Textbooks not challenge for intelligence, be smarter than smartphone: Sadhguru during Pariksha Pe Charcha

NEW DELHI: Textbooks are not a challenge for intelligence and stress means the brain is not being oiled enough, spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said, as he shared mantras for playful learning and avoiding stress ahead of exams with students as part of the prime minister's latest 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' episode aired on Saturday.

Sadhguru told students that they have to be smarter than their smartphones. He also shared tips on how to avoid overthinking during a special session of 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' -- an annual event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students appearing for board examinations.

In a shift from the traditional town hall format, Modi preferred a more informal setting this time and took students to Delhi's iconic Sunder Nursery for his annual interaction. Eminent personalities such as boxer MC Mary Kom and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone have also shared their experiences and knowledge on key aspects of life and learning in different episodes of 'Pariksha Pe Charcha'.

Next in the series are Bollywood actors Vikrant Massey and Bhumi Pednekar sharing tips on cultivating positivity, managing negative thoughts, and tackling exam stress with confidence.

"For #ExamWarriors, among the biggest allies during exam time is positivity. Tomorrow's 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' episode delves into this topic and we have @VikrantMassey and @bhumipednekar share their insights," PM Modi wrote on X. Teaching students how to practise meditation, Sadhguru said intelligence is not about usefulness.

Textbook is not a challenge for your intelligence: Sadhguru

"Intelligence creates a profoundness of experience of life. If you feel stressed, it means the brain is not being oiled well," he said.

"Your textbook is not a challenge for your intelligence, no matter who you are. No matter if you have not done well in school till now, I'm telling you for your intelligence that textbooks are not a challenge. "You're unnecessarily making it difficult for yourself by approaching it in a certain way. Why can't you learn playfully? If you make it playful, your textbook will not be a challenge," Sadhguru added.

The Isha Foundation chief told students that they have to be smarter than their smartphones, while urging them to not treat exams as a "challenge to their intelligence". "If you look at the grass or that motorcycle, you should think what is the physics, math and chemistry of it. Education gives you fundamentals and eventually an access to life. To find this access, one aspect is active dynamic intelligence," he said.

Sadhguru stresses the importance of meditation for enhancing intelligence

Responding to a student's query on addiction to social media and phone, he said that a person should decide how to use a smartphone, not the other way round. He also said that there is no such thing as overthinking, as one must think beyond to be able to do something worthwhile.

"You may call it stress or anxiety, but the problem is that you don't know how to keep your mind aligned. What is not well aligned will cause friction, further causing stress," Sadhguru said. Emphasising the power of meditation, the spiritual leader said studies have shown that when the 'Shambhavi Mahamudra' is practised, a large part of the brain lights up.

"This is what needs to happen, that everything is lit up. The more you activate your intelligence, the more access you have to everything that you see. If your body is well-exercised, you can function better. Then why is that not true with your mental faculties?" he asked.

Sadhguru also warned against comparing the intelligence of people. "Am I as intelligent as this person or that person? There is no such thing. It's a farce that's been spread in the world. Everybody can sparkle and do things that others cannot imagine. Only thing is, because there is no striving, that sparkle doesn't happen," he told students. Nutrition and health experts Shonali Sabherwal, Rujuta Diwekar and Revant Himatsingka; YouTuber Gaurav Chaudhary popularly known as 'TechGuruji' and Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO, Edelweiss Mutual Fund are among the other guests who have been part of the programme so far.

The first edition of the interactive programme with school and college students was held at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium in 2018. Its seventh edition was held in a town hall format at the Bharat Mandapam last year, involving participants from around the country and abroad.