sadhguru Sri Brahma left his body there.
His whole focus in life had been to consecrate the
Dhyanalinga. But in spite of all his inner capabilities,
lack of social skills destroyed the project. The
Coimbatore society turned against him and made
sure he could not do it. He wanted to check why
this project failed, if something was wrong with
his energy system. So he left the body through
all the seven chakras.
This applies to everyone if something in your
life does not work, the first thing is to check
yourself, if there is something wrong with you.
The problem with most human beings is, if
something does not work, the first thing they do
is blame someone else. You should first look at
yourself. Pay absolute attention to every aspect
of your life and see why this has not happened
in a successful manner. Something may not be
okay with you. Only after checking this and being
sure that everything is okay with you, you see if
there is some other factor that is messing it up.
Sadhguru Sri Brahma was immensely empowered
and lived almost miraculously. You may have heard
of some of the things that he did, like walking through
a locked prison door or making a boy walk on a
lake. Things like that happened around him on a
daily basis. People saw him as godlike, but they

July 2015 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 7

were terrified of him, because he seemed to be
always angry. He was not angry with anyone
he was simply ferociously intense.
When people gathered around him just before
he went up the Seventh Hill for the last time, he
said, This one will come back again. He did not
say, I will come back again. One who leaves his
body through all the seven chakras is referred to
as Chakreshwara. That means he has complete
mastery over his energy system. Even today, about
seventy years later, the energy there is alive and on
like it happened yesterday. The energy is so crazily
intense that it just blows you away.
This time around, our social competence has
improved. I consciously civilized myself to
the extent that is necessary to function in
society. Today, we have social skills, which we
lacked then. Because of the intensity of energy
that he carried, other things did not seem
important to him. He thought that what people
in Coimbatore City think does not matter. But do
not underestimate the power of ignorance. There
is power to knowledge, but there is tremendous
power to ignorance.
8 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
Many things in the world do not move forward
because of peoples ignorance. No matter how
hard you try, ignorance is like an anchor it
will not let even the biggest ship move. This
time around, I took care of the ignorant from the
beginning, treating ignorance with respect. He
treated ignorance with disdain. If someone said
something stupid, he just kicked them. He did not
understand the democratic process. The majority
is always ignorant, and they have the power.
He ignored that, because he thought with this
intensity of energy, everything will happen. And
when it did not work, he tried to check out if
his energy was not good enough. So he left his
body through all the seven chakras, which is a
very rare phenomenon. This Velliangiri Mountain
is one of the rarest places on the planet you
will not experience that kind of energy anywhere
else. Sadhguru Sri Brahma was like fire simply
on.
July 2015
On the Path
Sadhguru on Devotion, Guru,
and the Path
In an intimate conversation en route to Kailash, Sadhguru addressed a seekers
probing questions about the need of devotion and a Guru on the spiritual path.
Questioner: Sadhguru, there are moments when
I feel devotion, and at other times, my own will
pops up. Given that, can I consider myself a
devotee or not?
Sadhguru: There is no human being on the
planet who has never experienced moments
of devotion, moments of love, moments of joy,
and moments of bliss at some time or the other.
That does not mean it is your basic quality. One
moment of devotion does not make you a devotee.
Only when devotion has become the essential quality
of your being, are you a devotee. Every human being
has an element of devotion. The question is if they
have brought it to a point where it has become the
dominant force and the guiding light in their life.
Questioner: If that is the case, can someone be
your disciple but not your devotee?
Sadhguru: This is a progression. A lot of people
initially either come as curiosity seekers, or
sometimes as investigators. Then they think there
is something to learn here, and they become like
a student. If what they learn begins to transform
their lives in some way, they naturally become
disciples. When learning, transformation, and
everything else becomes irrelevant, when the
focus of your life becomes one-pointed, then you
become a devotee.
Questioner: But Sadhguru, could I not just follow
the path of spirituality through the practices that
are given without becoming a devotee, without
surrendering everything to the Master?
July 2015
Sadhguru: Devotion need not necessarily be to a
person. Devotion is a certain way to be. If you are
on the path, not off and on, but in every moment
of your life, you are a devotee. You do not have to
be a devotee of anything or anyone in particular.
You can be a devotee because devotion is your
quality.
Questioner: So if someone has been initiated by
you, but he or she is only devoted to the path and
not to you as a person, then too he or she is a
devotee?
Sadhguru: What you refer to as the Guru and
what you refer to as the path are not different.
One is personified, another is not, but they are
the same thing. If they are different, they are no
good.
Questioner: Sadhguru, you yourself said you
walked the path of spirituality for three lifetimes
without a Guru.
Sadhguru: The Ultimate did not happen because
I differentiated between path and Guru. That
way, you may get better lungs; you may get many
capabilities; you may become a superhuman. But
still, the most signicant thing does not happen
as long as you make a distinction between path
and Guru. As for me, I did so because I was
brought up in a tradition where it was always
said that the real thing can only happen through
Shiva no other human being can ever do the
Ultimate for you. Therefore, accepting another
human being as a Guru was out of question.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 9
 So when the Guru came and the Ultimate did
happen, though experientially, it was 100% clear
to me that this is it, still there was a little bit
of a question why Shiva did not come. At that
moment, the Guru took the form of Shiva. It was
such a childish desire, but he catered to it and
appeared as Shiva.

Questioner: Do seekers need to have a personied

Guru? Have there not been many Shaivite saints
like Akka Mahadevi, Allama Mahaprabhu, and
others who did not have a Guru but were devoted
to Shiva or whoever else, and they still got
enlightened?

Sadhguru: I think Shiva was their devotee.

Another thing is you cannot say they did not have
a Guru, because they embraced Shiva completely.
He was a living force for them.

Questioner: But wasnt Shiva a living force for

you too?

Sadhguru: He was. Otherwise, I would not have

come that far. The Guru did not really push me
as such. He just gave me a little nudge, because
I had been sitting on the edge for too long.

Questioner: So as a devotee, I can embrace the

path itself and not necessarily have a Guru in a
physical, human form?

Sadhguru: The path is the Guru and the Guru is

the path there is no difference between the
two. The mistake is that we differentiate. Once
you differentiate between the two, it becomes
unnecessarily complex.

10 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015

From Discrimination
to Yoga
Sadhguru on the Importance
of Bhakti Sadhana
Bhakti sadhana is like a love affair with creation.
Generally, peoples idea of love is discrimination.
You love one person, not the other. If you look
at one person, you are full of sweet emotions. If
you look at the next person, you are full of negative
emotions. This is discrimination, not love. Because
there are needs to be fullled, you play this trick.
You would hate me too if I did not fulll your needs.
Somewhere, you have physical, emotional,
psychological, maybe economic, and whatever
other kinds of needs. If the person that you claim
to love does not fulfill your needs, your love
affair will turn into hate affair. If you really want
to know the sweetness of love, bhakti is needed.
Bhakti means, at least initially, to constantly,
consciously practice not to discriminate. Whether
it is a tree, an insect, a bird, an animal, a man, a
woman, or a child learn to look at everything
the same way.
July 2015
If you think one piece of creation is more or less
than another, you have completely missed the
craft of creation. That which is the source of
creation has paid as much attention to creating
an ant as it has to creating a human being. If the
Creator is willing to pay that much attention to
an ant, does it not deserve your attention? Bhakti
means to be non-discriminatory.
If you have no emotion, look at everything with no
emotion. If you have emotion, look at everything
with emotion. Both are fine with me. Do not try
to force sweetness that you do not have. If you
have absolutely no emotion for anything, if you
look at everything the same way, that will also
work. The important thing is not to further divide
the world.
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 11
 Right now, there is a division between what larger than the physical self is the only worthwhile
you consider as yourself and what is not. Yoga thing to do. If you have paid attention to life
means trying to transcend that division. With and you are not a deprived human being, you
thoughts such as I like this I dont like that. This will know the only worthwhile thing to do in the
is okay that is not okay. I love this I hate that, world is to become larger than the trap of this
you are further dividing the world. With that kind body. You need to do bhakti sadhana, because
of attitude, it will just be a stupid exercise and without transcending this discriminatory mind,
you call it yoga it is not going to work. without establishing a non-discriminatory way
of looking at everything, you will never be a yogi.
Yoga means to constantly see how to remove the
boundary that has until now separated you from
the rest of the universe. An individual transforming
himself or herself into a universal nature is yoga.
If you do not remove this boundary but establish
it further, you may do circus in the morning and
evening, but you cannot call this yoga.

Living a life of fulllment, living a life of knowing,

living a life of merging with the universe, becoming

SHARING
EXPERIENCES
TWO
Two mountains surround me
Here, a powerhouse of Shiva
And here, a volcano of Her

In this valley of divinity

Drenched am i in the rapture of Gods
Hit by You and Her relentlessly
Devotion to You?
Devotion to Her?

Too much devotion for one lifetime

No heart left for speech...

O! Guru!
Too much devotion for such a small heart...!

Carina B., Volunteer, Isha Yoga Center

12 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015

 MIND YOUR
FOOD

Mark Hyman in
Conversation with
Sadhguru
Part 3

In the last part of their conversation on World Peace Day 2014 at the Isha Institute of Inner-
sciences in Tennessee, Sadhguru and Mark Hyman, American physician and bestselling
author, explore the connection between the food that we eat and our physical and mental
health, as well as possible approaches to change our food system.
Mark Hyman: One of the questions that came from Therefore, we do not separate mind and body.
the audience is about the connection between our There is a physical body and there is a mental
mind, our mood, our emotional state, our mental body. There is an intelligence and memory running
health, and the food we eat. Everything from right across the body. Just because it handles the
ADDto bipolar disease, to depression could be thought process, people generally think the brain
linked to that. So, what is the connection between is everything. And because of this separation
our body and our mind? of body and mind, a large number of people in
this country are taking antidepressants at some
Sadhguru: The yogic system does not identify point in their life. When so many people need
body and mind as two different entities. Your medication just to keep themselves balanced
brains are part of your body. It is just that what we and sane, obviously we are not experts on the
generally refer to as mind is a certain amount of nature of the mind.
memory and intelligence. Between the rest of the
body and the brain, which has more memory, which The type of food we eat has a huge impact on the
has more intelligence? If you look at it carefully, mind. An average American is said to consume
your bodys memory goes back millions of years. 200 pounds of meat per year. If you bring it down
It clearly remembers how your forefathers were. to 50 pounds, you will see 75% of the people will
The mind cannot claim that kind of memory. not need antidepressants anymore. Meat is a
When it comes to intelligence, what is happening good food to survive if you are out in the desert
in a single molecule of DNA is so complex that or the jungle. If you are lost somewhere, a piece
your whole brain cannot figure it out. of meat will keep you going, because it provides

July 2015 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 13

concentrated nourishment. But it should not be
a daily food that you eat when there are other
choices.
There are many ways to look at this. One thing is
animals have the intelligence to know in the last
few moments that they are going to get killed,
no matter how cunningly or how scientifically
you do it. The larger the animal, the higher its
intelligence. Any animal that has the capacity to
express some kind of emotion will always grasp
when it is going to be killed.
Suppose all of you come to know right now that at
the end of this day, you are going to get slaughtered.
Imagine the struggle that you would go through,
the burst of chemical reactions within you. An
animal goes through at least 50% of that. This
means when you kill an animal, the negative
acids and whatever other chemicals are in the
meat. When you consume the meat, it creates
unnecessary levels of mental fluctuations.
If you put people who are on antidepressants
on a conscious vegetarian diet, in about three
months time, most of them will not need their
medication anymore. We have seen this with
many people who have come to the Isha Yoga
Center. For most of those who have become
mentally ill, the illness has been cultivated
there is nothing pathologically wrong with them.
Such a large percentage of people cannot be
mentally sick unless we are culturing it within
our social fabric.
We should never let commercial forces determine
the quality of our lives. Commerce is there to
serve humanity. But right now, we have structured
the economic engine not just in this country but
across the world in such a way that human
beings are here to serve the economic and
commercial process. You were mentioning the
World Economic Forum. When I was there a few
years ago, everyone was referring to India, China,
and other places as emerging markets.
I said, Please dont refer to people as a market.
If you saw them as human beings, maybe you
14 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
would get the right idea as to what to do with
them. If you see them as market, you will do a
different thing! This is not a market. These are
people. If you dont see people as people, if you
dont see life as life, if you see them as markets,
you wont care what you stuff into them. You
want to sell something that makes maximum
money for you.
Mark Hyman: Yeah. Its true. A number of
years ago, I wrote a book called The UltraMind
Solution, which is about how the body affects the
mind. I had seen that a lot of mental illnesses
and cognitive problems were shifting as I began
to treat peoples overall health. What I do is
something called functional medicine. It is about
the science of creating health, which is very
much what Sadhguru teaches.
When I began to do that and I saw peoples
depression go away, and their ADD and
theirbipolar disease improve, and I looked at the
underlying causes, it was most often the food they
were eating. In fact, most people are not eating real
food they are eating food-like substances that
masquerade as food. If we just stuck to real food,
downsized our meat consumption, as Sadhguru
says, and had a mostly plant-based diet, I think
most of our chronic diseases, including mood and
neurologic disorders, would go away. I have seen
this over and over again.
Often, I was not actually treating the mental
problems, and yet, they went away as a secondary
effect. I think it is really a shame that in this
country, we do not have an understanding of this
connection, and that doctors are still challenging
the idea that food actually has an impact on our
health other than making us overweight, that it
can be used as a tool for healing. But it really is
the most powerful tool. The quality of the food
we eat, and how we eat it is more important than
anything else.
Sadhguru: I think we need an effective campaign
for food, like the anti-smoking campaign in the
US. In the 70s, in any public place in the United
States, you had to wade through smoke. Then
July 2015
they started an active and successful campaign
that cleared up the air. Today, you can walk into
a restaurant, and there is no smoke. But still
there is carbon-dioxide in the drink! At one time,
smoking was not just a necessity for a whole lot
of people it was fashionable. It was the right
thing to blow smoke into other peoples faces.
With the right kind of campaign, within one generation,
this situation has changed completely. Today, you
see less tobacco smoke in America than in many
other countries in the world. A similarly successful
campaign is needed about what we eat and what
we drink.
Mark Hyman: Yeah. Each of us making those
choices and talking tovour local politicians
makes a big difference. But the problem is the
kind of impact the food industry has. It is a one-
trillion-dollar industry that determines a lot of
policies. To a large extent, food guidelines and
the FDA recommendations and guidelines are
actually governed by lobbying. This means we
are not getting adequate information; we are not
getting the truth. In fact, we are not getting policy
changes.
you: green good; yellow caution; red probably
it is going to hurt you. They also aim at emptying
schools of any foods that harm kids, and at ending
the marketing of what is not real food.
These are policies that could work across the globe
in different ways in different countries. But we are
allergic to such changes in this country because of
the food lobbying. Yet if each of us advocates for
it and makes changes in our own family, in our
own communities, among our own friends, we
can begin to see a global change.
Sadhguru: It is not in the hands of the politicians
and policymakers alone. If everyone realizes
their physical and particularly their mental health
improves when they change what they eat and
how they eat, we will also change the politicians.
Mark Hyman: Absolutely. We have to change our
food system because the solution for health is
not necessarily healthcare it is actually our
food system. I think addressing both together,
that is creating a mindful nation and changing
the food system, is the answer.

Sadhguru: Actually, it is a 4.8 trillion industry

More on Health:
one trillion food and another 3.8 trillion medicine. The Mechanics of Health (DVD)
Dr. Devi Shetty in Conversation with Sadhguru
Mark Hyman: Exactly. Its huge. Michael Bloomberg
tried to change some policies in New York [when
he was the Mayor]. For example the soda tax
he could not get it passed. He also wanted to do
a study to see what happens when you limit the
use of food stamps for soda. Food stamps pay
for four billion dollars in soda every year for the
poor in America on the front end. And on the
back end, the government is paying for Medicare
and Medicaid [due to medical conditions resulting
from the consumption of soda]. The USDA
agriculture department would not even let him do
a pilot study.

Therefore, he has gone to Mexico to help them

with some key policies, such as a soda and sugar Available in bookstores and amazon.in,
tax, junk food taxes, and food labeling, so you can flipkart.com and ishashoppe.com
actually know if food is good for you or bad for
July 2015 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 15
MAHABHARAT
SERIES
PART 8
From Bharata to Shantanu
The Great Emperor Bharata
King Bharata had ve sons. As they grew up, he looked
at each one of them and came to the conclusion that
they would not make good kings. This was the first
time a king had shown such wisdom, that mere
biological connections are not good enough to
make one a king. He established that just because
you are born to a king, you need not be a king. This
was greatly valued, and this is one of the reasons
why his name was given to the nation.
Bharata was celebrated for his balance of mind,
his impartiality, and his sense of inclusion. He
dismissed his own children and looked for
an appropriate king. He found Vithatha, the
illegitimate son of Brihaspati, who was born to
Mamata, Brihaspatis brothers wife. In a moment
of aberration, Brihaspati had forced himself
upon Mamata, which means Vithatha was a
product of rape. Bharata chose this boy as the
king. Vithatha became a great king and ruled with
great wisdom.
Mahabhisheks Fall from Grace
Fourteen generations down the line from
Vithatha, there was Shantanu. Shantanu was
the great-grandfather of the Pandavas and
Kauravas. In his previous life, when he was known
as Mahabhishek, he became fully realized and
entered Devaloka. One day, when he was sitting
in Indras court or asthana, Goddess Ganga came
visiting, and it so happened that in a moment of
unawareness, her sari slipped and her upper body
16 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
was exposed, without her realizing it. According to
the code of behavior of those times, all the other
men put their heads down, while Mahabhishek,
who was new to Devaloka, kept staring at her.
When Indra saw this impropriety and lack of
culture, he said to Mahabhishek, You are unfit to
be in Devaloka. Go back and be born as a human
being once again. Then he looked at Ganga
and noticed that she seemed to be enjoying the
attention. He said to her, This is completely
inappropriate. You also go back and be born
as a human being. Go through all the pains and
pleasures of being human. When you are free
from pride, you come back.
Shantanu Meets Ganga
Mahabhishek was reborn as Shantanu. At some
point, he met Ganga. He did not remember what
had happened in previous lives, but Ganga did.
Ganga tried to draw him towards her, but being
a king, he was wandering around. Shantanu was
a fine hunter. When he went hunting, he became
so one with the act that for him, his hunt was his
worship. Once, for weeks on end, he was hunting
on the banks of Ganga, deeply engrossed in his
hunt. The river was flowing by, but he was not a
fisherman he was a hunter. His attention was
for the hunt. He paid no attention to the river.
Ganga waited.
Usually, whenever he was hungry or thirsty or
needed anything else, people would supply it.
July 2015
But one day, thirst overtook him when there was
no one around to serve him. Then he thought of
the river and went in search of Ganga. Ganga
arose from the river as a woman. The moment he
set his eyes upon her, once again love took over.
Matsyagandhi, the Fisher Princess
Around the same time, Uparichara, the king of
Chedi, was in the forest, hunting for weeks on
end. During this time, he begot a child upon a
fisher girl. She delivered twins, who were named
Matsyaraja and Matsyagandhi. The king took the
boy with him and left the girl with the fisherfolk.
Living among the fisherfolk, she was known as
Matsyagandhi, that means smelling of fish.
Shantanu Marries Ganga
Coming back to the original story Shantanu begged
Ganga to marry him. Ganga set a condition: I will
marry you, but no matter what, you should never ask
why I am doing what I am doing. Shantanu was so
madly in love with her that he agreed. She became
his wife, an incredibly beautiful and wonderful wife.
Then she became pregnant and delivered a ne son.
Immediately, she took the child, walked to the river,
and drowned him.
Shantanu could not believe that his wife drowned
his firstborn son. His heart was breaking, but he
remembered if he asked her why she did this,
she would leave. The man who had earlier been
floating around in joy and love became grief-
stricken, afraid of his wife. But still he loved her
so much, and they continued living together. She
delivered
another son. Without a word, she took the child
and drowned him in the river. Shantanu was
on the verge of insanity. He could not take it
anymore, but he knew that if he says one word,
she would leave.
The second child was drowned, the third one
was drowned, and so it went on until the seventh
child was drowned. Shantanu was completely
horror-stricken. He looked at his wife in terror,
because she kept drowning their newborn
children. The eighth one was born. Helplessly,
Shantanu followed her to the river. When she
July 2015
was just about to do it, he went and grabbed the
child, saying, Enough. Why are you doing this
inhuman act? Ganga said, You have broken the
condition. Its time for me to go. But I owe you an
explanation. Let me tell you why.
The Vasus Misdemeanor
You have heard of Sage Vasishta. Vasishta was
living in his ashram, and he had a cow named
Nandini, which had divine qualities. One day,
eight Vasus with their wives flew to the Earth in
some kind of aircrafts, which are called vimanas.
They were on vacation. They walked through
Vasishtas ashram and saw this cow Nandini
with these incredible divine qualities. The wife
of Prabhasa, one of the Vasus, said, I want that
cow. Without thinking, Prabhasa said, Come,
lets get the cow.
One or two of the Vasus said, But this is not our
cow. It belongs to a sage. Why should we take it?
Prabhasas wife retorted, Cowards always come
up with excuses. You cannot get the cow, so you
are bringing in dharma. Prabhasa became very
macho, and with the help of his companions,
he was about to steal the cow. When Vasishta
realized that his dear cow was being stolen, he
caught them and said, How dare you! You come
as guests. We treat you well. And in the end you
want to steal my cow!
He cursed them: May you be born as human
beings with all the limitations that come with it.
May your wings be clipped so that you cannot
fly. You have to walk upon this Earth. You have to
be born and you have to die like everybody else.
Knowing that when I [Ganga] was in Devaloka, I
had been cursed to come back as a human being,
the eight Vasus begged me: Make sure we are
born in your womb. And make our lives upon this
planet as brief as possible.
Devavrata Is Spared
Ganga concluded her explanation to Shantanu
by saying, I was only fulfilling their desire to be
born without having to stay upon this planet. They
wanted to be done with the curse as quickly as
possible. So I saved seven of them from having a
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 17
long life. You saved the life of the eighth one, who
is Prabhasa, the one who had instigated the theft.
Maybe he deserves a longer life upon this planet.
Because he is an infant, I will take him with me.
When he is 16, I will bring him back. Before I do,
I will make sure that he will be taught everything
he needs to know to be a good king.
Ganga took the child and went away. Shantanu
became listless and lost. He lost interest in his
kingdom. One who was a great king at one time
became a frustrated, depressed man. Forlorn he
walked around, not knowing what to do.
After 16 years had passed, Ganga brought their
son, who was named Devavrata, and handed him
over to Shantanu. Devavrata had learnt archery
from no one less than Parashuram himself, and
he had learnt the Vedas from Brihaspati. He had
learnt everything from the best possible teachers
and was ready to become a king. When Shantanu
saw this full-grown young man who was ready
to take on great responsibilities, his depression
went away, and he took to his son with great love
and enthusiasm. He crowned him as the Yuvaraj
or the future king. Now that Devavrata was there,
he took on the administration, and did everything
well at his behest. Shantanu became free and
happy again. He went out hunting, and again he
fell in love!
Parashar and Matsyagandhi
By then, Matsyagandhi had grown up into a dark,
dusky woman. The chief of the fisherfolk, who
was known as Dasa, had brought her up well.
She was operating a ferry for people to cross the
river Yamuna. One day, Sage Parashar came to
the banks of river Yamuna, and he wanted a ferry
ride. As he was riding the boat across the river,
he was deeply drawn to this young fisher girl,
and she was also drawn to the sage.
All the time, she had been struggling within
herself because her twin brother was living in
the palace, and she was living among fisherfolk.
She thought if she associates with the sage, she
may get somewhere. They lived on a small island
in the river Yamuna, and she bore him a son.
18 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER
Because he was born on an island, he was called
Dwaipayana. And because he was dark, he was
called Krishna. Later on, Krishna Dwaipayana
came to be known as Veda Vyasa, the compiler of
the Vedas, who also told the story of Mahabharat.
Parashar took the boy and went away. Before he
left, he gave Matsyagandhi the boon that the shy
smell went away and she got a heavenly fragrance
that no human being had ever smelt before. She
smelt like a flower that did not belong to this
world. Because of this phenomenal fragrance, they
changed her name to Satyavati, smelling of truth.
And this became her attraction.
Shantanu Begs to Marry Satyavati
One day, Shantanu looked at this woman and fell
in love with her. He went to Satyavatis father and
asked for her hand in marriage. When Dasa, the
chief of the fisherfolk, still a little king in his own
right, saw the emperor begging for his foster
daughters hand, he thought this was a good
time to make a deal. He said, I would be willing
to give you my daughter in marriage only if her
children will become the future kings of the Kuru
Dynasty. Shantanu said, That is not possible. I
have already crowned my son Devavrata. He is
the best king that the Kuru Kingdom can have.
The wily fisherman looked at the king, saw he
was hopelessly in love, and said, Then forget
about my daughter. Shantanu begged him. The
more he begged, the more the sherman realized he
had him on the hook. Time to draw in the big fish.
He said, Its up to you. If you want my daughter,
her children should become the future kings.
Otherwise, go live happily in your palace.
Shantanu went back to the palace once again
depressed. He could not get Satyavati off his
mind. Her fragrance invaded him in such a way
that once again, he lost interest in the affairs of
the kingdom, and simply sat around. Devavrata
looked at his father and said, Everything is going
great in the kingdom. What is it that is bothering
you? Shantanu just shook his head and put it
down in shame, unable to tell his son what was
the matter.
July 2015
The dutiful son that he was, he went to the
charioteer who took Shantanu hunting and
asked him, Ever since this hunt, my father is
not the same man. What happened to him?
The charioteer said, I dont know what exactly
happened. I took him to this sherfolks chiefs
house. Your father walked into the house as a
king, with great enthusiasm, full of love. When he
walked out, he was like a ghost.
Devavrata Takes a Terrible Oath
Devavrata himself went there to nd out what had
happened. Dasa said, He wants my daughter. All
I am saying is her children should be the future
kings. Its a simple condition. The only problem
is you are standing in the way. Devavrata said,
That is not a problem. I need not be the king. I
promise I will never be the king. Let Satyavatis
children be the kings. The sherman smiled and
said, As a young man, out of your bravado, you
can say these things. But later, when you have
children, they will ght for the throne. Then
Devavrata said, I will never marry and have
July 2015
children, to ensure that Satyavatis children will
have the right to be the kings.
The fisherman was just having his meal, carefully
taking the bones off the fish. He looked up and
said, Young man, I appreciate everything that
you are saying. But you do not know the ways
of life. You may not marry, but you may still
have children. Then Devavrata took the extreme
step of castrating himself. He took a vow: I will
never have children. I am incapable of having
children now. Does this satisfy you? Finally, the
fisherman said yes. Everyone said, This is the
harshest thing a man can do to himself. So they
called him Bhishma, one who was terribly harsh
on himself, without anyone forcing him to take
such a step. So Shantanu married Satyavati.
To be continued
ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 19
 UPCOMING PROGRAMS
AND EVENTS

Date Program Place Contact

Isha Yoga Center,

25 Jul Bhava Spandana 83000 93555 / 0422-2515300
Velliangiri Foothills,
2015 (Gents) iycprograms@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore - India

Isha Yoga Center,

1112 Jul 0422-2515464 / 94890 45084
Ayur Sanjeevini Velliangiri Foothills,
2015 isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore - India

Isha Place,
1114 Jul 99800 40070 / 81052 49089
Surya Kriya Jayanagar, Bangalore
2015 bangalore@ishayoga.org
India

1319 Jul The Delhi Center, 96500 92102 / 96500 92103

Angamardana
2015 Mehrauli, Delhi-India delhi@ishayoga.org

1519 Jul Isha Life, Mylapore, 83000 11000 / 044-24981185

Yogasanas
2015 Chennai - India chennai@ishayoga.org

1719 Jul The Delhi Center, 96500 92102 / 96500 92103

Surya Kriya
2015 Mehrauli, Delhi-India delhi@ishayoga.org

2024 Jul The Delhi Center, 96500 92102 / 96500 92103

Yogasanas
2015 Mehrauli, Delhi-India delhi@ishayoga.org

1521 Jul T. Nagar, Chennai 83000 32000

Inner Engineering
2015 India chennai@ishayoga.org

2228 Jul Adyar, Chennai 0422-2515464 / 94890 45084

Inner Engineering
2015 India isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org

Isha Yoga Center,

2228 Jul 0422-2515464 / 94890 45084
Ayur Sampoorna Velliangiri Foothills,
2015 isharejuvenation@ishafoundation.org
Coimbatore - India

Isha Yoga Center,

2326 Jul Inner Engineering 94890 45164 / 0422-2515300
Velliangiri Foothills,
2015 Retreat ieretreat@ishayoga.org
Coimbatore - India

The Delhi Center,

96500 92102 / 96500 92103
26 Jul 2015 Bhuta Shuddhi Mehrauli, Delhi
delhi@ishayoga.org
India

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3 Aug 2015 Kriya Chennai - India chennai@ishayoga.org

Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates,
please visit our website: www.ishafoundation.org.

20 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER July 2015

 ISHA RECIPES

INGREDIENTS
500 g sweet potatoes
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely sliced cabbage
1 medium carrot (sliced)
2 sticks of celery (sliced; optional)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds (roasted and
roughly powdered)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped green coriander
1/2 cup mushrooms
3 ripe tomatoes (de-seeded)
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (or 1 tbsp. white vinegar with 1/4 teaspoon sugar)
1/2 cup chickpeas (white kabuli channa)
Zest of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime (grated lemon/lime peel)
34 bread slices
1/2 cup grated hard cheese
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)

METHOD
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Pressure-cook them the next day with a teaspoon of salt. Drain
the chickpeas and keep aside 1 cup of the water/stock in which the chickpeas were cooked, for later
use.
2. Slowly toast the bread slices, cut them into small pieces, and leave them out to dry. Coarsely
powder the toast pieces in a grinder to make bread crumbs and keep them aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into roughly 2 cm chunks. Boil them in salt water for 10 to
15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the water and leave the sweet potato chunks to dry. Then mash
the cooked sweet potatoes with the butter and a pinch of salt and pepper until smooth; set aside.
5. Add the coriander powder with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat.
Then add the sliced cabbage, carrots, and celery. Add half of the chopped green coriander leaves.
Cook these vegetables for around 5-7 minutes, or until soft.
6. Meanwhile, roughly chop the mushrooms and tomatoes. Add to the pan along with the vinegar.
Cook for a few minutes, then turn up the heat, and allow it to boil. Add the chickpeas and the stock,
and cook until slightly thickened. Add the remaining coriander leaves and transfer the mixture to a
large baking dish (roughly 25 cm x 30 cm).
7. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, using the back of a spoon. Mix the grated cheese,
lemon zest, breadcrumbs, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle this mix over the mash, then place
it in the hot oven for around 10 minutes, or until completely hot. Place under the grill (top heating
element in the oven) for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with finely chopped
mint leaves and serve.

July 2015 ISHA FOREST FLOWER | 21

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 July 2015
cannons of blood and gore
canons of love and joy
to make the bloody ones silent
to make the ageless silence Boom

24 | ISHA FOREST FLOWER

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