Introduction
In a memorable dialogue with the great Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant, Osho was asked to list the brightest spiritual figures— “super‑humans”—in India’s history. He named twelve, then refined them to seven, then five, four, and finally declared that reducing further was impossible. This post explores his reasoning for each stage and presents his final four.
Osho’s Original Twelve
Osho initially listed twelve luminaries of Indian spirituality:
- Krishna
- Patanjali
- Buddha
- Mahavira
- Nagarjuna
- Shankara
- Gorakh
- Kabir
- Nanak
- Meera
- Ramakrishna
- J. Krishnamurti
Osho’s Condensed Lists
Seven names (dropped five):
Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavira, Shankara, Gorakh, Kabir
Five names (dropping Shankara and Kabir):
Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavira, Gorakh
- Osho emphasizes: “Because Kabir is merged into Gorakh. Gorakh is the root.”
Four names:
Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Gorakh
- Osho clarifies that Mahavira could be absorbed within Buddha, while Nagarjuna, Ramakrishna, Kabir, Nanak, Meera, etc. emerge from these roots
Three names? Impossible.
He declared all four were indispensable—like the four directions, four dimensions, four arms of God—removing any would be self‑mutilation.
Why These Final Four?
1. Krishna
Represents divine action and love. Osho says Krishna embodies the original contribution: “Karma‑yoga and love‑wisdom” that shaped Indian civilization. Krishna’s methods influenced later teachers like Shankara and Ramakrishna.
2. Patanjali
The compiler of the Yoga Sutras—foundational to Indian spiritual science. Without Patanjali, Yoga might not have reached its systematic form. His work is both praxis and philosophy.
3. Buddha
The Enlightened One who gave the mind‑science of meditation. His path of compassion and liberation is unique. Osho holds Buddha as the seed phenomenon from which others like Nagarjuna and Krishnamurti emerge.
4. Gorakh (Gorakhnath)
Called the root of much of Indian sant tradition. Osho emphasizes that Kabir, Nanak, Meera, Dadu, Farid—all sprout from Gorakh’s methods. He broke inner gates, brought numerous paths to inner transformation. Without him, none of the later devotional streams would exist.
Final Four (the Irreducibles)
| Name | Role & Significance |
| Krishna | Source of divine action, love‑wisdom, originality |
| Patanjali | Architect of Yoga, systematizer of spiritual practice |
| Buddha | Enlightenment in action and mind‑science of meditation |
| Gorakh | Root of tantric‑sant tradition, inventor of inner methods |
All four represent unique dimensions—action/love, disciplined yoga, inner awareness, and transformative method—like the four arms of the divine. Osho said removing any would damage the whole structure of India’s spiritual legacy.
Conclusion
In that exchange with Sumitranandan Pant, Osho distilled India’s spiritual heritage into four archetypes—each indispensably original. These final four—Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, and Gorakh—stand as pillars of action, practice, insight, and innovation.
Thank you for reading!
Feel free to share your thoughts or why you might add or argue for other names.