Table Of ContentARUNDHATHI SUBRAMANIAM
SADHGURU
More Than a Life
Contents
About the Author
Praise For The Book
Preface
Introduction
‘Pure Awareness and Madness’
The Beginning of the Journey
‘Falling Upwards’
Lifetimes Three
‘This One Will Graze Human Beings’
The Black Sheep Who Turned Shepherd
The Man Who ‘Went Up and Never Came Down’
From Motorcyclist to Mystic
‘Compassion as Conspiracy’
Preparing for Harvest
‘When the Divine Descends, You Just Accommodate’
The Deepening Pilgrimage, the Darkening Night
‘If You Drop Your Fruit Willingly, Stones Can Be Minimized’
Countdown, Crisis, Denouement
‘Time to Graze the Valleys of Life’
The Master, the Man and his Message
‘The Ball Game’ and Beyond
The Master Plan
Illustrations
Postscript
Follow Penguin
Copyright
PENGUIN ANANDA
SADHGURU
Arundhathi Subramaniam is the author of three books of poetry, most recently
Where I Live: New and Selected Poems , and a prose work, The Book of Buddha
. As editor, her books include an anthology on sacred journeys, Pilgrim’s India ;
an anthology of Indian poetry, Another Country ; and a co-edited anthology of
contemporary Indian love poetry, Confronting Love . She describes herself as ‘a
wondering, protesting, but committed Isha yoga practitioner’ and ‘perhaps more
of a devotee’ than she lets on.
Praise for the Book
‘Comparisons with Autobiography of a Yogi are inevitable but this book touches me even more because it
discusses times closer to our own and also because its story continues to unfold even as we breathe . . .
Subramaniam is a disciple but she has clearly not given up doubting. She is in awe of the Sadhguru but does
not appear to have gone on the unquestioning horizontal mode. A delicious read. Not a book to be
missed’—Satish Purohit, Life Positive
‘An incisive, insightful, brutally honest book about a remarkably charismatic man. Completely devoid of
myth or heresy. Written by an author who is intelligent and independent enough to get real’ —Prahlad
Kakar, ad film-maker
‘A sacred book. It has given me answers for which I have been searching for years. Invisible question
marks have been put to rest. I feel the excitement now of embarking on a great adventure of self-discovery.
A masterpiece’—Faiza Sindhi, CNBC
‘This book is alive. It can change lives’—Anahita De Vitre, educationist
‘A superbly astute, insightful and honest account of a remarkable man’s remarkable life. The work of a
sceptical disciple if you like, this is an informative and exhilarating read’—Ian La Frenais, screenwriter and
producer
‘I came across Sadhguru’s interview a few years back, and dismissed him as another Osho-wannabe. I wish
this book was available then. It would have prevented the years of desperate search and seeking that
followed. The author is a seeker herself, and she echoes many of the questions that a sceptical seeker will
have. The answers are illuminating, and chip away at one’s constructs about gurus and spirituality’—
Nanyar,Amazon ‘I have very mixed feelings about all this “guru” business. But halfway through the book, I
was inspired to make a trip to Coimbatore from my village in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, just to see
this person, Jaggi Vasudev. Brilliantly written’—Uma Shankari, farmer and social activist
‘What I love about this book is how the intelligence, precision and wit perfectly match the logic and clarity
of Sadhguru’s message. It is the first time I have read anything about him that resonated with me, coming
from a place of awe and scepticism at the same time’ —Peter Lanyon, furniture designer
‘It reads like a whodunit. It makes all seekers want to get on a plane, train, bus, whatever, to get to the
Dhyanalinga. Authored by a passionate and truthful writer, this book is a gift not just to Sadhguru disciples
but to the uninitiated and curious everywhere. I felt I was holding Life in my hands’—Urmila Banerjee,
writer
‘I have read the book from cover to cover—every single word, some words, sentences and paragraphs more
than once. There is nothing here that I cannot wholeheartedly agree with or that I feel the need to dispute . .
. Beautifully written, with just the right balance of scepticism and belief’—Jonathan Mosse, writer and
. Beautifully written, with just the right balance of scepticism and belief’—Jonathan Mosse, writer and
photographer
‘The author is neither a blind believer nor a doubter, neither awestruck nor iconoclastic. The book captures
the vibrancy and verve, the strength and integrity, the grit and audacity of a great spiritual master’—Jyoti
Swaroop, educationist
‘This book has left me humbled. Knowing the richness and enormity of Sadhguru’s life through its almost
energized words has deepened my own thirst, my own longing to know, to live more than a life’ —Shivani
Aggarwal, artist
Preface
T
his book is a subjective account of one man’s life journey—or more
accurately, life journeys. It is emphatically not a biography, if the word
evokes expectations of an authenticated catalogue of dates, times and events. It
is based on my conversations with the subject, with those acquainted with him,
as well as on archival material from the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.
When the subject happens to be a mystic, one inevitably enters the realm of
the hyper-subjective. I have relied largely on Sadhguru’s version of events—
inner and outer—in the early part of his life. Subsequently, I have relied on the
views and impressions of those who happened to be around him as his mission
as a guru unfolded.
I decided to implicate my own journey as a seeker in the story primarily as a
contextual device. It also seemed only fair to give the reader an idea of my own
position (with its implicit biases and limitations) rather than assume a bogus
omniscience as storyteller. It became increasingly apparent to me as the narrative
progressed that it would be impossible to play the consistent role of an
impersonal third-person narrator. As a result, I have consciously inserted myself
into the tale at certain points, to ask my share of questions and counter-questions
that I assume several readers will share.
I am grateful to all those at the Isha Yoga Centre who delved into personal
memory and shared some of their deepest life experiences with me. This book
would not have been possible without their generosity, their honesty, their
insight. There are as many versions of Sadhguru as there are people who know
him, and I encountered many simmering potential biographers on the way. This
book claims to be no more than one non-definitive version of Sadhguru’s life
and the birth of Isha. Hopefully, there will be others.
My special thanks to Maa Gnana at the Isha Archives who attended to my
many diverse requests with unflappable calm and an unwaveringly radiant smile;
to Swami Chitranga and Swami Devasatwa who helped design the cover; and to
to Swami Chitranga and Swami Devasatwa who helped design the cover; and to
Ravi Singh and Kamini Mahadevan of Penguin for the sensitivity and attention
that they brought to the birthing of this book.
I am grateful, above all, to Sadhguru for the freedom he allowed me over this
manuscript, for his ability to home in on detail without turning micro-managerial
—and for the almost terrifying élan with which he leaves his life ‘open’,
allowing readers of all persuasions to draw their own conclusions.
