Tuesday, September 5, 2023

A man for all seasons

 




I admit a certain fascination with this character. Sadhguru is a popular spiritual teacher in India who sometimes pops up in California, where he hob-nobs with everyone from Will Smith to Elon Musk. He seems to have restyled himself innumerable times. On YouTube, we can see him playing the role of occultist, Hindu nationalist, modern guru talking about positive thinking and quantum physics, environmental activist, and even UFO-logist! Maybe Shiva was a space alien? Sadhguru truly is all things to all people. 

In the clips linked above, we see the old joker in another role: that of seemingly traditional ritualist. During a visit to Nepal, Sadhguru consecrates an image of Bhairavi (a goddess somewhat similar to Kali). Back home, he consecrates a Shiva linga and a huge cult statue of a Naga. Note the yantra with the cobra inside!

But even here, modern times intrude. During the Naga ritual, Sadhguru explains in English that certain people on social media already accuse him of Devil worship (presumably the ritual could be seen live on the web) and then proceeds to polemicize against them. Something tells me nobody had to do that 800 years ago...

Make of this content what you wish.    

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