Oscar winning Hollywood actress Julia Roberts is a practicing Hindu. She was touched by Sanatan Dharma on her visit to India and Bali while shooting for shooting Eat, Pray, Love. The 53 year old, “Pretty Woman” star, was intrigued by Hinduism. She actively chants, prays and goes to temples along with her entire family. Julia won an oscar for Best Actress for Erin Brockovich in 2001.
Image source – https://www.upi.com/
Julia, who was born to a Catholic mother and Baptist father, is now a believer of reincarnation and wants to have a quiet and peaceful life away from her celebrity lifestyle in her next birth. Hinduism she believes has made her a more compassionate and loving person. She has even renamed her children as Laxmi for Hazel, Ganesh for Phinnaeus and Krishn Balram for Henry. She often sports a ‘Bindi’ and even has a production company called “Red Om Films”.
[Image source – www.ramdass.org]
Her tryst with Hinduism happened when she saw a picture of Neem Karoli Baba and was instantly drawn towards him. Neem Karoli, born as Lakshmi Narayan Sharma in village Akbarpur (Uttar Pradesh, India), has attracted many high profile people from the west including Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckergerg and spiritual teacher Ram Dass amongst many others. His Ashram, Kainchi Dham, is near Nainital in Uttrakhand, India.
Julia has embraced a new way of life which and her thought-process and perceptions about the world have changed. She along with her husband have found a greater meaning to their lives and a sense of fulfillment on adopting Sanatan Dharm.
(Cover Pic from the Movie – Eat, Pray, Love)
This article is part of the series on Global Celebrities who have been touched by Sanatan Dharma. Read more about The Ashram which Mark Zuckerberg visited in India and Steve Jobs last gift.