Jaggi Vasudev

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Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Sadhguru-Jaggi-Vasudev.jpg
Born (1957-09-03) 3 September 1957 (age 61)
Mysore, Karnataka, India
NationalityIndian
OrganizationIsha Foundation
Notable work
Inner Engineering, Dhyanalinga, Linga Bhairavi, Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, Mystic's Musings
Spouse(s)
Vijaykumari (Vijji) (m. 1984)
[1]
Children1
HonorsPadma Vibhushan, Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar
Websiteisha.sadhguru.org
Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan to Jaggi Vasudev at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on April 13, 2017

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev[2] (born Mysore, 3 September 1957), often referred to as simply Sadhguru,[2][a] is an Indian yogi, mystic,[5] and author. He founded the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organization which offers Yoga programs around the world[6] and is involved in social outreach,[7] education[8] and environmental initiatives.[9][10] His books have appeared in The New York Times Best Seller list in multiple categories like "Health",[11] "Religion, Spirituality and Faith",[12] and "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous".[13]

Sadhguru was conferred the Padma Vibhushan civilian award by the Government of India in 2017 in recognition of his contribution to the field of spiritualism.[14][15]

Early life[edit]

Born in Mysore, Karnataka, India, in a Telugu speaking family[16], Jaggi Vasudev was the youngest of four children – two boys and two girls. His father was an ophthalmologist with the Indian Railways and as a result, the family moved frequently. At the age of 10, he came in contact with Malladihalli Sri Raghavendra Swamiji who taught him a set of simple yoga asanas, the practice of which he regularly maintained.[17] He states that "without a single day's break, this simple yoga that was taught to me kept happening and led to a much deeper experience later."[18]:39

After his schooling at Demonstration School and Mahajana Pre-University College, Mysore in 1973, he graduated from the University of Mysore with a bachelor's degree in English literature.[19] During his college years, he developed an interest in travel and motorcycles.[20]

Although acclaimed worldwide for his spirituality and teachings of peace, sadhguru is not devoid of controversies. His father-in-law accused him of murdering his wife and subsequently cremating her body in order to get rid of evidence. A police case was filed against him though it never reached its conclusion.

Moreover, his ashram and foundation (isha foundation) has been accused of tax evasion under the umberella of ‘donations’ and the use of influential political contacts in order to avoid legal consequences. These allegations have been rejected by the guru’s organisation and by the guru himself, who claims that his wife attained ‘mahasamadhi’ (enlightenment by leaving body voluntarily) and that his foundation is a purely not-for-profit organisation.

Spiritual life[edit]

At the age of 25 on 23 September 1982,[21] he rode up Chamundi Hill and sat on a rock, where he had a spiritual experience. He describes his experience as follows:

Till that moment in my life I always thought this is me and that's somebody else and something else. But for the first time I did not know which is me and which is not me. Suddenly, what was me was just all over the place. The very rock on which I was sitting, the air that I breathe, the very atmosphere around me, I had just exploded into everything. That sounds like utter insanity. This, I thought it lasted for ten to fifteen minutes but when I came back to my normal consciousness, it was about four-and-a-half-hours I was sitting there, fully conscious, eyes open, but time had just flipped.[22]:04:04

Six weeks after this experience, he left his business to his friend and travelled extensively in an effort to gain insight into his mystical experience. After about a year of meditation and travel, he decided to teach yoga to share his inner experience.[21]

In 1983, he conducted his first yoga class with seven participants in Mysore. Over time, he began conducting yoga classes across Karnataka and Hyderabad traveling from class to class on his motorcycle. He lived off the produce of his poultry farm rental and refused payment for the classes. A usual practice of his was to donate the collections received from participants to a local charity on the last day of the class.[21] These initial programs were the basic format on which the Isha Yoga classes were later built.[citation needed]

The Dhyanalinga at the Isha Yoga Center

Isha Foundation[edit]

Saplings being readied for transportation at a PGH nursery.

Jaggi Vasudev established the Isha Foundation, a non religious, non-profit organisation entirely run by volunteers. Isha Yoga Center near Coimbatore was founded in 1993, and hosts a series of programs to heighten self-awareness through Yoga. The foundation works in tandem with International bodies like the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.[23]

Yoga programs and other consecrations[edit]

Jaggi Vasudev conducting the Inner Engineering Program at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Mumbai.

After the establishment of the ashram, Jaggi Vasudev began conducting regular yoga programs at the Isha Yoga Center, including a course for the Indian Hockey team in 1996.[24][25] In 1997, he began conducting classes in the United States[26][27] and in 1998, he began conducting yoga classes for life-term prisoners in Tamil Nadu prisons.[28] From 2011, he began conducting programs with large-scale participation of up to 10,000 and 15,000 participants at once. These large-scale programs have been attended by over 600 million people in total(till 2018).[29][30]

The programs are offered under the umbrella of Isha Yoga. The word Isha means "the formless divine".[31] Isha yoga's flagship program is 'Inner Engineering', which introduces people to some simple Yoga practices & and the Shambhavi Mahamudra.[32] He also conducts yoga classes for corporate leadership to introduce them to what he calls "inclusive economics", which he says introduces a sense of compassion and inclusiveness into today's economic scenario.[33][34]

He also regularly conducts Mahasathsangs in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Here he gives talks, teaches meditation, and holds question and answer sessions with the audience. These Mahasathsangs are also used as platforms to encourage tree-planting activities as well.[35] He also takes spiritual aspirants on annual yatras to Mount Kailash and the Himalayas. The Kailash Yatra led by him is among the largest groups to make the trip to Kailash, with 514 pilgrims attending the journey in 2010.[36][37]

Jaggi Vasudev organises all-night Mahashivarathri celebrations every year at the Isha Yoga Center. It's estimated that these celebrations were attended by as many as 800,000 people in 2013.[38][39][40] The night includes music, dance, and guided meditation. In 2013, performers included Carnatic singer Aruna Sairam, dancer Anita Ratnam, and the band The Raghu Dixit Project.[40]

In March 2005, construction of the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences (III) in McMinnville, Tennessee, USA was begun and was completed 6 months later. Jaggi Vasudev had decided to establish III as a Center for spiritual growth in the Western Hemisphere. On 7 November 2008, he consecrated the Mahima Hall, a 39,000 square foot, free-standing meditation hall at the III. Mahima Hall is the largest meditation hall in the Western Hemisphere.[41] On 30 January 2010, he consecrated the Linga Bhairavi, a representation of the feminine aspects of the divine at the Isha Yoga Center.[18]

Dhyanalinga[edit]

In 1994, Jaggi Vasudev conducted the first program in the premises of the newly established Isha Yoga Center, described the Dhyanalinga. The Dhyanalinga is a yogic temple and a space for meditation, the consecration of which, Jaggi Vasudev stated was his life's mission entrusted to him by his guru.[21] In 1998, the stone edifice of the linga was ordered and arrived at the ashram. After three years of work, the Dhyanalinga was completed on 23 June 1999[42] and opened to the public on 23 November.[43]

The Dhyanalinga offers a meditative space that does not ascribe to any particular faith or belief system.[44] A 76-foot dome, constructed using bricks and stabilised mud mortar without steel or concrete,[45] covers the sanctum sanctorum. The lingam is 13 feet and 9 inches in height and made of black granite. The Sarva Dharma Sthamba, located at the front entrance, functions as an icon of singularity, with the sculptural reliefs and symbols of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, and Shinto inscribed as a universal welcome.[46]

On 23 June 2013, he conducted a multi-religious session titled, "Interfaith Deliberations on the Universality of Religions" at the Isha Yoga Center, which was attended by representatives of various religions, and coincided with the fourteenth anniversary celebrations of the Dhyanalinga.[47]

Adiyogi statue[edit]

Jaggi Vasudev designed the 112-foot statue of Adiyogi, which is located at the Isha Yoga Center. It was inaugurated on Mahashivaratri, 24 February 2017, by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.[48] The Adiyogi statue depicts Shiva as the first yogi or Adiyogi, and first Guru or Adi Guru, who offered yoga to humanity. The statue was built by the Isha Foundation using 20,000 individual iron plates supplied by the Steel Authority of India[49] and weighs around 500 tonnes (490 long tons; 550 short tons). The Adiyogi Shiva Statue has been recognized as the "Largest Bust Sculpture" by Guinness World Records.[50] A consecrated Shivalinga called "Yogeshwar Linga" is placed in front of the Adiyogi Shiva statue.[51]

Participation in global and economic forums[edit]

Jaggi Vasudev spoke at the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit in 2000,[52] the World Economic Forum in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.[53][6]

In 2012, he was voted among the hundred most powerful Indians for his contribution in the field of environmental protection and for encouraging public participation in ecological issues.[54] He was also a participant in the 2006 documentary film ONE: The Movie. He has been involved in one-on-one interactions as part of the "In Conversations With the Mystic."[55]

In 2012, he initiated the Isha Insight program, which focuses on helping small and medium businesses scale up their business activities. The program was conducted by Ram Charan with KV Kamath, Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao, Shankar Annaswamy, Vellayan Subbiah and Pramod Chaudhari also active in the program.[56] In an interview with Forbes magazine, speaking about the motivation behind setting up the program, he said, "While speaking at economic summits and to leaders in India and outside, I have noticed that the most serious issue people have is a lack of insight into what they are doing, or what they could do. That's how we ended up creating this programme called Insight."[57]

In 2017, he spoke [58] at the Global Landscapes Forum in Bonn, Germany, where he was also interviewed by Erik Solheim,[59] head of United Nations Environment Programme.

Publications[edit]

Jaggi Vasudev is the author of several books, including Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy.[60] They have been translated into a number of other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

  • Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga,[61] ISBN 9352643925
  • Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy, ISBN 0-8129-9780-8, 9780812997804
  • Encounter the Enlightened, ISBN 81-86685-60-X
  • Mystic's Musings, ISBN 81-86685-59-6
  • Joy 24x7, ISBN 978-81-7992-914-8
  • Pebbles of Wisdom, ISBN 978-81-7992-952-0
  • The Mystic Eye, ISBN 81-7992-883-7
  • Essential Wisdom from a Spiritual Master, ISBN 81-7992-882-9
  • Flowers on the Path, ISBN 81-87910-05-4
  • Himalayan Lust, ISBN 978-81-8495-076-2
  • Eternal Echoes: The Sacred Sounds Through the Mystic, ISBN 81-87910-02-X
  • Dhyanalinga: The Silent Revolution, ISBN 81-87910-00-3
  • Dhyanalinga: The Eternal Form
  • Circus of The Mind, ISBN 81-87910-10-0
  • Unleashing The Mind, ISBN 81-87910-08-9
  • Good And Bad Divides The World, ISBN 81-87910-07-0
  • Enlightenment: What It Is, ISBN 81-87910-06-2
  • Sacred Space For Self-transformation, ISBN 81-87910-09-7
  • Ancient Technology For The Modern Mind, ISBN 81-87910-11-9
  • Three Truths of Well Being, ISBN 978-0-670-08706-8
  • Midnights with the Mystic, ISBN 978-1-57174-561-3
  • A Guru Always takes you for a Ride, ISBN 978-81-87910-53-4
  • Ancient Technology For The Modern Mind, ISBN 978-81-87910-11-4
  • Don't Polish Your Ignorance....it may shine, ISBN 978-81-8495-200-1
  • Of Mystics & Mistakes, ISBN 978-81-8495-308-4
  • Body - The Greatest Gadget/Mind Is Your Business, ISBN 978-93-5083-360-5
  • Emotion The Juice Of Life : Compulsiveness To Consciousness, ISBN 978-93-5083-362-9
  • Encounter the Enlightened, ISBN 978-81-86685-60-0
  • Sadhguru Biography-More Than A Life, ISBN 978-0-670-08512-5

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Sadhguru", also spelt "Sadguru", [3] means real or true guru. In Hindu meaning, it is a superlative and does not have any exclusive connotations.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Family Matters - Sadhguru Speaks About His Family". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b Waghorne 2013, p. 297; Foreword by Pat MacEnulty in Simone & Vasudev 2008, p. 10
  3. ^ Sanghvi, Rajesh D (2018), Going Beyond My Guru’s for Human Welfare, Notion Press, p. 30, ISBN 978-1-64429-901-2
  4. ^ Cornille, Catherine (1992), The Guru in Indian Catholicism: Ambiguity of Opportunity of Inculturation?, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, p. 103, ISBN 978-0-8028-0566-9
  5. ^ IANS (2016-10-09). "Don't vote as part of a tribe, Jaggi Vasudev tells Americans". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  6. ^ a b "The most powerful Indians in 2009: 80–84". Indian Express. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Jaggi Vasudev in city on May 7". Times of India. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Isha Vidhya to extend support to 3,000 govt. schools in Chittoor". The Hindu. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Green initiatives mark World Environment Day". The Hindu. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Next step, the making of a river rejuvenation policy". Times of India. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Health". The New York Times.
  12. ^ "Religion, Spirituality and Faith". The New York Times.
  13. ^ "New York Times Bestsellers - Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous: New this week INNER ENGINEERING". New York Times. 2016-10-09. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  14. ^ "Jaggi Vasudev, Mariyappan among Padma award winners". The Hindu. 26 Jan 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Padma Vibhushan award for Sharad Pawar and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev". Deccan Chronicle. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  16. ^ "isha foundation - Sadhguru: My mother tongue is Telugu".
  17. ^ "Uncommon Wisdom". India Today. 26 April 2007.
  18. ^ a b Subramaniam, Arundhathi (2010). Jaggi Vasudev More Than A Life. Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-670-08512-5. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  19. ^ "'I have not read the Vedas or the Upanishads. I confess I haven't read the Gita'". Indian Express. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Man and Machine: Sadhguru and Automobiles". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  21. ^ a b c d Simone, Cheryl (2008). Midnights with the Mystic. Hampton Roads Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-57174-561-3.
  22. ^ Sadghguru Jaggi Vasudev (2009). TED India 2009 (YouTube). Mysore: TED India.
  23. ^ "'Quadrennial reports for the period 2011-2014 submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council through the Secretary-General pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31" (PDF). 24 February 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  24. ^ "Morale-Booster says Bhaskaran". Indian Express. 26 November 1996.
  25. ^ "Refreshed Team Begins Final Preparation". The Hindu. 2 December 1996.
  26. ^ "Yoga guru touts peace, not religion". The Tennessean. 15 October 1997.
  27. ^ "It doesn't take a guru to know which way the stress flows". Dayton Daily News. 17 March 1998.
  28. ^ "Yoga Brings 'Freedom' to Prisoners". The Hindu. 16 February 1998.
  29. ^ "A medley of yoga and green moves". The Hindu. 25 June 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  30. ^ "Life changing weekend with Jaggi Vasudev". The New Indian Express. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  31. ^ "Sadhguru – Exploring the unlimited". Life Positive. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  32. ^ "In pursuit of peace of mind". Daily News and Analysis. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  33. ^ "The route to 'dharmacracy'". Business Today. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  34. ^ "Inclusive Economics: Enabling the World'". Huffington Post. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  35. ^ "Isha's Green Salem goes on stream". The Hindu. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  36. ^ "Isha shows the way". Indian Express. 29 June 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  37. ^ "'Mansarovar is beyond words'". Daily News and Analysis. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  38. ^ Zakaria, Namrata (June 2013). "The Lure of Isha" (PDF). Harpers Bazaar. pp. 106–108. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  39. ^ Zakaria, Namrata (14 March 2013). "Fashion label to 'yogi': Donna Karan on an Indian holiday". The Indian Express. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  40. ^ a b Vyas, Sheetal (1 April 2013). "Holy Days". Outlook. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  41. ^ "A 39,000 square-foot meditation facility". AtlantaDunia. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  42. ^ "Dhyanalingam installed". Indian Express. 26 July 1999.
  43. ^ "A multi religious temple". The Hindu. 19 November 1999.
  44. ^ Rangaswamy, Sudhakshina (25 July 2003). "Transformation of the inner Self". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  45. ^ "Auroville Earth Institute, training courses, workshops on Vaults, Arches, Domes(VAD), stabilized rammed earth walls, compressed earth blocks, vaulted structures, compressed stabilised earth blocks, rammed earth".
  46. ^ Ganapathy, T.K. (28 September 2001). "Haven for the spiritually inclined". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  47. ^ "Anniversary celebrations at Isha". The Hindu. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  48. ^ "PM Narendra Modi unveils first 112-foot tall Shiva statue in Coimbatore". The Financial Express. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  49. ^ "Gigantic statue of first yoga guru Adiyogi to be unveiled by PM". The Covai Post. 8 February 2017.
  50. ^ "Largest bust (sculpture)". Guinness World Records.
  51. ^ "Yogeshwar: A Heartless Yogi". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  52. ^ "United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit". Health and Wellness Magazine – Nashville. April 2001.
  53. ^ Padmanabhan, Mukund (15 March 2009). "Golf with the Guru". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  54. ^ "The most powerful Indians in 2012: No. 91-100". Indian Express. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  55. ^ "Live Webstream | In Coversation with the Mystic".
  56. ^ Sangani, Priyanka (21 December 2012). "What differentiates people who are successful from the rest, explains mystic Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev". Economic Times. ET Bureau. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  57. ^ Gupta, Indrajit (21 Nov 2012). "How to Scale up Your Enterprise: Conversations with Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev & Dr Ram Charan". Forbes. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  58. ^ "Sadhguru at Global Landscapes Forum: Millions who rally for rivers favor reforestation". Landscape News. December 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  59. ^ "Sadhguru in conversation with Erik Solheim". Global Landscapes Forum. December 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  60. ^ "Don't vote as part of a tribe, Jaggi Vasudev tells Americans". Business Standard. IANS. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  61. ^ "Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga" by Jaggi Vasudev, Harper Elements

Bibliography[edit]


External links[edit]

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