A few days ago, a memory from Kos, Greece, popped up on Facebook. I visited ancient hospital ruins, which were not traditional hospitals as we know them but also temples and places of holistic healing. Also, on the same day, a podcast appeared on the Socrates in the City channel, where the interviewer discussed Plato and made a comment about how Apollo did not exist. This comment, without proof, prompted me to consider a Venn diagram that represents the ancient Greeks and ancient Indians, as well as their similarities and divergences. This exploration aims to uncover the overlapping spiritual landscapes of ancient Greece and India, revealing how shared mystical practices, sacred symbolism, and philosophical ideals suggest a deeper, interconnected heritage that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries, with Shiva or Adiyogi serving as the common thread.
Whispers of Shiva Beneath the Marble
When we think of Greece, we envision the Aegean, good food, wild, mythological tales, powerful gods, ancient columns, and wise philosophers — Socrates sipping hemlock, Pythagoras pondering numbers, and the Oracle of Delphi uttering riddles. However, what if beneath the rational glory of Hellenic civilization, a more mystical undercurrent pulsed — one that echoes the ancient yogic sciences of India?
In recent years, Indian mystic Sadhguru has sparked renewed interest and dialogue concerning sacred sites such as Delphi, proposing that the ancient wisdom of yoga and the spiritual presence symbolized by Shiva were not limited solely to the Indian subcontinent. He suggests that the rich spiritual traditions commonly associated with India may have also flourished in Greece, a land historically revered as the home of the gods, where yogis once practiced profound inner sciences. According to Sadhguru, this implies a shared or parallel spiritual heritage, indicating that the quest for self-realization and mastery over consciousness transcended geographical boundaries and found expression in diverse ancient cultures around the world. That is, Indian yogis went out of India and around the globe to other civilizations.
Delphi: The Yogic Navel of the Western World?
The Temple of Apollo at Delphi once referred to as the “navel of the world,” was not merely symbolic. According to Sadhguru, its design mimics the subtle energy system of the human body — the chakras. He notes that Delphi was built on three distinct layers or chakras – corresponding to energy centers – Muladhara, Swadhistana, and Manipuraka, much like a Southern Indian temple(s).
The ancient Greeks visited Delphi primarily to consult the Oracle, known as the Pythia, seeking divine prophecy from the deity Apollo—the god of light, Truth, and knowledge. However, beyond divination, Delphi also functioned as a profound spiritual center where individuals could undergo transformative experiences—shifts in perception akin to those achieved through altered states of consciousness, such as those experienced through yoga. Sadhguru posits that these experiences closely parallel yogic states such as dhyana (meditative absorption) and samadhi (complete spiritual immersion). Thus, Delphi was not simply a site of worship but a carefully designed energetic environment—an engineered mystical tool—intended to facilitate inner awakening and direct engagement with subtle cosmic forces, transcending mere ritualistic religious practice.
“They were not just worshipping Apollo — they were engaging with a live energy space. Delphi is not a ruin; it is an engineered mystic tool.” – Sadhguru.
The Shiva Linga in Greece?
One of Sadhguru’s most surprising discoveries is that a Shiva Linga structure was found in Greece—a smooth, elliptical stone traditionally used in Indian temples to represent Shiva as the formless source of creation. According to Sadhguru, the elliptical shape is not accidental; it embodies the formless, infinite nature of Shiva, that which is not, symbolizing the unmanifested energy from which all creation arises. The smooth, elongated form also functions as a powerful energy conduit designed to focus and radiate energy, making it a living embodiment of yogic science.
To the uninitiated, it seems like a weather-worn boulder. However, to those familiar with yogic science, its shape, placement, and orientation convey a great deal of meaning. The Linga is not merely symbolic — it is a consecrated energy form, a live transmitter of spiritual potential. Sadhguru posits that such a structure in Greece might be thousands of years old, possibly predating or coinciding with early Vedic traditions. Whether left behind by traveling yogis, initiates, or homegrown mystics, the presence of such a form further connects the dots about the shared spiritual heritage of humanity emanating from the Indian subcontinent.
The Crossroads of Civilizations
Historically, Pythagoras is said to have studied in Egypt and even India. Greek thought absorbed influences from Persia, Babylon, and possibly the Indus Valley. Could yoga — as a system of inner engineering — have traveled west earlier than we give it credit? Moreover, what about the Eleusinian Mysteries — the secretive rites promising union with the divine? Or the Orphic initiations? These were not philosophies of reason but technologies of transformation, eerily reminiscent of yogic kriyas and tantric rituals.
Snakes, Symbols & Serpent Wisdom
Just as Shiva wears the cobra around His neck, Greek mythology is rich in serpent symbolism, exemplified by the Caduceus of Hermes, Asclepius’ healing rod, and the Python slain by Apollo at Delphi. Serpents in both cultures symbolize energy, rebirth, and kundalini — the dormant spiritual potential coiled at the base of the spine in the yogic tradition. Did the ancients know how to awaken it?
Echoes of Ṛta: Bharat Gupt and the Indo-Hellenic Bridge
Mystics like Sadhguru speak of energetic temples and yogic imprints in Greece, and scholars like Dr. Bharat Gupt offer an academic bridge between civilizations. Gupt, a classical aesthetician and theater theorist, highlights how ancient India and Greece shared a worldview rooted in ṛta—the cosmic order sustaining both art and existence. For Gupt, Greek tragedy, and the Indian Natyasastra were not mere performances but sacred disciplines meant to elevate the soul through catharsis in Greece and rasa in India. Both were forms of yajna—ritual offerings in pursuit of harmony between the self and the cosmos.
Gupt also draws striking parallels between Pythagorean and Upanisadic thought, noting shared beliefs in the transmigrating atman, the cycle of samsara, and the quest for moksa, though there are divergences in philosophical thought. He argues that these affinities point not to coincidence but to a deeper Indo-Hellenic dialogue—civilizations speaking different languages but seeking the same Satya (Truth) and Brahmavidya (knowledge of the Absolute). In this view, the mysteries of Eleusis and the hymns of the Rigveda are not distant echoes but reflections of a once-shared spiritual grammar, now half-buried beneath marble and the passage of time.
Controversy or Common Ground?
Scholars push back against drawing direct parallels, mainly because they fear that, yet again, archaeological evidence suggests that ancient Indian civilization reached most corners of the world centuries before the advent of Western religions. Cultures differ, and sacred forms cannot converge by coincidence.
What does this mean for us? Such connections offer an opportunity, an invitation to see with different eyes. Even the Earth, where something powerful was situated in Delphi, is pulsing with vibrant energy. The physical temple structure may no longer stand as it did in the days of its splendor, but the chakras are still pulsating. What if we explored Delphi not as tourists but as seekers? What if the ruins still speak — not through history books, but through sillness and silence?
Final Thoughts: A Forgotten Global Yogic Culture?
Sadhguru’s insights invite us to consider a lost spiritual unity — a time when human beings across continents sought the same Truth through different forms. Whether in the Vedic chants of India, the Orphic hymns of Greece, or the shamanic drums of Anatolia, the goal was the same: to know what lies beyond physical flesh and form.
We want to think that Shiva never belonged to one land. The Adiyogi and his disciples may have literally and figuratively walked the mountains of Thessaly as much as the Himalayas. Perhaps what we now call sacred geography was once unified—a living temple without borders, where seekers in every land walked paths guided by the same cosmic Truths.
References
Gupt, B. (1994). Natyashastra and Greek Drama. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
Gupt, B. (2014, January 15). Greek and Indian drama: Bharat Gupt in conversation with Rajiv Malhotra [Video]. YouTube. Infinity Foundation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d07Er9EjO4
Gupt, B. (n.d.). Indo-Greek encounters and comparative aesthetics. India Foundation Lectures. https://www.indiafoundation.in/articles-and-commentaries/comparative-aesthetics-and-greek-indian-drama/
Sadhguru. (2019, July 17). Delphi, Greece: A temple built by yogis | Sadhguru [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ekr-CK2eM
Sadhguru. (2021, December 12). Sadhguru discovers a linga in Europe [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN71htVv48o
Sadhguru. (2022, November 3). Consecrated spaces of Turkey and Greece | Sadhguru [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1A0CK6VFkY
Sadhguru. (n.d.). Delphi, Greece: A temple built by yogis. Isha Foundation. https://isha.sadhguru.org/en/wisdom/article/delphi-greece-a-temple-built-by-yogis