Prem Rawat aka Maharaji in 1974 When He Was The Lord of the Universe
A Little Secret

Prem Rawat (Guru Maharaj Ji) Answers Questions

San Francisco, California
February 10, 1974

Maharaj Ji, what would you say to a premie that smokes dope and smokes cigarettes?

Well, the only thing I can say is that, look. You already have a Knowledge that is far superior to that. It's like this person who has an airplane and is saying, "Oh, I want to go to Los Angeles as soon as possible. Oh, I want to go to Los Angeles as soon as possible. I want to take the quickest means." And he has a jet which is okay. It runs. It's perfect. But all he does is take his briefcase and suitcase and start walking towards Los Angeles. And that's not the quickest means.

And it's just like that. Saying, "Oh, I want the realization. Oh, I want that perfectness. Oh, I want this enlightenment as soon as possible," and then still going to something that is completely inferior, when Knowledge itself is superior.

What can Knowledge do until you have really concentrated on it? If you have really understood it … until then what can Knowledge really do to you? If you are not meditating on it, it is just like food before you. If you are not eating that food, it's not going to go by itself into your tummy. And it's like that.

I have a question about semantics, Maharaj Ji.

About what?

Semantics.

Go ahead.

Are we all, as individuals, God?

No. But God is within us. And then there is a great difference. There are seven torches, okay? And they are all on fire. But all those seven torches are not fire. But there is fire on them. Okay?

And it's the same thing with us. We all as human beings have God within inside of us because He is omnipresent and He is within inside of us, too. And thus we have God within inside of us. But that does not mean that we become God.

There is an engine in the car, but the car is not the engine. And there is that difference. God is infinite but this body is finite. There can be a picture and there can be a frame. The picture is the picture; the frame is the frame. The frame is not a picture, nor is the picture a frame. They are two things. But when they are combined, you can call them a simple picture. A photo. Understand?

How does one renounce the fruit of one's actions?

It's like this. A person is doing all these wrong things in his lifetime. And it is not necessary that he knew that he was doing wrong. He did it and it was virtually wrong. Sometimes you don't know if you are going to cut your hand or not. But you cut it. You chop it completely open. You have no intention to chop it open. You don't want to chop it open. But you do.

It is the same thing with man. But if a man had dedicated himself to Lord and has surrendered himself to

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Prem Rawat (Guru Maharaj Ji) 1971 Trying To Grow A Moustache
 Prem Rawat (Guru Maharaj Ji) 1971 Trying To Grow A Moustache
and he was just talking about all these announcements. And in Miami we also had a video-feed, and I know, it wasn't what was going on when Lord, then all those convictions that are on that person and all the things that he has to get for his fruits - all those things - now Lord himself will be responsible. This is what Krishna tells Arjun. "Look. If you surrender yourself to me, whatever you do, I am responsible for that."

After receiving this Knowledge and meditating and being one with it, when a person leaves his body, instead of going and actually suffering for these things, he is now bound to go and merge with that infinite power, that infinite Grace - which is called liberation.

Maharaj Ji, sometimes what I like to do is smoke pot. And I know very often I make it a point to meditate and go to quiet places and my meditations are incredible. It's like a Knowledge review.

Now, look! It's like this. You want to lose weight and the proper way to lose weight is actually to do exercise and all you start doing is eating dehydrating pills. Now you might lose a little bit of weight, but each time you drink water … to what extent can you lose weight that way? Knowledge is something that you have to get into without using any external means. You understand?

I'll tell you one thing. And try to imagine this. There was certainly a time when this whole Earth was not yet created and still God was there. And at that time, I'll bet you that there wasn't any pot. And still Knowledge existed. People realized it without smoking pot. I think that's the way you should do it, too. Because by using an external means of actually getting into meditation, you are limiting yourself from that infinite power. You are limiting yourself from actually understanding and getting into Knowledge. Because then, each time you have to do meditation, you have to have that. And if you want to do meditation twenty-four hours a day, that means you have to smoke pot twenty-four hours a day. And that's just not the way to go about it. It's something that is within inside of you and you have to get into it without any externals. And that is why this Knowledge is given.

Do you need our love?

Yes. Love and cooperation both. I need your cooperation. But for cooperation, we can establish an understanding, and that understanding can only be possible if we love each other. If we hate each other, we are not going to cooperate with each other. And I need the cooperation of all the premies to try to establish peace on this Earth. For cooperation, we have the understanding, and the perfect understanding can actually be brought about if we love each other.

I want to do service for you or for mankind, but I don't know what to do.

Well, first you have to really get into meditation and realize what Knowledge is. This is the first and foremost thing you want to do. And then once you have done that and you think you have understood Knowledge and you are really feeling happy, then you can come to me and ask your question, "What service is good for me?" And I might be able to help you in that.

Sometimes the most far out meditations I've had got like really, really … feeling … and I've gotten afraid all of a sudden.*

You see, I'll give you a very common example. Probably you all know about it. If an airplane is flying and it has to go one thousand miles per hour or something like that - to reach that speed, it'll also reach a point where it will break the sound barrier. Right?

And the plane is proceeding and it's going toward the speed of sound. The nearer it gets to that, the plane starts shaking and shaking even more. And finally it gets to a point where there's the biggest blast possible. It's called a sonic boom. It can break windows on the Earth. But after that point, there is no sound. There is no vibration. Everything is perfectly smooth. It's pindrop silence.

And this is how it is. When a man is trying to reach

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* question partially obscured on the audio tape

that point where his mind is going to work no more, mind starts getting activated much more strongly. Because you are trying to cross that barrier of sound. You are trying to cross the barrier of confusion and it tries to hit you and tries to get you out of it.

But then, if you just keep on going, there is certainly a point where you get all confused. You're all confused. You're ready to quit on Knowledge. You just don't know what to do. You are frustrated. But if you just keep on going at that point, you will be so blissed out. Because you have just crossed that sound barrier. And that sonic boom is the confusion.

About devotion - I'm a little confused about that. Like, more than anything else, that's what I want. Devotion. And I'm wondering. Do I give you devotion or do you give it to me? If you do, will you give it to me?

Devotion is something that comes from you. You have to be a devotee. First you do meditation. You become a devotee and then devotion just flows out of you.

By your Grace?

Well, it is actually by His Grace.

Guru Maharaj Ji, I've found that from your darshan there's a rise of egotism and self-centeredness.

From darshan?

Yes. Around the time you give darshan. For instance, like today I felt that vibration before you came that there were a lot of people who suddenly became very self-centered.

No. I'll tell you something. And listen to this carefully. Nobody gives you vibrations. No. This is true. It all comes from within you. It all comes from within you. It really does. Nobody has a power charger in him and two antennas like a Martian and you get hit by ego waves or bad vibrations or this or that.

I know there is something like that. People can get heavy. But if you just at that time say, "Take it easy," and just take it easy, it's all easy. And if at that time you start taking it hard, you don't know how hard it'll become for you. It'll become harder and harder and then you will say, "Oh, I am feeling this and I am feeling that." And to tell you the truth, it's all because of you. If you go into a company of robbers, you will say, "These are dirty people." But if a robber comes into a company of robbers, he is never going to say, "I'm a dirty guy."

Well, if an initiator has to go and give satsang to robbers, then he has to just say, "Just take it easy," and take it easy. Then everything is beautiful and he is able to relate to them.

Because you see, it's all set up. And whatever you pick, it becomes for you. For some people this world is so miserable. For some people, living in the same condi tion, this world is very beautiful. I have seen this. There are people who live in a hut with a wife and two kids and they are fighting twenty-four hours a day. And I have seen people who have a hut with a wife and two kids and they are blissful.

It's all there. Whatever you pick up, so you become. Because it's all the little lila, or play, of mind that brings you into all the confusion and everything of this world. And that's why a man needs the lila of the Perfect Master. Because that brings him into something that is completely perfect.

Maharaj Ji, what is realization of Knowledge?

Realization of Knowledge is being one with Knowledge.

Well, it's like, initiators have realized the Knowledge, right?

No. The thing is, initiators have been appointed to give you Knowledge. It is not necessary that initiators have realized Knowledge. It is not necessary. An initiator is somebody that has been appointed to give you the Knowledge.

And you have to be at a point that you are really into meditation, so that you can do meditation twenty- four hours. Just really be into it. And that is actually the point.

Knowledge is - you realize it at that point where you receive it. You have realized it. So you are called a premie. But you have to get into it and that's the real realization, where you are completely into it. This is what it is.

I'm going to Denver to work in the Mission's offices there and I really want to be doing something …*

The thing is that first you have to really understand meditation. Service is service and service is something that you can do, but still you have to understand it. Meditation is meditation. And until you understand meditation and start doing service, you are probably going to end up really confused. But if you are okay in meditation - you are really doing fine - then you can do any service you like and you will be still perfect, you'll feel fine.

What can you say about married people when one of the partners has Knowledge and the other one isn't interested?*

Well … this has happened a lot of times. And the only suggestion I give which works finally is that just try to take it cool and easy with them. Don't try to repulse them. And then they finally at one point then realize and understand that Knowledge is something for them also. Just try to give them satsang in the way that it'll be acceptable to them. Don't say, "Well, Guru Maharaj Ji has to give darshan and we have satsang." He doesn't even understand terminology like "darshan" and "satsang." Using those terminologies,

* question partially obscured on the audio tape

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you are just putting him to saying, "I don't know what this is." There are two ways of saying, "Bring water." Either I can say, "Bring H20" - which probably some people won't understand - or I can say, "Bring water," which everybody can understand, if they know even a little English.

This is one of the problems. Many premies want to give satsang and they just go and go boom! And people will say, "What is it?" It's like a game of chess. If you have gone ahead and put your queen in the middle of the chessboard and somebody comes to take it, it doesn't mean you have to keep it there. You can move it back.

So, have a little adjustment there. When you see a time, go right ahead. See, the point is to checkmate, not to kill, the king. And the point with the person is to try to give him satsang and bring him to satsang - not to get him freaked out or anything like that.

I married before I received Knowledge and I'm always confused about what's my best service: to move in the ashram or just stay married and …

Are you still married? Then it's okay. Then you can do service. You don't have to move into an ashram if you are married. just live happily and do meditation, try to give satsang to people and -

That still is devotion?

Oh sure! I am saying that if you - if there is a necessity of some people to move into an ashram, then they should move into an ashram. And secondly, if they are into an ashram, then they are there for a definite purpose and they should not leave the ashram until that definite purpose is completed. That is my statement towards people leaving the ashram.

Is it really possible to realize Knowledge?

Certainly. I did it. You can do it sooner, probably. Or maybe in nine years or ten years you can do it. You have been through more of this world. It should take you less time.

I'd like to know if I can use Tarot cards for service, to help give people satsang.

Well, so far, so good. As long as you don't tell anybody the wrong thing.

Can I receive Holy Breath when I haven't received Knowledge?

You haven't received Knowledge yet? So first receive Knowledge and you can receive the Holy Breath.

I'm not a premie. I haven't received Knowledge. I want to go to school. Should I receive Knowledge or wait? *

Well, whatever you really want to do. But if you want to receive Knowledge maybe you should receive Knowledge.

When I do meditation and I lay down I hear a very loud noise, these vibrations … a light through my window … like, I don't know.*

Are you sure it wasn't the street cleaner?

The thing is, you see, that when mind is there and you are trying to force the mind down, it'll play all the tricks it can. It's just mind's trick.

Do people have free will?

Almost everybody has a free will. Free will is like an independence of a person. His own concepts, his own ideas and creativity of his own ideas - trying to create his own ideas and understand those ideas and to live up to those ideas. It's like a free will. If I say, "Look. Everybody is sitting facing this way so I'll sit facing that way," and try to believe it and try to work it out - it's like trying to completely work out the independence of a person.

Well, the thing is, the effect that this has caused is that slowly and slowly the mind starts taking over that free will. And when mind is taking over that free will, then all it tends to do is just create a great difference between you and that Divine Personality, between you and your soul. It just creates a lot of confusion in you and you end up being really confused.

I'm not very clear on Holy Breath. Can you give me some satsang about it?

Well, why don't you ask some initiator about it. Okay?

I was wondering. Should you wait for Knowledge or should you take it now?

Well, if you understand the meaning, then you will know the answer to that question, too …

I'll tell you one secret. This is a little secret. All these people want to ask me questions. Because the thing about that is that I can answer them. And the only way I can really answer them is actually by doing meditation. And if you do meditation by yourself, then you will be actually able to answer all your own questions.

Guru Maharaj Ji, why are you a vegetarian?

Because I want to be. It's like the question, "Why are you living? Why don't you just take your car and drive it off the hill?" Because I don't want to do it. And I am a vegetarian because I want to be a vegetarian.

Why do you want to be a vegetarian?

Because I like to be a vegetarian. And it kind of works out beautifully with me.

Okay. Now I think we will all take an intermission. And I think it has been very nice. We'll have satsang tonight. Okay?

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* question partially obscured on the audio tape

Prem Rawat (Maharaji) 1980 Looking Very Pleased With His Moustache
Prem Rawat (Maharaji) 1980 Looking Very Pleased With His Moustache