Prem Rawat's Teachings about Darshan - In His Own Words
The Glossary of mainly Hindi terms use by Prem Rawat's defined 'darshan' as: Coming into the presence of the Perfect Master or a member of His Holy Family. However, the Holy Family were demoted by Prem Rawat in 1974 and no longer considered holy or family. His mother and elder brother held out the possibility of his return to their bosoms but not as a Perfect Master as he had forfeited that role due to drug abuse and meat eating and other behaviour they considered unacceptable for a Satguru. "Darshan stories" were a regular part of 1970's Divine Light Mission gatherings with some premies who had regular personal dealings with the young Rawat, such as John Hampton, becoming quite famous (within the very restricted circle of Rawat's followers) for the magical extravagance of their tall tales. 'Darshan' is part of the Hindu tradition and is defined by by Kushwant Singh former editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India and author of many books on poular Indian culture including Gurus, Godmen and Good People as "the blessing which flows from the sight of a saintly person". This ritual is so important that even family members must publicly worship his Lotus Feet.
Prem Rawat, or Maharaji (meaning Ultimate Ruler) as he insists on being called, rarely, if ever, used the word 'darshan' after his early initial, successful phase of recruitment in the West. Why Rawat has attempted to hide his continuing use of this ritual is uncertain but it is probably to avoid public ignominy and ridicule. It is the most controversial of the public practices of his followers and certainly doesn't fit well into the description of them that he has used since the 1990's: 'students.' NB: In Rawat's career he refers to his father in English as "Shri Maharaj Ji". In the "'Peace Bomb" speech of 1970 and in his accession speeches he uses "Guru Maharaj Ji" probably because he is still living in his dead father's shadow and as a school boy has not yet made his own mark. The young Rawat's English language skills were poor. One of his mistakes was to use 'until' instead of 'while.'

Durga Ji (Prem Rawat's wife), Holi Festival, Miami Beach, Florida, Sunday, 9 April, 1978
Every time I see a darshan line I think, "Oh man, this is just the most beautiful thing that I could ever witness." And this program, I thought, "This is the most beautiful darshan line I've ever seen."
Because I saw so many of us just really, really wanting Guru Maharaj Ji to take us; just really, really experiencing Maharaj Ji. And I just felt like, what mercy Guru Maharaj Ji has for us to allow us
to experience him like that. What incredible mercy he has. And how kind he is.
Divine Times, May/June 1979, Volume 8, Number 3

Durga Ji (Prem Rawat's wife, Marolyn Rawat nee Johnson), Hans Jayanti, Kissimmee Florida, November 10, 1978
What's making all this that has a beginning, and has an end, what's making all that happen? This is what we have to know. This is where we have to really he in tune. That thing that is forever. That thing that is always,
that infinity. Guru Maharaj Ji. My Guru Maharaj Ji is within my heart. And my Guru Maharaj Ji has taken a form to save me. And each one of us, this is the marvel, this is the marvel for each one of us it's like that. Guru
Maharaj Ji is perfect for each one of us. Guru Maharaj Ji has come for each one of us. Guru Maharaj Ji is Lord for each one of us. Because Guru Maharaj Ji is within inside each one of us. I feel like Guru Maharaj Ji is
giving us such an incredible feast, of satsang, of service, of meditation, of his darshan --- of himself.
These days he still says, "I still want you, I still need you, please: give me your love." And not like give me your love and you won't get anything back; but you get everything. Give me your love and I'll give you peace.
Give me your love and I'll give you peace. Give me your love and I'll give you myself. I am the source of peace in this world. What more can our ears hear? What more could we ask for? For every human being in this world,
Guru Maharaj Ji is. But we, right now, all of us who are hearing this satsang, who have come together, who have come to see Guru Maharaj Ji, to hear his satsang, to have his darshan, we are his lovers.
The Golden Age, February 1979, Number 51 and Affinity, January 1979 and Divine Times, January/February, 1979, Volume 8, Number 1 (heavily edited)

Delhi, India, October 29 1966
Dear premies, today hundreds of thousands of people have asked for darshan. The Ramayana says that it's only through great good fortune that satsang can be attained. Satsang destroys all our sufferings effortlessly.
… Those who don't try to attend satsang during this lifetime will regret it later and will blame time, fate and God for their sufferings.
Divine Times, November 1979, Volume 8, Number 6

"Peace Bomb" speech, 8 November, 1970 in front of 1 million people at India Gate, Delhi
But what is the purpose of this human life? It is to know something more than this - it is to know God. By obtaining the human body, you can receive Knowledge and meditate on God, and this is the unique purpose. There is
one famous poem in which the poet expresses his feelings in very simple words. Which is the blessed home, he asks. That home where there is talk about God. Which ears are blessed? Those that hear words about God. Which
eyes are blessed? Those that have the darshan of Guru Maharaj Ji. Which foreheads are blessed? Those that bow down to Guru Maharaj Ji.
So, dear premies, receive this Knowledge, and those who have received this Knowledge must meditate and have Guru Maharaj Ji's darshan. He who learns to love Guru Maharaj Ji, Guru Maharaj Ji gives him peace. Subash
Chandra Bose used to say, "Give me your blood and I will give you independence." Likewise, I too have a slogan: give me your love and I will give you peace. Surrender the reins of your life unto me and I will give you such
peace as will never die. Come to me, and I will give you liberation. Place the reins of your life in my hands, and I will relieve you of your suffering. First, be capable of giving the reins of your life to me, then give
them. And if I do not give you peace, I will give them back to you.
Look, doesn't Guru Maharaj Ji give you darshan from time to time? It is for you to sacrifice every drop of blood for Him.
Look! I often notice that those people who received Knowledge at the time of Guru Maharaj Ji do not even come now. Fortunate are they to have received Knowledge at the time of such a great saint, so how does this happen?
Why are they ashamed? I do not feel shy of anything. It is not because I am a boy or because I have a manly heart within me. Mata Ji has also sacrificed her social position and respect. Look at Mata Ji! So many Gadwalis
have come from Gadwal. What must they be thinking? They see that Mata Ji speaks - people touch her feet - she moves around, sits on the stage, and gives discourses and darshan. But dear premies, Mata Ji is not
bothered by all of this. She says that until the work she has undertaken is accomplished, she will not sleep restfully at night.
The Golden Age November 1978 Number 49

Patna, Bihar, India, December 25, 1971
Only the Supreme Lord, Saint of all saints, Omnipotent and Almighty, can close the mouth of the
whole universe and shower the Knowledge of self-realization. Otherwise, the small whistles are not heard in the midst of
such big drums. Therefore, my dear aspirants, now that you know that Knowledge of Self, fulfill your aim. That is the only aim; that is
the only goal. If a man knows that goal and recognizes it perfectly, he can come in perfect contact with God Almighty, his own Supreme Father, whom he has forgotten.
If you have got the Knowledge of that Word, then meditate constantly. Do service under the Lotus Feet of your Lord, and listen to satsang patiently. It is written in the Ramayana that when a man is very fortunate, only
then does he find satsang, and when he finds satsang and attends it, he is liberated without any effort. Again, it is said, "Have darshan of Guru Maharaj Ji." Why? Because it is written in all Vedas and Ramayanas to
have darshan. So touch the Lotus Feet. "Lay yourself down in the vast, unbounded ocean of Mercy underneath. Bathe and swing on the waves and sink inside. Drink the nectar of Mercy and Grace and Blessings, and be free from
all sins."
Élan Vital magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 1977

Palace Of Peace, London, 23rd September 1973
recently uh we have come out with a new film that that's what I was working for about one week on I was really something to work on that film but that film "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?" many premies might have seen that film "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?" And that film just the very way you saw it here was taken to Atlanta film Festival and it has won, has won a Golden award, that film. They they they really liked it, it was like a jewel in all the films you know and, and now it has been worked upon now it's really beautiful it's like really really beautiful. There is a, there is a scene of Alexandra Palace and it's really beautiful because all these premies are coming for darshan and it's it's it's it's completely when somebody sees it you just get stoned, completely stoned (laughter). When he sees that film he says "Wow" I mean can it be like this which is the question he's asking himself of some, such a love and such beauty and such perfection. That's the question he asks himself is, "Whatever I am seeing is it is it a film trick or report?" …
but it's really fantastic because, because is because, you know but but you see it and you'll find out how fantastic it is. Well it just grows itself from from the point of creation, from the point of creation right to the ??? to the last point where it's at Alexandra Palace the last po, the last, last part of it in the premies are coming for darshan and that song is going "Ah at the feet of the master we can really let it go" and the and then when they come out it means when when when somebody watches the that seem it's like everybody who's coming out is just like slow-motion gliding of a 747 is just like wow they've been flying out and now they're just slowing down and leveling off really because that's what, that's how premies are coming and it's not been done in slow motion it's been done on the regular film speed but it's like they're completely spaced out, everybody's just weeping and and and and and and it's just completely fantastic, embracing each other, and there's really so much love it's like it's it's a movie you know but you can still feel that love comin' back at you because because there is that love, that's what's been filmed of and and there is a real lot more going on you know there is just going to take me a heck of a lot of time to explain you maybe two days more but in the first, there's two parts that we are connected to, is one that we have to realize what the purpose of our life is you know that's that's the maist the most important thing because you can keep on realizing these things, you know it doesn't matter maybe see there is a next movie coming on which is going to be, I don't know what it's going to be named but this this other movie is coming out which is much more fantastic than even "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?"
Perfect Master Tape #009

South High School, Denver Coloradao, May 4 1974
Because I know one thing, it's gonna be a fantastic, fantastic program. It's just gonna be such a beautiful program that it's gonna be completely unbelieveable because it's like Guru Puja is
a point where I want all the premies to come, you know, and bring their friends who want to receive Knowledge and worship Guru Maharaj Ji, worship and meditate and realize more of it. …
This would be different to Hans Jayanti but where everybody can receive Holy Breath, can receive Darshan, can receive Knowledge Review, can get rid of the doubts, do a lot of meditation and I mean just a very cool, beautiful, lovely - as they say in English - program.
Just a beautiful, just like a premie program and of course Guru Puja is a function where, you know, it's like a really premie's function it's like really a devotee's function so that they can
go and worship Guru Maharaj Ji and really I also want to clear you on this point, that's about time, now all the premies start following agya.
The Golden Age, Number 22, July-August, 1975

Hans Jayanti festival, Toronto Canada, 9th November 1974
So tomorrow we'll have one more satsang and maybe after darshan I'll give satsang or maybe not, it depends, we'll see at that time and uh just you know it's just like function happening, it'll end then again there'll be one more function and it's just like so beautiful you know it's like we can't even sit and try to imagine or say to ourselves till when is it going to go on and on and on and on you know. …
So premies it's just like taking it away you know and it's so beautiful so uh I hope all the premies understand that tomorrow will be the darshan. Please try to cooperate and go fast so that all the premies can be able uh to have darshan. Thank you very much. (Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai! Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai! Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai!)
Perfect Master Tape #026

The Frankfurt Conference, Frankfurt, Germany, November 1976
You see, there is a lot of difference between dedication to Guru Maharaj Ji and the active membership programme. See what I mean? Just in terms of that, the active membership programme was really, really needed, and it is still needed for the organisation on whatever scale it is to run; but it's not what you call dedication to Guru Maharaj Ji, direct dedication to Guru Maharaj Ji, that people give to me when they come in the darshan line or whatever the systems are. It's not that kind of a dedication. It is for the organisation. Now if I say, yeah, that's really true, that we don't need that much more money to keep the organisation going on, then that would be really something else, because then 'pouf' whatever you have, nobody is going to give anything.
The Frankfurt Conference, Divine Light Mission booklet

Holi Festival, Florida, March 18, 1977
Tomorrow there'll be darshan happening early in the morning, and I want you to be ready for that. And then hopefully, if there is enough time left, for, for Holi, we might be able to have Holi. And I want everybody to be careful at the Holi Festival, especially when we are doing the Holi program, and all I can say is, enjoy yourself, this is an opportunity, and I'll be seeing you tomorrow.
The Golden Age, May / June 1977, Number 38

Holi Festival, Florida, March 19, 1977
I was listening to the satsang that was going on here that Joan Apter gave and John Hampton gave, and then I just started imagining - because I had seen this auditorium, this hall, when it wasn't full, I drove right up behind this auditorium, and I looked at it, and there was all these seats, and I took a walk down, and saw the darshan stage - and I just started imagining how beautiful it would be when this auditorium is full of the premies that came and had darshan today and had enjoyed that Holi Festival. …
Maybe it has become a word of mouth by now, "premies", but do you know premies - "premie" means lover. Lover of what? To what do we love in our lives? We love satsang, service and meditation, and the originator of it all, Guru Maharaj Ji. And also love that darshan that brings us satsang, service and meditation, and brings Guru Maharaj Ji to us, and brings all those things to us that makes it possible in this world. …
So premies, this is really an opportunity for us. We have no barrier. I and you have no barrier, simply because you're my premies and I'm your Guru Maharaj Ji, and there's only one reason why we are here. You might have a lot of different reasons, I might have a lot of different reasons. You might be able to explain them, I might be able to explain them. But when it comes to Knowledge there's something we have really understood to be as true as it is; in this world there is only one reason. And that one reason why we are all here is because we love each other. Is because I love you and you love me is the greatest reason in this whole universe to be here, and to always show up again and again and again, in time immemorial, as Guru Maharaj Ji and devotees, 'til there is the blue sky, until there is a brown earth, until there the ocean roars. So premies, let it go on, let it flow. It always - all the premies in the whole lifetime have wanted to have satsang, have wanted to have darshan. Well, we went through a lot, well, we're back again, and we're back again home. I'm here and you are there. I don't want anybody in between, and I'm pretty sure you don't want anybody in between. If you want to unite with me, you have now an opportunity to do so by satsang, service, and meditation, and by the opportunities provided by these satsang programs to you now, premies. …
So premies, this is really an opportunity for us. We can be a speck of sand, and we can be all those devotees that do come and enjoy the darshan of their Lord, their Guru Maharaj Ji. What I tell you today is not politics, nothing diplomatic, and maybe to a lot of people, maybe nothing sensible. What I tell you today is my true experience, my true effort that has brought me here, has brought me to an opportunity where I can reveal you that Knowledge and where I can be Guru Maharaj Ji and you can be my devotees.
The Golden Age, May / June 1977, Number 38

Holi Festival, Florida, March 20, 1977
So, for a second, give your mind a vacation. Let it go. For a few days say, "Mind, you have a - you have an infinite amount of leave. You can just leave, and never show up back again." And maybe - maybe it'll buy that, you know? Who knows? Maybe it'll happen! But if it doesn't happen, there are other persuasive methods to get rid of it. And the only method that is most successful, and the only method there is, is satsang, service, and meditation. And to give it all a super dose, there is darshan, and these programs, the way they're happening.
The Golden Age, May / June 1977, Number 38

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 1, 1977
This is completely for one purpose, and that is: so that as brothers and sisters, coming together in this stadium, we can realize that one thing that created us. So that we can become one - one with that Oneness. So that we can become one with that energy. And that is the only purpose! That bliss. So that premies can have their food! So the premies can have darshan, so premies can listen to Guru Maharaj Ji's satsang, and listen to satsang. Just one purpose, you know? Different activities, maybe, but one purpose.
The Golden Age, Number 39

Kansas City, January 21, 1978
But that experience of Guru Maharaj Ji - yes, maybe one day the physical manifestation of Guru Maharaj Ji has got to go because it's physical. And yet that experience that we experience in darshan is not physical, and
therefore it's never got to go, and it never goes away! It's the same experience, it's the same joy that all the saints have described in seeing Guru Maharaj Ji and experiencing darshan. And okay, of course, "darshan" is a
Hindi word. You might have a different interpretation to it. Now, what are you going to use? "Homage"? What are you going to use? Anything. I mean - and yet, simple enough: "Darshan," if you can understand the meaning of
it. Because it really is an experience. And when we experience that, we realize. Then it's very, very clear to us. And we have to be open for that. And yet, to be able to experience darshan, we have to be open to Knowledge.
Because without Knowledge, darshan is nothing. And how does the Knowledge in itself grow? How does the Knowledge in itself manifest? How does that satsang, service, and meditation in itself manifest? And that's the most
important thing in our lives now. Because that's the point that we have come to: To know what satsang, service and meditation is. And to completely merge with it, to completely become one with it, with that satsang.
Divine Times, November 1979, Volume 8, Number 6 and The Golden Age, March 1978, Number 43

London, England at the Wembley Hall, March 3rd, 1978
The reason is to come, sit down, and to experience that bliss and that Grace that comes out of that satsang, of that company of Truth, of that what we experience inside when we can let that flow, and to
see our brothers and sisters, to see that growth happening within inside of us, to see that bliss and to get blissed out about it. And to have Guru Maharaj Ji's darshan. And to just let go for that one moment.
The Golden Age, May 1978, Number 45

London, England March 4th, 1978
So, dear premies, we just had a six-hour darshan line, and of course, as usual, it was completely incredible. Because it's really something. For people who are passing through the line, it's just something of a matter of, oh, I'd say about five seconds, ten seconds at the most, from one end of the stage to the other end of the stage. And in that period, whatever happens, happens. And yet I'm sitting there for six hours, and premies are passing by, premies are passing by, premies are passing by. And it's a real incredible experience. Because it's like looking at an X-ray of the whole experience of infinity, and just looking at an X-ray of the whole experience that mankind has, that man can have, that's available in this world, by Guru Maharaj Ji is Grace. You see this one person walk by just completely confused, and you can just (snaps his fingers) just like that, right off the top -- you don't have to say anything to anybody -- just right off the top, he is confused. And you can just see right through him, that there are two wrong plugs. It's like having an American plug in Europe, and it just won't fit. And then you see so many premies go by -- it is such an incredible, incredible experience to just be there, to just see what a strong connection there is, what a strong joint that is, what a perfect adaption, what perfect bridge-up it is, from that finite to infinity -- to what so many people in their lives have tried to accomplish, written books about it, gone to Himalayas, climbed into caves, gave up everything. What they couldn't even accomplish: You see this premie walk by in front of you who has perfectly accomplished that thing. And this is by the Grace of Guru Maharaj Ji. It's just so incredible. You just run out of words at this point.
DLM publication, 1978

Memorial Day, Malibu, California, May 28, 1978
And when we go to Guru Maharaj Ji, when we reach Guru Maharaj Ji, it's not only … I mean, of course, premies come for darshan, and it's a very beautiful thing. But it's not only seeing
Guru Maharaj Ji. And, you know, it's so clear. Because it's like, what? Two, three, or four years ago, a lot of people would come through the darshan line, I guess. (Still they do come
through the darshan line. I'm talking about specifically non-premies.) And they would come, they would take one look at me and take one look around, and they would look like monkeys who were
trying to figure out what's going on. "What's happening?" With their big, wide, round eyes, they give a look at everything, take it in and just keep on going. And yet to the premies, it's
such a wonderful experience. Why? I mean, it's very very clearly understood. Because when in the presence of Guru Maharaj Ji, when in that beautiful, beautiful presence of Guru Maharaj Ji … Because there is the solution. There is the answer. And we get attracted by that. We get directed by that. It's like a magnet. And again, it's a very beautiful experience in our life that we have been granted, again, by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, that we have been granted that experience of him! Because Guru Maharaj Ji doesn't say, "Okay, come to me and I'll go, 'Adabra, cadabra, cajalis mahol.' " But Guru Maharaj Ji says, "I will give you that experience." And how can he give that experience? Because if it were a question of give and take, then anything that can be given, and anything that can be taken, has a beginning and has an end. But Guru Maharaj Ji doesn't give or take. Guru Maharaj Ji merges. Guru Maharaj Ji merges you with his own experience
The Golden Age, August 1978, Number 47

Guru Puja, Geneva, Switzerland, 10 September 1978
To find this Knowledge you have to go to the Satguru of your your time and then beg him and he will reveal it to you. And premies, now we have to really realize that by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace … Look at it this way, by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, Guru Maharaj Ji gave us an opportunity to be able to receive Knowledge. And by Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, Guru Maharaj Ji gave us an opportunity, a blessing, a discount, and he gave us darshan, his Grace. And now he is giving us another opportunity to have faith in him. It's an opportunity. I don't know why some people think, "Wow, man, he's really asking a lot." No, it's the world's most wonderful discount that ever could be, to have faith, to be able to have faith in Guru Maharaj Ji.
Guru Puja, Geneva 1978, Divine Light Mission booklet

Hans Jayanti, Monday, November 6th, 1978, Evening Program
Because it is not in this crazy mind's ideas that that Peace lies. But it's in Guru Maharaj Ji's blessings that this Peace is. And that's where we're going to find it. And that's where we have to find it. That's where we
have to look. That's the right place to look. So premies, there's this whole world and here we are. And it's incredible. What can you say? It just is incredible. It's beautiful. And so now it's getting pretty late again.
And tomorrow there's going to be some more darshan. And the day after tomorrow there's going to be some more darshan. And hopefully everybody will be able to have darshan.
Affinity, June 1980

Hans Jayanti Festival, Kissimmee, Florida, November 11, 1978, afternoon program
But what about satsang, service, and meditation? That's the best. That's the tops. That's the maximum. Guru Maharaj Ji's darshan, Guru Maharaj Ji's inspiration, Guru Maharaj Ji's Love: that's it! What is above that? …
There is going to be the seventh day. The program is going to happen from now till then. Premies are going to come. Satsang is going to happen. Darshan is going to happen. Love is going to manifest." And I said, "Either you can be completely into your head about everything and it'll still happen, or you can let go and enjoy the festival and it'll still happen."
When Shri Maharaj Ji was giving that satsang he said, "Here I was." And one day he locked his room. (This is an incredible story. And I even have a tape of it. It's an incredible story.) One day Shri Maharaj Ji locked himself in the room and said, "Guru Maharaj Ji, if you are really real, come here and give me darshan." (Not that this is what you guys should try. Absolutely not. I wouldn't recommend it.) This is what Shri Maharaj Ji did. He said, "Maharaj Ji, if you're really real, come and give me darshan." (In this instance "Guru Maharaj Ji" refers to Shri Swarupanand Ji, Hans Rawat's guru and Perfect Master of his time.)
Once there was a king. And this king came to Guru Maharaj Ji's court, and everybody was sitting there. Guru Maharaj Ji was giving satsang. So he just came in, sat down. And Guru Maharaj Ji was saying that the power, the Grace of Guru Maharaj Ji, can make anything happen. It's incredible. It's so powerful, that even Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace, the darshan of Guru Maharaj Ji, can take the sins of his past life and clean it all up.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 2, Summer 1979

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 10, 1979, Evening
In Shri Maharaj Ji's satsang, he was saying that one day he locked himself in a room and he just said, "If you are really Guru Maharaj Ji, if Guru Maharaj Ji is really real …" -- and this was before he was Guru Maharaj Ji and he had his Guru Maharaj Ji -- he said, "If Guru Maharaj is really real … "I guess for him devotion was that strong, his love for his Guru Maharaj Ji was strong, that even when he prayed from his real heart, "I want to see you," Guru Maharaj Ji came and gave him darshan in that way. What is a miracle? You cannot call this a miracle. You have to call it Guru Maharaj Ji's Grace. Because it is a little bit one step beyond it.
Affinity, February 1980

Hans Jayanti, Friday, November 9, 1979 - Afternoon
Programs. This could go on forever. This looks like, seems like, feels like, it never has to stop. So what? So what if there's no cold water anymore. (I shouldn't say that, right?
Nobody will shave. So what? We'll all have beards. So what?) Finally it'll get warm enough that cold water will feel good: May, June -- gets really warm, hot. And this can be.
Wake up every day: meditation, arti, have satsang. And every month have one darshan. I mean, we could just be all here and three days out of the month we'd all have darshan.
Three days out of a week have darshan, and it just could be going on.
Affinity magazine, February 1980

Hans Jayanti, Friday, November 10 1979
But then to even have the practice of Knowledge a reality … and then to accept Guru Maharaj Ji as Guru Maharaj Ji. Because it isn't that day, "Okay, today, Guru Maharaj Ji, you have given me Knowledge." So many premies came today, or have been coming actually throughout the entire darshan line, for the four days that it's been going on, and they want Holy Breath. I guess Holy Breath signifies that you have been accepted as a devotee. And some premies come with their right hand over their right ear for Holy Breath. And some premies put their left hand over their left ear for Holy Breath. Initiators do a terrible job of explaining it to them, which ear or how to do it. And I remember this one lady was coming through darshan and she was holding her left ear to receive Holy Breath. And so this initiator saw this, and he lifted her right hand to her right ear, so she walked through the darshan line looking for Holy Breath with her hands behind both ears. "Either one, Guru Maharaj Ji." Great. Fantastic. Sure. Sometimes when the premies do come with the wrong ear, I just aim for the right ear. That's the best I can do. Because I don't want to talk and say, "Hey, you have your hand over the wrong ear." But that is a significance that signifies something. Fine. That means that Guru Maharaj Ji has opened his door to us. That means that Guru Maharaj Ji has now offered himself to us. But there still remains a small problem. And this problem is that now we have to open ourselves to Guru Maharaj Ji and we have to offer ourselves to Guru Maharaj Ji. …
And that's the way I feel that, for us, to come through darshan line - okay, who offers who what in a darshan line? To me, I have to go back to the drawing board as far as these chairs are concerned. Because they can be uncomfortable, in the combination of every air bag in this chair having to be literally correct and perfect before it feels comfortable. Because every one of these little things is actually an air chamber. And underneath the air chamber, there is a mold of my body, of my back. And it has to be all correct. Otherwise it's very uncomfortable. And sitting in a darshan line for three or four hours really twists my back around, really gets my back going after a little while. It just really starts hurting. But I know, besides that experience, there is also a very wonderful experience that's manifesting, and I'd rather stay with that experience than with my back, until it gets to the point of being unbearable or something. But when a darshan line happens, when Guru Maharaj Ji is there and when every premie is given an opportunity -who gives that opportunity for the premies to come? Is it, "Oh, Guru Maharaj Ji, here I am. Look at me"? Do we give Guru Maharaj Ji the opportunity to see us? Is that what the darshan line is all about? Or does Guru Maharaj Ji give us an opportunity to see him, to experience him?
Divine Times, Volume 9, Number 1, January/February 1980

Holi Site, Miami, Florida / April 12, 1980
And what a premie now looks for is happiness, is for Guru Maharaj Ji, is for that Truth,
is for that bliss. That becomes the food. You know, like, I noticed you know, it's my philosophy, in one sense, it's true, though, so I guess it's not a philosophy. But I notice that on the first day of the satsang, when we have a program, all the premies are like just about outta juice you know. That's about it. And they come and it's always nice and it's always beautiful, but, and then the second day the darshan happens and that's what cranks everybody up, recharges all the, all the systems. And always the
next day you see that premies are a lot more open to that satsang, and just a lot more inspired and a lot.
Holi festival of 1980 video

Rome, Italy - June 25, 1980
now it's not going to be the same old game anymore and we have to really wake up in our eyes. You know. And I just see that to gear up to that consciousness to have the first public program … is incredible. What is involved in it? What does it mean? You know, and just the other day I was just sitting there and I was saying how about doing a public program, you know, because, you know we were just talking about this whole thing about like you know, obviously when you have a public program and you start mentioning about satsang, and darshan and premies and you gonna have a lot of question mark in the audience, you know, what is this, what are we talkin' about, you know and you have it where it's geared it's made its purpose to come, you know, of course because premies can never be denied their right to see their Guru Maharaj Ji in any circumstance and the premies will always be there, people who are interested, people who have who are the aspirants will be able to come and listen to pure simple unsophisticated words."
Rome Ashram Satsang 1980 DLM video

Olympia, London, Guru Puja 22nd August 1980
And maybe there is something in this world that's a little different, maybe there is a little hope for all of us and that's what we need to have.
So, thank you very much and there's tomorrow there'll be darshan, hopefully. (applause) So thank you very much and good night (disorganized chant of "Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai")
Olympia, London, Guru Puja video

Lima Peru, 7th February 1981
There is that thirst, it's a genuine thirst so we go and we drink a glass of water or two glasses of water. I know that sometimes at night time I've gotten so thirsty that I can drink half a gallon of water bottle all in one time. Just sit there and go like glug glug glug glug and that cold water just hitting your throat you know really feels good and how it's given to you, doesn't make any difference. How it's done how it's because, because from our concepts, because that thing we have done things, how do you drink water? From a glass, that's the usually the way you have water, from a glass but not when you're really thirsty that doesn't make any difference if if it is from a plastic bottle that's fine or just right after darshan you know somebody offered me a cup of water and it was like you usually have tea that way or coffee but you don't have water that way so because it's the thirst that has to be quenched and it doesn't make any difference so far the water goes in, it quenches the thirst and that's the most important thing.
Lima Peru, 7th February 1981 audio tape

Questions & Answers, Auckland, New Zealand, 14th March 1983
Hehehe It's happening anyway, it's happening
Maha: Well you don't know what you missed, I mean
Well I know there's a great potential inside myself and I've experienced so much
Maha: That's fine, that's fine, that's fine but do you know if you missed anything or not?
Oh I do yes I am missing a little, a flutter? So umm I've seen you, I've been through the darshan line
Audio tape