Mahashivratri 2019 - A fantastic celebration

Blogging after a long time... but could not resist how infectious the Mahashivratri event this time (March 2019) was.

The local people thoroughly enjoyed the Mahashivaratri this time. It was very well organized and was witnessed by literally lakhs of people.

If you were not live on the ground or at least online, you have definitely missed something mind-blowing this time. Here is the AdiYogi's Divya Darshan for such people.

The Annadanam food was fantastic and so was the entire event organization. How smoothly it was all done is simply astonishing! Suffice to say, it was just a blissful experience for me and my family :)

Those who have missed it this time, you just need to wait for the next Mahashivratri at Isha!

Shocking Truth behind Isha's Deforestation allegations?

I have been wondering about the allegations that Isha encroached the forest lands. Many a person has told me that this is a lie being repeated by vested interests in the hope of making it sound like a truth. The unfortunate reality is that many common people also think this is the case because of the number of the times it has been said in media, though not a single person or group has been able to prove this over last 20 years!

What is Isha Foundation's Stand?

I checked the Isha Foundation website and they have given a clear notice that this is a lie being perpetrated against them. 

https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/blog/article/is-isha-encroaching-elephant-corridor

"Isha Yoga Center is not constructed on forest land or elephant corridor. It is constructed on 100% Patta land. In 2013, Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials verified this, and clearly documented that the center is only on Patta land and has not infringed onto forest land. The document reference number is CFCIT/07/2013."

My Findings from TN Forest Department website

I went to the Tamilnadu Forest Department website and found something very interesting. These definitions are quite important for us to note as it is from the Tamilnadu Forest Department itself. The relevant page link is: https://www.forests.tn.gov.in/pages/view/tn-state-profile

Forest Cover: All lands, more than one hectare in area, with a tree canopy density of more than 10 percent irrespective of ownership and legal status. Such lands may not necessarily be a recorded forest area. It also includes orchards, bamboo and palm. 

Forest Area: The area recorded as a forest in the Government records. It is also referred to as “recorded forest area”. 

Moderately Dense Forest: All lands with forest cover having a canopy density between 40 to 70 percent. 

Open Forest: Lands with forest cover having a canopy density between 10 to 40 percent. 

Protected Forest(PF): An area notified under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act or other State Forest Acts, having limited degree of protection. In protected forest all activities are permitted unless prohibited. 

Reserved Forest (RF): An area so constituted under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act or other State Forest Acts, having full degree of protection. In Reserved forests all activities are prohibited unless permitted. 

Scrub: Degraded forest lands having canopy density less than 10 percent. 

Tree Cover: It comprises of tree patches outside the recorded forest area exclusive of forest cover and less than the minimum mappable area (1 ha) and up to 0.1 ha. Such small patches comprising of block, linear and scattered trees are not delineated as forest cover during interpretation of satellite data. The areas of scattered trees are computed by notional numbers. 

Very Dense Forests: Lands with forest cover having a canopy density of 70 percent and above. 

Unclassed Forest: An area recorded as forest but not included in reserved or protected forest category. Ownership status of such forests varies from State to State.

Why are these definitions important for us to understand the context?

These definitions are important because we have three facts on hand:

(1) Isha Foundation lands are near the Booluvampatti Reserved Forest

(2) The definition of Forest cover is all encompassing irrespective of the ownership of the land

(3) The Tamilnadu Forest cover has actually increased from 2011 to 2017!

I will elaborate on each of these points below. But, I am going to first put you through a psychology experiment.

If I tell you that someone, say X, has cut down a 100 year old huge tree with an electric saw, you would immediately feel anger within you. Wouldn't you? And that is a genuine emotion! 

But you only heard me saying that! Did you actually see for yourself if X has indeed cut a tree down? Even if X had cut a tree, what was the context in which he / she did that?

What would be your reaction if I told you X is a rich person? Is your anger still there or is it increasing?

Would you still be angry if I told you that the tree had fallen down on X's child and if X had not cut the tree and removed it, her child would have been crushed to death under that tree? After all, you did not even know whether the cut tree was standing earlier or was on the ground already!! 

Do you see how easy it is to get our emotions manipulated?

So, the next time you hear something about someone, ascertain if such an incident actually happened and if it did, what was the context. If you do not get convincing answers for either question, you can best ignore such information.

(1) Isha Foundation lands are near the Booluvambatti Reserved Forest

The concerns raised against Isha Foundation initially could well have been legitimate but where it all became a slandering campaign was when the team used a map that was produced by Mr Saravanan Chandrasekeran on Facebook once. Saravanan had actually posted a Google Earth image of the Isha Foundation and incorrectly questioned if Isha was occupying the forest land. 

This is the image that is spread in various memes ... obviously a work of Photoshop because you cannot find such images on Google map's timelines! 

The first thing about this image is that it is at such a high level claiming to show the Isha Yoga Campus. Is the Isha Yoga Campus all over the map or is it a small place in the map? From 2006 to 2016, the campus might have grown. What is the exact size of the Isha Yoga premises in both years? People who only see and react to such meme photos emotionally don't ask this basic and logical question.

Secondly, as per the definition of Reserved Forest, nothing can be done in the forest without permission of Forest officials. So, it sounds incredulous that such a big organization shaping up within Forest lands, especially a Reserved Forest, would go unnoticed for so many years. If there is anybody who has access to the forest lands, it is the tribals living there and the Forest Officials. If somebody claims the tribals have cut the trees in the forest, it is even understandable. But how would Isha Foundation be held responsible for that?

If one is using Google Earth Images, did you ever wonder why they compare 2006 vs 2016? That is because it is easy to project the wrong figure that way. Why 2006 and 2016? Pick 1993 and 1995 instead!

I can argue that Isha Foundation has caused lot of afforestation in the Velliangiri Hills since they came to be in 1994!!

Check out: https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse/#v=10.98082,76.7275,11.973,latLng&t=1.95

Generally, clarity of Satellite images are subject to so many factors including:

- Season in which the photo is taken
- Time of the day
- Even the Algorithms that process the raw image taken

Why do you think pictures taken in recent years are sharper? Did someone go up and change the cameras in those satellites?

This is the Google maps image I picked up today (July 2018). See how different it looks from the alleged map of 2016 to now or even compared to the Google Earth images from 1993!

You can check it for yourself by visiting this link: https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Isha+Foundation/@10.9785793,76.7325588,3015m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x3ba8576b1434d763:0x2327c3abe1d98040!8m2!3d10.9772294!4d76.7373321

Of course, Isha Foundation might have expanded their campus by buying the nearby lands to accommodate more people within their premises. That does not mean, they destroyed a whole forest as is being claimed!!

Saravanan himself had later published an apology that his initial analysis was incorrect!

No land of Isha Foundation is on forest area but the allegation had by then caught the attention of vested interests who spread it like wild-fire for gullible public to consume.

Here are some excellent posts by someone who had made extensive study about this topic:

http://qr.ae/TUIkjY

http://qr.ae/TUIkjP

To quote from these posts:

"There is one route going towards left and that is path to forest and in the junction, there is forest department check post. in the middle of the picture you can notice there is one path going left and that path is way to vellingiri temple and each year many people visit this place and climb vellingiri mountain and above that path is the start of velligiri mountain. Vertical road from bottom to top which connects these 2 path is boundary between forest and agriculture land. 

Between path to vellingiri temple and path towards forest is plains and it is covered by forest and there is a possibility of elephant in this area when weather is very dry. To reach isha we have to go 1 km from there. 

West side of isha is covered by mountains and east side is covered by agriculture lands. Mostly elephant will not walk in slopes and that restrict elephant movement after the path to vellingiri nathar temple. 

Only the path which goes to isha crossing vellingiri temple will be blocked after night 8 or 9 by forest department to ensure safety. Inside isha there is no warning or fear of elephants even in dark. No one reported elephant movement. Mountain slope should have restricted elephant movement. 

Towards east of isha yoga center you can see lot of agriculture lands if there are any elephant movement in those place people would not prefer it for agriculture. 

Now as visitors has increased isha has shifted the entrance to malai vasal which is away from this road."

"The whole area that extends to the left side of this road marked spottily by green and brown spots is the actual forest / hilly area. On this side of the picture, the brown spots indicate the rocky surface whereas the greenery indicates trees in the hilly area. 

It can be seen in the bottom right corner of where the AdiYogi statue is, well into the area where Agri lands are. In fact, right behind the AdiYogi statue is a place called ‘Karthik Farms’ which is someone’s private agricultural property. It is quite obvious from the map that the AdiYogi statue is not in forest area."

It is a shame that some of these people spreading such false information about the Isha Foundation claim to be environmentalists but are actually paid activists. People fall victim to such false allegations because of their own genuine concern towards the environment. But they do not know to ascertain the facts properly.

These lies about Isha cutting down trees or building statues in a forest land are easy to spread mainly because Isha Foundation’s lands are "near the forest" though it is not actually in the forest land itself.


(2) The definition of Forest cover is all encompassing irrespective of the ownership of the land

Since the Forest Department's definition of Forest Cover includes even private lands (> 1 hectare area with > 10% tree cover), easily Isha Foundation's lands fall into that category. But the Forest Department also says that legality & ownership of such lands can be private! It's clear in its definition that such places do not fall into the 'FOREST AREA' category. But general public might not be aware of such nuances. 

We have a fairly common vision in our minds on how a forest would appear, something like this ...

But each type of forest is different. A Dense Forest looks different from a Moderately Dense Forest which is again appearing different from an Open Forest area!

Now, the lands near (and outside) the Isha Foundation look like this:

This does not even seem close to what an Open Forest would be. But for people who do not know about all these types of forests, etc. it is easy to misunderstand and for vested interests quite easy to misrepresent that Isha Foundation's lands are indeed Forest lands whereas they seem to be clearly not!

(3) The Tamilnadu Forest cover has actually increased if you compare reports from 2011 to 2017!

Here are the links to the official Forest Department reports:

https://www.forests.tn.gov.in/tnforest/app/webroot/img/document/fsi-reports/2013/FOREST-COVER-2013.pdf

https://www.forests.tn.gov.in/app/webroot/img/document/fsi-reports/2017/FOREST-COVER.pdf

Let's look at the Forest cover areas of different types of forests in Tamilnadu:

VDF area in Sq Km -  2011: 2948    2013: 2948 2017: 3672
MDF area in Sq Km - 2011: 10321   2013: 10199 2017: 10979
OF area in   Sq Km -  2011: 10356   2013: 10697 2017: 11630

How can that be!? How has there been an increase in the actual forest area between 2011 and 2017 if we keep hearing that trees are being cut down and the dooms day is nearby?

Simple - because our minds like exaggeration, media feeds only such information to us. 

This rise in forest cover is due to active reforestation work done by several organizations across the state of Tamilnadu! 

The positive information like Isha Foundation's Project Green Hands team  distributing and taking care of over 3 crore tree saplings + efforts by individuals like Tamil Actor Vivek, Parthiban, etc. rarely makes it through media. And we are partly to blame for that. We ask for sensation only and media feeds it to us constantly!

Finally,

It is up to us to find the truth for ourselves. I have given all publicly available links here. This can all be easily verifiable. The next time someone tells you that Isha Foundation has caused environmental damage, please show them this detailed article. 

Let's spread around only Love!

Tree plantation drive: Some truths

This is my response to the mockery of tree plantation drives:

One needs to understand that nobody is planting 'trees' - they are only trying to grow 'plants'.

How many plants do you think survive in each tree plantation drive? The maximum percentage reached is about 70%. So, if you grow 100 plants, maximum of 70 would only survive and that too only if great care is taken.

Just take a look at this article:

http://indianexpress.com/…/2-cr-trees-plantation-drive-buo…/

To reach merely 33% forest cover, we need "400 crore" trees. So, all these tree plantation drives are actually not sufficient enough to cover that. We are not even talking about 50% forest cover, just 33%.

Everybody can plant tree saplings. One very important factor most of us conveniently forget is the rate of deforestation:

http://time.com/4019277/trees-humans-deforestation/

We have 400 billion trees of which 15 billion trees are cut every year. This means, if nobody plants anything, we will be out of trees in the world in just a few years - within our lifetime! The plants that you grow today will not become trees by tomorrow - they take their own time.

So, my request to such people who mock is that if you don't plant trees, it is fine. Please stop making fun of people who do! This is not just for our generation but for our children as well that such tree plantation drives happen and flourish successfully.

I offer no proofs, just complaints!

Breaking my blog silence after a long, long time! It has been 7 days since the controversies have been raging around Isha Foundation.

If a sane person looks back at these events, avoiding all the media hype created and emotional drama, let's see who has actually complained?

(1) A parent whose daughters have become monks against their wish
(2) A parent whose kid was expelled from Isha Home school for bad conduct
(3) A parent whose son has become a monk against her wish
(4) A police officer whose elder kid was again asked to be taken off by Isha Samskriti management

In all 4 cases, there is a clear vested interest. One may argue that anybody who opposes some XYZ organization will have a vested interest. Let me ask you a couple of questions:

"How many times have you changed your job because you did not like the manager? In that case, did you become dead against the organization as well? If so, would an otherwise emotionally balanced person call your anger against the organization professional or unprofessional?"

"How many times did you take your kid off the school because his / her teacher scolded them for some mischief they did? If you did, would an otherwise emotionally balanced person call your anger against the organization professional or unprofessional?"

If in both cases your answer was that it would be called 'unprofessional', why is the same logic not applicable to these allegations against Isha Foundation as well? Just because their sons or daughters did not listen to them or could not be controlled by them, they have turned against Isha Foundation.

Mind you, all of them have based their allegations only on their supposed personal experience but have not produced any proofs for it!

What the media has done with it though is take the allegation, blow it up several folds with emotional drama and made it all appear like facts. People need to understand and separate facts from fiction, before coming to a conclusion.

Once all the dust settle from the hue & cry raised by media, hope thinking minds and sanity prevail!

Thiru thonda thogai

Thiru thonda thogai - So very beautifully rendered by the Isha Samskriti kids!

The youtube link for video is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ztNuezFjAc&list=UUgaiWfiix1zaQS6Mn5SIw2g

thillaivaazh andhanar tham adiyaarkkum adiyEn
thiruneela kandaththuk kuyavanaark kadiyEn

illaiyE ennaadha iyarpagaikkum adiyEn
iraiyaanRan kudimaaran adiyaarkkum adiyEn

vellumaa migavalla meypporuLuk kadiyEn
viripozhil chool kunRaiyaar viRanmiNdark kadiyEn

allimen mullaiyandhaar amarneethik kadiyEn
aarooran aarooril ammaanuk kaaLE

ilaimalindha vElnambi eRipaththark kadiyEn
Enaadhi naatharthan adiyaarkkum adiyEn

kalaimalindha cheernambi kaNNappark kadiyEn
kadavooriR kalayandran adiyaarkkum adiyEn

malaimalindha thOLvaLLal maanakkan chaaRan
enchaadha vaattaayan adiyaarkkum adiyEn

alaimalindha punalmaNgai aanaayark kadiyEn
aarooran aarooril ammaanuk kaaLE

Sannidhi - A Revelation In Our Life

One MahaShivarathri night a few years back, after the midnight meditation with Sadhguru, many Isha meditators were gathering around something and taking turns to bow down. Some of them just sat still on the carpets there. I was a distant watcher for some time. When curiosity got the better of me, I went to see what it was. The long queues discouraged mere onlookers and only the persistent ones made it.

When I went closer, to be honest, I did not know what to make out of it. Though I had heard of 'paadham' before, this was the first time I am seeing something like that. I just bowed down, took the vibhuthi prasadam and moved on. That this simple darshan would bring a profound change in my life was not even in my distant dreams!

Over time, I heard from other meditators that Sadhguru Sannidhi was very powerful, charged up, etc. We also heard from one of the Isha teachers that his mother just used to sit before Sannidhi daily during the presence time (6:20 PM) without doing anything and bliss out!

Then, Abi and I registered for bringing Sadhguru Sannidhi home a couple of years back. As we were (rather stupidly) apprehensive of 'maintaining' its sanctity in our house, we registered it for my parents living separately. I vividly remember the day an Isha meditator came to consecrate it at my parents' house. The person said 'Anna - Please choose where you want to place. You should not move it around just like that later.'

My heart sank at this comment! It was with great difficulty that I had persuaded my mom to drive up the attic some of the gods in her pooja room and make space on the granite marble for Sannidhi. However the consecration went on smoothly. My mother was surprisingly hooked on and started doing the Sannidhi pooja almost daily.

The whole house felt quite different & charged up the very next weekend we visited them! I was doing my Surya Namaskar & Shambhavi Kriya in the hall (Sannidhi was a good distance away in the pooja room) and it was all happening so effortlessly for me. My 4-year-old daughter, who used to be very clinging to us all the time, was suddenly behaving so matured and still having fun with everyone around! That weekend was our first-hand experience of how Sannidhi can transform the atmosphere of an entire house within such a short span of time!

My mom still does the pooja on many days without fail. Her practices have become more regular, her health and the overall peace in family are so much better now. These are definitely not coincidental :)

It was almost one year back that His grace descended upon us and we were able to register for bringing Sadhguru Sannidhi home. It so happened that we were to receive one of the 108 Sannidhis being distributed in Chennai on the MahaShivarathri night of 2013. How fitting an entry!?

Brindha akka came to our home, inspected the space we were going to hold Him in and performed the consecration process. I remember even today how bewildering and unbelievable it was for me that we had taken such a step.

The transformation we have undergone started with Bhairavi entering our home and once Sannidhi came in, the pace has been faster thereon. We do our Sannidhi pooja quite regularly and the very experience of sitting in that space before Bhairavi Yantra and Sadhguru Sannidhi is enough to settle us down most of the time.

While offering Guru Pooja at home in any room feels like it is in His presence. Apart from our practices becoming more regular & more volunteering opportunities coming our way pulling us up higher, we have been blessed with Sadhguru's darshan ever so frequently and more visits to the Ashram.

Since then, we have had the good fortune of witnessing two blessed individuals convert the rooftops in their homes to house Sadhguru Sannidhi. The transformation of these spaces has been very visible and they are being revered as the Isha local centers now at Nanganallur and Medavakkam.

These lines truly resound what Sannidhi means in our lives.

            Un padam panindhen,

                        ennaye marandhen!

            Un padam panindhen,

                        ennulle malarndhen!! 

Similar experiences galore in our friends and family circle. Now, living in a consecrated space like this has sunk in so much, we feel odd when we see someone without such an opportunity!

[PS: This MahaShivarathri, there is an opportunity for willing individuals to receive Sadhguru Sannidhi in Chennai itself. Interested people can contact me or call +91 9789983260] 

Leadership 101 as a parent

There was intense pain but I could not show it on my face. My daughter was keenly watching me and I suddenly felt I cannot show the fear of pain to her anymore since she might also become afraid later. Nevertheless when a dentist puts in two injections inside your mouth and pries open your jaws for 20 minutes, it does pain - at least till the numbness sets in.

So, it is in this context of a dental visit that some of my thoughts here on how my kid is learning from what am doing stepped from.

There has always been this quote from Sadhguru on my mind - "When a child has come into your life, it is time to learn and not teach". I thought I understood it well but am not sure anymore now! There seem to be a myriad dimensions to this one statement.

One aspect of it was the literal meaning that I took. I started observing how she learns from life and it has never ceased to amaze me from then till now as to how the children 'sponge-absorb' things & events from around them. Yes, we do teach her a thing or two as she feels necessary. In fact, Abi has been doing most of Isha's coaching with me watching from the sidelines. I have been more of a passive teacher so far for her. But the compulsion to push her academically is not there in us to the extent I see in so many other parents.

Today, Abi was talking about a long discussion she had with Swami Suyagna from Isha Foundation. I was asleep at that time and when I woke up, she narrated a gist of it to me. Unconsciously at first and then in awareness tears started flowing down my eyes because I felt touched by the deep management science that Swami was bestowing on her. Bearing a slight jealousy for the honour showered on her (of course she fully deserved it!), I kept listening.

Soon, a thought came in that what Swami spoke about leadership, mentoring, coaching, managing, etc. applies not just to corporates but also to me as a parent! After all, if making another Abirami or Rajasekhar is tough enough at office, imagine how tough it is to bring up your child to your potential at least. And Sadhguru says your child should dare to do things which you have not even dreamed of!

It was then that I suddenly realized Isha naturally prefers to do what we do at home very intensely, like me cleaning the house or Abi's dedication to Bhairavi or drawing for that matter. I certainly have to do better than what am doing in grooming her from now on.

An experiential realization dawned on me that leaders exist at all levels. Every one is a leader in their own right and they have a dedicated group of followers, whether they know it or not. What kind of society we will create in future clearly depends on how leaders of today, which is basically everyone, exist & influence by example.

I definitely feel the need to dig deeper in me to find the necessary integrity & courage to lead my life better and keep that striving for constant improvement burning.

Guru Ashtakam

Listening to the ashtakam sung by Isha Samskriti kids is a divine experience in itself! Beautiful lyrics and even better is the rendition :)


SHAREERAM SUROOPAM THATHA VAA KALATRAM,
YASASCHARU CHITRAM DHANAM MERU TULYAM,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….1

KALATRAM DHANAM PUTRA POUTRAADI SARVAM,
GRUHAM BHAANDAVAA SARVA METTADHI JAATAM,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….2

SHADANGAADHI VEDO MUKHE SHASTRA VIDHYAA,
KAVITVA AADHI GADHYAM, SUPADHYAM KAROTI,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….3

VIDHESESHU MAANYAHA, SWADHESESHU DHANYAHA,
SADHAACHAARA VRUTTESHU MATTO NA CHA ANYAHA,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….4

KSHAMAA MANDALE BHUPA BHUPAALA BRINDIHI,
SADA SEVITAM YASYA PAADAARAVINDAM,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….5

YASHO ME GATTAM DHIKSHU DHAANA PRATAAPAATH
JAGADVASTU SARVAM KARE YATPRASAADAATH
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….6

NA BHOGE, NA YOGHE, NA VAA VAAJIRAAJAA,
NA KAANTAA MUKHE NAIVA VITTESHU CHITTAM,
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….7

ANARGYAANI RATNAANI BHUKTAANI SAMYAK
SAMA LINGITA KAMINI YAAMINEESHU
GURO RANGHRI PADME MANASCHE NA LAGNAM,
TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM, TATAH KIM……….8

Adi Sankara's Shivashtakam

One of the most complex but beautiful lyrics I have seen .. this is Shivashtakam sung by Sounds of Isha on Guru Pournami, 2013. It is so fantastically sung .. I was instantly smitten! :)

Download it from here: https://www.ishashoppe.com/downloads/portfolio/shivashtakam/

Thasmai nama parama kaarana kaaranaaya,
Deepthojwala jwalitha pingala lochanaaya,
Nagendra haara krutha kundala bhooshanaaya,
Brahmendra Vishnu varadaaya Nama Shivaya. 1

Srimath prasanna sasi pannaga bhooshanaaya,
Shailendrajaa vadana chumbitha lochanaaya,
Kailasa mandaara mahendra nikethanaaya,
Loka trayarthi haranaaya nama shivaya. 2

Padmava daatha mani kundala govrushaaya,
Krishna guru prachura chandana charchithaaya,
Bhasmaanu shaktha vikatothpala mallikaaya,
Neelaabhja kantha sadrusaaya namashivaya. 3

Lambastha pingala jata mukutoth kataaya,
Damshtra karaala vikatothkata bhairavaaya,
Vyaghra jinambaradharaaya manoharaaya,
Trilokya natha namithaya nama shivaya. 4

Daksha prajapaathi maha makha naasanaaya,
Kshipram mahaa Tripura daanava gathanaaya,
Brahmorjithor dhwaga karoti nikrunthanaaya,
Yogaya yoga namithaya nama shivaya. 5

Samsaara srushti ghatanaa parivarthanaaya,
Raksha pisacha gana siddha samaakulaaya,
Sidhoraga graha ganendra nishevithaaya,
Shardhoola charma vasanaaya Nama Shivaya. 6

Bhasmanga raaga krutha roopa manoharaaya,
Soumyaa vadaatha vanamaasritha maasrithaaya,
Gowri kataaksha nayanaardha nireekshnaaya,
Go ksheera dhaara dhavalaaya nama shivaya. 7

Adithya Soma Varunaanila sevithaaya,
Yagnaagni hothra vara dhooma nikethanaaya,
Rig saama veda munibhi sthuthi samyuthaaya,
Gopaaya gopa namithaaya nama shivaya. 8

Adithya Soma Varunaanila sevithaaya,
Yagnaagni hothra vara dhooma nikethanaaya,
Rig saama veda munibhi sthuthi samyuthaaya,
Gopaaya gopa namithaaya nama shivaya. 9

My encounter with the enlightened - part 2

Travel to onsite and work,work,work ... life took different priorities and slowly the practices took a back seat unfortunately. The light was still flickering and though the practices were not regular on daily basis, it still kept happening once in 2 days or 3 days. The touch was still on, but both Abi and I could see that the effects were visible. Irritability started creeping into our lives and we were bickering and fighting for the smallest of things (as we still do :) even today) ...

We happened to attend a quick Sathsang with Sadhguru when he visited New Jersey earlier that year and the awesome feeling of His presence returned :) By this time, I had also heard through our friends about this powerful 'Shambhavi Mahamudra' practice that was being taught in India. To be honest, I was surprised that the powerful Pranayama practices (as they were called then) will no longer be taught to public. But then, I also realized it is probably because of people like me who learn it & yet don't keep up the practice regularly that Sadhguru has decided to simplify the access to spiritual possibilities to people. 

It was in April 2006 that He decided to grace the US again and this time his visit was to be in Nashville. Both of us did all we could and managed to get initiated to Shambhavi Mahamudra with Sadhguru. Other volunteers suggested that we just attend the initiation and not the entire class as we have already attended the 13 day class. 

We chose to attend the full class anyway and it was a truly wonderful experience reliving it ... I realized the essence of the earlier 13 day class is still retained and Shambhavi seemed to be so tough to practice! By the end of the class, I was crying so hard (I surprised myself) ... it was out of the pain of ignorance and from the anguish that I could not be receptive enough to burst out completely in His presence! 

Late nights and weekend work was so common (as with most onsite stays in IT companies). But the grit with which we both kept up the practices for next 48 days was the turning point actually. It showed us that we can keep up the practices twice a day, if only we make up our minds and find time. That period marked the true beginning of our Sadhana.

Immediately thereafter was the enrollment for our first volunteering experience and that too for a program conducted by Sadhguru himself, turning out to be the first Bhava Spandana Program happening in the IIIS. In so many ways, that experience changed our lives permanently ... the wild streak in Abi turned more towards compassion to human beings and the rock in me began melting faster. As with all the BSP sessions from Isha, it left us on an emotional high, but with much more access to the richness of life.

Just when we thought, this is it, life cannot be any better ... Sadhguru announced the trip to Kailash & Manasarovar. Not knowing what it is about, we enrolled for it and stood in the line unaware that the next 10x event was about to hit us :)

More than 25 years back ...

For a moment, I was transported to almost 25 years back when my cousins used to gently push me to run along with them in the Perambur grounds. They would go round and round in the grounds and I would watch them sitting & gasping after just 1 round. 

This time however, no nudging was required and I started the 5 KM jog at 6:30 AM as one of the 8 (became 9 mid-way) Nanganallur gladiators, who met near the ATMs on Velachery MRTS road for practice run of Chennai Marathon - for Isha Vidhya.  

For the first time in my adult life, I had actually been jogging such a distance and there was a nagging thought if I can crawl beyond 1 KM. The fear lead me to gasp a bit after about a kilometre of jogging. But the moment I remembered that this could be the push for brightening the lives of some kids, the doubts dispelled immediately and there was a renewed energy flowing through. 

That Isha practices have certainly strengthened my body is very clear now and of course, without HIS grace, it would certainly have not been possible! We were one jolly group of folks, even crazy for some of the onlookers, the young & old cheering each other alike and sharing pictures when we halted for a breath ... this can only happen with an Isha group :-) 

50% attendance is actually not bad for a Deepavali weekend although we would like more people next time around ... some propoganda spreading would not hurt either!

The fact that I could actually jog my way back from near the MRTS station is still sinking in! Thanks Mani anna for this opportunity.

The fun we had and the confidence we have got from this start is prompting us to audaciously resolve for more such practice sessions. I hope .. nay, I am sure we will do more, before the actual marathon itself. Chennai .. here comes the Isha Vidhya wave!!

My encounter with the enlightened - part 1

Life changes and this in itself is known to everyone! However, there are 10x events for some people in their lives, where a single event or person changes the life course itself, in short 'a life changing experience'! Here is one from my life ...

Back in 2003, I used to read a lot of  'spiritual junk' and used to consider myself knowledgeable in that area. But I had not known much about Isha foundation or Sadhguru for that matter. Having heard some of His discourses over tape (this was before CDs became popular) and admiring His logical sequencing & content per se was probably my first step towards the path not known experientially to me.

On a casual evening, Abi and I came to know about the Isha Yoga program happening in Mambalam. Abi & her sister had come with the required money to join the program. But by the time, I went to the ATM to get the money and come back, the registration was full for the program and I could not join that session. 

Not being used to failure (most of my previous experience was only in academics), I was just furious and that fury forced me to look at doing at least one program with Isha at the same time! So, without realizing what I was getting into, I registered immediately for the Hatha Yoga program happening in the Ashram and went there the same weekend Abi was getting initiated into Shakti Chalana Kriya (earlier - Sahaja Sthithi Yoga). 

After my return to Chennai from the program, with a broken back and slightly mauled ego after intense Hatha yoga, Abi was bubbling to share how wonderful the Isha program was. I admit being a bit baffled and immediately wanted to go for the next Isha Yoga program.

The second time around, registration happened fine but I stayed the previous evening at a friend's place (absolutely unlikely of me) and did not get up early enough on time for my morning class! I was close to tears when I woke up in the morning and in fact remember blasting Abi for not waking me up early - poor thing!! But she spoke to the teacher from Ashram and arranged for me to attend the class in that evening. I was just so thankful for her. 

From next day on, I was promptly attending the morning classes by myself. Considering myself an intellectual, I immersed myself in the class content because it was so logical and structured, yet peeling off my ego layer by layer. We went on to attend the Bhava Spandana program in 2003 itself. What happens in BSP  is not for me to put in words. It was way beyond me and I understood finally that even intellectually, this was something just beyond my grasp. 

At the end of it, I knew I can never be the same again and was bubbling to share the same with everyone. So, people who know me before 2003 & post 2003 and have actually observed me, would know the change. If observers say I have become bolder, more efficient at work, more loving in personal life, less angry at work & at home, etc. etc. as the key things, those may be just side effects. 

I know now that the seed He had sown in me had started sprouting and that was changing the way I was looking at things. But the dormancy effect took over as I got slowly back into the rut of life and the next 10x event had to wait for some more time ...

Daridrya duhkha Sthuthi

The Daridrya dukha Sthuthi lyrics from 'Trigun' .. taken and modified from this site: http://www.mypurohith.com/rituals/Kanakadhara6.asp

Visvesvaraaya Narakantavatharanaya

Karnamrtaya Sasisekhara dhaaranaya

Karpoora kaanthi dhavalaya jataadharaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Gouri priyaya rajaneesa Kalaadharaya

Kalaantakaya bhujagaadhipa kankanaaya

Gangaadharaya Gajaraaja Vimardhanaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Bhakti priyaya bhavaroga bhayaa pahaya

Ugraaya duhkha bhava saagara taranaya

Jyotirmayaya gunagaana sunrutyakaaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Charmambaraaya shavabhasma vilepanaaya

Phalekshanaaya manikundala manditaaya

Manjeera paada yugalaya jataadharaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Panchaananaya phaniraja vibhushanaaya

Hemamshukaya bhuvanatraya manditaya

Ananda bhoomi varadaya tamomayaaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Bhanu priyaaya bhava saagara taranaya

Kalaantakaya kamalaasana pujitaya

Netratrayaya subha lakshana lakshitaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Rama priyaya Raghunadha varapradaaya

Naaga priyaaya narakaantava taranaya

Punyekshu punya bharitaya surarchitaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Muktisvaraaya phaladaaya Ganesvaraaya

Gita priyaaya vrushabheshvara vahanaya

Maatanga charma vasanaaya Maheshwaraaya

Daridrya duhkha dahanaya namah shivaya ||

Kalabhairava ashtakam

The lyrics for Kalabhairava ashtakam as sung in the 'Trigun' album from Isha .. mostly taken from this site: http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2008/08/sri-kalabhairava-ashtakam-lyrics-video.html

Deva raja sevya maana paavangri pankajam,

Vyala yagna suthra mindu shekaram krupakaram,

Naradadhi yogi vrundha vandhitham digambaram,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Bhanu koti bhaswaaram, bhavabdhi tharakamparam,

Neelakantha meepsidartha daayakam trilochanam,

Kaalakaala mambujaksha maksha soola maksharam,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Soola thanka paasa danda paani maadhikaaranam,

Syama kaya madhi devam aksharam niraamayam,

Bheema vikramam prabhum vichithra thandava priyam,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Bhukthi mukthi dayakam prasashtha chaaru vigraham,

Bhaktha vatsalam stitham, samastha loka vigraham,

Vinikwanan manogna hema kinkini lasathkatim,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Dharma sethu paalakam, thwa dharma marga nasakam,

Karma pasa mochakam, susharma dayakam vibhum,

Swarna varna kesha pasa shobithanga nirmalam,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Rathna padukha prabhabhirama padayugmakam,

Nithyam adwitheeyamishta daivatham niranjanam,

Mrutyu darpa naasanam karaladamshtra bhooshanam,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Attahasa bhinna padma jaanda kosa santhathim,

Drushti pada nashta paapa jala mugra shasanam,

Ashtasidhi daayakam kapaala maalikam dharam,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Bhootha sangha nayakam, vishala keerthi dayakam,

Kasi vasa loka punya paapa shodhakam vibhum,

Neethi maarga kovidham purathanam jagatpathim,

Kaasika puradhi nadha Kalabhairavam bhaje

Siva Panchakshari Stotram

The Shiva Panchakshari stotram lyrics as sung in Isha's trigun album ... the lyrics are from the site: http://www.astrojyoti.com/shivapanchaksharistotramom.htm

Aumkaram bindu samyuktam nityam dhyaayanti yoginah

Kaamadam mokshadam chaiva Aumkaraya namo namaha

Namanti rishayo devah namanty-apsarasa-anganaa

Naraanamanti devesham nakaraya namonamah

Namanti rishayo devah namanty-apsarasa-anganaa

Naraanamanti devesham nakaraya namonamah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah ||

Mahadevam mahaatmaanam mahadhyaanam paraayanam

Maha papa haram devam makaraya namo namah

Mahadevam mahaatmaanam mahadhyaanam paraayanam

Maha papa haram devam makaraya namo namah

Shivam shantam jagannadham lokaanugraha kaarakam

Shivamekha padam nityam shikaraya namo namah

Shivam shantam jagannadham lokaanugraha kaarakam

Shivamekha padam nityam shikaraya namo namah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah |

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah ||

Vaahanam vrishabhoo yasya vasuki kantha bhooshanam

Vame shakti dharam devam vakaraya namo namah

Vaahanam vrishabhoo yasya vasuki kantha bhooshanam

Vame shakti dharam devam vakaraya namo namah

Yatra yatra sthitho devah sarva vyapi maheswarah

Yoguru sarva devanam yakaraya namo namah

Yatra yatra sthitho devah sarva vyapi maheswarah

Yoguru sarva devanam yakaraya namo namah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah |

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah

Aum Namah Shivayah, Aum Namah Shivayah ||

Chidambareswara Stotram

Wonderfully sung in the Isha Alsbum 'Trigun', the lyrics have been taken from the site: http://www.celextel.org/stotras/shiva/chidambareswarastotram.html

Krupa samudram, sumukham trinethram,

Jataadharam, Parvathi vama bhagam,

Sada shivam, rudramanantha roopam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Vachamatheetham phani bhooshanangam,

Ganesa thatham dhanasya mithram,

Kandarpa naasam, Kamlothpakasham,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Ramesavandhyam rajathadrinatham,

Sri vamadevam bhava duhkhanasam,

Rakshakaram rakshasa peedithanam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Devadhidevam jagadeka nadham

Devesa vandyam sasi ganda choodam,

Gowri sametham krutha vigna daksham,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Vedanthavedhyam, Sura vairi vignam,

Shubhapradam bhakthi madantharanaam,

Kaalanthakam sri karuna kataksham,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Hemadri chapam trigunathmabhavam,

Guhathmajam vyagra pureesamaadhyam,

Smasana vaasam, vrusha vaha naadam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Adhyantha soonyam tripurarimeesam,

Nandeesa mukhya sthuti vaibhavadyam,

Samastha devai pari poojithamgrim,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami.

Thameva bhantham, anubhoothi sarvam,

Anekaroopam paramarthamekham,

Pinakapaanim bhava naasa hethum,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami.

Visweswaram nithyam ananthamaadhyam,

Trilochanam chandrakalavathamsam,

Pathim pasoonam hrudhi sannivishtam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Karpoora gathram kamaneeya nethram,

Kamsari mithram kamalendu vakthram,

Kandarpa gathram kamalesa mithram,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Digambaram sankha sithalpahasam,

Kapalinam soolinam aprameyam,

Nagathmaja vakthra payoja sooryam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Digambaram sankha sithalpahasam,

Kapalinam soolinam aprameyam,

Nagathmaja vakthra payoja sooryam,

Chidambaresham hrudhi bhavayami

Bilvashtakam

As taken from this site: "http://maaheswari.blogspot.com/2011/01/bilvastakam.html" to match the version sung during Aadhi yogi aalayam consecration ... hope the sequence is right since I don't have the song recorded & with me now.

[Update as of 25 Feb 2012: I have the song now and have updated it per the Trigun album from Isha]

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Akhanda Bilwa Pathrena Poojithe Nandikeshware,

Shudhyanthi Sarva Papebhyo, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Saligrama Shilamekaam Vipranam Jathu ChaArpayeth,

Soma Yagna Maha Punyam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Danthi Koti Sahasrani Vajapeya Sathani Cha,

Koti Kanya Maha Danam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Lakshmyasthanutha Uthpannam Mahadevasya Cha Priyam,

Bilwa Vruksham Prayacchami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Lakshmyasthanutha Uthpannam Mahadevasya Cha Priyam,

Bilwa Vruksham Prayacchami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Darshanam Bilwa Vrukshasya, Sparsanam Papa Nasanam,

Aghora Papa Samharam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Kasi Kshethra Nivasam Cha Kala Bhairava Darshanam,

Prayaga Madhavam Drushtwa, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Kasi Kshethra Nivasam Cha Kala Bhairava Darshanam,

Prayaga Madhavam Drushtwa, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Moolatho Brahma Roopaya, Madhyatho Vishnu Roopine

Agratha Shiva Roopaya, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Sweet Breath

With every breath, lies the key
inhale and you are not the body
exhale and you are not the mind

that should make you damned
for without the body and mind
you are forced to ask
who am I here and what is my task

I stay that way for mere minutes
but those few are so sweet
it eggs me on for more

Spread the Word ... please!

After a long time, again, my blogging silence is broken now. Nope, it is not because I saw an awesome movie or read a wonderful book. I just am letting out a bit of pain.

This is probably the first time am writing something about Him - usually I consider him too great to fit into my silly expressions. What I am today is completely, 100% attributable to Isha and Sadhguru. Life has taken a complete turn towards happiness since 2003 when I attended my first few programs with Isha.

So, quite naturally when I heard a few days ago that Sadhguru himself is conducting an intensive Inner Engineering class in Chennai (March 25th I think), it was pretty exciting to me! I just wished this is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to feel & realize what I have. And when it is from the Man Himself, what a great thing it is!!

But today I had a chat with my wife today and she said something that completely stirred something inside. There are about 15000 slots for this program and still some of them are open. I was shocked to know that ... for me it is unthinkable because anything by Sadhguru would & should get over-filled in a matter of days.

And it seems Sadhguru told something on the lines of 'If I have to go and invite people on streets, I would do it'!

The closest I have known something in my life to God is my Guru and if he had to say something like this, I can just understand what sort of a pain it is, not just for him but for the whole Isha foundation. There were tears welling up in my eyes, after a long time, due to pain. Usually, if it is, it will be out of joy - yes, that is what Isha had given me. But this made me sad indeed.

It is the least responsibility of every living being who has been influenced by Isha, meditator or not, to at least spread the word in whichever way possible and see to it that everyone they know get a chance at experiencing bliss!

Well, my dad and my brother are making it this time. I dearly wish my aunt also attends the program. I will do what I can for making this program a success by spreading the word, after all I am just an extension of Him operating at a different location.

Shambho ...

Brushing & chess!

This should not probably come as a complete surprise but it does for most people including me that we do gazillions of things daily but rarely do we think of improving doing any of those! I am talking about everything we do from the very mundane things like brushing your teeth, taking bath, etc. to much bigger ones like our work at office, travel, etc.

Improvement could be looked at from many different angles and the first thing to come to mind is speed of execution. For example, if I could bathe in 3 minutes with same efficiency as I do in 10 minutes, that would be a fantastic improvement for me, isn't it!? Another angle to look at is how much more efficiently can it be done? Any dentist would tell you that rotatory strokes are the more efficient in cleaning your teeth. Yet how many of us know and practice rotation strokes during brushing.

If it is 10 or 15 people who are in the negligence cadre, I can understand. But it is the overwhelming majority of humanity that we are talking about here that does not think in lines of getting better at doing their daily tasks!

The first thing I did was a little introspection on why I am so and realized that I do most things to the point of convenience only. So, it seems that even if inefficient, if something satisfies us or lets us enjoy the process or in other words gets us to the point of convenience, we rarely tend to get beyond that. If we do, there is probably an overwhelming urge to do so for some reason.

Taking a real example from my own life, I decided to play better chess than I used to two years back reading about Bobby Fischer and beign intrigued by all of the hype about the game. So, it is the curiosity factor in this case. I am sure most people have their own reasons or inspirations for the activities in which they excel.

If only we get that inspiration into all walks of our life, could you imagine how life would be? We would simply be curious, just like kids, to find out everything about different things in life and enjoy life a lot more! I am not talking about 1 person or 2 people doing it, although that is also wonderful. Am talking about the vast majority of humanity thinking along those lines. I have seen it happen in a couple of places like the Isha Yoga ashram in Coimbatore, but mostly in individuals belonging to different spheres of life.

Some mysteries keep us wondering the magnificence of life ... :)