Supplement and Update 2024
Part One. Gadarwara
PHOTOGALLERY
1.0 Birth and Childhood in Kuchwada 1931 – 1939
When Osho was born…
Ma Amrit Saraswati, Osho’s mother, tells in an interview 1986. Part 1. Excerpts:
On asked if she was having any visions in her dreams during pregnancy
“No such dreams. Why should I lie? But yes, there was something that happened about six months before Osho was conceived. It was night time. It may have been around midnight. I was sleeping. The window was open. Suddenly I heard someone’s voice. It was a holy man, a sadhu, standing outside the window. He said, “Open the door. I want to come inside.” I became afraid and asked, ‘Why do you want to come inside at this hour of the night, baba? I will not open the door.’ He said, ‘OK, don’t open, but I still have to come into your house anyway. I will come back in six months.’ After exactly six months, Osho was conceived.”
On crossing the Narmada River when she was five months pregnant
“Osho was five months old in my womb. As there was no room in my husband’s home to manage or take care of things while I was pregnant, my father asked me to come to Kuchwada. My cousin brother came to take me to our village.
On our way to Kuchwada, we had to cross the Narmada River. That year it had rained very heavily. I had never before seen Narmada’s waters rise to such extent. The boatman looked at my brother and me, then turned towards him and enquired, ‘Who is this woman?’ When he heard that I was his sister, he said with firmness, ‘In this case, if she is pregnant with a boy, you will be the baby’s maternal uncle. If we take maternal uncles and nephews together on our boat, the boat is sure to sink.’
We waited for three days in that village. The boatman refused to take us. Finally, my brother called the holy man who lived in a nearby temple and asked him, ‘Please help this boatman understand, baba. Please explain to him there is nothing to worry about.’ The name of the holy man was Dande Wale Baba. He was tall and well built, and wherever he went he always carried a danda, a staff, with him. He would say, ‘If you are hit with this staff, your head will break immediately’. This strange baba was always surrounded by children, and the children enjoyed being around him.
That day, Dande Wale Baba scolded the boatman. He said to him, ‘What were you thinking? Just look at this woman. Look at her face; look at the light in her eyes. She is pregnant with a great soul. This soul could prevent your boat from drowning even in turbulent waters! Now take them whenever they need to go.’
Finally the boatman took us on his boat. Since the waters were still rough, the boat ride was uncomfortable. It finally ended and we reached my father’s house. That year was unusual because it had been pouring so heavily that the Narmada had begun to flow in the opposite direction! There was also a stream flowing near my father’s house which had started to overflow because of the heavy rains.
The water began to flood our homes. I went up to my room. Seeing the water level rising, I quickly got on top of my bed. Pots, pans and other utensils from others’ homes were floating by in the water. One of our kitchen tools had also started to drift away in the water. To stop it from floating out of the house, I leapt forward in the water. But my father quickly caught hold of me, pulled me back and said, ‘Don’t go. It’s risky. What if something happens to you? But I went ahead anyway and, well… what happened next was baffling. The moment the water touched my waist, it began to recede. Slowly, the water level in the room began to fall. Meanwhile, other villages were praying for the water to settle, offering pots of curd and milk to the gods.
Seeing what had just happened, my father said, ‘There must be some good-natured soul in your womb. It seems as if the river had just come to touch the feet of this beautiful soul.”
On sharing some incidents that took place during Osho’s birth
“The leela started right after he was born. When he was born, he didn’t cry even once. For three days, he did not drink any milk. Whenever I would bring my breast to his mouth, he would turn his face away. When he was lying down, he would move his legs and arms gracefully and playfully. In the house, the sunlight used to shine through the tiled rooftop. He immensely enjoyed looking at the sun rays and playing with them.
My mother became worried about his not drinking anything. So every now and then we used to offer him water, which he would easily drink. This reassured everyone.
Why should I have been scared? It was my mother and father who were more scared. I was only eighteen years old at that time, and this was my first child. I let them worry about him. I always slept comfortably.
When my father came to visit, he said that my baby must have been a saint or a holy man in his previous life. That he might not want to take milk in such an unclean place, or he might drink milk only after his mother had taken a bath and gone to another, more sílent room. ‘Don’t you worry,’ he said.
And that is exactly what happened. After three days, for the first time Rajneesh drank milk. He made up for those three days without milk by drinking my milk for the next three years! My mother would prepare a variety of dishes to coax him to eat solid food, but he always refused. He insisted on drinking my milk only.”
On Osho’s eating habits as a child
He used to create a lot of fuss while eating. He never used to eat dal and vegetables. But he liked to hold a small bowl with a lid in his hands. So we used do dress him with a loincloth, which we had especially made for him, and put the bowl in his hands. Rajneesh looked just like a sadhu in it.
Near our house there was a playground where he used to love to run. When it was time for him to eat I would take him there. While he ran around, I would coax him to take a bite from his plate of food by saying each time, ‘Tishtiye pishtiye arm jal shuddh, Maharaj, khaana khaa lo.’ [Satisfaction, nourishment, pure food, and water, Master (King) please eat the food.]
Hearing this, he would come and take a bite and then run back to make another round. If he felt like it, he would come and eat, but if he did not feel like eating, he would simply run around the ground. I would chant the ‘namokaar mantra,’ and if he still wouldn’t come after that, I would then recite this chant:
darshanam papanasanam
Darshanam svarga sopanam
arshanam moksha sadhanam.’
[Even the heavenly Gods revere Tirthankar Bhagwan
Sincere obeisance to the idol of Tirthankar
Bhagwan destroys all sins
It’s the first step towards attaining heaven]
He always came when I chanted this mantra. But despite all the chanting, he still used to eat only half a roti. He was only about two, two and a half years old. He didn’t eat properly even after all the coaxing. He used to insist on drinking my milk. Now, how much milk can my body make? Unless I played with him for an hour or two, he would not listen to me. This went on till he was three years old.”
On asked where Mataji was living at that time
“We used to live in Timarni. My husband’s house was in Timarni and my father’s house was in Kuchwada. After three years, Rajneesh started to live for six months at my father’s house and six months at my house.
Let me tell you about a childhood game he used to play. In Timarni there was a shop that sold sugar-coated almondette seeds (‘chiraunji’). For 2 anna you could get 250 grams of these seeds. He would buy them and keep hold of them. Timarni was a village where there wasn’t a lot of work. So you would often see people gathered outside their houses, particularly old people, just laughing and talking to each other. Since Rajneesh as a little boy, they used to call him over and say, ‘Rajkumar, little prince, come on here. Can you bring us some medicine? We are not feeling too well.’ So Rajneesh would quickly walk up to them, look into their palms and put 2-4 of those sweet seeds in their hands, saying, ‘Eat this – you will get well quickly!’
Whether they got better or not, I don’t really know. But people certainly got a kick out of it. They used to have a lot of fun with him.” (When Osho was born. Part 1. 11.12.2023 www.oshonews.com)
(Note: This interview was first published in the Hindi Rajneesh Times (PDF) in three consecutive issues 1986 and 1987, and re-published in the Hindi Osho Times on 16 December 1993, under the title ‘A Pilgrimage from the Ocean to its Origin.’ Translation by Anuragi with edits by Osho News. Photos and PDF courtesy: Osho Resource Center (retouching by Osho News)
Mataji’s sannyas name is Amrit Saraswati. Amrit means nectar or immortality. Saraswati is a Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom, and learning.
‘Darshanam Devasya Darshanam’ is a devotional song that expresses love for one’s creator and its belongings. The phrase ‘Darshanam deva devasya darshanam pava panasano darshanam swag sopanam darshanam moksh sadhanam’ appears in a Jain prayer).
Rajneesh growing up
Ma Amrit Saraswati, Osho’s mother, tells in an interview 1986. Part 2. Excerpts:
“So we asked Mataji, who gave him the name Rajneesh?
‘Oh, this name was given to him much later. For a long time my father simply called him Raja, which means prince. He used to affectionately call him ‘little prince’ and proclaimed that one day he would rule the world. Everyone used to call him Raja. Then, when we registered his name at school, my brother-in-law, Shikharchand, said that Raja was not a very nice name and that we should name him Rajneesh Mohan Chandra. That’s how he got that name. However, Osho never wrote his whole name, he always used to write only Rajneesh. I had already said to my brother-in-law, “Why would I call him by such a long name? I will call him just Rajneesh.’…
Perhaps the day when his uncle named him Rajneesh, it was destiny speaking through him, because Rajneesh means ‘lord of the night.’ It’s another name for the moon’…
Were there any friends who were special to Osho?
‘You could consider Sukhraj as one of his special friends. The second could be Kanchhedi. These two were the only ones who stayed; the rest of them ran away. There was one more friend named Shyam Soni. His father used to say to his son, ‘Rajneesh is a ‘Krishna Kanhaiya’ and people will worship him one day, but you have to become a goldsmith, as it is the tradition in our family.’
Out of those three, Kanchhedi Shukla was one who was always ready to do anything that Osho said. If Rajneesh asked Kanchhedi to steal a plate full of sweets from a nearby shop, he would go and get it…
But let me tell you something. Osho’s effect on us was such that no one would ever say anything to him. We had realized one thing – that this boy was unique. I felt happy whenever I saw him do anything. Only later when I took sannyas I accepted him as my master, but even just after he was born, something had been shaken up deep inside me. To simply have him near us gave us joy.’
Holy men and saints have filled pages of their scriptures writing about the glory of being in the company of an enlightened one, but there was Mataji whose love had brought the fragrance of Buddhahood to life in just a few words.’
‘The untimely death of Kranti, Osho’s cousin sister, affected Dadaji very deeply. He became ill and suffered every single day that year. I told the doctor to give him some medicine that would help him, otherwise we would have to take him somewhere else. The doctor advised us to take him to Indore. We stayed there for three months. Rajneesh took such good care of him that it seemed as if Dadaji got better because of him.’
When did you register Osho into a school?
‘Dadaji used to feel that sending children to school too early might affect their growth. So Rajneesh only started going to school when he was nine years old.
When we had gone to Indore, Rajneesh was with us for six months and his studies were affected due to his absence from school. He would have been in third grade. When we returned to Gadarwara, Dadaji suggested we got a tutor for him. When the tutor arrived, Rajneesh asked, ‘Dada, why have you called him? It is useless. He doesn’t know anything. I can teach him instead’…
Mataji, since we are talking about his schooling, didn’t Osho always read a lot of books?
‘Always. He used to read till 2-3 am. The moment he came home, he took off his shirt, lay down on his cot, lit the lamp, put it on a chair and start reading. I would make his favourite sweets for him and he would eat them while reading. He used to enjoy eating ‘kheer’, a sweet made of milk, rice and sugar, and ‘lauki halva’, a bottle gourd halva, so I would make them specially for him.
He would buy so many books that the cupboards were overflowing with them. One day Dadaji said to him, ‘Rajneesh, there are so many books here. It becomes difficult for Mataji to organize and clean the room.’ That was enough to prompt him to call a ‘tanga’, a horse cart, load all his books onto it and take them to the public library. He donated them all to the library. I had tears in my eyes when I heard about it, knowing how it must have hurt the little boy’s heart.’
Girlfriends and wives
Everyone knows that Osho’s companion, Ma Yoga Vivek, had been his childhood friend in her past life. Shashi was the daughter of Dr. Sharma from Gadarwara and she used to regularly visit Ohso’s house. We wanted to ask Mataji if she could recall any glimpses of those moments. As always, she refused to tell us what wasn’t her own knowledge or what was not related to her. And we wondered where Mataji had received the initiation into this way of thinking…
All she said was, ‘I can only tell you that when he used to come back from school, Shashi would be with him. There were also two or three other boys who would come. They would sit, discuss, read and laugh together. Shashi’s mother and I were good friends. We visited each other every now and then. Rasa, my eldest daughter [later called Ma Yoga Bhakti] would also visit us often. She was a sweet girl.’
Do you remember what Shashi looked like?
‘I cannot remember her face but she was a thin girl. She must have been around 12-14 years old. Her father was a doctor – Dr. Sharma. She used to come and study at our house. But our village was quite small. People would tease Vijay, Osho’s brother, that Shashi was his ‘bhabhi’ – his sister-in-law. He used to come and tell me that people teased him. I had become a bit angry when I heard this, so the next day when Shashi came, I told her about what had happened. She sweetly told me, ‘Mother, I will not come again.’ After that day, she never came to our home, but Osho would go and visit her.’ (Rajneesh growing up. Part 2. 08.01.2024 www.oshonews.com) Translation by Anuragi with edits by Osho News. Photos and PDF courtesy: Osho Ressource Center)
Shyam Lal Soni, Osho’s childhood friend in Gadarwara, writes
“Osho was born on 11 Dec 1931 at his maternal home, away from city noise, in the peaceful atmosphere of Kuchwada village, situated at the foothills of Vindhyachai mountain range. Kuchwada is in the Raisen District of what is now Madhya Pradesh state. Osho’s maternal grandfather called him Raja. When he was 6 months old, he came to his father’s house in Timarni. Timarni is a small town in District Hoshangabad.
Osho’s father’s name is Shri Babulal Ji and mother’s name is Shrimati Saraswati Bai. Then there was grandfather, two uncles and two aunts (sisters of father). Financial condition of the family was not good, business was worrisome. Because of these reasons the whole family moved from Timarni to Gadarwara in 1934. Gadarwara is a town situated between Jabalpur & Itarsi on Central Railway line in District Narsinghpur of Madhya Pradesh state. In Gadarwara grandfather and father started cloth business. Because of their business acumen, hard work and diligence, the financial condition of the family improved.
Nana (maternal grandfather) had tremendous love for Raja. Most of the childhood Raja lived at his maternal home. In family, apart from Raja, two sisters – Rasa and Kusum – and one brother – Vijay – were born. Both uncles were in school and aunts (father’s sisters) were married and gone to in-laws. Being the eldest son, the whole family showered love and affection on him. He himself was full of love for brothers and sisters since childhood. There was not even a trace of anger, terror, or fear in his behavior.”
(Shyam Lal Soni. Excerpt from his article ‘Enlightened Being Acharya Shree Rajneesh: An Introduction’. In: Jyoti Shikha, December 1968. Special issue on his Birthday 11th December. By Shyam Soni, M.A. Full text of nine pages translated from Hindi at www.oshonews.com 30.10.2020)
Ma Yoga Pratiksha, Osho´s niece, tells Swaram of her childhood in Gadarwara
“There are so many memories of Osho in my heart since I was a child. Ever since I was born, Osho had already started traveling. By that time, he was already called Acharya. He never missed coming home, every month or sometimes twice in a month. My mom’s room was the best room in the house and that´s where Osho used to stay. I remember when I was around six or maybe seven years old, his arrival was announced two days in advance. So my mom’s room was neatly cleaned for him. Our town Gadarwara was not a metropolis, but still it was well connected in terms of road and railways. Whenever Osho was home, there used to be a row of visitors from the town to greet him and meet him. Each and every such occasion felt like celebration. I always called him ‘badhe papa’, which in English literally means elder brother of the father. Despite the recommendations to all the children in the house, including me, that we should not disturb Osho, I always insisted being close to him.
So whenever he was home, I used to sneak inside the room, under pretext of taking out my clothes from the almira. I used to spend more time than usual to take out the clothes while acting as if I’m not being able to find something. Then Osho used to say to me, “Pratiksha, what are you looking for?”, and my reply would be “Badhe Papa, I’m not being able to find my blue skirt”. He used to smile, a serene and profound smile. He told me that while putting clothes in almira, it could be arranged color wise, like all the blue cloths have to be kept in particular position, and similarly other colors. I felt very happy. That was in fact a message for me, and even today I arranged my almira color wise.
I used to be on his lap many a times. Osho would sit on the bed in mom’s room. That was such a serene experience for a child, and I can never forget those moments, sitting silently with him. On certain occasions, family members used to sit around him. He always inquired about the wellbeing of everyone, and even in extended family. One could see his compassion.
I would like to tell you about my hair style also. He tried many hairstyles on me. Many times, Osho used to cut my hair himself, and sometimes he guided my other uncles how the hair style should be. He never allowed tying of hair like ponytail, because he said it wasn’t good for a developing brain. I still can’t tie my hair, can you believe! If I do, I get a headache…
And I’ll tell you one more story about when he used to take bath, and I used to wait outside his bathroom. As soon as he finished his bath, I would be the second one to go. Do you know why? The moment I used to enter, the bathroom used to be full of different kinds of energy, used to be filled with different kinds of fragrance which I never again found in my life. There was so much energy. Then I used to sit there for five-six minutes, inhale deep before I’d go for my shower. That has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I still feel his fragrance around me. What a lucky person I am!” (Gatti 2024. Podcast)
Arjava writes from his tour to Kuchwada in 2014
““When we arrived just after dark we were in for another surprise. Osho’s birth house and the adjoining area had been bought by Swami Satyatirth Bharti [1950-2020], who is commonly called either Nimbu or Limbu Swami and is an Indian Sannyasin who has several businesses in Tokyo. Nimby or Limbu means Lemon in Hindi/Marathi and it probably has some relation to either his or his family’s work. He used to be a rickshaw driver in Ahmedabad. For many years he had been running a couple of restaurants and a publishing house for Osho’s books translated into Japanese… The Ashram that he built just outside of Kuchwada is called Osho Tirth Ashram and is very large and completely out of proportion considering the size of the village. Upon arrival we found out that only two Japanese Swamis are living there who don’t speak much English…
Kuchwada is quite picturesque. Nothing much seems to have changed here since the 1930s except for the huge high voltage power lines that run across the fields near the village… The story goes that he grew up with his maternal grandparents because an astrologer who was supposed to prepare his birth chart refused to do it, stating that the boy would probably not make it past the age of seven. If against all odds the boy should survive longer, he himself would come from Varanasi to prepare the chart. He did keep his promise and predicted that Rajneesh would become a great saint, and that he would be at risk to leave his body every time he completed a seven-year cycle. In order for the parents not to get too attached to their eldest child, they asked his mother’s parents to take care of him from that point on. He was to have total freedom and could do whatever he wanted. His grandmother was a native of Khajuraho and it is told that she refused all men that her father tried to marry her until she was introduced to Osho’s grandfather, when she was already 23 years old [which was very late for marrying in those days]. She told him; “I will give you one child only” and this child was Osho’s mother. When Osho’s mother was married to Osho’s father she was still a child of nine or so. After the wedding she went back to her parent’s house for a few years. When she was eleven she moved in with her husband’s family. Her father-in-law decided to live like a Sannyasin and moved to a remote farm by himself. The result of that was that Osho’s mother had to raise not only her own large family but also had to care for her in-laws’ family but not the father-in-law.
Osho’s birth house was, at that time, the only real house in the village. All the other buildings seemed to have been straw and mud huts. His grandfather owned a shop that sold “everything”, some kind of supermarket. Besides that they worked 1,400 acres of land. The house is still beautiful – one cannot help but fall in love with it… Anadi took us for a house tour and then we sat in the room that Osho was born in for about 45 minutes or so. The mantras that were sung all night came from a newly built Hindu temple located just between Osho’s grandparents’ house and the lake, and the singing continued all the time we were there (and is still continuing now at 11 PM) except for a few minutes when the power was cut. In Osho’s time, this temple did not exist; instead there were a Jaina temple in its place. The Jainas, we were told, have meanwhile moved on to another location…
Anadi told us that there was a great flood in Madhya Pradesh in 1931. The Narmada River flooded and the water was so high that it reached the first floor of the grandparents’ house where Osho’s mother, pregnant with him, was seeking shelter from the catastrophe. It is said that the waters subsided once they touched her belly and with it the feet of Rajneesh; the great river had come to welcome the great saint. This story made the rounds in the area and many saints used to come from all over India to see the young Rajneesh to pay their respects. Three of those Masters were Maggi Baba, Pagal Baba and Masta Baba. Magga Baba was buried in Pahalgam in Kashmir mext to what local people claim is the grave of Jesus Christ.” (Petter 2022, pp. 294,296-299)
Two birth charts are found
“There are two birth charts, first one made by the astrologer of Varanasi and the second one made by the astrologer in Gadarwara. These are in fragile condition but still readable. I have scanned them but these would not be published in any public domain as per Niklank Ji’s request. Moreover, both of them are in Sanskrit.” (Anuragi. E-mail. 14.04.2023)
An astrologer’s prediction for Mataji
Ma Amrit Saraswati, Osho’s mother, tells in an interview 1986. Part 4. Excerpts:
“Just then, Mataji remembered the prediction of an astrologer.
‘When I was a little child, an astrologer – a palm reader – had come to our home. He said to my father, ‘She is fortunate. She will travel to foreign countries. She will be comfortable during her childhood days, but she will face hardship during her adulthood. In her old age, she will again be comfortable.’ I asked him, ‘If I am supposed to face difficulties in my adulthood, how will my old age be comfortable? I don’t have any relatives abroad so why will I visit foreign countries? I haven’t even studied English.’ It all seemed so far-fetched. And the astrologer just looked like an ordinary, poor man.”
But this poor man’s predictions did indeed turn out to be true. Mataji did eventually go abroad.” (An astrologer‘s prediction. Part 4. January 2024. www.oshonews.com)
(Note: This interview was first published in the Hindi Rajneesh Times (PDF) in three consecutive issues 1986 and 1987, and re-published in the Hindi Osho Times on 16th December 1993, under the title ‘A Pilgrimage from the Ocean to its Origin.’ Translation by Anuragi with edits by Osho News. Photos and PDF courtesy: Osho Resource Center)
From the obituary of Satyatirth Bharti on Kuchwada
“In the late 1990s, on one of his visits to India, he also journeyed to Osho’s birthplace in Kuchwada, MP. Seeing the plight of Osho’s birth house – it was on the verge of ruins – he bought it and, as a gesture of their love and gratitude for Osho, a team of Japanese sannyasins re-built it without hiring outside labour.
By 2002, the ashram Osho Tirth Kuchwada, that can accommodate 200 people, was completed with a big pyramid covering the Buddha Hall. Many acres of land around it procure organic produce. He also opened a charitable hospital, Osho Nani Ma, in honour of Osho’s maternal grandmother. Kuchwada has now become a pilgrimage centre for Osho’s sannyasins from around the world.” (www.oshonews.com 06.02.2020)
Vaidya writes
“His grandmother Rani Ma, whom he called ‘Nani’ had a strong influence on him and he was more attached to her than to his own mother whom he called ‘Bhabhi’, as she was called by others in the extended family.” (Vaidya 2017, p. 23)
Aeri writes on the marriage of Osho’s parents
“When Osho’s father got married, a Mohammedan, known as Hajji Baba, for whom Osho’s father had great respect, and considered as an elder brother, accompanied the wedding party. People on the bride’s side were greatly disturbed to see a Muslim in the marriage party. Osho’s father declared that he was ready to go back, without getting married, rather than go on with the wedding without the presence of Hajji Baba. The parents of the bride had no choice but to receive Hajji. When Osho’s parents got married, Osho’s mother was seven and his father was about ten.” (Aeri 2016, p. 26)
Osho’s birthplace in Kuchwada
“At the centre of the village, and surrounded by the sewage-filled bylane, is an ill-maintained, two-storey house with black wooden doors and a tin roof. That is where the Osho story began. He was born to Saraswari Bai and Babu Lal Jain, in a ground-floor room in the back of the building. Twenty years ago, Osho’s disciples in Japan – led by Swami Satya Tirth, one of his early followers from Ahmedabad – bought the building and erected a metal fence around the compound. Villagers say the followers paid as much as 0,5 lakhs to buy the house. The money appears to have gone now; the building is badly in need of maintenance…
Visitors have become rare. “A decade ago, the birth anniversary celebrations attracted many followers, including celebrates like Vinod Khanna”, said Soni. “Last year, though, only 10-15 people turned up…”
The ashram complex has a guest house, a pyramid-shaped meditation hall, and a library (the books were sold off two years ago, say villagers). Satya Tirth had also built a two-storey hospital named after Osho’s maternal grandmother, but it was shut down a year after its opening.” (By Sravani Sarkar. www.theweek.in With two b&w photos. 12.03.2020)
Arun writes on Osho’s birth
“I also have my own view about Osho’s birth. In 1929, Jiddu Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of the Star of the East, and rejected the messianic role of World Teacher, or Maitreya Buddha, for which The Theosophical Society had prepared him for two decades…. It is my personal opinion that Krishnamurti’s rejection of becoming the world teacher, and a medium for the Maitreya consciousness, was also one of the main reasons why Osho’s arrival on this planet was rushed and he was born on December 11, 1931. I might be wrong about my calculation, but I believe that if Krishnamurti had accepted the role of World Teacher, Osho would not have taken birth as quickly as he did.” (Arun 2023, p. 185)
From his tour in 2014 Arjava writes from Gadarwara
“Avesh asked Sukhal Ji when Osho had first talked about meditation. “When he was twenty-four or twenty-five”, Sukhal Ji replied. “The first time he talked about meditation he had rented a big hall in Gadarwara. It was to be a silent meditation. Anadi’s parents and aunt were there too. He turned out the light and told the participants to relax the body, the breath and then the mind.… I cannot explain about what happened to me in this first experience. I died in that”, Sukhal Ji tells us…
Avesh asked him if Osho had told him something about the little temple he used to meditate in {which is now part of the Ashram where we were staying and at this point, sitting]. “The temple was right here. And this place where we are sitting was Nirvano’s house, her past life parents’ house. Vivek, [Osho’s English caretaker] took care of him from 1971 until just before he died. She had two brothers in that life. Their names were small Mouna and big Mouna. Her name was Sashi then. Rajneesh did not know her personally at first. In those days girls were not educated and she was the only girl educated at the boy’s school, which was the only school in town. There was no further education for girls. She was the only girl in a group of five hundred boys… Rajneesh’s friends saw this girl at 11 who was so daring buying incense and going to school that they thought to introduce her to Rajneesh, who was fourteen….
We took off around 9 AM for Osho’s parents’ house and business [in Gadarwara]. Osho’s father was a cloth merchant and the whole extended family lived together. There must have been thirty-forty people in the house. Because Osho had come up from quiet Kuchwada where he had the house practically to himself, he did not feel comfortable living with everyone. His grandma too felt the same so they rented or bought a small house adjacent to the family home and moved there. When Osho’s father retired he bought another large house where Osho lived the last few years that he was at home. This house was visited first. It had originally been a single story house but now has three floors and is very large. It is used as a cheap hostel nowadays and is – except for Osho’s room – pretty run down. The best thing to do with this house would be to create a fund, to buy it, fix it and use it for sannyasins and friends. Perhaps this should be put forth on one of our social media Sannyas groups? I must ask Anadi to find out if the place is for sale.
It was lovely to sit in his room, which has some rare pictures of him and the family on the walls. The atmosphere was serene despite the busy-ness out on the street. Next to the house, on its left, is a Jain Temple that Osho’s father used to ask his son to pray in occasionally…
All of this is a very moving to experience and even though I have been with Osho for thirty-five years, I feel that again I have come a step closer to him and understand better now that I have seen, smelled, heard and felt all of this. After the house tour, we strolled over to Osho’s father’s clothstore/house, which is run by Osho’s cousin Prafulla. He told us he used to visit Osho, who was sixteen years older than him, in Jabalpur. In those days there were some cinemas in Jabalpur that the local Gadarwara teenagers who could afford it would frequent. They would go to Jabalpur for three or four days and watch fifteen movies. Osho used to tell his cousin what movie he could see in which cinema. ..
After tea with Prafulla we walked to Osho’s elementary school, which we entered through the infamous Elephant Gate…In Osho’s elementary school they had photographs of him next to Gandhi, Vivekananda and Dr. Abdul Kalam, the eleventh president of India.”
(Petter 2022, pp. 309,311,313-315,)
(Note: Arjava has later clarified that the photos mentioned were not showing the persons together on photos, but they were pictured individually each on one photo. Osho is said to have met Gandhi only once at age 10, when Gandhi’s train made a stop in Gadarwara. See: 1.1 Gandhism and Socialism)
Arun recalls meeting Osho’s father in Gadarwara around 1975
“During the day he took me around and showed me all those places that were important in Osho’s life. We went to the Shakkar River where Osho used to go every day for a swim, and to the places where he used to meditate. Daddaji also took me to Osho’s school, and later introduced me to Osho’s close friends, Kanchedi Lal and Shukaraj Bharati, who were Osho’s partners in crime in his mischievous activities during his childhood. Both had already taken sannyas, but I don’t know the sannyas name of Kanchedi Lal, as everyone still called him by that name. Daddaji took me to both their houses. Shukaraj was relatively affluent and had a big house. They both shared with me many interesting stories from Osho’s childhood and the time they had spent with him. I was received with much love by everyone in the village when they came to know that I had come from so far away.
Daddaji told me he had already distributed his property among the five brothers, as he did not want any dispute after he left the body. He even showed me the piece of land facing the river that he had kept for Osho. He said he had kept that land because of Osho’s love for the river. He used to tell Osho about this land and kept reminding him of it until the last day of his life…
He wouldn’t let me pay for anything and I knew that the family’s economic situation was not that good. The whole household depended on the money made by Vijay’s small hardware shop he had opened in front of the house, on one of the verandahs. Gadarwara was a very small town, and so there weren’t many sales. The textile shop had been taken over by one of Osho’s uncles and was now being run by him…
After staying with Daddaji and Mataji, I understood why this couple was so special and worthy of giving birth to a consciousness like that of Osho’s. Daddaji was an emperor of hearts and Mataji was an incarnation of simplicity and innocence…
I remember one incident in which Daddaji and Osho were having a conversation and I was witness to it. Osho wanted his parents to move to Pune and had been asking Daddaji to sell the house and come and live with him…
The next time I went to Gadarwara, Daddaji had sold the house to his brother who had added a few more rooms and was running it as a lodge [Yogesh Bhawan]…
When Daddaji returned to Pune, he was given Francis House in the ashram where he stayed with Mataji, Vijay, his wife and their son. Osho’s other brothers stayed elsewhere in the ashram.” (Arun 2023, pp. 190-194)
Ma Ananda Prem on Osho’s past life
“Rajneesh also tells that in his last life, 700 years ago, he began a twenty-one-day fast at the age of 106. At the end of this period he was to achieve the last step of Enlightenment. However, he was killed by someone three days before he could end the fast. Then in this life, it took twenty-one years to complete what would have been easily achieved at that time in only three days – seven years for each day. But this was a great advantage, he says, because it allowed him still another birth. “After the attainment of Full Realization, there is no further possibility of taking birth more than one more time,” he explains.
Asked whether he will still take that last birth, Rajneesh replies: “During this whole life I shall go on striving to see whether one more birth will be of any use.” But he explains that “Out of millions of Self-Realized persons, just one chooses to take one more birth.” He says that this is known as the “Theerthanker Gotrabandh” – the desire to lead others toward Enlightenment. “This is the last bondage,” he says. “The desire to distribute that which is received, Realised and known is natural… That is the last desire.”” (Singh 1975, p. 8)
Arun writes on Osho’s past lives in Tibet and Nepal
“The last two births of Osho before this life took place in Tibet. Just before this life, Osho left his body in 1230 AD somewhere in Tibet where he was the head of a Buddhist monastery. He was a highly-elevated soul who was in the advanced stage of his practice, and was very close to his ultimate enlightenment. During the last days of his previous life, Osho was 106 years old and doing a special Tibetan meditation practice of silence without food or water for twenty-one days. There was a great chance that on completion of this practice, Osho would have attained ultimate realization in that life. Unfortunately, on the eighteenth day, a series of incidents took place at the monastery, and during the tragic events, Osho was murdered. He was therefore unable to complete his practice.
This was a blessing in disguise. If Osho had been able to complete his commitment in his previous life, and had become fully liberated, Earth would not have received the great blessing in the form of Rajneesh Chandra Mohan in 1931. Osho had to wait 701 years before finding the appropriate womb to take birth again. When a person dies consciously, he can choose the time and womb of his next birth. It took those seven centuries for Osho to find the right parents…
Osho’s last two lives were in Tibet. One was 700 years ago and the other was about 900 years ago. Publicly, Osho has only spoken about his last life which was 700 years ago, and has kept everything else as a secret. Osho revealed to me that his life before these two lives was in Nepal where he was a meditator and was doing his sadhana living with few disciples. The place where he was living and doing his sadhana was exactly where Asheesh is located today.” (Arun 2023, pp. 184,364)
(Note: Asheesh is Asheesh [formerly Rajneesh] Meditation Centre located in Tahachal, Kathmandu. Asheesh means ‘blessing’)
Aeri writes on Osho’s family and their Jain religion
“Chandra Mohan Jain, before he came to be known all over the world as Rajneesh or as Osho, was born in a small village in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He was the eldest of eleven children and his father was a cloth merchant. His parents were Jains of Taranpanthi kind of faith. Taranpanthi is one of the small sub-sects of Jainism. Their principal book of inspiration, or scripture if you will, is Shunya Swabhava, which translates as ‘The Nature of Void’ and their principal message is that we have to ‘awaken’ ourselves in this life. According to Osho, there is a mention of the first Tirathankara named Adinath in Rigveda. Since Rigveda is considered to be the oldest Hindu scripture, Jainism is older than the Vedas.” (Aeri 2016, p. 18)
News revealed in Oregon: Adoption of Osho as a child
“Swami Swarupananda, Ma Sheela’s father, surprises the whole commune when he reveals that he had adopted Bhagwan at the age of four. ‘Bapuji’, as Swarupananda is affectionately called, relates the story to the Rajneesh Times.
Shortly after Bhagwan was born, His parents consulted astrologers to have the child’s destiny read. But the astrologers refused to do the chart, saying that the boy would die before the age of seven. A strategy was suggested that might avert this destiny, and that was for the parents to disown Him. If He lived, the astrologers said, He would be the leader of mankind.
The parents did not want to believe this dire prediction. They tried to ignore it as if nothing had happened – maybe the predictions were wrong. At the age of one-and-a-half, Bhagwan almost died of smallpox. The sores covered His body and His eyes were swollen shut. They thought surely He would die, but He lived. His parents began to take the predictions seriously.
Within a year, He was sick again – this time it was typhoid fever. He almost died, but by some miracle He survived, only to have the typhoid recur after a period of time. He was deadly sick, but again He pulled through.
About this time Swami Swarupananda met Bhagwan’s father, Swami Devateerth Bharti, affectionately called “Dadaji”. Swarupananda could see that his friend was burdened with some anxiety, and he asked what was wrong. “Dadaji” told the whole story. Swarupananda pointed out to him that things were happening according to the astrologer’s prediction. He then offered to adopt Bhagwan as his son. There was a strong feeling between the men – ‘Dadaji’ felt that he was right. He took a picture of Swarupananda to show to Bhagwan’s mother, Ma Amrit Saraswati Jain, and to ask her agreement. On the next trip to Bombay, ‘Dadaji’ and Saraswati brought the young Bhagwan to his new father.
Swarupananda remembers the child Bhagwan as being “in a class by Himself… There was something about Him, a king of quietness.. And the eyes… those eyes… there was such a luster in them it would always draw attention to Him… there was understanding and peace in those eyes… this child… I felt He was coming from a different place than the rest of the world.”
Because of his agreement with ‘Dadaji’, Swarupananda keeps this story a well-guarded secret until the evening of February 9, 1984. The time has come for the news to be revealed.
A surprise meeting of the commune is held to make the announcement. Naturally, a huge celebration follows with ‘Bapuji’ joining in the dancing.
One week later, Bhagwan, on His own merits, is recognized by the Immigration and Naturalization Service as a religious teacher.” (Madyapa 1984, pp. 534-35)
Subhuti writes on the adoption story
“While on the subject of far-fetched news stories, I do need to mention a particularly tacky one, which I will call “the adoption revelation”. One day on the Ranch, it was suddenly announced that way back in 1936, when Bhagwan was only five years old, his father had given up his young son for adoption. To whom? Why, to none other than Sheela’s father, Ambalal Patel [Sw Swarupananda], who, by the time this story broke, was also living on the Ranch. A document had been “discovered” to prove the adoption had taken place.
Why had this bizarre piece of history been unearthed? Well, coincidentally, there was a clause in US immigration law that permitted resident status to be granted to an unmarried son of a legally resident alien. Ambalal Patel, although born in Gujarat, India, was a legally resident alien in the United States. Bhagwan, of course, was unmarried – he’d opposed the institution all his life – and now was revealed to be Ambalal Patel’s adopted son. An application was immediately filed.
If ever I ran a story in the Rajneesh Times that defied belief, it was that one, and I wondered if we’d soon be reporting sightings of UFOs, or interviews with psychics claiming to be in communication with Elvis Presley, now six or seven years in his grave. Fortunately, the adoption application was sidelined. I’m told that an expert in the field of historical documents aired his doubts about its authenticity. But, in any case, it was deemed unnecessary when, a few months later, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) startled everyone by recognizing Bhagwan’s status as a religious teacher, which qualified him to stay in the country.” (Subhuti 2019, p. 236)
Aeri writes on the death of Osho’s grandfather
“When Osho was about four years old his grandfather had a heart attack. There was no medical doctor in that small village. After waiting for almost a day, Osho, his nani and the servant decided to take him, in a cart, to the town which was 32 miles away. The journey was long; Osho saw his grandfather losing his senses slowly, one by one. It was the first death for Osho to witness. Osho whispered into the ear of his grandfather and asked if he had anything to say. Osho’s grandfather was half-conscious and could not speak. He did one thing; he took off his ring and gave it to Osho. (Osho would keep that ring for many years before giving it away to some sannyasi). Nobody knew what was in the ring. Osho found out later that there was a statue of Mahavira in it. Osho’s grandfather also tried to tell Osho that he had nothing else to give him. Osho consoled him by saying that he had given him his love and affection and also sense of freedom and that was more than anything he needed. The cart was crossing a riverbed; his nani and the servant Bhoora were very quiet. Osho wanted his nani to say something; she did not say anything but sang a beautiful song, the one that she used to sing when she and her husband were in love.
Just before the grandfather died, he uttered the following words many times, ‘Stop the wheel’. The wheel represents the wheel of life and death, of birth and re-birth and to get out of this circle means Moksha or liberation. Osho at that time did not know the meaning of the expression ‘Stop the wheel’. He felt helpless and sad because he could not help his grandfather. Then, suddenly something happened. He remembered one of his past lives and he started chanting something. No one, including Osho himself, understood what he was chanting. Osho says that it was years later that he realized what he had chanted. It is called Bardo Thodol; it is a Tibetan mantra which is chanted at someone’s death and it means, “Relax, be silent. Go to your center, just be there; don’t leave it whatsoever happens to the body. Just be a witness. Let it happen, don’t interfere. Remember that you are only a witness; that is your true nature. If you can die remembering, the wheel can be stopped.”
Osho tells us that the Bardo, the mantra, made his grandfather relaxed and quiet and he died in silence. Before he died, the grandfather uttered the following Hindu mantra; “Tvadiyam vastu Govinda, tubhyam eva samarpayet”. This can be translated as; “My Lord, this life you have given to me, I surrender it back to you with my thanks.” (Aeri 2016, p. 20)
(Note: Osho was only four years old when his grandfather died. The Tibetan scripture is Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead) and during talks in Buddha Hall in his last months Osho was quoting from Bardo Thodol)
Kakar writes in his notes on the death of Osho’s grandfather
“Cit. in the authorized biography by V. Joshi, The Awakened One, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982, 22-23. In Rajneesh’s other accounts of the event, the grandfather is not in a coma but, with his head in the boy’s lap as the bullock cart rattles along, carries out long philosophical discussions on death and attachments (cf. Glimpses, 79ff.). Wendy Doniger in a personal communication notes that the scene is also very much like the Upanishadic description of the pranas and then the senses leaving one by one.” (Kakar 2009, p. 159)
Subhuti writes
“It was the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (1924-1981) who made the comment about Osho (although what he said is unclear). Apparently he was very good at finding reincarnated lamas and could recognize them immediately. He was born in Tibet, escaped to Bhutan in 1950 and in 1966 established the Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. He travelled the world extensively, teaching Buddhism and conducting Black Crown ceremonies (I think I went to one in the mid-70s in London).” (Subhuti. E-mail. 07.03.2016).
(Note: See also: www.oshonews.com/2011/12/27. This author clearly recalls attending a Black Crown ceremony in Copenhagen in the mid-70s, receiving a knock at the top chakra and a holy red thread from Karmapa. Later on he visited Rumtek monastery in Sikkim in 1998. At that time only three carvers were left in the Tibetan cultural region who were able of making reversed carvings, and this carving of laterally reversed Tibetan script for block-printing of the Dharma is documented at www.pierreevald.dk/library_files/tibet/tibetan.htm
The library at Nartang with its collection of wooden block press was stopped by and documented on the same journey to the Tibetan plateau. It is a library not holding the printed codices on paper, but the very wooden block material for reproducing those prints. On the top floor of Norbu Linka in Lhasa, Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace, are located his library room with murals and a collection of scriptures, next to his meditation room with its impressive tiger rug. These rarely accessible private premises, from where he left in 1959, were visited and documented only in drawing, but color photos, not from his library room but from the meditation room, are to be found in books. Photos from the field survey in Tibet 1998 are at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala and The Royal Library in Copenhagen)
Devakant quotes Karmapa and Osho
“He [the 16th Lama Karmapa] explained that one of the main aims of the Lamas in coming to India was to preserve their occult sciences. Osho from his side also confirmed this in his Kashmir lectures given in 1969. He said then, “The Dalai Lama has not escaped only to save himself, but to save the Tibetan religion, the meditation secrets and the occult sciences.”” (Devakant 2019, p. 499)
See also the comprehensive genealogy of Osho’s family compiled at www.sannyas.wiki. Hindi/Family relations. With Osho’s grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. All with husbands and wives. With old b&w photos and portrait gallery with color photos. Two photos of Osho’s family are included at www.sannyas.wiki:
* Osho with his family at Gadarwara. 1970. Attending Nani’s cremation, this was to be Osho’s last visit to Gadarwara. B&w.
* Osho with some relatives in Jabalpur. 1951. Sepia.
The photo from 1951 is same as Photo 1 in Part Two Jabalpur, and at sannyas.wiki a number of uncertainties are corrected to the caption in OSB which is based on information received from Arvind Kumar Jain in 2005. Sarlo has kindly written in 2015 to Rudra and Neeten on the talk page to clarify these uncertainties:
“Some differences exist between your source(s) and Neeten in identifying the people:
- Kundala is identified by Neeten as Osho’s maternal uncle, you have him as Kranti’s uncle. Here likely Neeten is wrong, since Osho’s mother did not have any siblings. It is also likely that he is Osho’s uncle as well. His father had only two sisters, both in Jabalpur, likely one was the mother of Kranti and Arvind and the other the husband of Kundalal. And Kundalal’s last name, Samajya, also brings up a question. Neeten has him as Samajya, but Sheela as Samaiya, which may be right, as Samaiya is the surname of some other Jains.
- Sheela Samajya, possibly Samaiya, see above. Is she Kundalal’s wife, Babu Lal’s sister? Kundalal’s sister?
- Saraswati Devi: is Osho’s mother’s name, but the picture doesn’t look like her. Or does it? Another family member with the same name? How likely can that be? A mistake?
bout her, Rudra seems not to doubt that it is Osho’s mom, so maybe that’s okay. Are Sheela and Kundalal the childless couple with whom Osho first stayed, he of the famously worst guru Hari Baba? Any ideas about their last name? Rudra’s source has them both as Samaiya, while you have them different, as mentioned above. My guess would be Samaiya for both but it’s just a guess.” (Sarlo. E-mail. 15.11.2015)
Arun writes on Osho’s father
“Before sannyas, Osho’s father was known as Shri Babulal Jain. He was from Timarni, a small town in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh, and was born on Mar 21, 1908, into a family of Digambara Jains of the Taran Panth sect, who worshipped the Jain saint Taran Swami. Daddaji was a small textile merchant in Gadarwara, and had a shop in front of his house where he used to sell cloth. For a businessman, his honesty was of a rare kind. Whenever a customer came to his shop to buy something and asked for the price, he would tell them the actual cost price he paid for it and leave it to the customer how much profit they wanted to give him. He would say, “I am a businessman and I need profit. This is how much I bought it for, and this much I paid for the transport. It is up to you now, how much more you want to give me as profit.” That is how Osho’s father used to run his business.” (Arun 2023, p. 186)
On Devateerth Bharti (Babu Lal), Osho’s father, see also: Joshi 2017, pp. 267-268.
And: Arun 2023, pp. 183-196: Swami Dev Teertha Bharati.
1.1 School Days and Early Youth in Gadarwara 1939 – 1951
Shyam Lal Soni, Osho’s childhood friend in Gadarwara, writes in 1968
“Raja was sent to the local Ganj Primary School at the age of seven years. But, for two years he could not be persuaded to sit within the closed walls of the school. The rebel within him has never agreed to be enclosed within walls ever since. With great difficulty he got interested in studies at the age of nine. And when he eventually got interested, then certainly there was no student like him. In school, Raja now became Rajneesh Chandra Mohan. The new name was given by his younger uncle. His talent was evident from first standard. Sharp mind and excellence in drawing got him first in his class. Teachers were happy with his beautiful handwriting and clear letters. Beautiful writing work was always presented to other students as an example by teachers. Painting and drawing of difficult pictures was an easy task for him. From second class his reading of newspapers and magazines started. There was a special interest in reading magazines because of stories told by mother and uncle. Meanwhile he became a member of the local public library and started reading books. Being the youngest member of the library was a surprise for everyone. Everybody was impressed by the combination of amazing memory and brilliant talent. Reasoning was superb. Family supported wholeheartedly in the sharpening of his intellect and evolution of his intelligence.
Father is an amazing person – full of human qualities, feeling joy in love, service & sacrifice – a hearty person. He is a businessman, but business has not even touched his heart. As if his business is also an outer expression of his inner tendencies of love and service. Elder uncle Shri Amritlal Ji ‘Chanchal’ has an interest in literature. Shri Chanchal Ji has completed his B.A. He has the heart of a poet. In town’s cultural and literary functions his presence is a must. In 1931 he was jailed for participating in national movement. Younger uncle Shri Shikharchand Ji was inclined toward politics. He was an active member of congress and was a strong socialist, impressed by fiery & progressive thinking. The credit of starting and spreading the socialist thinking in town goes to him. He could not continue his studies beyond matriculation because of participating in political movements. Thus, the whole family atmosphere was filled with business, politics and literature. Amongst these streams, the growth and development of Rajneesh took place.
Even in primary school he started writing poems and stories. He will recite poems read in books and written by him to his friends. He will give its explanation and interpretation too. This was a routine thing. Because of easy access of political literature and discussions of political figures he got acquainted with country’s political turmoil. Attraction to the three streams mentioned failed to impress him. It was certainly helpful as means, but none of them could become his goal.
Physical growth was also attended along with mental growth. He took interest in exercising. Swimming in the river was a joy. Long walks in morning and evening were daily routine. Fearlessness was admired characteristic. He will insist on friends not to fear. He would say: “Whatsoever we fear, accompanies us. If you are afraid of something, it will follow you. And as much we are afraid of something, in the same proportion we are defeated by it.”
Once I asked him, what is the greatest virtue in life? Then Rajneesh replied: “Courage! The greatest virtue in life is courage! Because without courage there is no freedom, without freedom there is no truth and without truth there is no virtue. In fact, courage plays the same role in life as foundation stones for any building.”…
After completing fourth standard in primary school, he enrolled himself in local municipal high school in 1944. During this time the joint family separated. Rajneesh family moved to another house. Elder brother did not ask younger brother to leave the house, instead considering the comforts of younger brothers, the elder brother shifted to another house. This incident of love, kindness and accommodation impressed Rajneesh. After leaving Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), he organized Indian National Army (I.N.A.) But the organization was short lived…
In school programs his speech used to be the best. He used to speak on both: literature and politics. In the sphere of literature, he has already read detective literature, Ravindra literature, Sharat literature and Premchand literature etc in Middle School. Socialist literature was also not left out. Ravindra literature was most dear. Study technique was interesting. After reading a book he will present its summary before his friends with its good and bad points. He will invite friend’s opinion too. With his logical acumen he will support or refuse friend’s opinions and point out its significance or insignificance. His thoughts were simple, clear, straight and heart oriented. There was no insistence on accepting anything without giving it proper thought. He was against blind beliefs. He considered belief as such blind….
He specially studied socialist literature in ‘Jan Addhyan Kash’ founded by his younger uncle. Along with this he studied also communist literature. Communist literature attracted him. From the very beginning he had empathy for helpless, suffering, and downtrodden people. Studying communist literature, a revolutionary feeling arose in his mind about political, social, and economic system of the society. Studying Gandhi was replaced by Karl Marx. The solution of suffering and disorder in life, he first saw in the philosophy of communism. But soon he realized that roots of human suffering are not in political and economic grounds. Their original source is somewhere else. This realization gave his thought a new direction. He was already reading works of Rahul Ji, now he started reading Buddhist literature too. By now he was a student at High School…
During this time his daily routine was regular. Before sunrise he will complete his bath and exercise etc. by the river. Coming back from the river he will study, then from 11am to 5pm school, 6pm to 7pm reading in library, 7pm to 9pm discussion with friends in open ground, then 9pm to 11pm self-study…
He passed matriculation in 1951 in second division with Hindi, English, Science, Art, Geography and General Knowledge subjects. He got distinction in General Knowledge. There was no competition with other students in school studies and results. His competition was with himself. Every day to move forward from himself was his motive. He considered competition the main fault in modern education system. He used to say: “Root of competition is jealousy. And whose root in jealousy can’t be good.” Because of this reason ambition could never motivate his mind.
He had to leave Gadarwara for higher education. He took admission in Hitkarni Mahavidyalay (College), Jabalpur. Instead of staying in hostel, he preferred to stay with younger aunt (father’s sister). Younger aunt was living embodiment of love and care. She had no children of her own, so she had no limits to love and care. Here only Arvind Bhai and sister Kranti got lucky to live near him. Because of participating in different programs in college his area of thinking expanded. He got enough literature to study, speed and intensity of study reached its climax… After passing second year Rajneesh himself left the college.
In B.A. First Year he got admission in D.N. Jain College… In B.A. also, like Intermediate, subjects were – Hindi, English, Philosophy, Political Science & Hindi Essay. He passed B.A. in 1955 in second division.
For Post-Graduation studies he took admission in Sagar University, Sagar. These two years are particularly important years of his life in many ways. During this period as if his whole being went through a transformation. On one side the abundant material was available in huge library of the university for his study, and on the other side proximity of nature was available under limitless sky and abundant natural beauty everywhere on surrounding hills…
He completed his Post Graduation in First Division First in 1957 in Philosophy from Sagar University. After this his name was selected by the University for a tour of south west Asian nations. He applied for vacant posts of professors in colleges. Because of his fame and popularity, he got appointed very soon in Sanskrit College, Raipur. After spending one year there he came to Mahakaushal College, Jabalpur. He remained a wonderful teacher. He would awaken the enquiry of students and instill courage and fearlessness to search for themselves. Even students of other subjects used to be so eager to listen to his lectures that they often would miss their subject classes and attend class of Rajneesh Ji. He remained in service here till August 1966. After that he became free from his post as professor – so that he can devote all his time and strength in the service of humanity at large.” (Shyam Lal Soni. Excerpt from his article ‘Enlightened Being Acharya Shree Rajneesh: An Introduction’. In: Jyoti Shikha, December 1968. Special issue on his Birthday 11th December. By: Shyam Soni, M.A. Full text on nine pages translated from Hindi at www.oshonews.com 30.10.2020)
(Note: On the above mentioned tour to south west Asian countries, Osho’s younger brother Niklank tells: “I don’t have any details, but just a faint memory that he was selected for some study tour, which he has declined and never taken any such tour.” Anuragi. E-mail. 16.12.2022)
Amrito writes on a man who acted as early childhood secretary to Osho
“It was in the late 1980s and this was the man’s first visit to see Osho since their childhood. Devageet, Osho’s dentist, spoke to him on his arrival and the man’s story was beautiful. Aged about 7 years old, Osho would sit on top of bales of cloth in a little storage area and would tell stories to the other kids around on the floor. Every night, same time, same place…. And the job of this childhood friend was twofold: One, to always have a glass of water ready for Osho, and two, to remember where the story had ended the night before.
Devageet wrote to Osho wanting to properly interview this childhood friend and record this wonderful story. Wonderful…. Except Osho says no need. He has already spoken whatever is needed for us to understand about his childhood, he explains. And in any case, when people re-tell stories about Osho, he says, they always make it about themselves, they always bring their egos into it.” (Amrito 2022)
1.2 Spiritual Traditions
Vasant Joshi (Sw Satya Vedant) writes on Taran Panth and Taran Taran Swami
“Osho’s family were followers of a small sect called Taran Panth. The sect was founded in the sixteenth century by a saint named Taran Taran Swami, who was a contemporary of the Indian saints Kabir and Nanak. The Jain tradition, taught by Mahavir, contemporary of Buddha, was later split into two sects: Digambara and Shwetambara. Taran Swami belonged to the former. The Digambara sect was split further into several small sects, one of which was known as Parwar. Taran Swami’s family came from the Parwar sect, which is primarily located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Taran Swami opposed the image worship widely prevalent among Digambara Jains and preached the worship of the formless. He criticized the emphasis the Digambara Jains placed on materialism and exhorted them to turn toward the spirituality taught by Mahavir. Taran Swami was put to a lot of trouble and harassment by the society for his views. However, a few Jains and other non-Jains became his followers. Osho’s forefathers were among those who had accepted Taran Swami as their guru. His teachings are contained in fourteen books.” (Joshi 2017, p. 197)
Osho talks on Taran Taran
“I was born in a family which belongs to a very small section of Jainism…it follows a madman who must have been just a little bit less mad than me. I cannot say more mad than me.
I am going to talk about his two books which are not translated in English, not even into Hindi, because they are untranslatable. I don’t think he is ever going to have any international audience. Impossible. He believes in no language, no grammar, nothing whatsoever. He speaks exactly like a madman. His book is Shunya Svabhava – ‘The Nature of Emptiness.’
It is just a few pages, but a tremendous significance. Each sentence contains scriptures, but very difficult to understand. You will naturally ask how could I understand him. In the first place just as Martin Buber was born into a Hassid family, I was born into this madman’s tradition. His name is Taran Taran. It is not his real name, but nobody knows his real name. Taran simply means ‘The Savior.’ That has become his name.
I have breathed him from my very childhood, listened to his songs, wondered what he meant. But a child never cares about the meaning… the song was beautiful, the rhythm was beautiful, the dance was beautiful, and it is enough.
One needs to understand such people only if one is grown up, otherwise, if from their very childhood they are surrounded by the milieu they will not need to understand and yet deep down in their guts they will understand.
I understand Taran Taran – not intellectually, but existentially. Moreover I also know what he is talking about. Even if I had not been born into a family of his followers I would have understood him. I have understood so many different traditions and it is not that I have been born into all of them… I have understood so many madmen that anybody could go mad by just making an effort to understand them! But just look at me, they have not affected me at all… They have remained somewhere below me. I have remained transcendental to them all.
Still, I would have understood Taran Taran. I may not have come into contact with him, that is possible, because his followers are very few, just a few thousand, and found only in the middle parts of India. And they are so afraid because of their being in such a minority, that they don’t call themselves the followers of Taran Taran, they call themselves Jainas. Secretly they believe, not in Mahavira as the rest of the Jainas believe, but in Taran Taran, the founder of their sect.
Jainism itself is a very small religion; only three million people believe in it. There are two main sects: the Digambaras, and the Svetambaras. The Digambaras believe that Mahavira lived naked, and was naked. The word digambara means ‘sky clad’; metaphorically it means ‘the naked.’ This is the oldest sect.
The word svetambara means the ‘white clad,’ and the followers of this sect believe that although Mahavira was naked he was covered by the gods in an invisible white cloth… this is a compromise just to satisfy the Hindus.
The followers of Taran Taran belong to the Digambara sect, and they are the most revolutionary of the Jainas. They don’t even worship the statues of Mahavira; their temples are empty, signifying the inner emptiness.
It would have been almost impossible to have come to know Taran if not for the chance that I was born into a family who believed in him. But I thank God, it was worth the trouble to be born into that family. All the troubles can be forgiven just for this one thing, that they acquainted me with a tremendous mystic.
His book Shunya Svabhava says only one thing again and again, just like a madman. You know me, you can understand. I have been saying the same thing again and again for twenty-five years…I’ve said again and again “Awake!” That’s what he does in Shunya
Svabhava
Nana used to go to the temple every morning, yet he never said, “Come with me.” He never indoctrinated me. That is what is great… not to indoctrinate. It is so human to force a helpless child to follow your beliefs. But he remained untempted – yes, I call it the greatest temptation. The moment you see someone dependent on you in any way, you start indoctrinating. He never even said to me, “You are a Jaina.” (Urmila 2007, p.22)
Excerpt from article by Shyam Lal Soni, childhood friend of Osho
“It was the full moon night of Kartik in 1948. Must have been around 11 pm. We were sitting on the riverbank in Gadarwara. All around was quiet and silent when all of a sudden Rajneesh spoke.
He expressed that he is needed in the field of religion, not in other fields; that religion is his vocation.
This sentiment did not appeal to me and seemed inconsistent at the time because his inclination was more towards communism. But the very next day this feeling started to find expression in his life. Politics and literature, all became unimportant in comparison to religion. Philosophy and religion remained his only interest.
Moving around and playing at secluded places and in solitude during the night continued, because of fearlessness, love for nature and the tendency of following his quest. He would also encourage friends if they felt afraid. His love for nature was so evident then as it is clear today. He has always been sensitive about nature. He made beauty of nature his eyes and its music his heart. He opened himself to the universe, he invited the guest in his heart. He found his soul soaring high on mountains, and descending into the depths of the valleys. The infinite expanse of the sky, the utter silence of stars and boundless beauty of flowers penetrated his inner being. Within, ‘self’ disappeared and godliness came into being.
His affinity and love for nature, fearlessness and unquenchable quest were not without reason or basis, but they were the foundation of some unknown search and experiment.”
(Shyam Lal Soni. Excerpt from his article ‘Enlightened Being Acharya Shree Rajneesh: An Introduction’. In: Jyoti Shikha, December 1968. Special issue on his Birthday 11th December. By: Shyam Soni, M.A. Full text on nine pages translated from Hindi at www.oshonews.com 30.10.2020)
(Note: Comments by Sw. Niklank and Osho News: The full moon on 16th November 1948 was the Supermoon of the 20th century. The next Supermoon of same magnitude will be on 6th December 2052. It will be the absolute closest full moon to Earth in this century at a distance of merely 221,472 miles)
Being a Jaina
Nana used to go to the temple every morning, yet he never said, “Come with me.” He never indoctrinated me. That is what is great…not to indoctrinate. It is so human to force a helpless child to follow your beliefs. But he remained untempted – yes, I call it the greatest temptation. The moment you see someone dependent on you in any way, you start indoctrinating. He never even said to me, “You are a Jaina.” (Urmila 2007, p. 22. Books I Have Loved. 1985. Chapter 14. Joshi 2017, p. 198)
1.3 Early Steps of a Bookman
* Taran Taaran Patrika (Taran Taaran Magazine). 1942. 40 pages total. Xerox copy. Handwritten magazine / collection in school notebook with drawing by Osho at age 10. See photos at the start of this Supplement to Part One.
List of Contents (page 6). Titles and authors.
Page
| 1. Taran-Taraan. Kavita (Poem) | Tara Chand Jain |
| 3. Mahavir. Kavita. | Prabhavati Bai Jain |
| 4. Mahavir. Kavita | Rassa Kumari Jain |
| 5. Manush Gati ke Dukh | Tara Chand Jain |
| 7. Jhooth ka Phai | Swadesh Chand Jain |
| 9. Hinsa ki Mahima | Hemant Kumar Jain |
| 11. Chori (Theft) | Govind Das Jain |
| 13. Hinsa ka Phai | Rajneesh Mohan Chandra Jain |
| 15. Dharm ki Mahima | Kewal Chand Jain |
| 17. Ghamand | Tara Bai Jain |
| 19. Jhooth (Lie) | Suresh Chand Jain |
| 21. Paap (Sin) | Ravi Shankar Jain |
| 23. Chori | Ramesh Chand Jain |
| 25. Hinsa (Violence) | Gopi Bai Jain |
| 27. Hinsa | Babu Lal Jain |
here may be some uncertainty in the numbering of pages.
Early magazine / collection discovered, as reported by Anuragi
“I was with Niklank Ji yesterday and he showed me a Xerox copy of a handwritten magazine by Osho. The magazine is titled ‘Taran Taaran Patrika’ (Taran Taaran Magazine). This is the first and only issue of the magazine, or rather collection made by several contributors among Osho’s friends. The magazine is written in the year 1942 in his school notebook, which he had used for making the collection of articles.
We may understand title, subject and editing of the whole magazine / collection in context with Osho’s childhood orientation towards the Jaina tradition in his family. The capability of a child age 10 to put this collection together and organizing the contributing friends may give us a hint of what was to follow in years to come. We’re here meeting what was to become a real bibliophile in due time. He was to have a skilfully made accessions register of this first book collection in Gadarwara 1943-1950, and at age 14 the magazine ‘Prayas’ (Effort) appeared with a few issues 1944-1945. As we’ll know, much more was to follow.
Osho started going to school at the age of 9½, in the year 1940, not in grade 1 but he entered directly in 2nd Hindi grade as he could already read Hindi. This means he would be joining grade 3 at age 10 when this collection was written in 1942. In grade 5 he was already familiar with the alphabet and could read English as well. Osho attended the primary school, Prathamik Shala, from 01.07.1940 to 03.06.1944.
Niklank is not in possession of the original, but got his photocopy from someone else as the notebook is still kept in Gadarwara with the joint family of Sw. Swadesh. Niklank confirms the notebook is made by Osho. Swadesh Chandra was the elder brother of Sw Narendra Bodhisattva (Dheradun). He was Osho’s class mate then in primary school. This is confirmed by Ma Mukti. Anuragi eventually got the whole notebook scanned in Gadarwara.
The drawing in the collection on the page with Osho’s article on page 19 would be the only drawing we can verify is made by him (as per Niklank). The makers of other drawings are not known, but they are not from Osho’s hand.
Article no.8 (page 20 right and 19 left with drawing) ‘Hinsa ka Phal’ (Fruit of Non-Violence) is only article we can confirm is written by Osho.
Article no.3 ‘Mahavir’ is written by Rassa Ma, Osho’s sister.
On page 4 is mentioned that this is a special issue for Diwali and the name of Swadesh Chandra is written as ‘Editor’ of the collection with the name of Rajneesh Mohan Chandra mentioned on same page below Swadesh, as ‘Operation Manager’. We may assume that the collection was made and edited jointly with both names appearing on that same page.
It may seem plausible that Osho was writing in his name, just like when later on in ‘Prayas’ he often wrote things using names of his friends, as mentioned by Niklank. In the notebook we do find different handwritings belonging to the friends who were writing those articles. It may be a bit of a puzzle to figure out the actual authorships, but we’ll have to rely in what is mentioned in the List of Contents (page 6), and also we’ll have to deal with some uncertainty in the numbering of pages.” (Anuragi. E-mails. 27.12.2019 & 30.11.2022. Amended)
Rashid Maxwell writes
“I am currently writing a biography of Ma Yoga Laxmi at the invitation of Sw Atul of Delhi.
This last November I was in Gadarwara with a number of Indian sannyasin friends. One of them was Sw Pulac from Osho Maulshree Ashram who is connected with the OshoLeela ashram here in Gadarwara.
I was taken to the subscription library where the teenager Rajneesh used to study. You may have been there. It is cramped, dirty and run-down. One room is in the process of being refurbished. All books are locked in dusty, glass-fronted cupboards.
The librarian told me that at some stage Osho had donated 600 or 700 books to the library – perhaps on his move to Mumbai in 69/70. He then very kindly produced about eight books, each with Osho’s differing signature and in some cases a date of purchase. All of the books were covered by Osho’s own hand with newspaper or a magazine page. I was totally moved and excited looking at these books and handling them. At some stage I asked the librarian where the other books were. He looked away and shrugged his shoulders..
A set of books that helped to form the most extraordinary mind of the late century constitute an incredible resource for archivists, historians, psychologists, philosophers and ultimately the whole world. At present they are both deteriorating and disappearing.
It seems to me they urgently need to be first catalogued and then secured for the future. It also seems to me proper that they remain in Gadarwara, perhaps eventually in the care of the Osho Leela Ashram… In Delhi I contacted Sw Atul and Ma Jyoti, Ma Neelam and Sw Tathagat, Sw Kirti and Sw Kul Bushan. Later on also Ma Punya from Osho News. Ma Jyoti contacted a nephew of Osho who spoke to the librarian and received a negative response. My first impulse was that the Indian nationals were the best people to negotiate and deal with the library. It seems to me that there is not much energy there to conserve this collection: the past is past.” (Rashid Maxwell. E-mail. 03.02.2015)
Niklank, Osho’s younger brother, has throughout his life carefully preserved all items he in his childhood and youth collected from Osho since the years they were living in Gadarwara. These valuables have all been kept under his bed in several metal trunks, one of which originally belonging to Nani, Osho’s maternal grandmother. What was stored in those trunks under his bed was, when the items were revealed, nothing but a treasure grove. He has been guiding Anurag with his project of preserving Osho’s legacy and has given him valuable input and support. Among other things he gave a trunk full of old magazines to Anuragi, mentioning that ‘these guests have been with me for a long time and now they feel happy to go to a new host’. (Own observation & Anuragi. E-mail. 09.02.2020)
Preserved is also a notebook (Deepak Office File) on 60 sheets handwritten by Osho in 1946 during his school years in Gadrwara. The owner prefers to be anonymous and the notebook is not in the public domain for the time being (December 2022).
Osho’s younger brother recalls Osho visiting Gadarwara from Jabalpur
“With an age difference of 24 years between them, Shailendra Saraswati never had a normal, brotherly relationship with Osho. Like the other family members, he too did not have any unrestricted access to Osho. “We never had a ‘bhaibhai ka rishta’ (normal brotherly relationship). I was born three-four years after Osho attained enlightenment and was eight-ten years old when Osho was 34-35 and a professor in a college in Jabalpur. He would come home to Gadarwara about three to four times a year for festivals such as Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan and then stay for just three days or so. There would be a crowd accompanying him from the railway station itself and even at home, there was a constant flow of people wanting to meet him. He was always surrounded by people, and being a voracious reader, he would be immersed in his books whenever he had some time to himself. He would use a red and blue pencil to underline sentences or make notations. The elders in the family treated him with considerable respect and I grew up with the same attitude. I always treated him as my guru and saw myself as his ‘shishya’ (disciple),” Shailendra Saraswati said in his interview to the author.” (Vaidya 2017, p. 172)
Swami Sukhraj Bharti writes on his time with Osho in Gadarwara. In: Rajneesh Times International (India), 1988:10 & 14. Part 1-2.
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