Prasoon Joshi: Sadhguru, one question I keep thinking about is, if there were no numbers in life. We didn’t know the concept of numbers, would I be more in rhythm with the nature in life?
Sadhguru: Namaskaram Prasoon. I know you’re a magician of words. You don’t like numbers. Well, once you say, me and you, well there are two. Or even if you say, myself, then there is one. Once there is one, then ten, hundred, thousand, million, is just a natural consequence of that. So the moment you say, me, you already created a number.
The number is not only about how old are you, what time is it, when did I sleep, when did I wake up – it’s not just about that. You and me itself are two numbers. So myself itself is a number. The only way to be beyond numbers is called a shoonya. Yoga means no number. Why yoga means no number means, the word yoga essentially means ‘union’. Which means, it is the science of how to obliterate the boundaries of your individuality. Obliterating the boundaries of your individuality means – the first basic number, one, that is me, is obliterated. Once you take away one, what is a million, or a billion, or a zillion – means nothing. Everything is a zero.
Only when one transcends the physical existence, there is a numberless existence
So, yoga means obliteration of numbers. Yoga means union. Union means, no you and me, no many. There is just one. But, there is not one, there is none. So this is referred to in many different ways. It’s called a shoonya, it is called as Shiva, which means, actually, ‘that which is not’. ‘That which is not’, cannot have numbers. Only ‘that which’, is has numbers.
So, numbers are a natural consequence of physical existence. Only when one transcends the physical existence, there is a numberless existence. When we say something is limitless, we’re also saying it’s numberless. When we say something is boundless, we’re also talking about no boundaries. No boundaries means there is no one or two. So numberless existence is possible, only when there is an absolute state of yoga or union. That’s what we’re trying. This is my effort in my life. To take people into that experience of number-lessness.
Numbers are a natural consequence of physical existence
But keep the magic of words going, Prasoon. Magic of numbers is also beautiful in the form of Mathematics, as magic of words are. So both words and numbers are not two different things, because there is one word means there will be many words. There is number one means, there will be many numbers. All this is a consequence of physical manifestation of existence. If one transcends the physical, then we use the most corrupted word, spiritual. What spiritual means is a numberless existence.
