Ma Anand Sheela's Story: Love With Osho, Married Thrice, Sent To Prison, Rajneeshee Bioterror Attack

Ma Anand Sheela is known by several names, including Sheela Ambalal Patel, Sheela Birnstiel, and Sheela Silverman. However, she is still in the core memory of so many people due to her close association with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, AKA Osho. The Indian-Swiss woman was the spokesperson of the iconic religious movement, Rajneesh Movement, inspired by Osho. From 1981 to 1985, Ma Anand Sheela served as Osho's secretary and managed the Rajneeshpuram ashram in Wasco County, Oregon, United States.

Meet Ma Anand Sheela: A look into the controversial life of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, AKA Osho's former secretary who was madly in love with him

During this period, many things happened that changed Ma Anand Sheela's life forever. Although the world had forgotten the controversial woman, but it was in 2018 when Netflix dropped a documentary titled Wild Wild Country based on the life of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The new generation found the entire documentary quite fascinating, due to which Ma Anand Sheela's name found its lost spotlight all over again.

After the tremendous success of Wild Wild Country, Netflix bought another documentary titled Searching for Sheela, which was solely based on Ma Anand Sheela's life. The controversial woman received immense limelight worldwide due to her close association with Osho. In October 2022, Ma Anand Sheela did a video call interview with Entrepreneur India and revealed that she has been living in Maisprach, Switzerland. When she was asked whether she still loves Osho after all this time, Ma Anand Sheela said:

"I love him very much, there are no why's in love, and it simply happens. It was a big happening in my life, which structured me, focussed me, and am still very focussed."

Even after so many years of Osho's mysterious death on January 19, 1990, his former secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, continues to keep him alive in her thoughts. However, in order to understand the story completely, we have to go back in time. According to several reports, Sheela and Osho met for the first time when her father took her with him to an Indian mystic's ashram.

"The moment she met and heard him, Ma Anand Sheela felt an immediate devotion towards Osho. Once, in an interview, Ma Anand Sheela opened up about her first meeting with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and said, "It was in this moment, if death were to have come, I accept. My life was complete."

Ma Anand Sheela opened up about her romantic relationship with Bhagwan Shree Naresh, AKA Osho

During her appearance at The Conversation event organised by the NGO Humans of Humanity, Ma Anand Sheela talked about her relationship with Osho and her eventual fallout. Ma Anand Sheela admitted that not just her but even Osho deeply loved her. Recalling her precious moments with Osho, Sheela revealed that one evening they watched the movie, Umrao Jaan and also used to read poetry together. However, she confirmed that she wasn't sexually involved with Osho. She said:

"There was no sex with Osho. Our relationship was not sexual. The integrity mattered because I was already drowning in him."

Ma Anand Sheela revealed the reason behind her fallout with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 

For the uninitiated, Ma Anand Sheela was accused of repeatedly poisoning Osho's caretaker and alleged girlfriend, Ma Yoga Vivek. Due to this controversy, she left the ashram in disgrace, and even Osho supported the severe accusation against her. Despite being blamed for such severe allegations, Ma Anand Sheela admitted that she is still in love with him and will always be eternally grateful to him. She said:

"Whatever he said made me sad but it was his problem and not mine. However, I can't forget my love for him and I am eternally grateful for that."

Ma Anand Sheela was sent to jail for 20 years after being pleaded guilty in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack

It was in 1984 when 751 people in The Dalles, Oregon, United States, suffered food poisoning at ten local restaurants. According to the investigation, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's leading followers hoped to incapacitate the voting population and the operation was led by Ma Anand Sheela. It was the first and largest bioterrorist attack in the history of the United States of America. After proven guilty, she was sent to federal prison for 20 years; however, she was released after serving just 39 months in jail, and she was released due to her good behaviour. 

Ma Anand Sheela's three marriages and children

Ma Anand Sheela's first marriage was with Marc Harris Silverman, and she lived with him in America sometime before returning to India in 1972 to pursue her spiritual studies. After the demise of her husband in 1980, Sheela got married to Osho's follower, John Shelfer, in December 1980. In the following years, Shelfer also passed away, and she fell in love with Urs Birnstiel, who died in 1992 due to AIDS. It was in 1979 that Sheela adopted a girl from Pune named Anuja. Ma Anand Sheela named her company, Anuja Impex, after her daughter's name.

What are your thoughts on these anecdotes about Ma Anand Sheela and Osho's troubled relationship? Let us know.

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