Early Life
Sheela was born Sheela Ambalal Patel in Baroda, India; the youngest of six children of Ambalal and Maniben Patel. At the age of 18, her parents sent her to the United States to attend Montclair State College. She married Marc Harris Silverman, a wealthy American and resident of Highland Park, Illinois. She became known as Sheela P. Silverman. Upon returning to India in 1972, Sheela and Silverman became sannyasins or initiated disciples of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, now commonly known as Osho. She took the name Ma Anand Sheela; her husband became Swami Prem Chinmaya. Silverman subsequently died, and Sheela married another sannyasin, John Shelfer (Swami Jayananda). Her father also became a sannyasin, taking the name Swami Swarupananda.
Read more about this topic: Ma Anand Sheela
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“Foolish prater, What dost thou
So early at my window do?
Cruel bird, thou’st ta’en away
A dream out of my arms to-day;
A dream that ne’er must equall’d be
By all that waking eyes may see.
Thou this damage to repair
Nothing half so sweet and fair,
Nothing half so good, canst bring,
Tho’ men say thou bring’st the Spring.”
—Abraham Cowley (1618–1667)
“Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile,
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp?”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)