Yesterday, I came across an article with a curious title in The Indian Express. This write-up, titled ‘The Guru and the Politician: The Broken Spirit Behind the Spiritualism Industry,’ was published on January 8, 2025.

At a glance, I could tell it was a negative piece about the recent meeting between the Honorable Home Minister Amit Shah and Sadhguru, which took place on January 4th.

What was “controversial” about this meeting?

On the surface, this was a non-controversial meeting (see the image). The Home Minister and Sadhguru briefly mentioned their interaction on X. What could anyone possibly have against this?

I read through the article once and then again, checking if the author made any valid conclusions. Clearly, he didn’t. And if he was trying to, he failed miserably. The article begins with a sarcastic tone, referring to Sadhguru as a ‘celebrity spiritual guru‘ while mentioning that the interaction was about the ‘role of Indian spirituality in transforming our society.‘ The author adds that such affinity between religious gurus and the political class “unsettles” him and makes him skeptical about the “spiritual industry.”

Is Sadhguru, a Hindu religious leader?

Before proceeding further, I should mention that Sadhguru does not associate himself with any religion, although he is widely seen and considered a “Hindu guru.” The sacred spaces at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore are open to followers of all faiths. In fact, there is a ‘Sarva Dharma Sthambha’ (see the image) at the entrance of Dhyanalinga, with symbols of nine major religions inscribed upon it, embodying the spirit of spirituality beyond sectarianism.

Therefore, calling Sadhguru a ‘religious leader’ would be grossly incorrect. The appropriate term to use would be ‘spiritual leader.’ Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation never differentiate between individuals based on their faith. This approach aligns with the principles of Hindu/Sanatana Dharma, which does not differentiate between human beings based on their faith.

It is important to note that Hindu Dharma predates the concept of religion as we understand it today. Sadhguru has a massive following not only in Bharat but also in the Islamic nations of the Middle East and Christian countries of Europe.

Gurus and the Political Class

 I am not sure why an interaction on the role of Bharatiya (Indian) spirituality in transforming our society would be “unsettling” to the author. What does he have against Bharatiya spirituality?

Ancient Bharat had a long tradition of Raja Gurus who also served as advisors to the governing class. Chanakya, who played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire and was the chief advisor to its first emperor, Chandragupta Maurya, was also a philosopher, economist, statesman, and royal advisor. Kabir, Guru Nanak Dev, Swami Vidyaranya, and Tulsidas are a few notable examples from medieval Bharat.

The author claims that he doesn’t consider himself a ‘spiritually impoverished person.’ However, his statement that he found the ‘affinity between religious Gurus and the political class’ ‘unsettling’ runs contrary to this argument. He is clearly conflating the terms religion and spirituality, which are not the same. Perhaps he needs to reexamine the kind of “spirituality” he is exposed to.

“Spiritual Industry”

The article then mentions some kind of ‘spiritual industry.’ Is he referring to the rampant conversions happening in rural and urban Bharat, where the masses are lured into embracing a foreign faith with promises of better economic prospects?

The author then attempts to draw a connection between the ‘spiritual industry,’ productivity, success, psychotherapy, and self-help books. However, spiritual seeking has nothing to do with productivity, success, or psychotherapy—all of which are related to the physical world. Spirituality, on the other hand, seeks to transcend the physical and explore the non-physical dimension of our existence. Terms like productivity and success mean nothing to a spiritual seeker. Clearly, the author’s understanding of ‘spirituality’ is flawed. He also mocks the ‘yogic practices‘ and ‘Inner Engineering’ offered by the Isha Foundation. Perhaps he would do himself a favor by enrolling in Inner Engineering without any further delay.

Activities of Isha Foundation

The article then talks about Sadhguru’s net worth and his 11.4 million followers on YouTube. This 11.4 million following would prompt a sensible person to take a closer look at why so many people around the world are following him! On the contrary, he cites these numbers to ask inane questions about the connection between “Babas” and the “political class.”

But what exactly does the Isha Foundation do?

The Isha foundation runs several schools, such as Isha Vidhya for rural children, as well as Isha Samskriti and Isha Home School. At Isha Vidhya, scholarships cover over 60% of the students’ tuition.

The Foundation offers annadanam (sacred offering of food) to thousands of visitors and residents at the Yoga Center, free of charge.

The organization has successfully undertaken environmental initiatives such as Project Green Hands, Cauvery Calling, Rally for Rivers, Action for Rural Rejuvenation, and more recently, the Save Soil movement, all of which have contributed immensely to improving the world we live in.

Isha has worked with over 125,000 farmers in Dakshin Bharat, offering them various incentives that have positively transformed their livelihoods. Isha Gramotsavam is a one-of-a-kind annual sports festival organized by Isha in villages to rekindle the rural spirit and bring back a celebratory mode in the rural community.

The Foundation also offers advanced spiritual courses free of charge, such as Samyama and Sadhanapada.

The money contributed by generous donors supports the activities mentioned above, as well as many other similar projects aimed at improving the material and spiritual lives of people worldwide.

What I have highlighted above are just some of the major activities of Isha—this is by no means an exhaustive list. However, the author cleverly tries to mislead the reader by talking about Sadhguru’s “net worth.”

Is this the first interaction between a spiritual or religious leader and a political leader?

Before I conclude this rebuttal, let’s ask ourselves one more question: Is this the first time a political leader has met with a spiritual or religious leader? The answer would be a resounding ‘No.‘

Let’s refresh our memory a bit. In 1959, after the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, the then Bharatiya PM, Jawaharlal Nehru, met him and welcomed him to Bharat, demonstrating his respect for the Dalai Lama’s spiritual leadership.

His daughter, Indira Gandhi, had multiple interactions with Gandhian spiritual leader Acharya Vinoba Bhave, which clearly demonstrated her interest in integrating social reform with governance.

Her son Rajiv Gandhi met with Pope John Paul II in 1986 during the latter’s visit to Bharat. Manmohan Singh always maintained close ties with Sikh religious institutions.

The current leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, frequently meets religious leaders. In 2022, he met with the highly controversial pastor George Ponniah. During the interaction, the pastor made divisive remarks such as, ‘Jesus is the real God…not like Shakti.’

I am sure the author and those like him would not have found any of these meetings ‘unsettling.’ Why would that be? I wanted to find out, so I checked the name and credentials of the author. And there I saw three letters that are usually associated with write-ups like this – JNU! I rest my case!