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Prem Rawat
Prem Rawat in Lisbon, Portugal 2007
Born	December 10, 1957 (1957-12-10) (age 52) Haridwar, India
Spouse(s)	Marolyn Rawat
Parents	Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, Rajeshwari Devi

Prem Pal Singh Rawat (Hindi: प्रेम पाल सिंह रावत; born December 10, 1957), also known as Maharaji and formerly known as Guru Maharaj Ji and Balyogeshwar, teaches a meditation practice he calls Knowledge.^[1] At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru to millions of Indian followers. He gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message.^[2][3]

Rawat has established his teachings in over eighty countries, and in the early 1970s the Divine Light Mission was judged to be the fastest growing new religious movement in the West.^[4][5] In 1973, at age sixteen, he was granted emancipated minor status and married a Western woman, which divided his family and the movement.^[6][7] Prem Rawat retained control of the movement outside of India, and took a more active role in its guidance.^[8] He became a United States citizen in 1977.^[9] He later abandoned the Indian aspects of his teachings to make his message more universally acceptable.^[6] The Divine Light Mission was disbanded in the West in the early 1980s, succeeded by the organizations Elan Vital (1983), and The Prem Rawat Foundation (2001).^[10]

The core of Rawat's teaching is that the human need for fulfillment can be satisfied by turning inward to discover a constant source of joy. He emphasizes a direct experience of transcendence, rather than a body of dogma.^[6][11][12] He says he offers practical ways to achieve spiritual tranquility by anyone. Though he originally aspired to bring about world peace, the idea being that peace would come to the world as individuals experienced inner peace, he now places his attention on helping individuals, which according to him takes priority over societal aims.^[13][14]

Rawat has been criticized for a lack of intellectual content in his public discourses,^[8][15] and for leading an opulent lifestyle.^[6][16]

Biography

1960s

Prem Rawat at age 6

Prem Rawat was born in Haridwar, northern India, on December 10, 1957. The fourth and youngest son of guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj and his second wife, Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi, Rawat attended St. Joseph's Academy elementary school in his hometown of Dehra Dun.^[17] At the age of three he began speaking at his father's meetings, and at six his father taught him the "techniques of Knowledge." He was given the title "Balyogeshwar Param Hans Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj", or just "Balyogeshwar" (roughly "born saint" or "born lord of Yogis") on account of his youth and spiritual precociousness.^[18][17] His father died in 1966, and during the customary 13 days of mourning his mother and senior officials of the organization discussed the succession. Both his mother, Mata Ji, and eldest brother, Satpal, were suggested as potential successors, but before either could be nominated, Prem addressed the crowd of mourners, reminding them that their master was immortal and was still among them.^[17] In response, his mother, brother and the senior disciples accepted Prem as their "Perfect Master", bowed to his feet and received his blessing.^[17] Previously known to his father's followers as Sant Ji, Prem now assumed the title "Guru Maharaj Ji".^{[18][19][20][21]} From that time, Rawat spent his weekends and school holidays travelling as his father had, addressing audiences on the subject of Knowledge and inner peace. Because of his youth, effective control of the DLM was shared by the whole family.^[8][22][23]

During the 1960s, Westerners in India searching for spiritual guidance met members of his father's Divine Light Mission, which was founded in 1960, and a few became initiates or premies (from the Hindi prem, meaning "love".) British initiates invited him to visit the West, and in 1969 he sent one of his closest Indian students (known as Mahatmas) to London to teach on his behalf.^[4] In 1970, many of his new Western followers flew to India to see him, and were present at India Gate, Delhi, when, still only twelve years old, he delivered an address known as the "Peace Bomb," which marked the start of his international work.^[24][25]

1970–1973

In 1971, Prem Rawat travelled to the West against his mother’s wishes.^[2][3] His three-month tour included planned stops in Hollywood, New York, Washington, Canada and South Africa.^[26] His arrival in the United States was met with some ridicule, as the teenaged Rawat was seen as immature and hence unfit to be a religious leader.^{[22][27 ]} But he also created an extraordinary amount of interest amongst young adults who were willing to examine his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God.^[22] His first western address was given in June 1971 at the first Glastonbury Fayre,^[28] and in September he spoke to a large US gathering in Colorado. A US based Divine Light Mission (DLM) was established in Denver, Colorado by Bob Mishler.^{[29][30 ]}

Arrival in the US. Prem Rawat at Los Angeles Airport

Many were attracted by the sense of joy, peace and commitment shown by Rawat's followers.^[31] One witness said that Rawat "played the whole time he was there...he played with squirt guns, flashed pictures of himself for all to see, and took movies of everybody...Love flowed back and forth between him and his devotees".^[32] Enthusiastic new members spread the message that the 13-year-old Rawat could reveal God.^[33] He returned to India later that year with 300 westerners who chartered an Air India Boeing 747 to accompany him and stayed in the mission's ashrams.^[4]

Rawat took flying lessons beginning when he was 13,^[34] and had begun training in a jet by age 15.^[35] In 1972 two Cessna airplanes were obtained for his use.^[36][37] Travelling almost constantly, he was reported to have residences in London, New York, Colorado, California, India, and Australia.^[36][38]

The 1972 Hans Jayanti, an annual festival celebrating Rawat's father's birthday,^[39] was attended by over 500,000 people. Six Jumbo jets were chartered by American followers who paid extra so that South Americans could fly from New York to India for free. Other countries made similar arrangements to help the less financially able.^{[40 ]} On arrival, Indian customs impounded a suitcase containing cash, jewelry and wristwatches worth between US$27,000 and $80,000 which they said had not been properly declared.^[41][42] Rawat said, "It has nothing to do with me, it is an attempt to harm the Divine Light Mission. When someone grows, others get jealous of him, and the Divine Light Mission has just blasted like an atomic bomb all over the world.” ^[43] A DLM spokesman said that the money had been pooled by 3,000 followers to cover expenses, and that the valuables were gifts.^[44] The finances of Rawat and the DLM in India and overseas were investigated by the Indian government.^[45] In June, 1973 the investigation was still under way, and Rawat had to post a $13,300 bond in order to leave the country.^[46] Charges were never filed, and the Indian government later issued an apology.^[47][48]

A reporter who attended an event in Boston in August 1973 which drew 9,000 attendees wrote that Rawat appeared humble and human, and seemed to intentionally undercut the claims of divinity made by followers.^[49] Sociologist James Downton said that from his beginnings Rawat appealed to his followers to give up concepts and beliefs that might impede them from fully experiencing the Knowledge (or life force), but this did not prevent them from adopting a fairly rigid set of ideas about his divinity, and to project millennial preconceptions onto him and the movement.^[50] Followers stressed "love, peace and happiness" in their lives, but public attitudes were often unsympathetic.^{[27 ]} Sociologist Stephen A. Kent wrote that as a 22-year-old hippie, he found Rawat's message to be banal and poorly delivered, though his companions spoke about it glowingly.^[51]

In August 1973, Rawat was hit by a pie thrown by a person who was later attacked by followers.^[47][52][53] Rawat expressed shock and regret at the beating and concern for the victim's welfare.^[54]

Rawat's publicity campaign was unparalleled. One journalist reported,

"Thousands of people follow him wherever he goes; posters of his round, cheerful face adorn the walls of buildings in every major Western city; newspaper reporters and TV cameras cover his every public appearance – particularly his mass rallies, which attract hundreds of thousands of followers each."^[55]

A tour of US cities was cut short in early September 1973, when Rawat was hospitalized with an intestinal ulcer. His personal physician said that his body, weakened by the pace of continual travel, showed the stresses of a middle-aged executive.^[56]

The Hans Jayanti of 1973, which was named "Millennium '73", was held in the Houston Astrodome. Press releases said that the event would mark the beginning of "a thousand years of peace for people who want peace."^[47][57] The main organizers were Rawat's eldest brother Satpal Rawat (then known as Bal Bhagwan Ji) and activist Rennie Davis, who predicted an attendance of 100,000 or more. The event attracted only about 20,000. It was not covered by the national television news, although it received extensive coverage in the print media and was depicted in the award-winning US documentary "Lord of the Universe".^[58] The premies were described as "cheerful, friendly and unruffled", and seeming "nourished by their faith". To the 400 premie parents who attended, Rawat was "a rehabilitator of prodigal sons and daughters", though some reporters found "a confused jumble of inarticulately expressed ideas."^[38][59] The event was called the "youth culture event of the year".^[60]

The failure of the event to meet expectations hurt the Divine Light Mission and left it heavily in debt, forcing changes within the movement. By 1976, the DLM was able to reduce the debt to $80,000.^[8][61] According to Thomas Pilarzyk, the Millennium economic deficit was partly the result of poor management by the "holy family" (Rawat's mother and three older brothers), and partly the much lower than anticipated attendance.^[62]

Because of Prem Rawat's youth, his mother, Mata Ji, and eldest brother, Satpal, managed the affairs of the worldwide DLM. When Rawat reached sixteen years of age he wanted to take a more active part in guiding the movement. According to the sociologist James V. Downton, this meant he "had to encroach on his mother's territory and, given the fact that she was accustomed to having control, a fight was inevitable".^[4][63] In December 1973, Rawat took administrative control of the Mission's US branch, and his mother and Satpal returned to India.^[8]

By the end of 1973, the DLM was active in 55 countries.^[64] Tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and dozens of ashrams formed.^[8] 1973 has been called the "peak of the Mission's success".^[19]

Rawat's affluent lifestyle was a source of controversy in the early 1970s.^[65] Some media reports said that Rawat "lived more like a king than a Messiah".^{[27 ]} Critics said that his lifestyle was supported by the donations of followers and that the movement appeared to exist only to support Rawat's "opulent existence".^[6][66] Supporters said there is no conflict between worldly and spiritual riches. That Rawat did not advise anyone to "abandon the material world", but said it is our attachment to it that is wrong.^[67] Press reports listed expensive automobiles such as Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benz limousines^[38] and sports cars, some of them gifts.^[68][69] Rawat said, "I have something far more precious to give them than money and material things – I give peace".^[70] "Maharaj Ji's luxuries are gifts from a Western culture whose fruits are watches and Cadillacs," a spokesman said.^[67] Some premies said that he did not want the gifts, but that people gave them out of their love for him.^[71] They saw Rawat's lifestyle as an example of a lila, or divine play, which held a mirror to the "money-crazed and contraption-collecting society" of the West.^[60]

1974–1983

In May 1974, a judge gave Rawat his consent to marry without parental permission.^[72] His marriage to Marolyn Johnson, a 24-year old follower from San Diego, California, was celebrated at a non-denominational church in Golden, Colorado.^[73] Rawat's mother, Mata Ji, had not been invited.^[74] As a result of his marriage he became an emancipated minor.

Rawat's marriage to a non-Indian finally severed his relationship with his mother.^[6][7] She retained control of the Indian DLM and appointed her eldest son, Satpal, as its leader.^[75] Mata Ji said she was removing Rawat as Perfect Master because of his "unspiritual" lifestyle and lack of respect for her wishes.^[76][77][78] Rawat retained the support of the Western disciples. Most of the mahatmas either returned to India or were dismissed.^[63] Rawat had become wealthy as a result of contributions from his Western devotees, and led the life of an American millionaire. He ran a household for his wife, his brother (Raja Ji) and his sister-in-law (Claudia), and financed travel for the close officials and mahatmas who accompanied him on his frequent trips around the globe to attend the Mission's festivals.^[63][79] By early 1974 the number of full-time DLM staff had increased from six to over one thousand.^{[40 ]}

In November 1974, seeking more privacy for himself, his wife and his entourage following security concerns, Rawat moved to a 4-acre (16,000 m²) property in Malibu, California.^[80][81] Purchased by the DLM for $400,000, the property served as the DLM's West Coast headquarters.^[80][81][82] Controversy around a helipad on the property^[83] was resolved by installing emergency water storage for the Los Angeles County Fire Department and by limiting the number of permitted flights.^[84]

By 1976, most students viewed Rawat primarily as a spiritual teacher, guide and inspiration.^[85] In January 1976 Rawat encouraged them to leave the ashrams and discard Indian customs and terminology.^[86] Rawat said that the organization had come between his devotees and himself.^[87] He dismissed Bob Mishler, co-founder of DLM, as International President. According to one source, he "resented the advice given to him by his chief subordinate" and dismissed him "when a clash of wills occurred".^{[30 ]} Rawat decentralized some decision making to local premie communities, while he maintained his status as the ultimate authority over spiritual and secular matters. The staff at the Denver headquarters were reduced from 250 to 80.^[86] He described the managerial mentality that had grown in the Mission as "only cosmetic and totally unnecessary. It's like trying to take a cow and put lipstick on it. You can do it, but it's unnecessary in practical terms".^[88]

His appearance on 20 December 1976 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, wearing a traditional Krishna costume for the first time since 1975, signaled a resurgence of Indian influence and devotion. During 1977, many returned to ashram life, and there was a shift back from secular tendencies towards ritual and messianic beliefs.^[86][89] In 1977 Rawat became a US citizen.^[90]

In October 1978, the hillsides surrounding Rawat's Malibu estate were burned by a brushfire.^[81] His family and the DLM headquarters subsequently moved to Miami Beach, Florida.^[39] The family, which grew to four children, returned to Malibu in 1984.^[39]

In January 1979 the Los Angeles Times reported that Rawat was maintaining his Malibu following despite a rising mistrust of cults.^[81] Bob Mishler and Robert Hand, a former vice president of the movement, complained that money was increasingly diverted to Rawat's personal use,^[8] warning that a situation like the recent Jonestown incident could occur with the followers of Rawat.^[91] Mishler complained that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill, but his charges found little support and did not affect the progress of the Mission.^[8]

October 12, 1981. Prem Rawat speaking at the Royal Albert Hall, London

In 1980, Rawat removed all the "religious" aspects of the movement and declared he now wanted "no movement whatsoever".^{[92 ]} The Hindu references and religious parables that had been prominent in his teachings gave way to a focus on the meditation techniques. Once called "Perfect Master", Prem Rawat abandoned his "almost divine status as guru" ^[6][8] but affirmed his status as a master. Scholars such as Kranenborg and Chryssides describe the departure from divine connotations.^[93][94]

1983–2000s

In 1983 the Divine Light Mission was renamed Elan Vital and Rawat closed the last western ashrams, marking the end of his use of Indian methods for international objectives.^[7]

According to a 1983 article, Rawat continued to "energetically serve his followers", flying to speaking engagements in major cities around the world almost continually. In two years he spoke at over 100 programs in 37 international cities, including New York, London, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Delhi, Sydney, Tokyo, Caracas and Los Angeles.^{[92 ][95]}

The number of Rawat's students grew in the 1980s and 1990s as Rawat toured extensively,^[4] speaking in over 40 countries, including Japan, Taiwan, the Ivory Coast, Slovenia and Venezuela.^[8] In 1990 there were said to be 1.2 million followers worldwide, with 50,000 in the United States.^[94] 1999 saw the commencement of regular satellite broadcasts to North America and other countries.^[96]

In 2001, Rawat founded the The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF),^[97] a Public Charitable Organization for the production and distribution of materials promoting his message, and also for funding worldwide humanitarian efforts. TPRF has provided food, water and medical help to war-torn and impoverished areas.^[98]

Between January 2004 and June 2005, Rawat delivered 117 addresses in Asia, Europe, and North America focusing on a universal message of peace and self-fulfillment. His message is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries in print and on video, and his program "Words of Peace" is broadcast on TV channels such as Canal Infinito in South America, Channel 31 in Australia, and Dish Network in the USA.^[99][100]

June 30, 2003. Prem Rawat addressing the first "Conference on Peace" at the University of Salamanca

Elan Vital states that the only effective way of reaching out to the over 80 countries where his message is now promoted is by leased private jet, which Rawat self-pilots, flying around a quarter million miles a year.^[4] In 2007 during a two-month tour of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Rawat spoke at 36 events, addressing over 800,000 people, and by live satellite broadcasts reached an additional 2.25 million.^[101] Prem Rawat holds an Airline Transport Pilot License and has type ratings for a number of multi-engined aircraft and helicopters.

A biography of Rawat, Peace is Possible, by Andrea Cagan, was published in 2006 with a foreword by Emilio Colombo, a former President of the European Parliament and former Prime Minister of Italy.^[102] In 2006, Rawat spoke at the Festival Mundial da Paz (International Festival for Peace) in Brazil. In 2008, the Italian newspaper La Sicilia referred to Rawat as a "messenger of peace".^[103]

Teachings

Some scholars say that Rawat's teachings began in the North Indian Sant Mat tradition,^[8] which dismisses ritual and claims that true religion is a matter of loving and surrendering to God who dwells in the heart.^[104][105] In the 80s Rawat eliminated the Indian traditions and parables that had been prominent in his discourses and focused on the meditation techniques. Prem Rawat says that peace resides in everyone and that the quest for fulfillment can be resolved by turning within to find contentment and joy. He quotes from Hindu, Muslim and Christian sources, but rather than relying on scriptures for inspiration and guidance, Rawat relies on the experience provided by the meditation techniques he calls "Knowledge." ^{[106][107][108][109][110]} The major focus of Maharaji is on stillness, peace, and contentment within the individual, and his 'Knowledge' consists of the techniques to obtain them. Before receiving Knowledge Rawat asks practitioners to promise to give Knowledge a fair chance, to keep in touch with him and not to reveal the techniques to anyone else.^[111]

Practitioners describe Knowledge as internal and highly individual, with no associated social structure, liturgy, ethical practices or articles of faith.^[6]

Reception

Media

From Rawat's first travels in the West, he and his followers attracted media attention.

In an interview in Der Spiegel in 1973, Rawat said, "I have lost confidence in newspapers. I talk with them [about it] and the next day something completely different is printed."^[112] In 1973, the Divine Light Mission's 50-member public relations team concluded that Rawat's credibility had been compromised by his youth, his physical appearance, and the Rolls Royce, as well as the Detroit 'pieing' incident and an allegation of smuggling (which was never prosecuted). The head of the team said that they needed to get the public to look past these factors to judge Rawat's credibility.^[113] Rawat held no press conferences between 1973 and 1976.^[114] Rawat has often been termed a cult leader in popular press reports,^[115][116] as well as anti-cult writings.^[117][118]

Charisma and leadership

Melton says Rawat's personal charisma was one of the reasons for the rapid spread of his message among members of the 1960s counterculture.^[119]

Several scholars refer to Max Weber's classification of authority when describing Rawat as a charismatic leader.^{[15][120][121]}

Dutch sociologist Paul Schnabel described Rawat as a pure example of a charismatic leader. He characterized Rawat as materialistic, pampered and intellectually unremarkable compared to Osho, but no less charismatic.^[15]

Meredith McGuire sees formalization resulting from Rawat's desire to consolidate his power and authority over the movement in the United States.^[120]

Lucy DuPertuis, a sociologist and one-time follower who assisted James V. Downton with his book about the Divine Light Mission, described Rawat's role as a Master as emerging from three interrelated phenomena: traditional or theological definitions of Satguru, adherents' first-hand experiences of the Master, and communal accounts and discussions of the Master among devotees.^[122]

David G. Bromley described the difficulty of a charismatic leader in proving to be above normal human failings such as not to suffer ill health or indulge in worldly pursuits. He presents Rawat's marriage as such a situation.^[123] Bromley described Prem Rawat and other founders of new religions as being held in awe by their early followers, who ascribe extraordinary powers to them that set them apart from other human beings.^[124]

Thomas Pilarzyk, a sociologist, wrote in a 1978 paper that the distribution of power and authority in the DLM was officially based on the charismatic appeal of Maharaj Ji, which he described as being somewhat ambiguous, and that many followers were not certain about his position in the organizational scheme of the movement, or the claim that he was the only true spiritual master.^[125]

Stephen J. Hunt said that in Rawat's case the notion of spiritual growth is not derived — as is traditionally the case with other gurus — from his personal charisma, but from the nature of his teachings and the benefits to the individuals applying them.^[126]

Ron Geaves, a professor of religion and an early Western student of Prem Rawat, states that Rawat is not a renunciate, and he has made great efforts to assert his humanity and take apart the hagiography that has developed around him.^[4]

Following

Estimates of the number of Rawat's adherents have varied widely over time. Petersen states that Rawat claimed 7 million disciples worldwide in 1973, with 60,000 in the US.^[127] Rudin & Rudin give a worldwide following of 6 million in 1974, of which 50,000 were in the US. According to these authors, the adherents had fallen to 1.2 million for Prem Rawat's personal worldwide following in 1980, with 15,000 in the US.^[128] Spencer J. Palmer and Roger R. Keller published a general DLM membership of 1.2 million worldwide, with 50,000 in the US., in 1990 and 1997.^[129]

Downton said by 1976 the vast majority of students viewed Rawat "as their spiritual teacher, guide and inspiration". Quoting a student he had studied, Downton said a typical view was that "the only thing he (Rawat) wants is to see people living happily and harmoniously together".^[130] Downton concluded that the students had changed in a positive way, "more peaceful, loving, confident and appreciative of life".^[131]

Former followers became known as "ex-premies",^{[132][133][134][135]} and Elan Vital has characterised the vocal critics among them as disgruntled former employees.^[133] Based on an analysis of Sophia Collier's Soul Rush, John Barbour, a professor of religion,^[136] concludes that Collier's deconversion from DLM was uncharacteristic compared to other deconversions from other movements, in that her deconversion brought her no emotional suffering.^[137]

Stephen Hunt writes that Western followers do not see themselves as members of a religion, but rather as adherents of a system of teachings focused on the goal of enjoying life to the full.^[6]

According to Prem Rawat's official website,^[138] in the eight years prior to May 2008, Key Six sessions were attended by 365,237 people in 67 countries. These are the video sessions where the techniques of Knowledge are taught by Rawat.^{[139 ]}

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links

• Maharaji.net - Official site of Prem Rawat
• The Prem Rawat Foundation

From Wikiquote

Prem Rawat

Prem Rawat, widely known as Maharaji (born December 10, 1957 in Dehradun, India) has, since the age of four, been addressing people around the world on the subject of finding peace within and says that he is able to offer a practical way to do so. He calls this method "Knowledge" and describes it as taking "all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you".

Sourced

1960s

• Note: This is one of Maharaji's first published addresses. He was 4 years of age at that time.
• Listen to satsang. It is a very good thing. God created day and night. After that He created excellent things to eat, and then he landed us in this world. Isn't this human body beautiful? There is a nose to breathe with. Tell me, could we have survived without it? See what a good job of seeing these eyes do. Look how beautiful are the hands and the feet. If no seva is done, then these hands are of no use. These two ears have been given, if we don’t listen to satsang with them, aren’t they useless? If you do not go to satsang walking with these feet, they are also worthless. God has created all the parts of this body quite well, but if we don't use them properly, it is our fault, not the Creator's. The river flowing over there is the Ganga, but it is not flowing for its own use. It is we who drink its water, wash our clothes in it, and irrigate our fields with it. By bathing in it only the dirt of this body is washed, but by bathing in the Ganga of satsang, all the evils are removed. What I am telling you is also written in the Gita. But Gita cannot make you understand. Only the satguru can make you understand the satnam (true name), so do practice Knowledge. Look at Lord Shiva sitting with eyes closed [pointing towards a fountain with a statue of Shiva]. He always stays in the contemplation of Guru Maharaj. Whenever I see him he doesn’t do any other work. I don’t know whether he doesn’t like doing any other work or what. Therefore, you too should also practice Knowledge like this.
  • Prem Nagar, Hardwar August 21,1962 (translated from Hindi). Birthday Celebrations, as published in "Hansadesh" magazine, Issue 1, Mahesh Kare, January 1963. (First published address.)

• One has to fill up the heart with Knowledge. The Knowledge has a form that’s called 'upadesh' (nt: sub–country; also teaching, instruction). There are many countries such as England, Germany, and India, but Knowledge is not this kind of country. This country is something different. Knowledge is the thing that when it is realized, a person becomes free.
  • Dehradun, India, December 1, 1965 (translated from Hindi)

• O my brothers, this is not a day of merry-making because the night of the 19th, at three o'clock, Guru Maharaj Ji [nt: Maharaji's father Hans Ji Maharaj] left his body. But I feel that Guru Maharaj Ji is alive and always will remain alive. So many times, Guru Maharaj Ji has come to this world. There have been many, many Perfect Masters and each one has revealed the very same Knowledge. You have not understood. Each Divine Incarnation has gone away and still you have not realized the Knowledge He brought. Now, if you want to know the Truth, then get that Supreme Knowledge soon, because this body will be destroyed one day. You have got to get Knowledge as soon as possible, otherwise the shop will be closed.
  • July 29, 1966, Prem Nagar, India (translated from Hindi)

• Today I will speak about love. What is love? How can one get love? Why should one get it? There are two kinds of love. One is the worldly connection. The other is attained through Knowledge. In this human body exists the love we have to discover. You should love one another and behave lovingly because when love comes, everything comes. You should speak to one another with love and humility. Love is the essence.
  • Ram Lila Grounds, Delhi, India, October 29, 1966 (translated from Hindi) - Published in Divine Light (UK) April 1, 1973, Volume 2, Issue 7

1970s

• Note: In November 1970, when he made the following declaration, Maharaji was 12 years of age and had yet to leave India.
• "The time has come for restlessness to be destroyed and the Kingdom of Peace to be established. Whether you take it as my prophecy or anything else, the Kingdom of Peace will be established soon.[...] You must understand and have faith in my words. All I ask is your love, all I ask is your trust, and what I can give you is such a peace as will never die. I only need the opportunity[...] I declare that I will establish peace in the world. Just give me the reins and let me rule, and I will rule in such a way that even Rama, Harichandra, Krishna, and other kings could not have ruled like that! That day is fast approaching. So arise, awake, open the ears of each man, and tell him the time has come! Do not tell him that there was a festival. No! Make them understand he has come to reveal the Knowledge, that he has come to show us the true path. And if you truly give me the reins of your life, I swear by Guru Maharaj Ji, I swear by the one who has given me birth, that I will give you peace."
  • Peace Bomb satsang, 11 October 1970, India Gate, New Delhi, India (translated from Hindi)

• "receive this Knowledge and know God within yourself. That pure energy, God, is within your own heart".
  • Peace Bomb satsang, 11 October 1970, India Gate, New Delhi, India (translated from Hindi)

• That peace which is within us, we must experience it. And if we are searching for peace outside we will never find the peace within.
  • Satyalok Ashram, Muradnagar, Meerut, India, Baisakhi Festival, April 12, 1971, 710412 (Translated from Hindi)

• If you want external happiness, it can be an elusive desire. Internal happiness needs only to be revealed. It is not elusive because it is within you. It is your treasure. If you take someone else's desire, it is stealing, but if you turn to your own, it is not. Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.
  • London, England (1971) as reported in Maharaji, Visions International (1998)

• Isaac Newton only discovered the law of gravity. He didn’t invent it, did he? In the same way, the Knowledge is within you. I can reveal it. I cannot give it to you from somewhere else. … If somebody comes to me I am sure I can give him the Knowledge and he will be satisfied.
  • Glastonbury, England Midsummer Festival, June 21, 1971

• But there is a nature which dwells inside also. Just enjoy that also. There are beautiful hills, beautiful sceneries, and beautiful things created for you by God, but there is a scenery, beautiful mountains, beautiful air, beautiful sound, beautiful light inside also created for you.
  • Boulder, Colorado August 28, 1971 I Am a Road

• You know the word master, teacher? When you go to schools, you say, Master, I have got this, this, and this question. Master, can you solve this problem for me? In India, instead of saying Master, we say Guru. Same thing. Master teaches you something. Master takes off your ignorance and puts some knowledge into your mind. Same way, a true Guru does that. He takes off all the ignorance, egos, from our mind and puts Knowledge. And peace he gives.
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 2, 1971

• Q:So God cannot teach anything, except through a Master?
  • A: What is God? You don't know what God is. God cannot be a human being. God is Light; God is power. God cannot talk. Electricity cannot give light. Only the bulb gives light, but electricity has to be put through the wire for the bulb to give light. It's power. Power cannot do anything; it has to be put through a medium. Yes?
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 2, 1971

• If you want external happiness, it can be an elusive desire. Internal happiness needs only to be revealed. It is not elusive because it is within you. It is your treasure. If you take someone else's treasure, it is stealing, but if you turn to your own, it is not. Happiness is your own treasure because it lies within you.
  • Fernbank, London, England October, 1971

• Today people want love. I can truly and sincerely tell you this Knowledge is over-brimmed with love. This Knowledge is, you know, I can't explain how much love it contains. There is so much love that if you take the water of the whole seas around and on one side we put this love and on the other side we put the whole sea, the sea will be small, the love will still be more. If we take every human man's weight, add it, then we add the love of his love, this Knowledge will be still much bigger than any man's weight. And this Knowledge is love. This is it. This is the love. A thief cannot take if from you, this love is so much. Nobody can cut this love. You can experience it whenever you like.
  • Central Hall, Westminster, London, UK, November 2, 1971

• People think God is a man. People think God has got ears, nose, teeth and he rises daily in the morning, brushes his teeth and washes his mouth. And he is an old man and he has a beard. All these things people think. But no, God is energy. God is perfect and pure energy.
  • Central Hall, Westminster, London, UK, November 2, 1971

• Who is Guru? The highest manifestation of God is Guru. So when Guru is here, God is here, to whom will you give your devotion? I want that the general should sign some papers. I need not go to his office when he is sitting in my home. Is it necessary to go in his office when his is sitting in my home? When God has come here, then what is the need to give devotion to God there?
  • (responding to a question about the word guru), Alta Loma Terrace Satsang, 1971 - reproduced from Elan Vital magazine, vol. II, issue 1

• God made the mind but He never made a stoplight. And when He saw that 'There is no stop in this mind which I have made,' He was very sorry. He had to take a form. The form of Guru is nobody but Himself, the whole that you want to see. The whole power is now in the form of a body. That is the body which is the 'Supremest' of all, and its duties, works are not like those of humanity.
  • (responding to a question about the word satguru), Alta Loma Terrace Satsang, 1971 - reproduced from Elan Vital magazine, vol. II, issue 1

• So remember, we have to find God, that person who is perfect; He is ours and we are His, and we have to find Him ... So remember: we are part of Him who has manifested Himself as a Guru and who has come into this earth, and now we have to be one with Him. We have to completely merge and make our souls one with Him because He is perfect, and once we merge with Him we will also be perfect ... So if you go to Him, ask. Ask and it shall be given, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
  • Prem Nagar Ashram, India, 10 December 1971 - quoted on p256 of "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?" published by Bantam, 1973

• Question: Is life as difficult as it sometimes seems to be?
  • Answer: Life is a tide; float on it. Go down with it and go up with it, but be detached. Then it is not difficult.
  • Fernbank, London, England February, 1972

• They say that, 'Why are you telling us that this Knowledge has to be taken from me?' But I don't say that this Knowledge has to be taken from me. I want that you should take this Knowledge, that's only I want to tell you. I don't say take from, from me. Take it. If you want to take it from me, go ahead. I'll give you. You can get it from someone else, go to someone he will give you. But the problem is you have to take it. That is the main thing. That doesn't mean you take from me. Go around the world, search for the spiritual master. If you cannot get this Knowledge, and you cannot receive this true Knowledge, then please come to me and I will give you this Knowledge.
  • Frankfurt, Germany, March 11, 1972

• I don't contain a self-personality, that I might stand up and say, Do this for me. Kings might say that, Bring me jewels, and so on, but I don't say that. Because when I see the growth of a human being and I see that his love and affection are really growing, then I feel happy. That is what pleases me.
  • Fernbank, London, UK, March 14, 1972

• Believe it or not, the fact is that God is supreme and pure; people are lying on a bed of ignorance and dreams and doubts. They expect God Himself to come, they pray for it, they ask for it, they announce about it, but when He comes they fail to recognize Him. And not recognizing Him in His physical form, they cannot recognize Him within themselves. People have forgotten their Creator.
  • Johannesburg, South Africa, 29 April 1972 - quoted on p213 of "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?" published by Bantam, 1973

• People ask, ‚"Do you say that you are God?‚" I say, ‚"No, I am not God. . . . . . . I don't want to be God.‚" But what I do want to be is a humble servant of God so that I can teach people this Knowledge, so that I can give people this gospel of peace, love and Truth. That' all I want to do. So all these lectures, all these speeches that I am giving are just for this purpose.
  • Johannesburg, South Africa, 2 May, 1972

• It's for you, not for me. You don't do anything for me. You do meditation, you do it for yourself. You get helped by that. There is no pay, nothing I am getting out of it. It's for you. If it's your privilege, if it's your convenience, you do it. It's for you, not for me. Go ahead, do meditation and you will see and you'll really, really observe how beautiful this Knowledge is.
  • San Francisco, California, July 1, 1972:

• Why I do things? Because I get great happiness, and happiness is the thing which makes the love flow, which makes me love. I want to be happy. And that is why I consider myself as one of the most happiest men in the world, because I do these things. I give this Knowledge to people free of charge. And people when they get this Knowledge feel great happiness. That makes me happy, too.
  • Montrose, Colorado, July 27, 1972

• Reporter: I was told that probably the best question to ask you, out of sincerity, is: who are you?

  Maharaj Ji: ... really I can't say who I am. But, though, there is a very basic thing, what I feel about myself. And that is that people have been claiming me as God or as Jesus or so on, and ah, many television people have been asking this question, and this is an interesting question of course. I thought maybe you will interested in the answer. I am not Jesus and I am not God or so on, but I am just a humble servant of God, and I am preaching this Knowledge, and it's ideal of humanity. I don't want to form a small sect or a religion. It's open thing to all. It's for all casts, all creeds, all colors. And man is human, and it's OK he can receive it. And it's something that is internal, something that does not interfere with any religion. And this is the highest thing that I am teaching, about the people of this time, today. I don't claim myself to be God. I don't claim myself to be something like that, but I can claim I can show you God.

  • Montrose, Colorado, 25 July, 1972

• The greatest problem all around the world today, whether in America, Japan, China, Russia, India or anywhere else in the world, is that people are not in peace. People want peace. Today, if two people fight, the government is supposed to settle them down. But when governments fight, who is going to settle them down? The only one who can settle the governments down is the Perfect Master, the incarnation of God Himself, who comes to Earth to save mankind.
  • Tokyo, Japan, October 3, 1972 (And it is Divine, July 1973)

• I am just an ordinary human being, with two legs, two eyes, and I work, and I voluntary put myself here so that I can reveal this Knowledge to people, I think because people need it. People have forgotten what this Knowledge is. And I am just teaching them perfectness, and that’s why they called me Perfect Master. And as a matter of fact, I am Perfect Master because I can reveal them this peace. Not saying that I am bodily perfect. I’m not saying I’m. . .I am perfect because of this reason or that reason, but simply one reason: because I can reveal them this Knowledge, which is perfect.
  • London, UK 13 July, 1973

• When I was born, God existed. But I never knew Him. I just never knew Him until Guru Maharaj Ji came into my life, till Guru Maharaj Ji came in my way, and showed me and revealed me that secret. And the day he did that, there it was, I knew God.
  • And It Is Divine, (January 1973) Volume 1, issue 3 - Referring to the day his father and teacher gave him the techniques of Knowledge

• Question: Do you think that there is only one Perfect Master?

Maharaj Ji: You see –- here I want to be very frank –- people come to me and ask me about this, and they say, “What is your opinion about a Perfect Master? Is there one, is there two?” I tell them my opinion that there is only one Perfect Master. Because perfectness, is one, not two, not three. So there is only one Perfect Master in this world. And because he is perfect, that’s it.. he is perfect. You just can’t divide perfect.

• • From an Interview with John Wood of the Boston Globe with Guru Maharaj Ji in Newton, Massachusetts, August 3, 1973, published in And It Is Divine ~ Dec. 1973, Volume 2. Issue 2.

• Question: Guru Maharaji Ji, are you God? – Answer: No. My Knowledge is God
  • Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?, (November 1973), Bantam Books, Inc.

• Question: Guru Maharaji Ji, what do you mean about the mind being evil? Answer: This mind is jiggling around trying to find out that perfectness. It is inquiring, trying to investigate the perfectness, which is impossible. To the mind, God is a perfect criminal. He has done such a perfect crime by creating this world that mind cannot trace how He did it. That is why the mind always freaks out about God.
  • September 1973, Los Angeles, USA, published in Light Reading Vol.1 No.1 Spring 1978 “Question on devotion and other answers”
  • Students of Prem Rawat clarify that at that time Rawat was making a distinction between the mind, which he described as including the dark or negative thoughts that a person may have; and heart, the place within each person where peace can be found.

• There are three ways to understand things. If somebody tells you something, who you respect, you'll say, Okay, since you are saying it, I'll believe it. Second way is that, This is what my concept is, so I'll believe it. But the third way is a very independent way, which is called, seeing is believing. That you see, that you feel, you realize practically, without anybody's concept, but actually be able to realize it completely, completely independently. And then feel it. And this is what I beg of every premie to do. Instead of to follow a bunch of concepts down the line, see this Knowledge, believe this Knowledge -— by yourself, independent of any concepts, any thoughts, any ideas.
  • Denver, Colorado, May 12, 1974

• So how are you going to recognise God if He comes on earth? Are you going to ask to see His identity card or passport? See if it says, 'Name ... God; Occupation ... Generator, Operator, Destroyer'? That's foolish! Or are you going to recognise Him only if He fits your mental picture of Him -- what you have picked up from scriptures and other impressions, what you imagine Jesus or Krishna looked like? But even two Christians will have different impressions of what Jesus will look like. So what will be recognised by one will not be recognised by the other. But the test of the Perfect Master is that which is undeniable to everybody and that is the experience of Himself, which He can give, and that is the True Knowledge.
  • from "The Sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji" - Published by Shri Hans Publications, 148-150 Lordship Lane, London SE22, Copyright Divine Light Mission 1974.

• In this world, the question has already been asked. The world has already started to face the problems, the problems which are vital for the human race. There is no need to discuss the problems, but I would like to present my opinion. In the midst of all this, I still sincerely think that this Knowledge, the Knowledge of God, the Knowledge of our Creator, is our solution. Many people might not think so, and carry a completely different opinion, but my opinion is that since man came on this planet earth, he has always been taking from it. Remember, this planet Earth is not infinite, it is finite, and though it has a lot to give, it is limited. Maybe now we can somehow manage to stagger along, cutting our standards of living, cutting gas, reducing the speed limit more, but the next very terrifying question is What about the future? I think this Knowledge which I have to offer this world, free of charge, is the answer. For if everybody can understand that everybody is a brother and sister, and this world is a gift, not a human-owned planet, and have the true understanding of such, we'll definitely bring peace, tranquillity, love and Grace, which we need so badly. I urge this world to try. I do not claim to be God, but do claim I can establish peace on this Earth by our Lord's Grace, and everyone's joint effort.
  • Proclamation for 1975, signed Sant Ji Maharaj the name by which Prem Rawat was known at that time. Divine Times (Vol.4 Issue.1, February 1, 1975)

• You go to the doctor to be cured. And the Perfect Master, Guru Maharaj Ji, because he is a doctor of this mind, can cure this mind. That's why he doesn't just come to you and say, Well, you have got a mental problem, or You have got a problem with your mind. No. He also offers you a medicine, a solution. And the solution is this Knowledge, which eventually - and not really eventually but instantaneously - starts affecting you.
  • Lima, Peru (January 1976). As printed in the magazine And It Is Divine, 1976 - Volume 3, Issue 4

• When I say, Give me love, and I'll give you peace, what do you think I do with that love? You think I make subji (nt: vegetable dish) out of it, or dessert out of it? No. I channel it back. Back to you so that you can grow more, so it can all really happen
  • Los Angeles, California, November 9, 1976

• Surrender to what is ultimate. Surrender to what you really are! Besides being John, Gary, anything you are named. What are you is what you have to understand. And serve that purpose. Serve that motive. Because what you are is far more greater than what you think you are. And because you think what you are, that… What it is inside of you, what is far more greater than you think you are, supercedes. Because that is what you are always thinking. “Oh I am -- I’m just not good.” And, “I’m just, I’m just a bum,” or, “I’m just crazy,” or, “I’ve just had it.” No. There’s something within inside of you that is really beautiful. And this is what the Knowledge reveals.
  • Portland, Oregon, 30 January 1977

• This life that has been given to us as a gift, as such a precious gift. To really try to understand it, really try to recognize it, is to me the greatest meditation. Through the media of this Knowledge we can tap into our inner sources that are so beautiful.
  • Denver, Colorado, February 19, 1977

• Knowledge brings that tranquility, brings that harmony, to all human beings of every type, of every age. And it doesn't matter what their background is. It doesn't matter what they are up to. It just brings them all together because of that harmony inside, because of that understanding inside, because of that love inside.
  • Rome, Italy, November 8, 1977

• Really surrender yourself. Really let yourself flow so that all this can pour into you, all this can help you. Because you know what satsang really does? It just makes us stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger and stronger. So if you want to get strong, here is your vitamins. You know? And you just got to take them. And take them as prescribed. And take the right vitamins and you’ll get strong. And you are getting stronger. So just let yourself flow in this beautiful, beautiful river of satsang, and just experience what’s really happening.
  • Kansas City, Missouri, USA, January 21, 1978<.small>

• To be here as individuals, and yet to be able to be next to the person who is everything; in which everything is, and he is in everything. Guru Maharaji. The Lord. All powerful.
  • Divine Times (June/July 1978) Volume 7, Number 4
  • NOTE: There is currently dispute as to the meaning of this quotation, among those who edit at Wikiquote. The assertions have been made that he spoke this statement about himself, and others made that he spoke it of his father, Hans Ji Maharaj. That he said it is not disputed, and interpretations are left to the reader.

• Just remember that it’s your effort that’s going to really bring it together for you…. You will be happy because you will have then realized and fulfilled the destiny. That little speck, then will have become everything because it will have merged with infinity. It will have merged with the most incredible, most indescribable thing there is!
  • Wembley Hall, London, England, 5 March 1978

• Have faith in the beauty of satsang, service, and meditation—not because somebody is telling you that there is an experience that exists, but to experience for yourself the experience that exists, and then have faith in it. Then you start going, and you keep on going. The effort you personally have to make is to do satsang, service, and meditation. And there’s an experience behind it. You’re not just doing it blindly, but there is an experience behind it.
  • Malaga, Spain, 24 March 1978

• And so what remains in our lives? What remains in this whole, entire world to do? And like I was saying, where does Mr. Mind take you and put you every time? Where does that mind place you? It places you every time at a place that has nothing to do with the outrageous that has nothing, has nothing to do with the with the beautiful, has nothing to do with the incredible, has nothing to with anything except darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness. And this is where the mind puts you.
  • Holi Festival, Miami, Florida, on Sunday, April 1978, printed in Divine Times April/May 1978 Volume 7, Number 3

• We forget to even see that there is something more than just us, that “we,” or “I,” an individual, is not the only thing in this whole universe. Your goodness, your badness, your deeds, what’s right for you and what’s wrong for you, and what’s beautiful and what’s not beautiful, what’s happy, what’s sad, and all these ideas--that’s not all. We forget that there is an incredible creation that surrounds us. And we have to open up to that creation. Obviously we want peace in our life. That’s what we’re trying to pursue. But there is this door and this door is locked. Without a key it will not open up. Beyond this door lies Knowledge. Beyond this door lies Love.
  • Geneva, Switzerland, September 8, 1978

• Dear premies, I guess this is the last night of this festival, of this Guru Puja and really, what have we understood? Really, in one way, what can we understand? What is there to understand? And it's just like sometimes you just feel, Understand? When I use the word understand ... But there is nothing to understand! And if there is something to understand, there is only one thing to understand, and that is to surrender!
  • The essence of everything., Dortmund Germany October 1, 1978, published by the DLM in The Golden Age No 51, February 1979

• You can be a doctor and I’ll still help you. You can be an engineer and I can help you. You can be a scientist and I’ll help you, whoever you are because I am not helping anything else. I am helping you! Peace on this Earth doesn’t begin by great ideas. Peace on Earth begins with you.
  • Kissimmee, Florida, November 10, 1978

• Life has a meaning, a motive. There is nothing greater than life itself. Yet what is the purpose of life? What do we actually do with it? What have we understood? When we accomplish and realize who we are—not in theory, but in reality—it is gorgeous. Concepts stop. Our expressions are accurate. The love is real. It is as though the whole rose blooms-—not one petal, not two petals—but the whole rose opens up. All of a sudden, in the darkness there is light.
  • Denver, Colorado February 24, 1979

• Even when the Earth phases out, sun the diminishes, and everything goes wherever it goes to, the experience of your Knowledge cannot diminish. It is from where even, you might say, eternity starts. It is the source of all sources. It is. It is the experience which is beyond death, beyond creation, beyond anything in this world.
  • Denver, Colorado, February 25, 1979

• We are all individuals. I can’t eat for you and you can’t eat for me. I can’t sleep for you and you can sleep for me. We are absolutely all individuals. When our purpose is fulfilled, it feels beautiful. That is, to me, the feeling of fulfillment.
  • Miami, Florida, April 5, 1979

• That feeling of surrender is there, has to be there. We all want that. We all want to let go. And in that feeling alone… Maybe you call it peace. Maybe you call it satisfaction. Maybe you call it anything. But it’s a feeling of “let go,” when the whole world becomes that tranquil world that’s liveable.
  • Holi Festival, Miami, Florida, USA, April 8, 1979

• Where does Guru Maharaj Ji fit in? Guru Maharaj Ji doesn't fit in anywhere. Guru Maharaj Ji is Knowledge. It is Guru Maharaj Ji's Knowledge. ... Who are you going to do service to, for? Guru Maharaj Ji. What are you going to meditate on? The Holy Name, which is Guru Maharaj Ji.
  • Holi Festival, Miami, Florida, USA, April 8, 1979. Published in the 'Divine Times', May/June 1979 edition, Volume 8, Number 3, Page 16.

1980s

• Today, people’s mood is very much like that: if the coffee is bitter they’re going to have a bad mood all day long. You could be having a perfect day and all of a sudden you get fired. And that’s it. there goes your beautiful day. Maybe they’ve had a beautiful life all life long, and then something will happen that will completely devastate them. But, you can go beyond all that to have something that’s permanent, to have something that is a true experience, to have an experience of yourself, to have an experience of what makes you alive.
  • Sao Paulo, Brazil, January 30, 1980

• Here I am, a human being who came in this world just like anybody else did. A lot of things happen in our lives. Some traumatic experiences happen, some happy experiences happen. And we all live. We all survive. And there is the one thing that’s so simple and so profound within inside of us, which is completely uncontaminated by everything that happens, everything that occurs all around us
  • Miami Beach, Florida, January 16, 1981

• Some people may think that okay, when we say Perfect Master,we’re talking about God, or we’re talking about prophet, or we’re talking about something like that. But really, in laymen’s term, to explain it, is that if somebody is a flight instructor, you would call them a flight instructor, or a flight teacher, or one who teaches about airplanes. If one was a professor of maths, he had mastered it, then you would call him teacher in maths, or instructor in maths [. . .] the definition of a Perfect Master is the one who can give us the perfectness, one who can teach us the perfectness.
  • October 4, 1981 Interview by John Young

• Every human being has to find their own peace. Peace is within you and me. When you and I can experience who we really are, what life is, and what we are doing here, that’s the day peace will begin in this world.
  • Dublin, Eire, October 7, 1981

• I have something to offer, and through which you can realize something, realize the essence of this life. Even if you are a billionaire, you have to have one thing going for you, and that’s life. That is a key ingredient. You don’t have life going for you, you can have everything else going for you, and it won't make any difference.
  • Washington, DC, USA, November 24, 1981

• There is something so beautiful inside you that if you knew it, you would fall in love with it. It is irresistible. You can truly experience that.
  • Brisbane, Australia (March 17, 1982) as reported in Maharaj, Visions International (1998)

• There is an unparalleled beauty inside. When you are in that place, you realize that you are never alone. When the whole world gives up on you, you can turn inside. When you are ready to give up on the whole world, you can turn inside. When you want to be with the whole world, you can still go inside and experience this beauty. Nothing ever changes in there.
  • Miami Beach, Florida USA 1982

• What I am really here to talk about is the central thing, the core, the nucleus—life itself. I’m not here to talk about what we should do in life. There are many options as far that is concerned and, of course, you can pick one, whatever suits you. But I’m talking about life itself without which nothing is wrong and nothing is right. Unbiased life. Maybe one day everything is going the right way for you and you’re incredibly happy. And you’re still breathing and you’re still alive. Then one day you’re really sad, and everything is terrible. And you’re still breathing; you’re still alive. That thing is never affected by what the outer circumstances are.
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 3, 1984

• Yesterday a woman asked me, “Should I love my child more or less?” What I said was, “The love for your child is there. All you’ve got to do is let it come out. It’s not a question of more or less. It’s there. It’s prevalent. However much it is, you can’t control. The only thing you can control is how much of it you let it out. All you are is a vehicle. That’s true because that’s what we are. We are vehicles through which we can experience.
  • Barcelona, Spain October 3, 1984

• There is an aspiration we all have which needs to be fulfilled. That’s what I’m talking about. There is something that I can offer that fulfills that place, that fulfills that vacuum. It replaces that vacuum with a reality, with an experience of your own self. Because what you are is very beautiful. We need to learn to live with ourselves. When we can’t learn to live with ourselves, we can’t live with anybody. The world is too small.
  • Hayward, California, USA, March 1, 1985

• What I can offer you is no different than a shovel. You’ve got the gold mine, and all I’m offering you is the shovel. What does a shovel do? It allows you to dig for the gold. It allows you an access. There are very particular techniques that I am talking about, and from there, you can have an experience is beautiful, an experience that is soothing. That’s all.
  • Melbourne, Australia March 26, 1985

• Nobody can tell you that you are content until you feel it in your own heart. When a heart is okay, then it’s a heartfelt feeling and you know it. Not by the virtue of somebody having to tell you this, somebody having to explain you this, but it comes from the feeling of the inside. Knowledge works from the inside out, not from the outside in. Your own experience is the only thing that’ll satisfy that thirst.
  • Rome, Italy August 22, 1985

• First of all, I’m not here to present myself as a know-it-all. What I’m here for is to answer those questions that are related to that experience and related to the tool: Knowledge which can bring us the experience. Above all, we have the choice to say I don’t like it or I like it. I am not here to try and convince anybody of anything. Rather, I’m here to offer something.
  • Vancounver, BC, Canada, January 23, 1986

• We have been given a gift that is really, really precious. It’s simple. It isn’t going to get us anything. It isn’t there to augment anything. It’s there for us to be able to experience something that is within ourselves. It is not there to change our religions, our practices, our daily lives. But it is only there for one reason, for one reason alone. Simple happiness. Simple joy.
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 2, 1987

• You’re the captain. Get over the helm and start steering. Take control. There’s something going on here you can he a part of. You don’t have to see this thing run up on coral reefs, one time after another after another after another. This one is all yours. You’ve got it. And the clock is running. And it’s going to stop, invariably. But right now, you’re alive. Enjoy. Enjoy this existence. Enjoy this love. It is the deed of incredible compassion that you are here on the face of this earth. You have invested in many things. Maybe won, maybe lost. Maybe it’s time to invest in life because what you invest here will always he yours.
  • Montreal, Quebec, Canada, March 6, 1988

• I need my anchor because without the anchor, the boat will drift away. I need stability in my life. I need that one place that I can call home. In that home, it feels good. I can rest. I can take off my shoes. I can rest my weary body. We all also have a home within that feels good, where we can rest. For those few minutes, we can close the door and we can say to the world, 'Stand by.' For those few minutes, we can be where we want to be and love that feeling. And in those few minutes, we can look at our Creator and say, 'Thank you for this life. Thank you for what you have given me.' And feel the thankfulness fill us.
  • Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Africa July 31, 1989

1990s

• Live. Breathe. It is not fear that we need to live by, but joy, hope. Inside you, in your ocean, maybe it seems barren; maybe it feels as if there is no hope, no kindness, no reason for happiness. But deep within you, undeniably, something rumbles, cries out, wants to be born. Allow the joy to come forward. Allow the hope to exist.
  • Madrid, Spain September 1990

• In the heart of the sphere of everything that keeps changing, there one thing that never changes—life. Life is the one thing that stays with me until the very end. Today, people may like me. Tomorrow, they may not. But my life is still there. It is not subject to good and bad. Human beings are the thinkers—homo sapiens—the ones with the brains. We can think about things, and in our thoughts, everything keeps changing. In our moods, everything keeps changing. Yet, in our beings, there is the heart, and the heart does not change because it is consistent with only one thing. Our needs on the outside change all the time, but the heart's need never changes. It is consistently the same, and always will be.
  • Hong Kong, China May 6, 1990

• Listen to what the heart has to say. It is not going to run your life. The heart's message is so simple. It's not going to tell you that you should buy this color jacket, and this color car and this color house. Heart only has one thing to say to you, 'Be fulfilled.' This is all it ever has wanted, and this is the only demand the heart has for you. What have we done with ourselves? We have made ourselves slaves of the past and the future. Take away the future, which doesn't yet exist, and the past that has disappeared. Be fulfilled now, in this moment.
  • Paris, France July 7, 1990

• Happiness has to be felt like water. Joy has to be felt like food. What good is it to have a picture of the sun at night? What will it light up? Can you imagine somebody carrying a picture of the sun and holding it out in the dark? In the same way, you have to experience this experience within for yourself. Nothing else will do. This is a living experience for living people.
  • Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, August 9, 1990

• People say, I am afraid of changes. But who is asking you to change? Knowledge is not a change. When you see yourself in the mirror, the first thing you will realize is that beauty that you have always looked for is right there. That's the first thing you will realize. That, to me, is the magic of this Knowledge.
  • Escobar, Argentina, January 23, 1991

• What is this thing called the existence? Is it all the things that we perceive it to be? Or is it something else? It's a gift. One of my favorite examples is the bird in the cage. You may think that you own the bird inside the cage, but you're wrong. You only own the cage. People think that they need to have a very fancy cage, that the more incredible the cage, the more incredible the bird will look. But the cage and the bird are really two different things. When the bird is gone, all that will be left is the cage.
  • Kaohsiung, Taiwan, April 6, 1991

• What has a student to become? A student has to become a receptacle. What has a devotee to become? A devotee also has to become a receptacle. And what has a disciple to become? A disciple too has to become a receptacle. Whatever you name him....

Have you seen worms? Have you seen ants? I can understand what it means to be born as an ant or worm in your next birth. That's why it has been said: 'it is with great good fortune we secure this human body. It is rarely attained even by gods, as scriptures say. It is actually the means to practice Knowledge and the gateway to salvation...'

...Now this ego. Though it appears to be of little consequence, but even if a devotee is conscious of the fact -l know, it is akin to the devotee's crucifixion. If you are plagued with a little bit of arrogance that 'you know', you are gone. You are finished. You know nothing. Period. Again you have to turn to the Master and pray to him to give you prudence - Maharaji, please give me wisdom. I even don't know that as a human being I should not be egoistic. This is the problem. As a human being, I don't know how to conduct myself as a devotee. This too please teach me. Please let me know.

• • form “Student, Disciple or Devotee?”, Shri Sant Yogashram, New Delhi - Vaishakhi Celebrations - (Evening Session) 13th April, 1991. (Translated to English from Hindi).

• So many people are waiting for their happiness to come. It's not here yet, but they are waiting. It's like standing in a line waiting for your bus. One day, people say, my ship will come. One day, I'll make it. One day, I'll be happy. Ships come and go, and they wait for theirs. They think about jumping on other people's ships. They think everything. Yet, incredibly enough, there has always been someone who has pointed out the simple fact that what we are looking for is inside.
  • Honolulu, Hawaii, December 4, 1991

• As has been said…'A devotee does not worry about anything, except the experience of Knowledge.'...'When the perfect Master is there to take care of you, you have nothing to worry about. All the powers of prosperity and success are ready to serve you and you are free from all bondages.'..

This is such a world in which there is darkness everywhere. And that darkness devours a man. It runs after man to eat him up. And man loses his wits. He becomes heartless.... But if you have trust within you and really the Master is there - the Perfect Master - to take care of you, and if you actually have trust and faith in your heart then there is absolutely nothing to worry about.

• • from “Grace and Gratitude”, Shri Sant Yogashram, New Delhi - Vaishakhi Celebrations - 13th April, 1992 - (Public Program. Translated to English from Hindi)

• Through your thoughts, you create your own games, and you win your own games because perhaps you have forgotten how to play the real game. What is the real game? It is the game in which the heart is entertained, the game in which you are entertained. It is the game that you will win.
  • Madrid, Spain September 1992

• People try to define life. You know, all the 900 different things that people have wedged in there. But in reality, life is simply the time between birth and death. That's life. To us, it is a lifetime. But somewhere out in space, it may just be a blink of an eye, that's all. Because of the earth's gravitational pull, time is being slowed down and TA-DA, you have a lifetime. But somewhere out there, it's just this blink of an eye. And in this blink of an eye, you have created complexities that rival the complexities of the universe itself. In a sense, you have outdone the stars, you have outdone the motions of planets. You have outdone the whole principle of how light travels. In your little world, you have created absolutely amazing complexities. You have taken God and you have made God mysterious. But if you could just see the beauty around you and realize the goodness that it means to be able to breathe, to be able to exist, and for somebody to be able to facilitate that for you, then God is not mysterious, God is kind and beautiful.
  • Anaheim, California, USA, January 30, 1993

• Ask yourself for a moment what is really important to you_not by anyone else's definition, but your own. Peel away all the roles that you act out every day, and you will find a being. A being that, amazingly enough, cannot be put in a box. A being that isn't good or bad—just a being. A being that wants to exist, that wants to learn, that wants to appreciate. A being that just wants to be.
  • Seattle Washington, February 1994

• For all of us who are alive, life is the real issue. Yet so often we judge our existence by the things that happen to us—by whether things are going our way or not. Sometimes we feel strong—strong enough to dictate our future. Sometimes we feel that we can make things happen. Then there are times when we feel totally helpless. But through all the dramas and bumps, there is life. There is the very powerful, very existence of every single human being.
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada May 27, 1994

• Ask yourself for a moment what is really important to you—not by anyone else's definition but your own.
  • Seattle, Washington (1994) as reported in Maharaji, Visions International (1998)

• We talk about world peace. Peace needs to be in the heart of every human being because that is where it belongs. The world would not have half its problems if we understood what we need to understand within us. I come with no solution to the world's problems. I come with nothing new to tell you. Instead, I come to tell you one of the things you have known for the longest time. That which you are looking for, that which you love and admire, is within you.
  • Wembley Stadium, England, June 22, 1997

• My journey began with me. I was the one who came into this world, and learned how to walk, and how to fall. I was the one who had to live with me every single day of my life. The world told me, 'There is something out there for you. Go look for it.' But somebody who was very kind and very generous said to me, 'For the answer, look within. Within you is where your journey begins and ends.'
  • Paris, France June 1997

• Knowledge is not spiritual, nor is it a religion. Knowledge belongs in neither of those two categories. Knowledge says there is a consciousness inside of you, that you are complete.
  • (Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles 1998)

• To live this life, my friends, you have to have a genuine passion. Nothing artificial. To live this life, to love this life, you have to have a genuine passion. People think Kabir was so wonderful because he was uneducated and yet he said all these wonderful things. Do you think it would have been different had Kabir gone to Yale and Oxford? If so, you missed the point. The point isn't whether he was educated or not, because, in the truest sense, he was very educated. More educated than most people. The point is that passion. Maybe you won't be able to write like Kabir, but you can feel the same passion. Passion is the point. That love is the point. That feeling is the point. That is achievable by everyone sitting in this hall, and in the city of London, and on this planet Earth. That passion. That love. That awakening. That joy.
  • London, United Kingdom, Jun 13, 1998

2000s

• It is not in the resolution of problems that you will find happiness. If you want to find that happiness, if you want to find that joy, then find that one thing that is within inside of you. That is you, that is your reality, that is your core that can bring you that joy. This disparity has existed and existed and existed, yet people keep saying, 'No, these people don't know what they're talking about.'
  • Auckland, New Zealand, September 10, 2000

• fear or freedom
  choose freedom
  choose freedom
  --
  being free
  is not an idea
  it is a feeling
  it emanates from within
  • From a collection of hundreds of quotes set to music and available online at Maharaji's personal website http://www.maharaji.net/ (2001)

• I have to acknowledge what I need in my life. If I want peace, I have to acknowledge it. I have to say to myself, in the simplest of words, 'Yes. I feel the thirst for peace.' I can use fancy words to impress other people, but I cannot use fancy words to impress me. If I want to impress me, I have to speak the truth. Maybe to the world, truth is a scary word, but truth is what the heart wants to hear. That thirst needs to be quenched. Peace is what the heart needs to feel.
  • Address by Prem Rawat to members of the Italian Parliament (July 2004)

• With all our differences, we're not that different. Our quests are similar. The need for peace is not created by a document. It is created by a fundamental desire innate to all human beings, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful. It is that innate desire that has, throughout history, pushed us again and again to find peace. The want, the concept, the idea of peace did not start this year or last year or the year before.
  • Address at the Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona (2004)]

• This peace is not the absence of anything. Real peace is the presence of something beautiful. Both peace and the thirst for it have been in the heart of every human being in every century and every civilization.
  • Address to faculty, students and guests at Harvard University's Sanders Theater (August 2004)

If someone wants peace in their life, they can have it. If they don't want it, they don't have to have it. The river doesn't pull people into it; it just flows. Those who want to quench their thirst can. Those who don't want to can let it go by. The river goes its way; it makes its journey. The fact that it flows means there is a possibility. All I am doing is presenting that possibility. This isn't about converting people; it is about inverting people. This is about turning within. There's a big difference between the two, because what we are looking for is within, and that's where we can find it.

• • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 18, 2004

• Peace is inside you. Wherever you go, peace goes with you. When you climb on a bus, peace goes with you. When you are fighting, peace goes with you. When you are asleep, peace is within you. When you are frustrated beyond imagination, peace is in you. No matter what you do, there is no place you can go where peace will not come with you. Because it's within you. Through technology, we want to improve our lives. What I am saying is that the real improvement begins with you. I am not saying to sacrifice technology or to sacrifice your responsibilities. Accept your responsibilities, and while accepting those responsibilities, find peace, find joy in your life.
  • Addressing facutly and guests at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), as part of a program by the National Resource Center for Value Education. New Delhi. (November 7, 2004)

• Q: What would you say to Bin Laden and George Bush?
  A: I have to look at them as human beings. What one person had done for the world, is terrible, but for my perspective ... if it was morning I would say "good morning" and if it was afternoon I would say, "good afternoon"
  Q:That's all?
  A: That's all. It is not my place to judge them.
  Q: Thank you very much, Maharaji.
  • "In Conversation", TV interview by Rajiv Mehrotra, Doordarshan Television News, India, 3 March 2006.

About

1970s

• "Well, his predominant activity is playing. He plays all the time. One of his favorite things Is to ride around and around on his motorcycle. He likes to tie things on the back of the motorcycle, and drag them around behind him. Or sometimes he'll tie things on the back of the motorcycle and let us sit on them and drag us behind him. Or sometimes he will give people a ride on the motorcycle.
  • Rennie Davis, 1973

• He's either the most incredible fraud ever run on this planet or he is god on earth.
  • Rennie Davis, quoted in "What Is He—a Lord or an Incredible Fraud?", Nicholas Von Hoffman, The Capital Times April 27, 1973

• The timing of Guru Maharaj Ji's arrival in this world is very far out. Even he admits that he came at the last possible moment. When people finally discover who Guru Maharaj Ji is, they'll feel a nice smile inside thinking about how he slipped in the back door just in the nick of time. But I want to talk to the people who don't know who he is. Because the idea of a fifteen-year-old Indian dressed in a business suit coming to America as the savior of the world must seem like a bad joke. Some people really get angry when you try to tell them who Guru Maharaj Ji is. I remember last spring when I traveled around the country announcing to old friends the joyous news. Many of them thought I had lost my mind or was secretly working for the CIA. I spoke in Berkeley and New York and said "the Creator has come to help us pull the world back together again," and tomatoes and cherry pies were hurled at me. When you tell someone that Guru Maharaj Ji is the power of creation, they may punch you in the face instead of shake your hand. I go on the radio and say that Guru Maharaj Ji is revealing the same Knowledge of life that Jesus taught and the most devoted Christians call the station sounding like they'd rather crucify him instead of rejoice.
  • Rennie Davis, Houston, Texas, June 1973, writing in "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?", Bantam Books, Inc. 1973

• When a devotee makes the outrageous statement that Guru Maharaj Ji is the Lord of the Universe, it's cause enough for a chuckle. But it also happens to be true. Guru Maharaj Ji is the Lord of the Universe and anyone can find out who sincerely wants to know".
  • Rennie Davis, Houston, Texas, June 1973, writing in "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?", Bantam Books, Inc. 1973

• He is here to change the world and bring peace
  • Rennie Davis, UPI, July 13, 1975

1980s

• [T]here is now a practical way to fulfill all the dreams of the movement of the early sixties and seventies. There's a practical practical method to end poverty, racism, sexism, imperialsim. ... I would cross the planet on my hands and knees to touch his toes.
  • Rennie Davis, Spring 1973, quoted in Rudin, A. James and Marcia R. Prison or Paradise?. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1980, p.62

2000s

• I am impressed by his message. His message is a message of peace. A peace that can be found within every person. Someone has said it’s difficult to find peace inside, but it’s impossible anywhere outside. In a recent address at the United Nations Conference in Bangkok, he said that it is people that need to be at peace. And that when people are at peace, there will be peace in the world. He offers inspiration and guidance to those interested in making inner peace a reality in their lives. Many people speak of peace, and yet there is more to Sri Prem Rawat’s message than just words. I had the good fortune of meeting Prem Rawat in person a couple of weeks ago. He was kind enough to take time from his schedule so that we could have a substantial and enjoyable conversation. I found him to be a warm and delightful person and found his insights to be most helpful.
  • Mr. Naveel Jindal, Executive Chairman of Jindal Power and Steel, Ltd. Sirifort Auditorium, New Delhi, India. February 8, 2003.

• I am impressed by what I read, by the depth of his ideas, of his message. He speaks about peace from a very original and unique perspective. We are used to hearing speeches about peace. We usually tend to leave peace in the hands of governments or political organizations. Prem Rawat speaks about peace from a different perspective—more precise, more human—and he stresses the significance of each human being in the pursuit of world peace. I find great merit in his message.
  • Dr. Díaz, Vice-Rector. Salamanca University. Salamanca, Spain. June 2003

• Peace within is vital for leading a life fulfilled. Prem Rawat brings a message of hope and peace. Such a message is very much needed in this world today. Each of us as individuals can benefit from it. His message can help us lead more fulfilled lives, whatever our circumstances might be.
  • Mahendra Swarup; CEO, Times Foundation and Times Internet. (2003)

• I have found his message to be so simple and from the heart. We seek to find the best thing in life, to find peace, joy, fulfillness, regardless of the circumstances. Maharaji tells us that what we are looking, for all the life, for already that is within us, and that is, it can be easily found. Please join me to thank him for offering the message of hope and for taking the time to be with us.
  • Dr. J. Hegde, Sheriff of Mumbai, Mumbai, India, January 2004

• I read some articles about him, his message and his work. I was deeply impressed by the extent of the recognition that he has received as he travels around the world. Millions of people have come to him throughout the years looking for inspiration and guidance. He has received honors from many cities around the world and has been invited to speak in some of the most prestigious forums. He is a true globalizer. More than that, what has struck me is—how much he has touched the lives of countless individuals, rich and poor alike, regardless of their beliefs or condition—in all positions in society. The need to find peace is a most pressing one. And it is a privilege and honor to welcome someone who claims that peace is possible and who offers to show a practical way to find peace within. He brings a message of hope and peace that is simple and from the heart. A message that is relevant for each and every individual.
  • Mr. S. Haribhakti, President of the Indian Merchants Chamber of Commerce, Mumbai, India. February 28, 2004.

• Prem Rawat has received widespread recognition for providing inspiration and guidance to audiences around the world on tonight's topic for peace. Proclamations and resolutions that honor his work: keys to the City, letters of appreciation, invitations from government officials, and these are among the many ways that he's been welcomed throughout the years. We're used to hearing about peace as the absence of war. We normally put the responsibility of peace on governments and on political organizations. We seldom talk about peace from a human—from our own—perspective. We seldom highlight the important role of each human being, each one of us, in bringing peace to the world. Tonight, we hear Prem Rawat's fresh and innovative views on peace.
  • Professor Mary Farqhuar, Director of the Griffith Asia Pacific Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia, April 17, 2004

• Prem Rawat's message is extremely simple. Extremely easy to learn and one wonders why we don't learn it when we're extremely small and keep it going that way. The secret of civil society seems to be no secret. We've heard sof rom Prem Rawat.
  • Cliff Hildebrand, President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, Brisbane, April 2004

• Many people in this world speak of peace from different angles. Some speak of peace as a result of good socio-economic policies, or as a result of a sound distribution of wealth. Prem speaks of peace from a perspective that is both original and intriguing. Rather than to look only to institutions or to policies for creating peace, he speaks of a peace that, he says, each person is personally responsible for finding. Despite ever-growing audiences, his message remains directed at each individual who comes to hear him and the people who enjoy his message come from all walks of life.”
  • Dr. Pages, Chief Executive Officer Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona, Spain. June 14, 2004

• As public servants, we all seek, each in our own way, to make this place a better place to live. We seek to bring peace, harmony. We use to the best of our abilities the means at our disposal through our position in society: we set better policies, try to make society more equal, we seek to alleviate injustices, and to give everyone a chance to enjoy conditions in their life that are conducive to leading a life fulfilled. There is one thing however we cannot do, and that is to enable people to feel happy, to feel at peace, content, for themselves. What intrigued me in Prem Rawat’s message is that he speaks of the possibility for every person of finding within themselves a peace, a happiness, that is not dependent on circumstances. Peace, he says, is within, and can be felt; we just have forgotten how to get in touch with it. What I also find interesting is that he sees peace not just as the absence of war, but rather as a feeling within to get connected with, to cultivate for oneself. I see his message pointing to us that everyone must find peace for themselves first to help bring peace in the world—as sorely needed and I am glad he is with us today”
  • Emilio Colombo, former Prime Minister of Italy and former President of the European Parliament, European Parliament. Parliament Conference Hall of the Italian Parliament, Rome Italy. July 7, 2004

• “Prem Rawat brings a message of peace. Peace, more than ever, is on everyone’s mind. And peace, more than ever, is sorely missing. For centuries, governmental and private organizations have tried to envision how to make peace a reality. Extensive studies have been conducted to identify the conditions for bringing about lasting peace. Many initiatives have been launched to help create conditions where people could live in peace.

The charter of the UNESCO says ‘Since wars begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defense of peace must be constructed.’ While everyone agrees on the philosophical truth behind this statement, little progress has been achieved towards making this vision a reality. No one really knows where to start or how to go about it.

Prem Rawat speaks of a peace that is more than the absence of war. A peace that institutions cannot bring. A peace that needs to be established by each individual. To establish peace on the outside, he says, peace needs to be established first on the inside. He brings a remarkable message of hope, and I look forward to hearing him tonight. Please join me in welcoming to the stage a truly wonderful, international, inspirational man, Prem Rawat.”

• • Richard Patten, a Member of the Provincial Parliament of Ontario, Canada. Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. July 24, 2004.

• I observe that [Prem Rawat] brings a message that it is every individual’s birthright to experience peace in this lifetime. He asserts that, in addition to fulfilling our obligations to society, we need to fulfill our ultimate obligation, which is to ourselves and to finding fulfillment in this lifetime. This message is remarkable in that it does not put the responsibility for peace on institutions or on others, but on each individual. He has been providing inspiration and guidance on this topic for decades and has received much acclaim.”
  • Professor D.P Kothari, Deputy Director, Indian Institue of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, November 6, 2004.

• While many programs are special, some are essential. Words of Peace, which presents Prem Rawat's message, is one of these unique programs. This program is receiving this distinction because of its important contribution toward building a culture of peace in Brazil. The feeling of peace that Prem Rawat introduces people to is very important for everyone. It is essential to spread this feeling within to everyone in Brazil. This program is a great contribution toward the triumph of inner peace. Prem Rawat's message has the potential to unite all Brazilians in inner contentment. I know that peace is really possible in Brazil.
  • Mr. Fernando Mauro Trezza, President of the Brazilian Association of Community Television Channels, Sao Paolo, Brazil, November 29, 2004.

• Prem Rawat does not speak from prepared notes. He speaks from his heart. And he speaks to that part of us which understands and recognizes truth as something that it has already always known. As a writer and lecturer, I travel in the realm of ideas. As a result of listening to Prem Rawat's expressions, I now know that wherever I travel—in thought or in geography—that there is a home within me. A home that, instead of the complexity of thought, the simplicity of peace resides. I credit Harvard for opening the doors of my mind, and I credit Prem Rawat for opening the door to my heart of hearts. In a very practical way he has allowed me to access the deepest feelings of peace, of fulfillment, of freedom. Free of any external catalyst. And for me, as Robert Frost put it simply, this has made all the difference.”
  • Tim Gallwey, author, The Inner Game of Golf/Tennis and other Inner Game books. Harvard Unversity, Sanders Theatre, July 22, 2004

• The Governor of the State of New Mexico, having learned of the outstanding achievement and exceptional accomplishments of Maharaji, does hereby extend congratulations and acknowledgement and further does herein direct that this official expression of pride be forthwith sent on behalf of the people of the State of New Mexico.
  • Bill Richardson, Governor of the State of New Mexico, United States of America, January 10, 2005

• Resolved that I, Jennifer H. Granholm, offer this certificate of tribute to Prem Rawat in honor of his exemplary career, life accomplishments, and many contributions to our citizens.
  • Jennifer H. Granholm, Governor of Michigan, United States of America, in a proclamation issued on Januar 2005

• As Mayor of the City of Los Angeles and on behalf of its residents, I commend you for your tireless, lifelong efforts to bring to people in the Los Angeles area and around the world a message of hope, and for providing them inspiration and guidance to find peace within and live fulfilling lives. I am pleased to join with members of the community in recognizing your remarkable achievements and accomplishments throughout the years. With best wishes in all your future endeavors.
  • James K. Hahn, Mayor of Los Angeles, California, United States of America, January 12, 2005

• Prem Rawat is an international speaker acknowledged for his profound message of peace, particularly inner peace and self-fulfillment. We at the United Nations Association of Malaysia and the United Nations Development Programme see his message as a true reflection of the hopes, aspirations, and ideals of the United Nations, whose aim is international peace and security. All encouragement and support should be given to The Prem Rawat Foundation for its noble efforts to spread the message of Prem Rawat, as well as to bring peace and happiness to the needy. Let us support the message of Prem Rawat, empowering us to generate the hope of peace in this world of despair. The foremost concern of the international community is peace. Prem Rawat says, ‘Peace is possible.’ Let us listen to his message.
  • Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen, President of the United Nations Association of Malaysia, former Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Informationn, and currently Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the United Malays National Organization. April 25, 2005

• Throughout time, leading thinkers, academicians, and government leaders have attempted to develop an understanding of how to build peace. Many approaches have been explored, all attempting to create favorable conditions for peace. These solutions have drawn from economics, history, international law, comparative peace studies, conflict resolution, political science, sociology, anthropology, and more. Prem Rawat’s message of peace is rooted in the need for each person to find peace within themselves. He emphasizes that whether our search is for world peace or for personal peace, we very much need to look at the search for peace as a personal quest, rooted in an understanding of who we are.
  • Professor Dr. Surapon Nitikraipot, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Rector of Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand, May 17 2005

• His message is one of hope and peace, and he has inspired millions throughout the world. As an educator, the opportunity to learn has been central and the focus of my life. I have witnessed brilliant teachers and eager students turn classrooms into magical places. Prem Rawat reminds us that magic begins with people, and it’s within each person. That the possibility of peace and the possibility of living a life to the fullest begins with recognizing the value of life itself. That is, in my opinion, the deepest learning and is certainly a curriculum for everyone.
  • Dr. Eduardo Padron, President of w:Miami Dade College (June 16, 2005)

Undated

These have a source cited, but have not yet been provided with a definite date.

• If this guy is God, then this is the God that the United States of America deserves.
  • Abbie Hoffman in 1973. Available on a video that can be downloaded from the internet

• You can start going around and taking examples and taking stories and taking everything. Or you can just one straight thing: 'Guru Maharaj Ji, take me'.
  • Published in the Divine Times, March 1978, page 5

• I’m me. I am a human being. Many things have been said about me. Many of these things have come from people’s own emotions, good or bad. I’m proud to be a human being. I am very happy that I have this life. I am also happy that I can feel joy and pain like everyone else. I’m happy being me. Some people would love to put labels on me, but I am just me.
  • Source: Conversation with Prem Rawat The Prem Rawat Foundation

• Peace needs to be in everyone's life. Of all the things we have tried in this world, there is one thing we have never given a chance. That one thing is peace. If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life. The peace that we are looking for is within. It is in the heart, waiting to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. It is not the world that needs peace; it is people. When people in the world are at peace within, the world will be at peace.
  • Source: Wikipedia article.

• We don’t need to be in dire straits to need to feel hope. On a perfectly beautiful, sunny, clear day when everything is going just right, you can still use hope. That we are able to be content within is the most hopeful message there is. That we can find that one thing the heart has searched for, for so long, is a very hopeful message. That’s the message I bring. And that brings people hope. That is what is important for all of us: that hope, that idea of self-fulfillment, that idea of being able to have contentment in one’s life.
  • Source: Conversation with Prem Rawat The Prem Rawat Foundation

• This whole sphere, this whole world of Knowledge and the Master and, practicing, and devotion, and participation and all that— This is traditionally in India is called the path of devotion, bhakti marg. All the Masters came from this. All the Sikh gurus came from this. All the Masters you talked about came from this. It is regarded as the highest path, inclusive of Buddha— Because any time, any time there is a Master, wants to talk about a living thing, boomf. That's where they find themselves. And, amazingly, enough, it is not called the path of enlightenment, and it is not called the path of Knowledge, and it is not called the path of service, and all of those things, inclusive, it is then given the name. And the name is devotion.
  • Source: No Apprehension broadcasted in March 2002, recording date unknown

External links

Wikipedia has an article about:

Prem Rawat

Wikisource has original text related to:

author:Prem Rawat

• Maharaji, Prem Rawat's personal website - Content and design by Prem Rawat. Available in 16 languages.
• The Prem Rawat Foundation