The enigmatic decision of Bollywood superstar Vinod Khanna to leave the film industry at the height of his fame and join Osho's commune in the United States is a legendary tale. However, a new revelation from his second wife, Kavita Khanna, shows that this spiritual calling was not a sudden impulse but a lifelong quest that began in his teenage years.
The Teenage Yogi: A Spiritual Awakening at 17
In a candid conversation, Kavita Khanna shared that Vinod's spiritual inclination was a core part of his identity from a very young age. At just 17 years old, he discovered Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi at the iconic Strand Bookstore in Bombay. The book had such a profound impact on him that he stayed up all night, unable to put it down until he had finished reading it. This early encounter set the tone for a life deeply intertwined with spiritual seeking.
This connection to spiritual thought persisted even as his film career skyrocketed. Kavita recalled that whenever the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti was in town, Vinod Khanna would prioritize attending his lectures. If he was shooting for a film, he would take the day off to ensure he could listen to Krishnamurti's discourses, demonstrating a commitment that ran parallel to his cinematic success.
Turning Point: Tragedy and the Path to Sanyas
The actor's bond with the mystic Osho, formerly known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, intensified during a period of immense personal grief. The family endured a devastating phase with five deaths in quick succession. Among those lost was Vinod Khanna's mother, to whom he was particularly close. This cascade of tragedy became a pivotal moment in his life.
"When his mother died, he went to the ashram and took sanyas. That's how that journey began," Kavita revealed. It was this profound personal loss that steered him formally onto the path of renunciation, leading him to Osho's ashram in Pune.
Dual Life: Superstar by Day, Gardener by Night
Contrary to popular belief, Vinod Khanna did not abruptly abandon his professional responsibilities. Kavita emphasized that for three years, he meticulously balanced his new spiritual life with his existing film commitments. During this period, he completed major projects that were already signed, including blockbuster hits like Hera Pheri and Qurbani, where audiences saw him at his charismatic best.
His life off-camera, however, was one of extreme simplicity. While shooting on location as required, his base was the Osho Ashram in Pune. There, he lived in an astonishingly modest room measuring just four feet by six feet. Kavita shared that the space was so tiny that Osho himself joked about it, and Vinod had to sleep diagonally on the bed because there was no other space.
"In front of the camera, he was doing films; off camera, he was meditating. He was Osho's gardener in the ashram. Then he went to Oregon," she described, painting a picture of a man seamlessly inhabiting two vastly different worlds.
Becoming a Buddha in the Marketplace
Explaining why Vinod Khanna eventually moved away from the structured life of the ashram, Kavita said he had found the spiritual fulfillment he was seeking. He no longer felt the need to be within the ashram's confines. She beautifully summarized his evolved philosophy, stating that the ultimate goal of a spiritual journey is not to perform rituals endlessly but to achieve an inner evolution and peace.
"The idea is to be a Buddha in the marketplace," she said. To be able to remain centered and peaceful amidst the chaos of everyday life and worldly success represented, to her, the pinnacle of his spiritual journey. Vinod Khanna's life story thus transforms from a mere Bollywood biography into a profound narrative of a seeker who navigated the extremes of glamour and renunciation, ultimately seeking enlightenment not in isolation, but in the heart of the world itself.
