Sadhguru

Sadhguru, sometimes referred to as Jagadish "Jaggi" Vasudev, is an Indian yogic master and supporter of spirituality. Since 1982, he has been instructing yoga mostly in southern parts of India. He founded the Isha Foundation in 1992, which manages an ashram and a yoga center and conducts educational activities close to Coimbatore. Vasudev is a prolific writer who frequently speaks at conferences throughout the world.

Family and Education

In Mysore, Karnataka, India, on September 3, 1957, Jagadish Vasudev was born. His parents are B.V. Vasudev, a doctor at the Mysuru Railway Hospital, and Susheela Vasudev, a housewife. Out of their five children, he is the youngest.

Thirteen-year-old Vasudev studied yoga with Malladihalli Raghavendra every day, but he had little interest in spirituality at the time.

Vasudev attended Mahajana Pre-University College and Mysore's Demonstration School. His English bachelor's degree from the University of Mysore was awarded to him. He was given the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 for his services to social welfare, India's second-highest civilian honor.

Career

Vasudev's first venture was a chicken farm he established with borrowed funds in a rural area of Mysore. He started a firm called Buildaids and entered the construction industry as he was building his farm.

When he was 25 years old, he leased out his enterprises to a buddy and went on a year-long trip. Vasudev claimed that his primary motivation for launching a business was to support his compulsion to travel and discover.

He conducted his inaugural yoga lesson in Mysore in 1983. Throughout time, he started teaching yoga sessions all over Karnataka and Hyderabad, traveling by motorbike, surviving the product from his rented chicken farm, and donating the money his pupils collected.

In 2022, Vasudev set off on his motorbike for a 100-day, 30,000-kilometer journey across Europe and the Middle East in an effort to raise awareness about the need to "rescue soil" from deterioration.

Isha Foundation

He founded the "Isha Foundation." This fundamentally non-profit organization, which focuses on spiritual practice, was founded in 1992 and mostly plans yoga-related events. It was founded close to Coimbatore, and a year after its founding, this institution gained international acclaim and continued to expand. It provides yoga programs in various nations, including Australia, Singapore, China, the US, and India.

Additionally, "The Foundation" supports a number of initiatives and programs for social and local development. A multi-phased initiative called "Action for Rural Rejuvenation" (ARR), which was formed in 2003 aims to enhance the well-being and standard of living of rural residents. The total learning and success of all the village areas throughout Tamil Nadu, India, is the goal of this initiative.

Project Green Hands (PGH), which the organization launched in Tamil Nadu in 2004, is essentially an ecological and environmental effort. The primary goal of this initiative is to plant almost 114 million or even more trees across Tamil Nadu to expand the state's forest cover and provide a more tranquil and healthier environment for its residents.

His remarks are favored at many platforms and events being organized throughout the world. He is a well-known and prolific speaker who previously addressed attendees at the "United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit." Additionally, he spoke at the "World Economic Forum" in each of the following four years: 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

His other interests involve writing; amazingly, he has produced about 100 works in eight languages. He is a wonderful poet as well, and he enjoys composing poetry in his spare time. His poems are composed of love and serenity.

Jaggi started the "Rally for Rivers" movement in 2017 to address issues brought on by the pollution of rivers and growing water scarcity. The 112-foot-tall Shiva monument, which Jaggi Vasudev created, was unveiled during an event celebrating the opening of the Adiyogi Shiva statue at the Isha Foundation that year.

Major Works

He founded the "Isha Foundation," which is well recognized internationally. He has started social and community development initiatives through Isha Foundation, which he utilizes to carry out his yoga-related programs. He receives support and inspiration from more than 9 million selfless volunteers, including the "ECOSOC" (the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations), who work in suitable harmony and balance with national and international organizations. The entire earth is heated by this foundation.

Speeches and writings

Vasudev is the author of a number of books, including Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy and Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny, all of which have made it to The New York Times Best Seller list. Vasudev is the author of Mystic's Musings and Death: An Inside Story.

He is a well-known great orator who's been asked to give speeches at several illustrious gatherings and conferences around the world, including the Millennium World Peace Summit of the United Nations, the British House of Lords, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the International Institute for Management Development. In 2007, 2017, and 2020, he also gave a speech at the annual World Economic Forum.

Marriage

According to his memories, Vasudev first met Vijaya Kumari in Mysuru in 1984. In 1990, the couple was wedded, and a baby girl was born. At the Isha Yoga Center, Vijaya passed away on January 22, 1997. Her parents reported Vasudev to the police on charges of dowry death. Radhe Jaggi, his daughter, is a Bharatanatyam dancer. 2014 saw her union with Chennai-based classical singer Sandeep Narayan.

Awards & Achievements

• According to research from "India Today," he was listed as the 40th most powerful Indian in 2019.
• He, too, was named one of the 100 most powerful Indians in 2010 by "The Indian Express" for his work in this area (environmental conservation and promoting public involvement in ecological issues).
• His "Project Green Hands" (PGH) was honored in June 2012 when the Indian government awarded it the "Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar."
• His achievements in the spirituality industry earned him the prized "Padma Vibhushan," India's second-highest civilian award, from the Indian government in 2017.

Personal Life & Legacy:

Radhe, a girl, was born to Sadguru, nicknamed Jaggi Vasudev, and Vijaya Kumari in 1984. Sadly, Kumari passed away on December 23, 1997. Following Kumari's father's accusations that Vasudev had murdered her, Vasudev said that Kumari had told him nine months prior to her passing that she would eventually achieve mahasamadhi. Their daughter Radhe married classical vocalist and Bharatanatyam dancer Sandeep Narayan at Sadhguru's ashram in Coimbatore.

Past Incarnations

Since attaining enlightenment, Sadhguru has disclosed that he possesses memories of other incarnations that have shaped this existence and his function. In a previous life, more than 365 years ago, he was born into a devoutly Hindu family that practiced snake charming and were devoted worshipers of Shiva. However, his family was quite upset when he fell in love with a Muslim girl. He was sentenced to death by snake poisoning after refusing to leave his love. His affection and camaraderie with snakes have been greatly influenced by this life event. Snakes, according to Sadhguru, are highly developed creatures that ought to be respected at all times. His dislike of any caste or religious discrimination displays it.

He also mentions Sri Brahma, a yogi, and sadhu who had a fiery temper and was a Sadhguru. This yogi had reached self-realization, but due to societal antagonism and a lack of social skills for interacting with a skeptical audience, he was unable to communicate his spiritual richness. This incarnation offers the chance to succeed where the previous one failed. He claimed to have attained enlightenment with the aid of his master Palani Swami in a previous existence. In exchange for helping him achieve enlightenment, his guru gave him the task of creating a Dhyanalinga, a reservoir of spiritual energy that would benefit other searchers.

Humanitarian Projects

Many environmental projects, including the widespread planting of trees across India's impoverished rivers and in agricultural regions all along Kaveri in Tamil Nadu, have been undertaken by Sadhguru.

"Trees and people have close ties to one another. We breathe in what they exhale, and they breathe in what we exhale. Nobody can live without or afford to end this ongoing friendship. The Sadhguru (on Project Green Hands mass tree planting initiative) 2009 Spring Edition of Isha Insights Magazine.

Politics

Sadhguru is regarded as one of India's most influential and powerful individuals and has stated his political views more frequently than is typical for a yogi. He claims that he is not a part of any one political movement and that integrating spirituality with politics is of utmost importance. However, he frequently shares the same viewpoints as the BJP, a Hindu nationalist party. He has called for taking a firm stance against Kashmiri extremists.

What can we learn from his life?

1. Don't discuss anything you haven't personally experienced:

Talking about something you haven't experienced can only lead to misunderstandings and illusions among others. If it's not something you've had experience with, you don't really have the expertise or conviction to speak about it in order to save individuals from obtaining delusions.

2. Look at what binds you:

Realizing that the things that keep you tied to your past are barriers to becoming a better version of yourself, get rid of what ties you, and take the necessary precautions to liberate yourself from such damaging ties.

You must first adjust yourself before attempting to affect anyone else. You cannot change the world without first changing yourself. Although changing everyone may not be feasible, you can alter yourself.

3. You should behave consciously rather than compulsively:

Navigate your life on your own. Please don't allow the autopilot mode to take control of it by being cognizant of your activities and resisting the urge to behave out of compulsion. Adopt aware behavior for a better existence.