Born in a well-known business family in New Delhi, she went through a turbulent adolescence and adulthood and then a transformative turn towards spirituality. In an exclusive interview with A Lotus in the Mud, Satchitananda Vandana Khaitan credits her mentor, Yogi Protoplasm, a direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi, for helping her navigate personal dilemmas and guiding her on the path of enlightenment.
After discovering her true calling, she evolved personally and now devotes herself to focused mindful work. She has authored books such as MUM – Meditation Ultimate Medication and produced films such as ‘Yogi vs Bhogi’. She also conducts workshops for corporations and online, sharing her insights and experience. Excerpts from a candid conversation with Parveen Chopra, Founding Editor of A Lotus in the Mud, in which she shares myriad shades of her life.
Parveen Chopra: Your rough young adulthood changed the course of your life. Tell us about it.
Satchitananda Vandana Khaitan: My Guruji—Yogi Protoplasm—always said, suffering brings you closer to the Divine. I was wrongly medicated from the age of 17 years to 32. I saw it as a past life’s bad karma. But I had some good karma also. I met my Guruji and he guided me to taper off medicines slowly and chant for three hours daily. So this practice transformed and healed my life.
A direct disciple of Ramana Maharshi, he explained deep meditation in a simple and scientific way. He said seekers should meditate for an hour in the morning and evening and keep an introspection diary.
Coming from a business family, wasn’t it hard for you and your family when you chose the path of vairagya?
Vandana Khaitan: I didn’t choose this path; suffering pushed me towards it. In our country, many are religious, but few are spiritual. My Guruji used to say that visiting a temple and offering sweets for the well-being of a husband or son, and for material things is a commercial devotion, not spirituality.
Spirituality is living simply, selflessly.
Why did your guru call himself Protoplasm?
Vandana Khaitan: We would often ask him, “Why do you call yourself Yogi Protoplasm?” He would fetch a microscope and show us protoplasm, explaining that whether rich or poor, black or white, Hindu or Muslim, we are all made of protoplasm—the soul in all is one.
A former biology professor, my guru met Ramana Maharshi in his 50s after reading A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton.
How come you have added Satchidananda as a prefix to your name?
Vandana Khaitan: Guru Protoplasm asked us to add ‘Satchidananda’ before our names. He would say, even if you become the most powerful person on the planet, the body is a perishable product—it will get diseased and die. So focus on your divine, eternal identity, not the perishable one. That was his teaching.
What is your sadhana routine?
Vandana Khaitan: I do 45 minutes of kirtan dancing followed by half an hour of Om chanting – both morning and evening. I read a lot of spiritual books, mainly by Paramahansa Yogananda. I find them intoxicating. I also serve in an orphanage with 20 children; I teach them bhajans and tell them stories.
In your living room, you have a picture of Meera. Are you, too, a Krishna devotee? How do you mix the two – Vedanta and Bhakti?
Vandana Khaitan: I do both Nirguna Upasana and Saguna Upasana. Nirgun is chanting Om and worshipping God as formless. Saguna is worshipping a form like Krishna. Yes, I am a Krishna devotee, and I pray to him each day: if you must give me something, give me Meera’s devotion.
You made four documentaries which feature skeletons walking around. While those scenes have shock value, do you think they encourage reflection?
Vandana Khaitan: The aim is to teach vairagya (dispassion), a very important lesson. We are not taught vairagya in our society. This adds a very deep, ancient teaching.
In your movies, you asked this question again and again—what is the real goal of human birth? So, what is the answer?
Vandana Khaitan: Ramana Maharshi taught us Vedanta in one sentence—Who am I? My Guruji would even show skeletons in class and ask the same question. He taught that if we seek promotion to Brahma Lok (higher spiritual realm), free from disease and death – God tests our purity and selflessness here. The simpler and more selfless you are, the greater your chances of promotion.
You have wanted to make Bollywood-style masala movies to hammer home your points to a wider audience.
Vandana Khaitan: In my movie, Yogi vs Bhogi, I showed corruption and female foeticide. I made this for my YouTube channel. But now I dream of making it for the big screen to spread this teaching globally. We are in the process of writing the script.
Tell us about your workshops. Are you planning to conduct any in the US?
Vandana Khaitan: Yeah, I was in America four years back when I did a workshop for the employees of Park Square Homes in Florida. My beginner’s workshop is for two hours, and Level Two spans two days. Most people are not interested in moksha, but if you tell them about healing and stress management, then you can attract them. So, to attract the masses, I started doing these workshops.
I am also a big proponent of Garbh Sanskar (where pregnant mothers come together for sadhana or spiritual training, to beget a healthy, happy and peaceful child). I’ve seen politics and corruption in ashrams also. That is why Yogi Protoplasm emphasized Garbh Sanskar—instilling values from the womb.
This has been scientifically proven by Dr. Masaru Emoto. His experiments showed that human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water and that positive words formed beautiful crystals in water and negative words deformed them. Guruji taught that since the fetus is 90% water, the mother’s chanting and meditation can produce a divine child. If we want an enlightened society, this “value vaccination” has to start from the prenatal stage.
You have conducted many workshops in India, which one did you enjoy the most?
Vandana Khaitan: The movie-cum-meditation workshops I conducted for the employees of Bhilwara Group were the best. But my big dream is to conduct a global movement, much like S.N. Goenka did with Vipassana—non-commercial, accessible programs worldwide.
I want to turn Guru Protoplasm’s science and spirituality teachings into a global movement by training teachers. His approach was simple, scientific, and experiential.
You have been advocating against corruption, female feticide, poverty, etc. How do you reconcile that with spirituality?
Vandana Khaitan: We are more a religious society than spiritual. That’s why it’s a corrupt society. If we had lived with purity, selflessness, and unconditional cosmic love, we would have avoided so much corruption and poverty. We have to move from being religious to being spiritual.
What is the overall mission and vision of your Vande Krsna Foundation?
Vandana Khaitan: I want to focus on Swayam Sudhar—less preaching and more self-discipline. I have big dreams, and I am sure Thakurji (Lord Krishna) will arrange the team and resources.
Besides making Yogi vs Bhogi for the big screen, I want to start a kirtan bar/nightclub-style setting with rock kirtan, juice bars, and vegetarian cafes offering saatvik entertainment for the youth.
I also want to set up high-tech science, spirituality centers, Garbh Sanskar centers, and a Oneness Center to promote harmony beyond religion. For Oneness, I want people to learn from a quotation from Vivekananda, which says in essence that whether you turn to the Gita, the Bible, or the Quran, learn to live in Oneness.
Your kirtan bar/bhajan clubbing idea is workable, it is a trend already in India and among the diaspora.
Vandana Khaitan: Yeah. My dream is also to set up a Raj Rishi Training Center School, where the rich and famous can learn to live like sages.
Do you have a physical center for your Foundation?
Vandana Khaitan: Not yet. I have a YouTube channel where I share all my films and videos. I’m looking for a place in Dehradun in the Himalayan foothills.
For more information about Vandana Khaitan’s work, visit: https://vandekrsnafoundation.org/
You can watch her films on Vedanta and science on her YouTube channel @VANDEKRSNA
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