The Mother Divine
Change Font Size 
 Home
SHIVA THE ULTIMATE OUTLAW
By Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva
Book review by Vikas Shukla
Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath

This is a book about an outlaw by an outlaw. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva is a yogi, a mystic and a spiritual guru. He himself has been an outlaw of sorts; stretching boundaries, challenging concepts and leaping across chasms in human limitations. Sadhguru declares that he does not know Sanskrit and that he has never read the scriptures. Yet, what he knows, only a few have known so far. It seems that the Creator has allowed him to peep into the heart of the manifestation and get a glimpse of the divine blueprint of human life.

This slim volume is a collection of talks by Sadhguru on theme of the Divine Principle he hails as Shiva. He opens the first dialogue with an account of Shiva’s marriage with Parvati. The narrative soon leaves the traditional trajectory and brings the reader face to face with Shiva the ‘non-being’ who is ‘darkness’ itself. Sadhguru follows it up with a down-to-earth logical description of Shiva, delivered with his characteristic unshakable logic and touch of humour. The piece that follows is Sadhguru’s favourite and describes the advent of yoga and how it was first taught by Shiva to the Saptarishis. To a casual reader this may appear to be just another fascinating story but to a sensitive mind, every line has something important to convey.

Sadhguru then walks us around the various abodes of Shiva, often pausing to recount a tale or a fascinating fact about that place. Be it the glorious Kailash and its connection with the Mansarovar, Kashi with its divine geometry or Velangiri and its repository of Shiva’s energies, each place shines in a different light and the reader follows Sadhguru mesmerised; looking in fascination at these oft-visited and well known places with new-found eyes. Sadhguru is known to avoid speaking about his moments of communion with the Divine but he breaks this unsaid rule to give a beautiful and uncharacteristically detailed account of his experience of ‘Naad’ at Kantisarovar.

As if he can read what the readers want to know next, Sadhguru goes on to unveil Shiva’s adornments. The descriptions are simple yet fascinating. They are how he has perceived and known them in his deep yogic state. Somewhere deep inside the reader’s mind, they ring as naturally true.
In the concluding piece, Sadhguru speaks of Shiva as the ‘Outlaw’. For him Shiva is not about religion but the whole creation itself. He says that transcending the laws of nature is a spiritual process and in that sense all spiritual aspirants are fundamentally outlaws.

This book may prove to be an important guide for someone who is setting out on the path of inner transformation to access the unbounded and unknown Divine element. In words of Sadhguru “You cannot worship Shiva, but you may join the Gang”.