According to Osho, nothing has stopped; the mythic still unfolds now. Human nature, destiny, saints and scoundrels—everything the Puranas dramatized—continues in contemporary forms. What changed is our eye: cynicism, schooling and labels make us miss the sacred pattern inside ordinary events. Drop nostalgia and look freshly—the same play of consciousness is happening in today’s streets.
Those old-time wonders still happen today, but we miss them because we’re not looking with fresh, trusting eyes.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, why do events like those described in the Puranas no longer happen?
After the procession passed, Dhurtraj saw a man in pristine white khadi, rosary in hand and humility spread across his brow, running along chanting “Jai Babuji, Jai Babuji.” Dhurtraj asked, “And who is this man? Why is he dressed in white like that?” The friend said, “He’s a chamcha—a sycophant. He’s going to serve the leader. If the leader is pleased with his devotion, he’ll take him to Delhi and grant him his heart’s desire.” Dhurtraj said, “Can I do that too?” The friend replied, “Why not!” Hearing this, Dhurtraj said, “Friend, let’s go back home. I’m no longer interested in Ravidas Jayanti.” The two returned to their village. That night at two o’clock, Dhurtraj got up, took all the money from his father Luttodhan’s wallet, slipped the toe-rings off his stepmother’s feet and the bangles from her hands, spat softly one last time on the face of his quarrelsome…
Many western historians feel that humanity is constantly making progress. If this is the case, then how is it that human consciousness is so unevolved?
Mark and Luke are contradictory because they are writing history. But Tulsidas and Valmiki are not contradictory. They are not writing history, they are not concerned with history at all. They are reliving, in their imaginations. They say, "We cannot say much. We cannot say enough because we are not capable. All that is said is only a fragment. It is not the whole story." If you yourself see Krishna, you will see something else altogether. But you are at liberty to see it because the event is not historical. So the life of Krishna or of Ram, becomes very rich. Jesus' recorded life was very poor because his followers were obsessed with history. They could not write anything that was beyond history. The eastern mind could see that we cannot do justice to Krishna or Buddha if we limit ourselves to bare events. This will be an injustice because…
Why do Puranic, mythic tales gather around enlightened ones? Please explain.
The full moon is a symbol of fullness. Grasping that symbol, the Purana says: the Buddha was born whole—born on a full-moon night—born cool, radiant, with the complete beauty, carrying a unique ambrosia. Then, on a full-moon night, that hidden nectar within him flowed forth, blossomed, opened like a lotus—he attained. And on a full-moon night he departed, for even the death of a buddha is full, as his birth was full. Everything in the Buddha’s life is complete. To say this—that everything in the Buddha’s life is complete—we chose the symbol of the full moon. People choose different symbols, but the value lies not in the symbol itself; the value is in the meaning we pour into it. That is why Puranas arise around enlightened ones; mythic stories are created. Through the meanings hidden in those stories you can understand what buddhahood signifies. There are two kinds of fools…
Question: First question: Osho, can anyone still realize God in this Kali Yuga? The tyranny of darkness has been so effective— Is the night becoming permanent? So the doubt arises: Has the night become forever? Will there be no dawn? That is what Kali Yuga means—that there will never be a morning again; that this is the final night; that the days of day are gone, now only nights. Listen to people: “Those good old days!” People think backwards. There is a psychological, not historical, reason. Every person has left childhood behind—that is the reason. In childhood there were no worries, no responsibilities, no anxieties. We did not know what was happening in the world. There was light everywhere; flowers were blooming; butterflies flying; clouds in the sky; the reign of fairies. Everyone has left behind days of happiness.
It has been asked: “In your view, is self-realization an indispensable necessity of human life?”
Purana means: that which happens only sometimes; once in thousands of years. A collection of such unique events is called Purana. Trust does not easily arise in a Purana. History is trash, history is refuse—a heap of garbage, what happens every day. In earlier days people would wake in the morning and read the Gita, or the Dhammapada, or the Quran; now they wake and read the newspaper. That which happens every day... Have you ever noticed, in the newspaper you read what happens every day, and yet you read the same thing every day. Do you ever see anything new in a newspaper? Has anyone ever seen anything new in a newspaper? You call it a “newspaper”! Let it be two days old and you won’t read it. I lived for a while in a place where a madman lived near me. He had a great fondness for newspapers.…