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This article is about Jagadish Vasudev, an Indian spiritual teacher. For the definition of the word, see Satguru.

Sadhguru
Born
Jagadish Vasudev

(1957-09-03) 3 September 1957 (age 67)
Mysore, Mysore State, India
Alma materUniversity of Mysore (BA)
OrganizationIsha Foundation
Notable work
  • Inner Engineering
  • Dhyanalinga
  • Rally for Rivers
  • Linga Bhairavi
  • Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga
  • Mystic's Musings
  • Cauvery Calling
Spouse
Vijaya Kumari
​
​
(m. 1984; died 1997)​
[1]
Children1
HonorsPadma Vibhushan (2017)
Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar
Websiteisha.sadhguru.org

Jagadish "Jaggi" Vasudev (born 3 September 1957), known by the honorific title Sadhguru,[a] is an Indian yoga guru and proponent of spirituality.

He has been teaching yoga in southern India since 1982. In 1992, he established the Isha Foundation near Coimbatore, which operates an ashram and yoga centre that carry out educational activities.

Vasudev is the author of several books and a frequent speaker at international forums.

In 2017, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, for his contributions to social welfare.

Early life and education

Jaggi Vasudev in his youthful days

Jagadish Vasudev was born on 3 September 1957 in Mysore, Karnataka, India. He is the youngest of the five children of Susheela Vasudev, a homemaker, and B.V. Vasudev, a physician at the Mysuru Railway Hospital.[4]

Defying his parents' wishes, he refused to pursue a post-graduate course and took to business instead.[5]

Career

Overview

Vasudev's first business was a poultry farm in a remote part of Mysore[6] that he set up with borrowed money.[7] During the process of constructing his farm, he also entered into the construction business with a company named Buildaids.[7]

At the age of 25, he rented his businesses to his friend and travelled for about a year.[5]

In 1983, he taught his first yoga class in Mysore. Over time, he began conducting yoga classes across Karnataka and Hyderabad travelling on his motorcycle, subsisting on the produce of his poultry farm rental and donating the collections received from his students.[5]

Spirituality

At the age of 25, on 23 September 1982, he went up Chamundi Hill and sat on a rock, where he had a "spiritual experience".[5] Six weeks later, he left his business to his friend and travelled extensively in an effort to gain insight into his mystical experience.[5] After about a year of meditation and travel, he decided to teach yoga to share his inner experience.[5]

In 1983, he taught his first yoga class with seven participants in Mysore. Over time, he began conducting yoga classes across Karnataka and Hyderabad, travelling on his motorcycle, subsisting on the produce of his poultry farm rental and donating the collections received from his students to a local charity on the last day of the class.[5]

Business and travels

Jaggi Vasudev travelling with pilgrims

One of his favourite haunts was the Chamundi Hills.[7] Besides riding his motorcycle in and around Mysore, he also rode across India, before being stopped at the border because he had no passport.[8]

His first business was a poultry farm in a remote part of Mysore.[9] He chose poultry because the sector was on the rise in the region at the time. He set up his farm with borrowed money.[7] Though his family did not approve of his choice of business and thought it was a waste of time,[7] the farm soon turned profitable. Operating his businesses occupied four hours of Vasudev's time each day. The rest of his time was spent writing poetry, reading, swimming, and relaxing. Vasudev says that though he was practicing asanas and pranayama from the age of thirteen, it was during his time at the poultry farm that he began to meditate in an established way.[10]

His third business was a construction company named Buildaids. Vasudev entered the construction industry in response to the constant questions from his relatives about why he was involved in the poultry business. He started the company in partnership with a friend who was a qualified civil engineer. Though Vasudev had no formal engineering training, he used the experience gained from building his poultry farm in his new company.[7]

Isha Foundation

Main article: Isha Foundation

In 1992, Vasudev established the Isha Foundation, an organisation headquartered near the city of Coimbatore,[11] as a platform for his spiritual, environmental, and educational activities.[12][13][14] He remains its head until now. The organisation offers yoga programmes under the name "Isha Yoga" and is run "almost entirely" by volunteers.[15][16] The foundation aims to improve the quality of education in rural India through an initiative called Isha Vidhya.[17] It has also launched projects and campaigns focused on environmental conservation and protection, including Project GreenHands, Rally for Rivers, Cauvery Calling, and Save Soil.[18][19][20][21] Vasudev recently completed a journey on his motorbike from London to India to raise awareness about the Save Soil campaign.[21]

Speeches and writings

Vasudev has authored several books, including Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy[10] and Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny; both have made it to The New York Times Best Seller list.[22][23][24][25] Vasudev is also the author of Mystic's Musings[26] and Death: An Inside Story.[27][28]

Vasudev is a frequent public speaker who has been invited to address many prestigious forums and conferences across the globe, such as the United Nation's Millennium World Peace Summit, the British House of Lords, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the International Institute for Management Development.[29] He has also spoken at the annual World Economic Forum in 2007,[30] 2017 and 2020.[31][32]

Family

Jaggi Vasudev with wife Vijaya Kumari

Vasudev and Kumari's daughter is a trained bharatanatyam dancer.[33] She married Chennai-based classical vocalist Sandeep Narayan in 2014.[34]

Honours and awards

Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan to Vasudev at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 13 April 2017.

Vasudev received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award from the Government of India, in 2017 in recognition of his contribution to the field of spirituality.[35][36] He stood 92nd in The Indian Express' list of 100 most powerful Indians in 2012 and 40th in India Today's list of 50 most powerful Indians in 2019.[37][38]

Reception

Vasudev has received attention from celebrities, political leaders, intergovernmental organizations, and members of the public interested in his social and environmental campaigns and spiritual teachings.[39] He has engaged with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to advocate for the Save Soil campaign.[40][41] Trevor Noah hosted Vasudev on The Daily Show to discuss Save Soil, and similarly, Joe Rogan has spoken with Vasudev on his podcast.[21][39] On World Environment Day, Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, attended an event with Vasudev to discuss efforts to improve soil health.[42]

Some critics have said that Jaggi Vasudev shares the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Hindu nationalism (Hindutva),[43][44][45][46] and that he takes an "intolerant nationalist" stance in his media appearances.[43] He advocates for a total ban on cow slaughter and characterises the era of Muslim Rule in India as an "oppressive occupation" that was far worse than the British Raj.[citation needed] Vasudev has also spoken in favour of the 2019 Balakot airstrike, the introduction of a comprehensive GST, and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, while denouncing the Thoothukudi protests as a peril to industry.[47][48][49] Vasudev accuses leftist liberals of aiding and abetting militancy in Kashmir and has suggested that Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, known for their involvement in the JNU sedition row, should be put behind bars.[50] Critics have questioned the non-political label that he has assigned himself.[39]

Some Indian environmental activists have accused Vasudev of greenwashing.[51]

Vasudev has also been accused of promoting pseudoscience and misrepresenting science.[52][53] He propagates the claim, unsupported by science, that cooked food consumed during a lunar eclipse depletes the human body's pranic energies.[54] He also perpetuates numerous myths regarding clinical depression and opposes the potential prohibition on the use of mercury in traditional Indian medicine, despite the substance's extreme toxicity.[55][56] His views on the Higgs boson and alleged benefits of vibhuti have been rejected as unproven by science.[57][58]

Vasudev has repeatedly claimed to be able to solidify mercury at room temperature; these claims have been debunked.[59]

Notes

  1. ^ Sadhguru, alternatively spelled sadguru,[2] means "real or true guru".[3]

References

  1. ^ "Family Matters - Sadhguru Speaks About His Family". Isha Foundation. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. ^ Sanghvi, Rajesh D. (2018), Going Beyond My Guru's for Human Welfare, Notion Press, p. 30, ISBN 978-1-64429-901-2
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ "Jaggi Vasudev's father passes away". Star of Mysore. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simone, Cheryl (2008). Midnights with the Mystic. Hampton Roads Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-57174-561-3.
  6. ^ An, Shelly; December 27, New Delhi; January 4, 2020 ISSUE DATE; December 28, 2021UPDATED; Ist, 2020 16:14. "Suddenly, I did not know what was me and what was not me: Sadhguru". India Today. Retrieved 28 May 2021. {{cite web}}: |first5= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Chopra, Shaili (2014). When I Was 25: The Leaders Look Back. Random House Publishers India Pvt. Limited. ISBN 9788184006773.
  8. ^ Dobhal, Shailesh (18 March 2015). "Lunch with BS: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev". Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  9. ^ An, Shelly; December 27, New Delhi; January 4, 2020 ISSUE DATE; December 28, 2021UPDATED; Ist, 2020 16:14. "Suddenly, I did not know what was me and what was not me: Sadhguru". India Today. Retrieved 28 May 2021. {{cite web}}: |first5= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b "Don't vote as part of a tribe, Jaggi Vasudev tells Americans". Business Standard. IANS. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  11. ^ Berghella 2018, p. 69
  12. ^ "The most powerful Indians in 2009: 80–84". The Indian Express. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  13. ^ "After Gujarat, Rajasthan govt inks MoU with Sadhguru's Isha Outreach to 'save soil'". The Indian Express. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Isha hails government's announcement on rejuvenation of 13 rivers". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 16 March 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. ^ Award for Project Green Hands Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, The Hindu, 8 June 2010, retrieved on 8 June 2010
  16. ^ "'Special Consultative Status' for Isha Foundation". The Hindu. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  17. ^ "Edtech firm BYJU's partners with NGO Isha Vidhya to educate children in rural areas". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Award for Project Green Hands". The Hindu. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Isha Yoga launches 'Rally for Rivers' campaign in city". The Times of India. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Cauvery Calling Movement plants 2.1 crore trees". The Hindu. 29 January 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  21. ^ a b c "Indian mystic Sadhguru on 100-day motorbike mission to save soil". the Guardian. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Health". The New York Times.
  23. ^ "Religion, Spirituality and Faith". The New York Times.
  24. ^ "New York Times Bestsellers - Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous: New this week INNER ENGINEERING". The New York Times. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Books - Best Sellers: Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous". The New York Times. New York. 16 May 2021. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Tantra between the covers". The Hindu. 15 July 2005. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Spiritual leader Sadhguru's new book to demystify death". Outlook (India). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Maha Shivratri 2020: VP Venkaiah Naidu joins Sadhguru in celebrations at Isha Foundation". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  29. ^ Hudson & Hudson 2017, p. 2
  30. ^ Chandrasekhar, Anand. "Indian gurus and their Swiss watches: a history". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Sadhguru to Deliver Keynote, Conduct Meditation Session at Davos Summit". News18. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  32. ^ "Golf with the Guru". The Hindu. 15 March 2009. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  33. ^ Naidu, Jaywant (26 November 2017). "When beauty comes to life". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  34. ^ Sangeetha, P (24 October 2014). "Sadhguru's daughter gets married in Kovai". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  35. ^ "Jaggi Vasudev, Mariyappan among Padma award winners". The Hindu. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  36. ^ "Padma Vibhushan award for Sharad Pawar and Jaggi Vasudev". Deccan Chronicle. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  37. ^ "The most powerful Indians in 2012: No. 91-100 - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  38. ^ MG Arun; Shwweta Punj; Suhani Singh; Kaushik Deka; Prachi Bhuchar; Chinki Sinha; Anshuman Tiwari; Sandeep Unnithan; Amarnath K. Menon; Anilesh S. Mahajan; Uday Mahurkar (26 July 2019). "Top 50 power people | The High & Mighty Part-4". India Today. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  39. ^ a b c Paul, Sonia (18 July 2022). "Sadhguru, the spiritual leader with ties to Will Smith and Modi, explained". Vox. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  40. ^ "'Save Soil' campaign: Sadhguru to address leaders from 195 nations at UNCCD". The Indian Express. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  41. ^ "Save Soil campaign comes to Bonn". UNCCD. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  42. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (5 June 2022). "PM Modi calls for protection of soil health". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 August 2022. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  43. ^ a b "Why Hindutva Nationalists Need a Sadhguru". The Wire. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  44. ^ Poruthiyil, Prabhir Vishnu (3 August 2019). "Big Business and Fascism: A Dangerous Collusion". Journal of Business Ethics. 168: 121–135. doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04259-9. ISSN 1573-0697.
  45. ^ Gopalakrishnan, Shankar (2006). "Defining, Constructing and Policing a 'New India': Relationship between Neoliberalism and Hindutva". Economic and Political Weekly. 41 (26): 2803–2813. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4418408.
  46. ^ Waghmore, Qudsiya Contractor & Suryakant. "How Jaggi Vasudev has helped strengthen fears about Muslims". Scroll.in. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  47. ^ "Jaggi Vasudev's CAA Video: 22 Minutes of Half-Truths & Gaslighting". The Quint. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  48. ^ "An (Un)Enlightened Sadhguru in King Modi's Court". The Wire. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  49. ^ Scroll Staff. "Watch: Jaggi Vasudev wants students to read CAA before protesting, but hasn't read it himself". Scroll.in. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  50. ^ Basu, Joyeeta (5 March 2019). "Fuelling peace with hatred". The Asian Age. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  51. ^ Pundir, Pallavi. "This Climate Guru Is a Celebrity in the US. In India, He's Accused of Destroying a Forest". vice.com. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  52. ^ "Should Sadhguru be Hosted by India's Top Colleges?". The Quint. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  53. ^ Shahane, Girish (20 June 2019). "Opinion: The disturbing irrationalism of Jaggi Vasudev". Scroll.in. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  54. ^ Tharoor, Shashi. "Science is not your enemy". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  55. ^ Shaikh, Dr Sumaiya (26 February 2018). "Scientific research ascertains mercury toxicity but Sadhguru continues to endorse it for Indian traditional medicines". Alt News. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  56. ^ Shaikh, Dr Sumaiya (19 August 2018). "Depression: The myths & falseness of Sadhguru's quotes". Alt News. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  57. ^ "Vibhuti & Rudraksha Mahatmayam: A Wellness Guide from Times of India!". Nirmukta. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  58. ^ Sharma, Sanjukta (18 August 2018). "'It's a battle for the survival of scientific research'". Live Mint. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  59. ^ Surita, Shabnam. "India: Doubts emerge over spiritual Yogi's environmental mission". dw.com. DW. Retrieved 4 July 2022.

Bibliography

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