No Isha without Sadhguru

21 September, 2010

Shekhar Kapoor Shares His Impressions

"Sadhguru! Sadhguru!"…The cries (screams actually) of little children running as fast as they could straight into Sadhguru's waiting arms. I thought they would drop him (as in a rugby tackle) – but he held up as they clambered all over him, showering their incredible love and affection on him. Purity of expression, emotion and complete unabashed abandon as only children are capable of.

I looked into Sadhguru’s eyes at that moment and once again I saw that moment of absolute compassion that I had witnessed before. A childlike purity, a complete union with that moment, a radiating energy that enveloped everyone who was there – including himself, for he was not separate from that energy. He was the energy, tears flowing down his eyes as he returned the love that he himself had provoked, creating a cycle between everyone, a bond that was now unbreakable.

And yet this was the same man I have known over the years as Jaggi. A man not beyond being completely human in sense of wonder and childlike curiosity at all that surrounded him. Fascinated by all things mechanical, especially if they happen to be on wheels! A man equally comfortable walking the streets of Venice (as he and I did recently) as trekking up to Mansarovar and Kailash. A man not beyond laughing as if the Universe has just one purpose – to laugh.

It’s not possible to describe any experience of Isha without Sadhguru. His presence so pervades the whole sprawling ‘Mini City’ – I don’t know what else to call it for it is certainly more than an Ashram. For it has residential accommodation and schools, a rejuvenation center, cottages, houses, playgrounds, a café and restaurant, a conference center, and the incredible Temple of Energy called Dhyanalinga. A Theerthakund where thousands of people of all faiths come to dip in waters energized by a solidified mercury linga. A huge Nandi Bull, as imposing and audacious as anything I have seen. Yet when you ask Sadhguru, you completely understand the purpose and meaning behind each. Not some religious meaning that would be relevant just to one faith, but to the art and meaning of life’s ultimate goals; to the ideas of sublimating oneself to the experience of the Absolute that every faith aspires to; to the ideas of making life so much more meaningful and energetic.

And there is more coming. Led by the ceaseless energy of Sadhguru (who I believe was an architect in a previous incarnation), the tireless volunteers driven only by their desire to serve and the brahmacharis exuding the fullness of life (despite that they never seem to sleep!), Isha continues to grow. In Sadhguru’s tireless efforts to bring to every human being, and to all of nature, the potential of life in all its limitless dimensions, I guess Isha will never stop growing.

If words could describe experience, then life would have been easier. But in my few trips to the Isha Yoga Center, I have experienced compassion and caring beyond anything anywhere else. Of course, each time I have gone with a specific purpose – a defined, extremely disciplined and structured activity leading to specific goals. But definition is finally a prison created by our own minds.

A word of advice. Do not play any ball games or anything else with the brahmacharis. Do not be misled by their gentle nature. For while they will continue to laugh and smile, they will beat you at it with a single-mindedness that will take you by surprise... A single-mindedness and focus with which they pursue life's ultimate goals.

Going to Isha is a journey. A journey dedicated to experiencing the ultimate union with all that the Universe is. In all its nothingness and timelessness. And surely that journey has no definitions. It is infinite and without destination..

Shekhar Kapoor
Film Maker and Isha Meditator