I THINK I’ve reached that age where one should be prepared for these tragedies. No, no, my friend isn’t dead…he’s more alive than ever. He’s become a disciple of Sadhguru. Bahut achcha aadmi tha. Educated, English-speaking, successful…ran his own HR and training consulting firm, worked with the best in India. But you see, there’s that time in life when nothing we do seems meaningful, everything we were told about success feels hollow, and relationships become joyless.
And at this point, the mind becomes vulnerable to the profound and philosophical…even when you’ve run an HR consultancy and been a small Sadhguru yourself! Our parents gave us a pretty standard blueprint: study hard, land a job, get married, raise kids and eventually prepare to die. It’s a flawed model, and eventually, the cracks begin to show. And when that happens, if someone with a smooth voice and well-placed pauses and a flowing beard, tells us how to find peace, in English, well, why wouldn’t we become a disciple?
I don’t blame Sadhguru. He’s a niche marketer, great at what he does, and he’s earned his success. I know thousands would like to be him, just waiting for him to vacate the seat of the elite Indian baba. It’s a winner-takes-all throne. Before him, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had it for a while; before him, Osho. It’s every well-read, spiritually inclined person’s dream to be a mini-Osho or Naya-Sadhguru, especially if they were raised by a strict father.
What I find fascinating is the skill one has to develop, to connect with the “elite masses.” Example…My morning chai in Sadhguru’s style…“You see, tea is not just a drink. It is the union of fire, water, earth, and air. The leaves, a gift from the soil, meet the heat of fire, and together they dance in the rhythm of boiling water, releasing their essence into the world. When you sip tea, ask yourself: are you simply consuming it? Or are you absorbing the Earth’s energy, allowing it to merge with your own? Don’t just drink… experience.”
The human mind has a knack for seeking the profound where none exists. Imagine cleaning the house when the maid is on leave…Sadhguru-style: “To clean is not just to rid your home of dust. It is an act of aligning yourself with the energies around you. Dust is not merely a nuisance…it is the echo of time, settling down, leaving its trace. When you clean, you are not just clearing space; you are purifying energy, setting intentions, inviting clarity. Ask yourself: am I merely tidying up, or am I creating space for new possibilities?”
Once the mind gets used to this language…and everyone around you is in the same satsang…it begins to feel like you’ve found your tribe. This is the point of no return. I recently lost my friend at this point. He’s not coming back, I know…I’ve seen this pattern before. It’s like riding a bike off a cliff; gravity takes over. Harley ho, Bullet ho, Honda Activa ho, Rajdoot, TVS-50…it doesn’t matter. The cliff matters. Gravity does.
But if you’re still in that phase where you “just enjoy” making everything sound profound, BEWARE… this is the recruitment zone of the “tribe.”
To the friend I lost to Sadhguru: “Bhai, jab lage ke wapas aana hai, main tera intezaar karunga… yahin peechhe ke lawn mein… ghazalen sunege, whiskey peeyenge. Ashram se selfie zuroor bhejna.”
I can already see my friend with Sadhguru in a selfie…saying…“You see, to take a selfie is to capture a moment of self-awareness, but one must ask: are you taking the photo, or is the photo taking you? Remember…what you’re truly seeing is not yourself, but a glimpse of your transient form.”

Jai Guruji!