16-year old Prem Rawat discusses global economy with a business graduate

Maharaji came to Boston in August of 1973, and we had rented a house for him. There was an event at Hynes Auditorium that was designed to hold 5500 people, and nearly 10,000 people showed up. About 7500 or so got crammed into the hall, and another couple of thousand gathered in the street outside where loudspeakers were set up. The next day, I remember standing in the living room of the house with him. I had recently gotten my MBA from Boston University, and he was talking about the global economic situation. He was 15 years old, and he was talking about the Japanese auto industry and the German steel industry and many other things. It was the clearest analysis of the global economic situation I had ever heard. From the standpoint of somebody who had just been to business school, it was really interesting for me that this young man was speaking much more clearly than any professor I'd ever heard. (Happened in 1973)
Jon Knight, an early student of Maharaji's in the US

Maharaji's early fascination with technology

Maharaji used to talk to me about technological things. I can remember him talking to me for hours about a magnetic car he designed that worked with magnet power. It was all above my head. He was always incredibly eager to learn new technology. His ability to completely consume and munch up information and learn from other people was just beyond me. He knew everything about cameras, from Nikon to Leica lenses. He loved to find out about any new technological thing, I suppose from when he was a kid and used to take his toys apart. With me, it was cameras we talked about a lot.
David Passes, one of Maharaji's first students in the UK

Prem Rawat off stage

For a long time, I wondered what Prem Rawat was like off stage. For a few years now I have had the chance to provide a service to him that allows me to see him in many different situations, day in and day out as he travels around the world. I have come to see him as an artist in everything he does, full of inspiration, feelings and passion. The end result is a masterpiece that he constantly recreates; this is magic and it is challenging! To move forward, he has a unique vision of what needs to happen next, building one step at a time, the way. Very conscious, bright and calm, never rushing.

When I see him cooking, composing, recording, playing music, shopping, piloting a plane, interacting with many people in different circumstances, I see an extraordinary generosity of spirit and humor. He manifests exquisite consciousness, fearless creativity, and lives his life by the highest standards of integrity. He is focused on his work all the time, and keeps his priorities very clear. His schedules are very tight, leaving very little time for personal activities or leisure.

Working for him is a great privilege. He trusted me, cared for me. When I have needed it, he has corrected me kindly. Sometimes, I couldn't understand and struggled over what he said he wanted or did not. But time has always brought me to see that his vision and teachings work beautifully and to my own benefit. It has been the greatest learning experience for me, and I can say with all honesty that he is the most inspiring, precious, and delightful person I have met.
A.T. (Casablanca, Morocco)

Timeless Beauty

Maharaji at the time of his father's death

When Shri Maharaj Ji died, I drove his body back to the family home in Dehra Dun. Then I went to the school to bring Maharaji and the all brothers home. I didn't say anything to them about their father having died. When I came to the family home, everybody was crying. But Maharaji, who was eight years old, walked inside the room where his father was, touched his feet and looked at his face without crying a single tear. Then he went out near the garage, where he looked at me and said, "Bihari Singh, why are you crying? I am still here, and he left his body. Guru never dies and is never born. Guru is a power." (Happened in 1966)
Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaji's personal driver and aide

The night before Maharaji publicly accepted the role of Master

In 1966, when Maharaji was only 8 years old, Shri Maharaj Ji passed away. Once word of his passing got out, thousands of people started gathering in Prem Nagar to express their deep love and gratitude and to honor Shri Maharaj Ji's sweet and profound memory. Some were crying, some were confused and others were asking who was going to guide them in the future and who would shower them with that tender love and care.

On the evening before Maharaji was to publicly accept the role of Master, I was standing with him on the roof of Shri Maharaj Ji's residence. He was very serene and quiet. The sky was clear, the moon was full. He turned his eyes toward the stars and the moon and said to me so innocently, "Look Charan Anand, I feel Shri Maharaj Ji watching us to see whether we are lost in our sorrow or are still remembering him and how dear the propagation of Knowledge was to him." I was so deeply moved and felt total admiration and reverence. Surrounded by so much sorrow, let alone his own unimaginably intense personal feelings of loss, in that most painful of moments, he retained such a profound awareness of Shri Maharaj Ji's wishes for him. All I could feel was that if Maharaji at this tender age has such strength and clarity under these challenging circumstances, then what won't he be able to do when he grows older? (Happened in 1966)
Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West.

Clarity of a child

Once, a gentleman came to see Shri Maharaj Ji to receive Knowledge. Shri Maharaj Ji asked me to speak with him. I was an instructor at that time. While we were talking, this gentleman started arguing with every point I was trying to convey. He did not want to listen. At that moment, Maharaji came and sat on my lap. He must have been five or six years old at that time, and he began listening to our discussion. At one point he stopped us and asked the gentleman, "How old are you?" "Seventy-five." "Do you know your true self?" "No, not yet." "So," Maharaji said, "you have no right to argue with this instructor because he is talking to you about something he has experienced directly in his life. Your mind is filled with book learning that has brought you no direct experience. My advice is that you waste no more time and receive Knowledge, because you are already old enough and you do not have much time left." After saying this, he asked me to go with him. When I came back to the room, I found the gentleman sitting quietly. He asked me, "Who was that boy?" I told him he was my Master's youngest son. Then the gentleman said, "I've never met anybody in my whole life who could make me speechless. This is the first time I have found myself so shaken. He asked me such a direct question that I had to be sincere in my response and admit that I have no realization of my true self. Now I really want to listen to you about this Knowledge and receive it. I feel empty in my life even though I have read so many books and performed many rituals. I have not found the satisfaction I am looking for."
Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaj Ji (Prem Rawat's father) would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West.

A number of years ago in the foothills of Southern Texas, I attended a workshop with Prem Rawat. We were a few days into it when I found my hand raised, offering to role-play with him during a session. We sat in two chairs on the make shift stage and went at it. My role was to be completely obtuse, insisting that I understood what 'Knowledge' was. He was cool, trying to get me to understand the process of learning and growing.

I would hear none of it. It was amusing, but eventually it was clear he wanted to wrap it up so he asked me, still in role, "What can I do to help you understand?" "Let me sit with you at dinner tonight." popped out of my mouth. I blushed at myself, but later when the group went into San Antonio for Mexican food he invited me over and proceeded to be a completely gracious host. To me, this was quintessential Prem Rawat, an innovative teacher, an inspirational life guide and someone who knows how to make a wallflower feel like a princess.
Robin B. (Boston,MA, USA)

A teacher's perspective

For a number of years I worked as a tutor for the Rawat children, particularly in the area of Math. One day, I was working with the youngest son on formulas. The boy was a picture of someone whose politeness was at war with a strong desire to be almost anywhere else. I had seen this as a challenge and had brought out my best tricks to bring the relationship of rate, time and distance alive. I thought it was just beginning to work when Maharaji came into the room to greet his son and ask what he was working on. The boy's grimace as he pointed to r x t = d effectively shattered my illusions of success, but I was totally unprepared for the father's response: "Well, that isn't true." What followed was a lively and humorous presentation on how the relationship of time and distance changed in space. One glance at my young student's dancing eyes let me know that I was witnessing an uncommon art - one bored young boy felt the glee of his father's support and fascination with the story that was rich with questioning long held precepts and venturing into the unknown. It seemed that he might even be following the lesson in Einstein's physics better than I, though I am sure I was equally interested. Five minutes later, the dreaded moment arrived when I would have to go back to the now disgraced formula that still needed to be dutifully applied to the next six exercises. But before I could decide an approach to take, I noticed that one previously reluctant youngster was effortlessly plowing through his homework. He was the master of his rearranged world, resistance on recess. What a distance had been traveled in that 10 minutes!
Mary W (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

Teaching Prem Rawat's children

In 1981, I was hired to be a teacher for Mr. and Mrs. Rawat's children. Maharaji was very close to his family and basically took them nearly everywhere he went as he gave talks around the world. School was often out of two big suitcases when we were on the road. We'd be flying above a country, getting ready to land, and I'd pull out the map, marveling at how the coastline matched what we saw in the map book. Maharaji really respected the sensibilities, and talents and interests of his children, even when they were very young. As their teacher, I had to be willing to think outside the box, because they had been brought up with so much joy and love and acceptance. It was a remarkable opportunity to reach beyond the traditional teacher training I'd had at university and discover a depth of teaching and learning that was rich and engaging and interactive. Maharaji would often come into the classroom, and time and again I watched as he brought the fun factor into whatever lesson I was teaching. He has always had an incredibly intuitive sense about making learning pleasurable and alive. (Happened in 1981)
Susan Stiffelman, tutor of Maharaji's children

Maharaji's vision: from one to thousands

A couple of days before I was to depart from Delhi, I unexpectedly saw Maharaji speaking to a few people. As soon as he saw me, he stretched his arm pointing directly at me and said, "You must go to Colombia and prepare my way because I'm going to go there this year." Then he asked, "How many were you when you started in America?" "Six or seven," I responded. "And how many of you are here now?" "About 400," I said. Then he proceeded, "You see, it always starts with one person, and then there will be dozens, and then hundreds, and thousands!" He continued speaking to me for a long time. Right there and then, I definitely understood the possibility of his message being spread all over the world, of Maharaji reaching out to the hearts of thousands of people, and this amazing opportunity for me to be part of such an undertaking.
Gita Bai, early student of Maharaji

Reflecting on the years I have worked closely with Prem Rawat, my overriding feeling is that he's undoubtedly the most special person I've ever worked with. He brings a uniqueness and beauty to doing things.

A lot of what he asks of me is not overly formulated and requires my own initiative and creativity as well as great precision. Often with great kindness, he thanks me for doing something for him, and I just feel like saying with utmost sincerity, "Well thank you."

It's beautiful to watch how sensitive he is and appreciative to each one. He's a very 'hands on' person and will often be right there doing the task along side of you. He's not like a boss. He is sensitive to different cultures and to each individual. I've seen him be very directive at times and very receptive and sensitive at others. I've seen him get frustrated by things that would make me furious. He's not judgmental of people's capabilities. When a person doesn't work out at a given task, if the sincerity is there, he finds another task that's more suitable. I think he has more patience than anyone I know.
John M (Miami Beach, FL, USA)

At Amaroo, Australia

Home cooking

When Maharaji came to England in 1971, we had assumed that the person traveling with him would also be cooking for him. The first day, I was standing by the kitchen downstairs, waiting to help this person, when he came running down the stairs and said, "Maharaji's hungry. Can you cook something quickly?" So I sent someone out to buy Indian cookbooks. For the first few days, I didn't know what I was doing. On the third day, when I went to get his tray, I stood at the door and said, "It's not exactly home cooking is it, Maharaji?" I remember he swung around on this office-type chair to look at me across the room and said in the kindest voice, "Yes. It's home cooking." At that point, I just stood in the doorway and thought, "I think maybe I can do this. I can go on." And that was how it was then. He saw all these young people who had so much enthusiasm for what he had to say and what he had to offer, and that was enough for him. He didn't want to go back home. He could see there was a need to spread his message to these countries, and that's what he felt he had to do in his life. (Happened in 1971)
Sandy Collier, one of first Westerners to travel to India to meet Maharaji

Maharaji speaks to the BBC

When Maharaji first arrived in London, the daily papers were declaring things like, "Hallelujah, the mini-Guru cometh." I remember that immediately after he came, there was a lot of hubbub and interest that followed on. I'm not sure exactly how long afterwards the BBC came. They sat in the front room of Woodside Avenue and interviewed him. He just took everything in his stride, never faltering. Very confident, very relaxed. Nothing was a problem to him. (Happened in 1972)
David Passes, one of first Westerners to travel to India to meet Maharaji

Maharaji accepted by his father's students

Right after Shri Maharaj Ji's death, the family and several mahatmas were discussing who would become Master after the 13 days of mourning were over. They were thinking about Bal Bhagwan Ji, who was the eldest son. When they asked me what I thought, I said, "Shri Maharaj Ji told us when Maharaji was born, He's going to take my message all over the world." Then, before he left Dehra Dun, he told the whole family in Monsoorie, "'Sant Ji's going to take my place.' So everybody knows."

So I took Maharaji from Dehra Dun to the Prem Nagar ashram. The discussions were still going on. Some were suggesting that there be several gurus (all four brothers or some group of 5 or 7 gurus), and others were still in the Bal Bhagwan Ji camp. Particularly in India, when a father dies, the older son steps into his place. I said, "Listen, the one who has the power is going to satisfy everybody. Relax and watch what happens." Twelve days after Shri Maharaj Ji's death, Maharaji went on stage with a handkerchief on his head and spoke for about 45 minutes to the people who had gathered. After listening to him, everybody accepted him as their Master. (Happened in 1966)
Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaji's personal drive

Maharaji's brother tries to take over from Maharaji

I went with Maharaji on a trip to India in April 1975. He wanted to visit his students there. Maharaji's brother, Bal Bhagwan Ji, had been making a lot of trouble. He wanted to be the guru, and he and Mata Ji could not accept that Shri Maharaj Ji had given authority to the youngest son. I remember the Indian trip quite vividly. We were going from town to town by train and rental car. The local people had lined up programs for Maharaji at rented venues, but several of them were cancelled because Bal Bhagwan Ji made fierce efforts to cause problems with authorities in the various towns. He had taken control of all the properties and ashrams that belonged to Shri Maharaj Ji, except for the ashram in Bihar, which Mahatma Gyanbaraganand had refused to surrender to him. He was the only mahatma that held an ashram for Maharaji. (Happened in 1975)
John Hampton, early student and assistant of Maharaji, later an instructor for Maharaji

Anarchist students disrupt event with Maharaji in Paris

I remember the second visit of Maharaji in Paris, in September 1973. For this event we booked La Mutualite, a hall in the center of the city, famous for tumultuous political meetings. We were very happy that Maharaji was to visit, full of enthusiasm and energy. In one week, working day and night, we covered the walls of Paris and its suburbs with thousands of posters to invite people to come and listen to him. We also handed out thousands and thousands of leaflets in the streets.

On the day of the event, the result of all this publicity was predictable: a big crowd of people stood outside in the street, trying to enter a hall that was already packed. It was intense. As soon as Maharaji came on stage, a small group of young people in the back of the hall started yelling and throwing eggs and tomatoes. Not a single projectile reached Maharaji, but under these circumstances, it was obvious that he could not stay very long.

However, very quietly, Maharaji spent a few minutes speaking, and at the end he said something like, "I came as a friend." In the middle of the confusion, it was so touching to hear his friendly message of peace.

A few months later, a girl from this group became a student of Maharaji. She told me that the behavior of these people was not particularly against Maharaji, but that this was what they used to do for fun in any big meeting: they knew little or nothing about him, but liked creating disturbances - A kind of anarchist's happening. The May '68 French student revolution was still vivid in their minds. (Happened in 1973)
Loic Allio, an organizer of 1973 Paris event

Whatever these people have, I want.

I was born and raised in Israel. I am gifted with many talents, and I always thought I knew what I wanted in life - to be successful, rich, and preferably happy. When I was twenty-two years old, I left Israel for a journey that turned out to be much more significant than I bargained for. Tree years later, I was still on the road, not so sure anymore about what I wanted. I had money, I was free, and I did what I liked, but I certainly wasn't happy.

I was traveling from town to town, country to country, one lover to another. All I wanted was to feel good. But I didn't. Towards the end of the journey, I was ready to settle for event the tiniest bit of peace of mind, not to mention joy or happiness.

This is when I met a person who cheerfully told me about Maharaji and Knowledge. Honestly, it wasn't what I was looking for. I wasn't a 'seeker of truth.' Deep inside I was afraid of the unknown, the strange, the unexpected.

The cheerful person who told me about Maharaji soon became my friend. We met regularly, but I refused to attend the presentations about Knowledge. He didn't push. One night, I went to meet him outside the hall where the presentation took place.When I arrived, people just leaving the hall. I can't explain this, but I clearly remember, as I looked at them, a feeling emerged inside of me, "Whatever these people have, I want." Twenty five hears have passed, and I can still remember that night.

A few months later, I received the gift of Knowledge, and I have practiced it ever since with joy and gratitude. When I do, I am in tune. My life the only instrument I have, is playing wonderful tunes. This is what I was looking for - not approximately, not more-or-less, but exactly. Knowledge has become the backbone of my days, and it still has that sweet fragrance and freshness it had when I felt it for the first time.
Niva L. (Israel)

The veteran

I am a veteran, 43 years old, and consider myself to be quite scientific minded. However, when it comes to the realm of Knowledge, I have no idea how it works. All I can say again and again is: "It works so well for me!" It's been twenty years since I clumsily started trying to turn within, trying to go beyond my pre-conceived ideas. I don't like being irrational; however, I must admit, I need and cherish ever day the opportunity to reach to that place Maharaji showed me. I remember so many times feeling: "it can't get any better than this." Although it makes no logical sense, I know what I feel when I practice Knowledge and when I see Maharaji. I've had a full life, but I'm still learning. This is my testimony. I guess I'm just a lucky guy.
Ricardo S (Uruguay)

Declan's story

When I first heard someone at work talk about Maharaji, my reaction was like a cat with a mouse. It provided me with an opportunity to play intellectual table tennis with him. It was very satisfying entertainment. Between bouts I would think up new objections, and our good-humored jousts went on for weeks.

I was pretty horrified when another co-worker suggested going to a presentation about Mahaaji, and I only agreed to accompany him on condition that I would speak to no one there. So it was a big jump for me to go from that point to the one of wanting the Knowledge that Maharaji was offering.

Over the years I have known Maharaji, what has attracted me most is his irreverent sense of humor and willingness to debunk myths. I admire his tenacity time and again in fighting to disassemble the recurring coagulation of "group think" among different people, over the years, that talk about him and his views on life. This seems to have been an ongoing task.

For myself, I have repeatedly questioned his motivation and the precepts presented. Yet his irreverence and humor has entertained me. His insightful observations on the meaning of life have illuminated and enthralled me. Above all, the practice of the techniques he taught me has given me the ability to find rest and enjoyment in a simple way with no strings attached.
Declan D (Dublin, Ireland)

The feeling inside

In the middle of 1996, when I was a student at University, a new friend willing to help me with my studies told me about Knowledge and Maharaji. It was only a few months later that I saw for the firs time a video of Maharaji. I was happy and confused at the same time. Happy, because I had never thought that such a thing could exist in our time. I had always dreamt of joy and happiness, but everything I tried in my life did not lead me to that point. Confused, because of the perceived barrier of religion, society, and all my concepts, I even thought that it might be something diabolic.

But my quest for happiness superseded my fear. My thirst for joy was such that I held at bay the things trying to prevent me from going ahead. The more I listened, the clearer things were. I also realized there was nothing frightening nor diabolic in Knowledge. What Maharaji talked about amazed me, and I started to take pleasure in listening to his message.

Today, I am happy practicing Knowledge. Each time I go inside, I feel this beautiful feeling. It's so sweet, and the more I practice, the more it grows.
Razafimbelo N. (Antananarivo, Madagascar)

Life changing

In 1990 I had the great privilege to hear for the first time about Knowledge and Maharaji. When I heard him speak for the first time, everything he said was all right with me. I didn't know if I was interested in Knowledge or not. I just knew that I had a bearutiful time there.

During my daily life, I thought about Maharaji's words. By listening to more vedeos, many questions were answered. I went through stages of pleasure, but also of confrontation. Even though I hadn't received Knowledge yet, a deep work was happening within me. I realized that the way I was appreciating life was very limited. My fears, ideas, and education, all that was enslaving me as if I were a puppet of society. All of a sudden, I had the feeling that help was givent to me. Hope was growing. I had the strength to give it a chance in my life.

In december 1990 I had the opportunity to go to Rome to see him in person for the first time. His words went straight to my heart. After that, the need for Knowledge was very real to me. The day I was shown the techniques of Knowledge, was a wonderful day of inspiration, simplicity and care.

When I want back home, apparently I was the same, but deep inside me I was savouring life as nefer before. It took me time to really let go and appreciate the experience within me. But I gave it a fair chance, and I am very thankful that I did.
Rachel E. (Toulouse, France)

A Chance Meeting

Like so many other young people at the time, I had been hiking around Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India for some time, just enjoying the freedom of being able to go where I pleased and do what I wanted with no responsibilities. However, there was also a feeling that somehow there had to be more, and despite trying everything on offer (and I do mean everything), I had still not found what I was truly looking for.

Then on the way back from India in late 1970, I ran across two strange-looking English guys on the Greek/Yugoslavian border, where a group of us had been held up overnight. They were dressed in very lightweight Indian cotton clothes and sandals with half-shaven heads and not much else except a sleeping bag each, and here we were heading back to a cold English winter!! It was already getting cold, but this didn't seem to bother them as they kept going on about a 12-year-old boy they had come across somewhere in the foothills of the Himalayas who had spoken to them with great authority and wisdom. They said they believed him to be a true Guru, a 'Satguru.' I guess what caught my attention, however, was the young age of the person they were talking about. They gave me an address in Golder's Green, London, and I remember thinking how ironic it would be if, after traveling all those thousands of miles (this had been my second trip out East on foot!!), I were to find what I had been looking for in London, a mere 1-1/2 hours by train from my hometown of Salisbury.

In the spring of 1971, after I got back to England, I went to the address they gave me, and I started learning more about this boy called Maharaji. It seemed like no time at all before I was being swept along to Heathrow Airport in June with a couple of hundred others to greet him in person as he first set foot in the West. We had two sacks full of flower petals, roses mainly, and these were strewn in front of him as he came through the arrivals gate. I still remember the great big smile on his face, his white cotton clothes, and his chubby, sandaled feet. For once, I was at the front of the crowd, but when Maharaji came towards us and the cameras started flashing, I was pushed towards him as the crowd jostled for a closer look. I ended up walking right behind him for a couple of meters or so. I thought, "We are going to crush the poor boy to death before he has even had a chance to say anything." He just walked across those flower petals as if he were walking on air, and he was completely nonplused as regards the chaos that surrounded him. Within a few minutes, he was in the back of the car that had been hired for the day, and he was gone, leaving me and everyone else completely breathless!!

That had me truly hooked, and my claim to fame was the photo of Maharaji that appeared in the local paper the following day proclaiming the arrival of the 'boy Guru,' with a funny-looking, longhaired hippie behind him (headband and all), which was me trying to stop me and him from getting crushed.

Within 2 or 3 weeks I found myself in a Knowledge Session with about 50 others being shown the techniques of Knowledge by Charan Anand, who had accompanied Maharaji from India.

I often look back with immense joy to those days of great excitement. I always feel a great deal of pride and gratitude that, after so many years of wandering, I had found my teacher at such an early stage in my life. (Happened in 1971)
David Windsor, one of the first Westerners to receive the techniques of Knowledge after Maharaji first arrived in England in 1971.

I first saw Maharaji at a rock festival

Detroit, August 7th 1973

Detroit councilor, Erma Henderson, presenting Prem Rawat with a commendation recognizing his "continuous efforts in advocating peace."