A Pictorial History of Prem Rawat
3rd World Peace Tour 1973
DIVINE UNITED ORGANISATION PROCLAMATION, February 1973
"Whereas, the one universal belief all people hold to be true, is the belief in life itself; and yet due to ignorance of the aim of human life, the world continues to be filled with misery; and
Whereas, even with the advancements of the technologically expanding twentieth century, humanity has continually failed in all efforts to find solution to misery and suffering; and
Whereas, Knowledge of the aim of human life is being revealed to all people of the world by the living Perfect Master and spiritual head of Divine Light Mission, Paramhans Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaji, thus eliminating the cause of ignorance and misery" - Prem Rawat
Prem Rawat on motorbike with Rennie Davis and Jaques Sandoz, 1973
Guru Maharaj Ji / Denver, Colorado / June 26, 1973
"This is the crazy world. They come to me and say, "Why do you say you are God?" "Why do you say you are Perfect Master?" I just tell them, "Are you having daydreams these days?" I don't declare myself to be a Perfect Master. I don't … still, I can teach you perfectness. I have known perfectness in my heart. I can teach you perfectness." - Prem Rawat
The Highpoint of Rawat's Career - Guru Puja 1973
More than fifteen thousand people packed London's Alexandra Palace each day for the three-day Summer Celebration of Love and Light, held in Maharaj Ji's honor this July.
Guru Puja 1973, "A summer celebration of love and light," was held in London's Alexandra Palace, affectionately knows as 'Ally Pally." The majority of the devotees camped out during the festival about twenty miles from the hall. Early one morning Maharaj Ji drove his car onto the grounds and began beeping his horn to 'wake everyone up." At the evening programs, Maharaj Ji's brother Bhole Ji conducted a 42 piece band which rocked the audience with devotional music that included When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Jumping Jack Flash." 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. Part of this darshan line is shown in the "Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?" film.
Street Parades During The Guru Puja Festival In London, July 1973
The highlight of this early success, at least picturesquely, was probably the Guru Puja festival held in London in July 1973 with thousands of young hippiely dressed Westerners parading with banners through the pavements of London and meeting in the Alexandra Palace. 15,000 people attended the "Festival of Love" though there was sometimes very little action.
"Peace is within us. And if we have this Knowledge then peace is with us. And to receive this Knowledge we have to go to a Perfect Master, to someone who can reveal this Knowledge. We have to go back to the source which shows us the Light, within inside us all. And that's the whole procedure. It's instant. How much time it takes to see yourself in the mirror? You just turn yourself around, there you are - instantly. Maybe it takes some time to find a Perfect Master, and maybe it takes some time to receive Knowledge, but it doesn't take time after you get Knowledge. It doesn't take time to get peace. Because it is right there." - Prem Rawat Alexandra Palace, London, July 13 1973
The Third World Peace Tour Began (USA) in New York City at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, July 28, 1973.
"Today everybody prays to Jesus and says, "Jesus, you are my Lord." W hat about the time when he came? There were very, very few people who said, "You are my Lord." People were saying, "Oh no, he just can't be it, it's just impossible for him to be the Lord." - Prem Rawat July 28, 1973
Rennie Davis had some things in common with Hans Rawat. They both loved getting in front of a crowd and processions. Rennie came up with the idea of "Soul Rush," a cavalcade of 500 premies going from Boston to Houston via Plymouth Rock, the White House, Columbus, Indianapolis, Kansas City and on to a triumphant finale at the Astrodome leading the country's children like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Prem Rawat Hospitalised with Gastric Ulcer on 30th August, 1973
Prem Rawat, then known as Guru Maharaj Ji, the 15-year-old "Perfect Master" from India, was admitted to hospital on the 30th August, 1973 suffering from fatigue, a liver disorder and a bleeding "mild post bulbar" ulcer - just below the duodenum in the digestive tract.
14 THE TIMES DIARY, FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4 1973
Perfect ulcer
I was sorry, and even surprised, to hear that the Guru Maharaj Ji, leader of the Divine Light Mission, has developed an intestinal ulcer. After all, ulcers are not things you associate with 15 year olds - especially not with 15-year-old Perfect Masters. Wasn't there, I wondered, something incompatible between a god incarnate - as the 6,000,000 Divine Light followers regard the Guru - and an ulcer?
Palace Of Peace, London, 23rd September 1973
"the next point we are making this like it's going to be like one month of tour right round the world and we are getting this G2 which is going to make it completely flexible for us to do that because right now it's it's impossible" - Prem Rawat Palace Of Peace, London, 23rd September 1973
Poor Prem didn't realize that reality was about to dump a steaming pile of sh*t on him and that his upcoming Millenium '73 festival was not going to be the success he expected. In fact it would be another 14 years and a few more bumps in the road before his long-suffering premies could afford to get him a jet. In 1986/7 4,000 premies donated $l,100,000 towards a down payment on a Learjet 55. A $2½ million bank loan and the $1½ million annual running costs still needed to be repaid. Of course Prem decided that that jet was unsatisfactory and so the stairway to heaven has been a long and expensive road and that Gulfstream G650 is still a pie in his sky.