IN WHISPERS

A Visit to the Bhojpur Linga: An Uncanny Mystical Exploration With Sadhguru

Imagine it is 1997, two years before the Dhyanalinga consecration, and you get to go on a mystical journey with Sadhguru. This is exactly what happened to the Isha meditator who recounts her mind-blowing experience here. Go back in time and travel with them to Bhojpur, a space that once witnessed exalted mystical activities, but today still bears the scars of their tragic failure.

It must have been 1994 when Sadhguru first mentioned something about a linga in Bhojpur, near Bhopal, and wanted to visit the place. He felt that it was not a linga for worship but that it was consecrated as a Dhyanalinga. Vijji was totally taken up with the idea and very much wanted us to go there and meditate in the presence of Sadhguru. But alas, it could not happen while she was there.

After his return from the US, Sadhguru was very keen on visiting Bhopal before the end of 1997. We were extremely fortunate to accompany our Master to Bhopal on his visit there on 7 December 1997. We reached Bhopal on Monday morning and went straight to Bhojpur, a half-an-hour drive. Was it a coincidence that it was Monday, the day of Shiva?

A Magnificent Structure in a State of Ruin

About 10 km before Bhojpur, there was a sudden stillness in the car. Sadhguru’s demeanor did not allow for any questions or small talk. A short while later, as we were driving up a slight gradient, we saw a magnificent structure atop a small hillock. Though in a state of ruin, it was stately, and there was no doubt in our minds that we were there. The car pulled up to a nearby parking. Sadhguru was absolutely still with his eyes closed.

It appeared as if he had gone to another moment in time. It could be felt that his body was going through a very powerful and painful process. We also felt as though something heavy was hanging in the air and had a feeling of deep melancholy. We just sat there in the car, taking in the feel of the place, waiting for Sadhguru to open his eyes and get down.

The Eerie Impact of the Space

Sadhguru opened his eyes very slowly and asked me to apply pressure on his left heel. His foot was stiff and felt very cold, and it took some effort for him to even step out of the car. Vociferous flower sellers were all over us. But Sadhguru, who would normally respond to them, was oblivious to all this happening around him. A little while later, we slowly walked up the hillock to the magnificent ruin. The feeling of sadness was even greater here.

The linga was large and almost of the same size and proportion as our Dhyanalinga. It was made out of brown stone and sat atop a square avudayar. The linga was cracked and patched up with cement, but was otherwise in good condition. The structure appeared incomplete, in a deteriorating state, and was being restored.

A Millennium-Old Atmosphere of Pain and Sadness

While Sadhguru walked around the linga, we sat down and meditated. I slipped into meditation, and a slow dull pain arose in my lower back. There was also some disturbance which I was not clear about. Then every few minutes, there was a sharp pain in my lower back that spread through my body in waves. There was something very sad about the place and the whole atmosphere. Only for a few moments, I was myself. Then I was taken up by a new energy which was alternating from one chakra to another. Various intense feelings, emotions, and sensations that were not mine were raking through my being.

In the background, I could hear Sadhguru singing “Shiva Shambo.” All these elements which seemed to have invaded my body disappeared, and a column of empty space set itself from the base of my spine to the top of my head, which left me devoid of all bodily sensations. I don’t know for how long I was like this, but I was told that only after Sadhguru’s vigorous intervention, I came to my normal senses.

Experiencing Sadhguru As a Boundless Presence

The minute I opened my eyes, looking at Sadhguru, I saw boundless being, an immense presence to which the only thing I could do was bow down with reverence and gratitude. There was suddenly some fear within me seeing him in that powerful situation. A flood of memories of all the times when I didn’t pay any attention or heed to his words arouse in me, and the moments I had taken him lightly. Wanting to get away from all these feelings which were flooding me and wanting to be alone for a while, I took a walk around the structure.

Four massive columns supported a dome over the linga. Around this, twelve columns supported a square roof that surrounded the dome. There were sculptures on the columns. Interestingly, they were all of women sitting in Veerasana, a posture we often sit in for meditation during certain processes for our Dhyanalinga.

The Beautiful Remnants of a Strangely Abandoned Site

That the structure was never completed was very clear. A massive masonry ramp to take the huge stones up the hillock was still there. There were a lot of half-sculpted stone pieces strewn all over the place. Sketches of elaborate building plans were drawn on rock surfaces. There was also a beautiful stone piece, round in shape, a 16-petaled lotus, which Sadhguru said was used to perform Guru Pooja and offer shodashopachara, 16 ways of treating a Guru, as it is performed in Isha.

At this place, a tremendous effort had been made to have a Dhyanalinga, which was apparently never completed. It had the most beautiful setting that anyone could ask for. What a place it would have been had it been completed. And what a person he must have been who dreamed of this place. An attempt was made and was almost fulfilled, except the last phase of the consecration.

Glorious Effort Takes a Heartbreaking Turn

About one thousand years ago, a very powerful Yogi had the dream and the means to create a Dhyanalinga at Bhojpur. Initially, he seemed to have had the total support of a king. He also had people around him who had the necessary understanding. Putting their lives at stake, in a most scientific manner, the process of consecrating the linga was set forth in the presence of this great being.

At some point, either due to an invasion or turmoil in society, in the violence that ensued, the left foot of the Yogi was severed. Unable to go on with the damaged ida [1], the Yogi took the ultimate step of merging with the linga. Unfortunately, the final stage of locking the energy could not be fulfilled as required, which led to the cracking of the linga. The monumental effort was never completed and stands as another example of society not accepting things they don’t understand, and Shiva’s tests for people who seek him.

[1] Energy pathway on the left of the human system

Sadhguru Relives the Fateful Events

Our Master, by just being there, totally relived the happenings of another Yogi’s life over a thousand years ago. Even before entering the area, his travel into history made his left foot numb, almost like it was not there. Much later, walking around there, a large thorn pricked his left foot, near the heel, enacting the event in a mild manner.

Sadhguru, seeing people posing before the linga and taking pictures, insensitive to the intense energies present there, said, “It takes only a little sensitivity to experience the immensity of what had gone on here. They may feel nothing now, but they are certainly taking something back with them. This will touch them in some way.”

Making Light of the Situation

As we were walking down to the river, there was a person playing a sarangi and singing away. He played for us for a while, singing at the top of his rustic voice and dancing to his own tunes. He sang in praise of Shiva and our Guru. When it was time to leave, the sarangiwala fell at Sadhguru’s feet and said, “Singing for you, I am relieved of my sorrows.” He saw Shiva himself in Sadhguru. When we finally got to leave, everyone bowed down to Sadhguru and his majestic beauty. It appeared to us that the energies in this place were trying to hold back Sadhguru, and it took the tunes of the sarangiwala and a boat ride to bring us out of the tragic grip of the past.

We returned to Bhopal late in the evening. After a light snack, we went for a drive into the city and finally took a walk through the evening vegetable market. There was a slight drizzle, and we lost all our inhibitions of getting wet. It was a joy to see our Guru going around the market with the innocence and curiosity of a child, emphatically explaining to us that the potatoes were all from Chikkaballapur, his native town. For us, it was an experience we will never forget.

We were to leave Bhopal in the morning of the following day. But our flight was delayed by more than 5 hours. We went back into town and took a boat ride on Bada Talab, a huge lake right in the middle of town. We asked the boatman to take us to of small island and walked onto it. There we came across the Samadhi of Shah Ali Shah Baba, an ascetic who lived there for a long time, eating the roots and vegetation found on the little island. We were told that people of all religions come there to pay their respects.

The boat ride and the cool morning breeze made our spirits soar high as did the meditation on the boat. Until that visit, Bhopal always conjured images of the terrible gas tragedy. But now Bhopal brings deep reverence and pain in my heart.

—Bharathi Devi