Yugan Yugan Hum Yogi…

By An Isha Meditator

EXPERIENCING the annual night-long Mahashivratri celebration in person at the Sadhguru’s Isha Centre in Coimbatore in the southern state of Tamil Nadu is not something one can capture or pen down! Even if one has been there year after year after year to experience the very same experience of bliss. There are no words to describe the entire “out of the world” experience that transports one as if to another planet altogether….I am not exaggerating. Ask any Isha meditator and they will say share the same emotions.
The audience there on Mahashivratrai was literally in a trance for the midnight meditation, a deep meditative state further enhanced by the “Sounds of Isha” accompanying Prithvi Gandharv’s voice weaving fleeting moments of transcendence and enlightenment.
Being there for the Mahashivaratri (in Isha, they call it MSR) for many years is not just a ritual for me but a cleansing process. Our perishable bodies need cleaning on a day-to-day basis but when do we cleanse our souls? This is one of the “never-to-be-missed” opportunities to do so as one sits in the lap of the master allowing one’s soul to soak in the music of spiritual realms, it touches the core of the heart and soul.
For those who are not into dwelling much into the sphere of spirituality, and consider it’s reserved for the oldies, this is one night where they should be present to see how lakhs of devotees from all walks of life make it here — be they be Isha meditators or non-meditators, young or old, couples, friends, well-educated to illiterates from remotest parts of India or all sorts of people from corners of the globe – all there to share that one very special night of Mahashivratri in togetherness!
Sadhguru calls it the darkest night of the year and underlines its importance as it is this night when an upsurge of divine energies happen, elevating human beings to a higher dimensions in spirituality – you have to sit straight, spine erect in position. There’s has to be none of your sleeping business from 6 pm to 6 am with the 112 feet tall Adigyogi statue emitting a divine blue radiance on everyone…yes, the musicians and performers keep one awake through the night with their beautiful renditions.
One may not doze off in such blissful ambience in the omnipresence of Sadhguru who makes sure that no soul remains untouched by the blissfulness that Lord Shiva inspires on this special night of Mahashivratri.
This is the night when you may empty all your baggage which is not of this life alone but of the many lifetimes one may have lived before this one. For the is soul eternal and it only changes apparel – what we call the body! We learn to live in that little space where one feels like neither the body nor the mind! The moments of joy, to sing and dance, is to celebrate the marriage of Shiva and Shakti who create the universe.
The different, distinctly marked sitting bays make it easy for the audience to find a seat for themselves and sink into the mood of the celebration. As the night proceeds it begins to get chilly, especially post-midnight chanting and meditation. This year too, the MSR presented a mixed gathering of singers, known for their versatility. Each artiste presented a masterpiece.
As Prithvi Gandharv led the audience to an extended trance with his “Yugan Yugan Hum Yogi,” there was Pawandeep Rajan who sang Prasoon Joshi’s “Utare Muzh Mei Adiyogi” — making us forget existence to visit far-off galaxies in the universe! The Indian Idol Season-12 winner Pawandeep Rajan’s “pahadi” voice was purity and sweetness from the mountains of the Himalaya in Uttarakhand; there were also Grammy-winner Shankar Mahadevan from Karnataka, Sandeep Narayan from USA, Gurudas Maan from the land of Punjab.
And some more: the Dharavi Dream Project boys from Asia’s biggest slum Dharavi in Mumbai, Mooralala Marwada from the Rann of Kutch Gujarat, V M Mahalingam from Tamil Nadu, Rathjeet Bhattarcharjee from Bengal, MC Heam (alias Hemant Dhyani) along with the African Drummers, French Musicians, Lebanese Sodaf Beirut and the home-grown, very accomplished set of singers and musicians from the Sounds of Isha and Isha Samskriti.
The inclusion of rappers was for the first time in Isha MSR such as Brodha V (Vighnesh Shivanand), a versatile artist from Bengaluru known for his unique fusion of rap, hip-hop and Indian classical elements, and Paradox Tanishq Singh. With their powerful performances the young rappers succeeded in making the audience dance to their tunes in timeless, healing bliss……
There was free prasadam for anyone any time of the night. The gathering was one mega assimilation of varied human cultures from different lands and continents, as Isha meditators are spread across the globe in all countries today. Many of them do not miss the opportunity to be in India to attend the Mahashivaratri celebration. And of course there is Sadhguru showering his blessings on all, coaxing all to join him in the singing and dancing celebration through the night of Mahashivratri…many trying to match Sadhguru’s graceful steps, his own inventions or was he performing the lesser aggressive version of the original Shiv Tandav Nrutya itself? So I wondered!
Who was there? This year’s Mahashivratri celebration was graced by the presence of Vice- President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, who highlighted the importance of Mahashivaratri and the yogic practices preached by the Adiyogi to humanity. The festivities began with the Pancha Bhuta Aradhana at Dhyanalinga, a potent yogic process of elemental cleansing, followed by the Linga Bhairavi Devi Maha Yatra, Sadhguru’s discourse, guided Brahma-muhurta meditation, spectacular Adiyogi Divya Darshanam that depicted the origin of yoga.
Needless to say everything was live-streamed by channels worldwide, the event broadcast in 22 languages, on Sadhguru’s YouTube channels and major media networks for the entire 12-hour duration of the celebration. As the first dawn light appeared in the sky the audience realised it was time to return to wherever one came from with a heavy heart…with the lingering thought that we shall all meet again at the next Mahashivaratri.
It was goodbye to the Isha volunteers with a beaming smile and with the cherished gift of “Rudraksha Diksha Prasadam” each one gets from Sadhguru. So it was time to catch our various trains, flights or buses…till the next MSR. Say Shambho!