We don’t force people to take up monkhood: Sadhguru

The Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru issued a statement that they do not ask people to get married or take up monkhood. The statement was issued in clarification to the legal controversy surrounding the Ashram.

The Foundation said that adult individuals have the freedom to choose their paths, whether that means marriage or monkhood, and reminded that Isha Yoga Center is home to both monks and to common people.

Following allegations by a retired professor Dr S. Kamaraj, who claims that his daughters, Geetha Kamaraj, 42, and Latha Kamaraj, 39, are being held against their choice at the ashram, the Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru to impart yoga and spirituality to people, issued the statement..

The retired professor field a habeas corpus petition, alleging that the Foundation has brainwashed the sisters and broken contact with their family.

In response, the Isha Foundation noted that the monks residing at the center willingly chose their lifestyle and have presented themselves before the court to clarify their status.

“The petitioner wanted the monks to be produced before the Court and the monks have presented themselves before the court. They have clearly stated that they are staying in Isha Yoga Center out of their own volition. Now that the matter is seized by the court, we hope truth will prevail and there is an end to all the unnecessary controversies created,” the Foundation stated.

The Isha foundation also highlighted earlier attempts by the petitioner and others to trespass on their premises under the guise of a fact-finding mission with regard to a crematorium being built by the organization. The Madras High Court granted a stay on the submission of the police’s final report regarding the complaint against Isha Yoga Center residents.

The Foundation clarified that recent police visits were part of a general inquiry but not a raid. Police are conducting interviews with residents and volunteers to understand their lifestyle at the center.