Sadhguru/Jaggi Vasudev

To begin with, Jaggi Vasudev, who calls himself "Sadhguru", is not a Hindu. 

Who is a Hindu?

Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh has said in His authoritative work, "All about Hinduism", published in 1947, that a Hindu is he who has perfect faith in the Law of Karma, the law of reincarnation, Avatara, ancestor worship, Varnashrama Dharma, Vedas and existence of God, he who practises the instructions given in the Vedas with faith and earnestness, he who does Sandhya, Sraaddha, Pitri-Tarpana and the Pancha-Maha-Yajnas, he who follows the Varnashrama Dharmas, he who worships the Avataras and studies the Vedas, is a Hindu.

Jaggi Vasudev, in his own words, has confessed that he is not a Hindu, and that he has never studied the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabarath, Puranas, Yoga Sutras, and in point of fact, he has never encouraged his Hindu followers to study them. The evidence of which can be found in the following video from 18:26 - 19:00 mark:

He takes some uncanny pride in announcing that he would rather read English literature and news magazines than studying the Hindu scriptures, which, he says, will only "clutter his own clarity". Yet, many a Hindu follow him, and has even accepted him as some enlightened master and guru. 

So, if he is not a Hindu, what does he teach, and why is he called a "Sadhguru"? 

The term "Sadhguru"

The term, often spelt "Satguru" or "Sadguru", essentially means the "true guru" in the Sanskrit language. It is a title that is bestowed only upon an enlightened rishi (=sage) or saint whose life's purpose is to guide the initiated disciples on the spiritual path, the summation of which is the realisation of the Self through realisation of God. 

In truth, a satguru or sadhguru is one who has attained Savikalpa Samadhi, a state that is lower than Nirvikalpa Samadi, which is union with God. In the case of Jaggi, no one or lineage or sampradayat, in recognition of his "attainment", gave him the title. It is a term he bestowed upon himself.

In his talks, one may run into some generalities and abstractions that may seem suspiciously Hindu; however, when one makes a close study of them, one would discover that his espousals have the flavour of Bahainism, Brahma-Kumaris, Ekankar, OSHOism, Malaysian Guru's Raja Yoga and Sikhism, cults that have splintered from Sanatana Dharma, giving themselves a distinction distinguishing themselves from the parent religion. 

His Concoction 

Notwithstanding the above, however, if his followers would insist that Jaggi is a self-realised master or guru, one who practises Hinduism and espouses Hindu philosophy, then, I should say the opposite is the truth: the Adi-Siva that he has installed in his ashram is not the Lord Shiva that the puranas, Vedas and the Ithihaas are familiar with. First of all, the murthy (=statue) that he has does not wear the Tripundra (=three horizontal lines) on the forehead. The Atma Linga that is similarly installed has not been done so according to the Saivite Agamas. The history of Adi-Siva has no basis in Hindu scriptures.

Misinterpretations of the Hindu Scriptures and Tenets

What is even more disconcerting is, the man who disavows the Hindu scriptures, and who does not, I feel, credit their authenticity, has the compunction to discourse on them, giving them his own interpretations, treating them something like the works of John Donne, Elizabeth Gaskell, Samuel Butler, Mary Shelley, Aphra Behn, Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlow, the common-or-garden writers with whom he must have been acquainted during his BA days.

Unfortunately for him, that is not how scriptures of Sanatana Dharma can be approached. Not everyone who speaks with a phony accent can dilate upon them according to his whims and fancy. In many of his speeches, Jaggi has placed uncommon constructions on Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabarath, Gita, and various other scriptures, which he, as he himself acquiesced in, has not read. Of course, there may be people who might purposefully choose to believe that to the "enlightened" Jaggi, knowledge and information come unasked and unlearned --- but of course; if only they are accurate. One who has attained Savikalpa Samadi would never make a mistake in regard to the histories of Radha and Yasoda, which Jaggi has, for example.

Further, on certain vital issues such as "desires" and "spirituality", Jaggi's views are patently at variance with Hinduism.   

Disclaimer

Speak Not Ill of Anyone

Swami Sivananda, the apostle of the 20th century who first introduced Japa Yoga and Sankirtana Yoga to the world, way before Srila Prabhupada of the Hare Krisna movement did, has said, "Do not speak ill of others... When you speak ill of a man, you poison the mind of several people. It is extremely ignoble to speak ill of others." (pg. 154, Mind --- Its Mysteries and Control). In the same breath, however, He has concluded the paragraph by saying, "But just comment without hatred or malice is permissible occasionally." (pg. 154, Mind --- Its Mysteries and Control).