Prem Rawat's Teachings about the Satguru - In His Own Words
Prem Rawat or Maharaji (="Ultimate Ruler") or Guru Maharaj Ji as he called himself until the 1980's had a certain reticence about directly saying he was the Satguru or Perfect Master, the only living Master. He probably used the description "Perfect Master" more often than any other and he claimed that his father had been the Satguru (usually translated in Divine Light Mission as Perfect Master) before him as had Jesus, Ram(a), Krishna, Buddha, Kabir, Mohammed, Guru Nanak, Swarupanand (his father's guru) and others of that ilk. Satguru was directly translated as Perfect Master but other synonyms were Guru Maharaj Ji, the Saviour, the Lord, the Master, etc. Rawat rarely called himself the Satguru in the West after 1972 though his devotees continued to acclaim him with shouted chants of "Bolie Shri Satguru Dev Maharaj Ki Jai" until the mid 1980's and songs like "Satguru Has Come," "I Surrender to my Satguru Dev," "He is Our Own Satguru," "Peace And Bliss Is Satguru" and a film, "Satguru Has Come."

Los Angeles, California, July 17, 1971
I was just telling in a discourse that took place at my residence that you will have to apply to a Satguru. You will have to find a Satguru to find God, because until we find a Satguru we won't even be able to find God. See, God is present now and we are also; we are also alive, but we can't know God just like that.
There is money in a bank, and I, the owner of the money, am also living. The check book is also with me. But until I write on that check book and sign it, the money cannot be given to you. The check book will have to be signed, and the amount written, and the name signed. Only then will it be possible for you to get that money.
We are alive. God is there. But no communication wire is communicating ourselves with God. We desire the attachment in which we and God are combined and a very frequent conversation will take place, a very frequent communication will take place. For that we will have to search for a real Master, a true Satguru, who can lead us to the true path.
And It Is Divine, Volume I, Issue 1

San Francisco, California, August 6, 1971
So we have to get that Knowledge from Satguru. And there is never a time when Satguru is not in this world. But ignorance, simple ignorance - purposely-created ignorance and simple ignorance - is keeping us away from that state. If we search, we will be able to go there. We will be able to find him. People tried and they were able to reach the moon. Before they tried, were they able? No. But when they tried, they were able. Try, and you will find a Satguru, a true realized soul. But have you ever tried?
I'm somewhat confused. Does everybody have their own Satguru? I understand there are a number of Satgurus in the world.
There are not Satgurus. When you name it as "Satguru," then it is only one. There is only one Satguru at one time?
Mmm! Everybody is not a teacher. Remember that. People who teach at a school are named as teachers. Those who will really give that true Knowledge are known as Satgurus. And there is only one.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 1, Spring 1979

Hollywood, California, August 11, 1971
But we have to keep that free will in the stops of Satguru. Let Satguru guide that will, where it should be. Because he is the man who can see what the formula of this whole world is. He is the real man who can see it, think it, realize it and take us into the perfect place where it is really good for us. We can't go ourselves.
That is why many scriptures have said that one should dedicate one's life to the Lotus Feet of the Perfect Master of the time. Dedicate. Then he will take you to that right place. Because you have dedicated your life, you are no longer anything and you belong to him, so he is responsible for taking you.
Just as you go to school, you will have to have the company of Satguru. You will have to go, ask questions, sit with him, and listen to what he wants to say - like in school. But then you will be able to understand what he wants to teach, what his philosophy is. Because saints have 'said that nobody can come to the other shore of the philosophy of Satguru. He is the greatest philosopher in this whole world. And every time he has made a philosophy, it has benefited the whole world - the whole world benefited by that philosophy.'
Élan Vital, Volume III Issue 3 Autumn 1979

Alta Loma Terrace, Hollywood, California, August 15, 1971
We have to give our whole devotion to Satguru, because He Himself is full. … Satguru is divine. Guru is divine. The most divine. …
Is it not true that the Satguru is within us all, within our hearts? God is within your heart. Guru is outside. God is within us all, but His highest manifestation takes place outside. …
"How should I repay my Guru? How should I describe my Satguru, that how much He has done for me?" So, see, you can never repay Satguru ever in your life. But there is one method that you can repay - give devotion. … It is said that "In a day I should bow many thousands, thousands, thousands, thousands, millions, millions and millions of times to Satguru." Such a high thing, such a high power, has come. "I was seeking for God, but God has come in body! What can be higher and holier than that?" We think that God is the highest and holiest thing. But listen: God has come in the form of human man, form of you and me! What can be higher than that? Such a high person took the same form as the lowest thing. No shame at all! For our benefit. I came here for benefit of you. I left my school. I left everything to give you something.
Élan Vital, Spring 1978, Volume II, Issue 1

Boulder, Colorado, August 18, 1971
What is the difference between a Satguru and an Avatar?
Same. What is the difference between H2O and water? Some people say "Mercy," "Lord of Mercy." Some only say "Lord," some say "God," some say "Lord Christ." Same thing.
You have said that without the Satguru, this plane of existence would disintegrate.
Yes, because there will be so much evil, and there will be nobody to check it. People will be killing themselves, and one kills one; nobody will be left. World will collapse. This whole creation is made for people, and when there is no man, why will this exist?
Without the Satguru, this universe will destroy itself, then?
Yes, because now there is a man to check people: "Don't do that!" But when there will be no man to check them, then what will happen? There is a human nature to fight with other men. If people don't try, they can't reach God. Maybe he is a learned man, or not. Krishna says, "Read as many Vedas as you can, do as many things as you can." He says, "Oh Arjuna, by keeping fast, by going to sacred places, by going to Ganges, by going to so many places, by doing havan (fire-sacrifice), by reading books, you cannot reach me because I am away from there. So you cannot reach me by all those things. How can you reach me? When you go to a true Satguru." How will we reach a true Satguru? When we try to reach. So if we try, we can surely reach Him. But if you don't try, you can't reach.
Élan Vital, Winter 1977, Volume I, Issue 2

New York, September 11, 1971
Guru Maharaj Ji, how did you come to this Knowledge? This Knowledge was revealed to me by my Guru, by my Satguru.
Does this Satguru live in this time, now? He has passed away. Who was he? His name? His name was Yogiraj Param Hans Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. It is a beautiful name. Very beautiful name! What does it mean? Satguru, Perfect Master, the King of all the yogis, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj.
Divine Times - September/October 1978 Volume 7, Number 6

Toronto, Canada, September 25, 1971
That's why Satguru teaches everybody a single skill: that is to meditate, and to give satsang, which everybody can do for everybody. That's why he teaches one universal skill, easiest to perform, with benefit for you and also for a man whom you are speaking with. …
That's why the need of Satguru is here. See, any disturbance, any corner jutting out in this world, Satguru comes and makes it round. That's why Satguru is here. He makes the political circumstances normal, material circumstances normal, spiritual circumstances normal. Every circumstance. So the sages have said that he is the greatest politician also, philosopher also, Master also, teacher also, Guru also, or whatever you call him. See?…
That's why Satguru stands in between bombs and his devotees. He has got such a huge hand that he puts it over his devotees and devotees are saved. Bombs burst, come on his hand, nothing happens to him. That's why he comes into this world.
Élan Vital, Winter 1978, Volume II, Issue 4

Prem Nagar Ashram, Hardwar, India, November 27, 1971
You know, everybody has been talking about "Word, Word, Word," but they get pretty confused, what is that Word?
Until and unless you go to satguru - "sat" means truth; "gu" means darkness; and "ru" means light - until you go to
satguru you won't be able at all to find this Word. But once you go to a Satguru you ask him. "Ask and it shall be given,
knock and it shall be opened." Go to a satguru and ask him for that Word and he reveals to you that Word. He doesn't make this Word for you in his
factory, but he reveals this Word to you.
So, we should try to find out that knowledge - now I am speaking for those
people who haven't received this knowledge yet. Find it out through meeting satguru. Because only through the real
satguru will you be able to realize this knowledge because he is the possessor
of that knowledge. If I don't know French,how can I teach you French? If I don't know Hindi, can I teach
you Hindi? But, if I know Hindi, can I teach you Hindi? Of course! Because I know it. So, go to satguru. Many people may ask a question and the question is how to find a real satguru. Maybe there are 366 satgurus roaming
about the world. Take one road and you find a satguru, take a right you will find a satguru. Actually 366 satgurus are
there. So how to find a real satguru? And everyone has a long, jumbo board saying, "satguru." How to find the satguru
now? Remember one thing if you have senses, look. If you are crazy, no help for that. If you have senses in you and you
can feel, then of course there is an identity. When the sun rises, what proof have you that the sun has risen? You don't
take a big searchlight, candles: "I don't know where the sun is, do you?" When the sun rises do you take small candles
and small lamps to find out where the sun is? Do you? When you approach a real satguru and he gives you this
knowledge, then what happens? No need for extra things to find out. Completely free. Perfect.
Same way, if we have dedicated ourselves, if we have been channelled to satguru, automatically we will go off. And
satguru cannot go off. Therefore, the channel cannot go off. And if we are channelled to that channel we cannot go off.
But if he is not the real satguru then the channel is not perfect. If the channel is not perfect, and we are chained to that
channel, we are also imperfect and somewhere we will go down. So make your life completely perfect, channelled
completely.
Reflections on an Indian Sunrise

Fernbank, London, 14 March 1972
All saints have said that before you go to Satguru to ask for and receive this Knowledge, you must have a guileless heart, a heart filled with devotion and love for this Knowledge.
Ask, request, and if He is pleased with you He will shower His grace upon you and give you the Knowledge, and if not, He will not. He is almighty. He is going to give you the Knowledge.
He is Guru. In Western languages He is called Perfect Master. Who is perfect? He is perfect.
Divine Light magazine Volume 1, Number 8, May 1972

Alta Loma Terrace, Hollywood, California, August 15, 1971
Q: Who is Satguru?
GMJ: Gu means darkness and Ru means Light. One who brings us away from darkness into Light is called Guru.
Q: You were going to tell us who the Satguru was?
GMJ: The thing is: how much love you have for the Satguru.
Q: Who is Satguru? (Four people ask.)
GMJ: I told. I told.
A: That was "what is Satguru?" Who is Satguru?
GMJ: Satguru is one who brings us away from darkness into Light, Light of Truth.
A: I have a question. Yesterday you said that we know what Knowledge is at initiation, but we don't know who Satguru is. What did you mean by that?
GMJ: Because when a man knows Satguru, he dedicates his whole life.
Q: How do we find out who Satguru is?
GMJ: How do you find out that what you are drinking is water and not something else? Then you will say that "Yes, what I am drinking is something else instead of water." But no, it is water. You know the effects. You know that it is not poison -- it is water. It's very easy to know that. It's very easy, because where Satguru will come, He will give that Knowledge to people. Wherever Light will go, darkness will be buried there. Then and there.
Q: Is there a living Satguru?
GMJ: Always. The living one is called Satguru.
Q: Manifest? That we can talk to?
GMJ: Yes.
Q: Who is He?
GMJ: I won't tell you that (laughter). First of all you want hints from master. Then after hint, you want answer paper from master. After answer paper, you even want question paper. You won't get that. And even if you have question paper, you want answer paper also. Can you do that in school?
Q: I thought that the Knowledge was all that we needed, and now I think that people are expecting you to do something.
GMJ: Knowledge is! Knowledge is what you should have. But if you want to know about Satguru, who is He, then I should tell you. Otherwise, no.
Q: Yes! Yes! Yes!
GMJ: Why do you want to know about Satguru? Why do you want that: Who is Satguru?
Q: To increase our devotion. To replace faith with certainty. To jump off the wheel of birth and death. I've heard that the Satguru is necessary if one wants liberation from the wheel of birth and death. One needs the Grace of the Satguru.
GMJ: Okay. So no more questions? No more questions? Because I will tell you about Satguru, and if you have any questions or doubts in your mind, then you will repel what I have said to you. Yes?
Élan Vital, Spring 1978, Volume II, Issue 1

Delhi, India, December, 1972
But who is God? What is God? See, there is a very thin membrane between us and God, and this is the membrane of illusion. A Guru has such a device that He can cut this membrane and it becomes practical and easy for us to see God. But it was very difficult for us at one time.
The Satguru is also called the Perfect Master in scriptures. All the scriptures say the same thing in different ways. I haven't read the whole Bible, but I've been able to learn some parts of John, and he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The same Word has been described in the Ramayana, in the Gita, in the Koran, and in all the scriptures, because it is Truth. The scriptures are all about one thing, and Truth is one. Once we have seen the Guru and have found that particular device with which we can cut through the thin membrane, it becomes very easy for us or for anyone to have God realization.
And It Is Divine, Volume I, Issue 5

San Francisco, California February 9, 1974
Something that is perfect will never have to express itself, because it's perfect by itself. To whom - to whom will it express? To whom will it go and say, "Well, here I am, perfectness. Realize me; I am the perfectness." So, this is the reason that always why Perfect Master is born into this world. To actually make us - He doesn't come and say, "Well, I am the Perfect Master."
Divine Times, February 1977 Volume 6, Number 2

Nepal, May 3, 1975
Man is searching for this Knowledge in so many different trips. Some are bathing in "holy rivers," some are performing austerities, some are rubbing ashes on their bodies, some are growing their hair. But still, man can't find this Knowledge. Without going to the feet of the Satguru, it's impossible to have this Knowledge. This is that Knowledge which Mira Bai said can be neither cut nor burned nor stolen. It can be meditated upon constantly, twenty-four hours a day. This Knowledge can be revealed only by the Grace of Satguru. What's the purpose of this human life? It isn't just to eat, drink and work. There is something else. There's a certain reason that God has given us this human body. This world is just like a big fair. We come here to
this fair and we live. But whenever we come into this fair, certainly we buy something and we try to enjoy ourselves. Dear premies, if we come into this fair and then go away empty, what was the use of coming? If we don't fulfill the aim of our life, it isn't good.
Élan Vital, Volume III, Issue 4, Winter 1979

Guru Puja, Geneva, Switzerland, 10 September 1978
Because our hunger, our lust, doesn't just stay here. (Guru Maharaj Ji indicates the body.) It's here. (Guru Maharaj Ji indicates inside.) This hurts (inside), this doesn't (body.) This hurts really bad. Because our heart aches to be one with that Master, to be one with that Satguru of his time. Like Krishna says, "To "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.
Guru Puja, Geneva 1978, Divine Light Mission booklet

Various Question and Answers sessions
Can a person come to a Satguru (Hindi word for Perfect Master) and be initiated just by being there?
So we have to get that Knowledge from the Satguru. And there is never a time when the Satguru is not in this world. But ignorance, simple ignorance - purposely-created ignorance and simple ignorance - is keeping us away from that state. If we search, we will be able to go there. We will be able to find him. People tried and they were able to reach the moon. Before they tried, were they able? No. But when they tried, they were able. Try, and you will find the Satguru, a true realized soul. But have you ever tried?
Q: I'm somewhat confused. Does everybody have their own Satguru? I understand there are a number of Satgurus in the world.
GMJ: There are not Satgurus. When you name it as "Satguru," then it is only one.
Q: There is only one Satguru at one time?
GMJ: Mmm! Everybody is not a teacher. Remember that. People who teach at a school are called teachers. Those who will really give that true Knowledge are known as Satgurus. And there is only one.
Light Reading, 1980

Rome, Italy - June 25, 1980
"Your commitment, that's, you know, that's basically what I have to say nothing new probably to what I said at the last satsang or last to last satsang or last to last satsang. You know. In essence, what I'm trying to say is that when you get up and say "Bolie Satguru Dev Maharaj Ki Jai" mean it! Not just say it because uh 9,000 other people are saying so, so
you say it too. You know. And when you sing Arti, mean it."
Rome Ashram Satsang 1980 DLM video

Guru Puja festival, July 25-27 1980
I have to come to the Master and say, "Okay, this is it. Give me, take me, take me, let me have an experience. Give me what you have to give me. Take my doubts away. There is that song "I surrender to my Satgurudev who has taken my doubts away, Satisfaction grew in place of discontentment" That's what needs to happen to everyone of us.
You Are My Savior Divine Light Mission video

Lima Peru, 7th February 1981
There is that song you know "I Surrender to my Satgurudev who has taken my doubts avay (sic)." It's really true that when we can, when we can just let go those doubts will go away and the picture becomes so, so, so clear. Trying to hang onto our ideas, it never works. It never can work.
So, just to let go, just to open up and just to realize in there you'll find everything. In Guru Maharaj Ji you will find everything so thank you very much, blessings to all the premies.
Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai, Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai
Lima Peru, 7th February 1981 audio tape

Miami Florida, 9th December 1983
Not because of all the things that happened around me. They, they have been terrible, you know, according to the Chinese sign the roosters supposed to have a terrible time in 1983. Well, maybe we'll get to fly in 1984 you know maybe that's our year, it'll be great but um need to enjoy, need, you see that's the thing, need, we ne-e-ed to enjoy. So enjoy. Have a happy new year and for all of you that are going to be celebrating Christmas, have a wonderful Merry Christmas. One's not going to be celebrating Christmas, happy Hanukkah (laughter) and ones who are not going to be celebrating Hanukkah, well good day! (laughter) Have a wonderful day haha. So thank you and goodnight. (Bolie Shri Satguru tape cut off)
"Birthday Program", Perfect Master Tape 256
Divine Light Mission even released songs about the Satguru including this one, titled "I Surrender to My Satgurudev" by "One Foundation"
on a music cassette called "You Are My Everything" that was used on the soundtrack of the movie "You Are My Savior."
I SURRENDER TO MY SATGURUDEV
Chorus
I surrender to my Satgurudev
Who has driven my doubts away
I surrender to my Satgurudev
He made me drink His cup of love
With immortal herb
Intoxication of Holy Name
Has blown my mind away
Pure light within I saw
Without moon and sun
In His kingdom I blissed out
Hearing music play
Satisfaction grew
In place of discontentment
Attachment and jealousy have gone
By His boundless Grace
Remembrance of the Holy Name
Has taken death away
Now I have found the Perfect Master
Of this day.