This is the fourth Guru Puja in the West. Each year the devotees of the Perfect Master gather on the full moon of July to honor their Lord who they recognize has come to earth for the sole purpose of showing them the aim of their life. Celebration of Guru Puja extends far beyond the memory of man.
The premies' devotion was expressed spontaneously by dancing and playing music
On Christmas day, 1971 in India, Maharaj Ji asked his American devotees to prepare Guru Puja in America for the next year. The following July about 5,000 devotees spent three romantic days on a 320 acre farm in Duckett's Draw outside of Montrose, Colorado. The green valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides. Each evening the programs were highlighted by the satsang of Maharaj Ji and Bal Bhagwan Ji. As the programs began the western sky would erupt in colorful sunsets while the eastern sky lit up under the light of the moon.
In the evening many of the local townspeople attended the programs and Maharaj Ji would gear his satsang for them. One night he compared a human being to a carburetor. "You have two screws, a material screw and a spiritual screw. When you get out of tune you have to take yourself to the guy who knows how to fix that."
Last summer, Guru Puja, "A summer celebration of love and light," was held in London's Alexandra Palace, a massive stone building known affectionately as "Ally Pally." The majority of the devotees camped out during the festival on a lush field about twenty miles from the hall. Early one morning *** … missing words ***
In many ways, Guru Puja '73 was a rock out. Bhole Ji's 42 piece band blew out the crowd with devotional numbers that included "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Jumping Jack Flash." Every night the hall was filled to capacity as Maharaj Ji told 22,000 attentive people, "As a matter of fact I am the Perfect Master."
On the final day of the festival, Maharaj Ji sat for several hours as thousands of devotees filed past him to receive darshan and Holy Breath. This darshan line was featured in the film, "Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?-
This year Guru Puja is being celebrated in many parts of the world and Guru Maharaj Ji has promised to attend the celebrations in Copenhagen and Amherst, Massachusetts.
In the centerfold of this issue, the coordinator of this spring's festival puts Guru Puja in the context of 1974.
"If a devotee has a Guru
then puja is his life, understood?"
-Guru Maharaj Ji -
