Shri Hans Productions: The Lord of The Universe
In 1971 a young Swiss, Reto Andrea Savoldelli, arranged to make a film called "Stella Da Falla" with himself as the eponymous hero and funding from national Swiss Television SF.
He hired Jacques Sandoz as the cameraman and they wrote a quest film about a wondrous and strange trip around the world. The film has more in common with medieval mystery plays than with most modern films,
as it is rich in symbols and mystery and low in explanation. In some unexplained past, Stella Da Falla on horseback and hunting with a bow and arrow,
meets with his father, who is wearing armor, and tells him it is time for him to experience the world.
As Savoldelli and Sandoz had "received Knowledge" they filmed in Prem Nagar Ashram (Hardwar), in the Rawat's family home with MataJi in Dehra Dun, and at festivals in Delhi and Patna. Rawat, Gurucharanand and Ashokanand stayed for some days at Savoldelli's place of film business in Hemberg, Switzerland in September 1971 before leaving Switzerland. Naturally Rawat went on a shopping trip to Zürich where he bought sunglasses and opened a Swiss Bank Account. Sandoz then took the freshly developed 16mm film from the Laboratory Cinegram in Zürich to make this film "The Lord of the Universe" for Shri Hans Productions.
The film had degraded quite badly by the time it came out of an attic somewhere but maybe in a humidity controlled underground nuclear shelter Prem Rawat has stored everything he ever starred in and the young Westerners and their Indian milieu will be seen sparkling and fresh again. The excerpts of Rawat speaking in English are difficult to understand because of the poor audio quality and because they do not make much sense. The callow Western devotees' satsangs are positively Churchillian by comparison. Further Comments by the Webmaster are in italics.
Voiceover: Six months ago several hundred followers welcomed 13 year old Guru Maharaj Ji in the West for the first time. He arrived in London on the first stage of his "Peace Tour" which was to take him to France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America and Canada. Everywhere that he went, thousands of people came to hear his discourses. Many of them received the practical Knowledge of Truth from him (sound track inaudible: Now in London airport 400 Westerners leaving London airport in a jumbo jet which Guru Maharaj Ji has specially chartered to take them to India. They will spend 2 months there .)
Scenes of the young Rawat arriving at London airport. Premies run to crouch down and pranam and touch his feet as he passes by.
The first chartered Boeing 707 airlift of 400 Western premies flies to India
The most impressive thing an Indian Godman can have (to Indians) is Western devotees so they were out early on the Delhi streets shouting "Maharaj Ki Jai" over and over in English accents and showing themselves, like it or not.
The Ram Lila Grounds scene of the Hans Jayanti festival
Voiceover: All the devotees of Guru Maharaj Ji, eastern and western, northern and southern, gather and work together to prepare the biggest satsang festival in the Ram Lila grounds, Delhi. Here they will celebrate with the Lord, the annual birthday celebration of his Holy Father, Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj.
In the hope that their beloved Lord will bless them with His presence all the devotees have prepared their tents and their hearts to receive Him.
Rawat flies in later so the Western devotees can be seen to greet him at the front of the huge crowd. (soundtrack: bagpipe instrumental of Amazing Grace)
Mahatma Sampuranand leads the arti-tray waving and isn't that Mahatma Blissedoutanand aka Mahatma Saphlanand formerly Brian Pitt, singled out in the crowd. The Guru gives Hindi satsang and there is much tray waving and singing of a devotional prayer.
Hans Jayanti festival, Ram Lila grounds, Delhi, 9th November, 1971
Guru Maharaj Ji:Duality, everybody wants to be the owner of duality. Everybody says "You are that fellow, you are that fellow, you are Minister, you are Prime Minister, you are President, you are gipsy. So if you ???? go to Prime Minister, either to present and these other constitutions, these are the laws that made in to Delhi that's all and you go into parliament and say "This is it, this is it and distinguish the dualities in everybody's heart, in everybody's, and everybody's character and everybody's humanity. And what else they're doing in this parliament? They cannot come to one point and argue, they argue, argue, argue. Sometimes they will start fighting in parliament just because they are missing this absolute thing but once they get this absolute Knowledge, absolute Peace, absolute satisfaction of mind no more there will be no parliament but there is a main thing, the commandment of God, that is for what we are waiting and commandment of God is before us but unfortunately we are not responding very well to whatever are the commandments. Everybody wants to negotiate about whatever, whatever this Knowledge is, whatever the Word(world?) is. Everybody's trying to use this complete intellect in this world but remember friends this intellect won't help you for a long time. Time is very short ???, time is very very short and in this short time we are ???? and where we will be ??? at ??,000 miles per hour. Now we have to just hang on this Knowledge and rush to meditation. Just do meditation, do meditation because meditation is that feeling good. So make a proper realization of your lifetime, your lifetime has been given to you, God is not crazy that he has given you this lifetime, is he? God is good, God is, you know, beautiful but you you can't understand what is the point of your game(?).
Voice over: One year ago in 1970, the largest procession the world has ever seen was taken out in Delhi. Twenty miles long, it took 10 hours to pass and brought over 1 million devotees to India Gate in the centre of Delhi. Here Guru Maharaj Ji addressed them and said "Give me your love and I will give you eternal peace." He would establish the Golden Age of universal love and brotherhood in the world by revealing the Knowledge of Absolute Truth, the source of peace within us all.
Guru Maharaj Ji: Just you understand what the personal experience of this life, there is a concentrated age, all the rays are being respected in this age and they are to be concentrated, they are to be put on the one point of peace, of satisfactions.
The scene shifts to a very naff singer whose song is the soundtrack to a darshan line. Why do darshan lines in films always have musical soundtracks?
I don't want to be a rock and roll star
Like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones
(raucous crow interrupts)
I just want to sing love songs to my guru
On this long rugged road I've been travelling
There's a light that brings me
brightly to your door
And this ever constant tide
sweeps me tight back to your side
Though each trail I blaze is new
They all lead back to you
You're the ever shining love light of my life
I've loved you so
You leave my other loves behind
1,000 love songs are dancing
sweetly through my mind
Though the years may come and go
My love will only grow.
Much shouting of Ki Jai as ragged procession winds through streets
Darshan oneupmanship, premie first lies on ground before getting up and bowing down and kissing the Lotus Feet
Voice over: From every corner of the world devotees have gathered to sing and praise the glories of Guru Maharaj Ji who they call the Saviour of Mankind. People of all nationalities and religions are here to show their love and devotion to the young Master who has shown them the way to transcend all differences of caste, colour and religion. Here Hindu and Muslim, black and white, rich and poor, have all come together in total brotherhood having realized the one universal father dwelling within all hearts.
Hans Jayanti festival, Ram Lila grounds, Delhi, 10th November, 1971. Many Hindi acclamations followed by crowd shouting Ki Jai. The young Rawat gives satsang in Hindi followed by crowd singing of bhajans while guru chews reflectively.
Voice over: One does not have to understand Hindi to experience Guru Maharaj Ji's spiritual discourse. This discourse, or satsang, is a vibration that penetrates direct to the heart.
Song:
Prem Nagar is very sweet
With Cream of Wheat (semolina)
And Lotus Feet
Voiceover: The festival over, the Western followers settle themselves in Prem Nagar Ashram.
"Good! Fantastic!"
Voiceover:It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. The river Ganges runs by the side of the ashram gardens. The whole ashram was built by devotees and mahatmas of Guru Maharaj Ji. The name "Prem Nagar" literally means "City Of Love" and here the disciples could enjoy the presence of the Giver of Supreme Love.
The Lord of the Universe
Has come to us this day
The Lord of the Universe
Has come to us this day
And He's come to show us Light
And He's come to show us Love
And He's come to show us the Way
Back to our Father.
Open up your heart to the Universe of Love
And He will fill you up.
Our Father, our Father …
Bring us home
These two could be Lynn Dominico who wrote the song and "Joy from the Bliss Band" (based on Shauna's 40 year old memories)
Voiceover: Ashram life is a natural way of life where a person hears and speaks satsang, meditates under the practical guidance of the Divine Master, does service and lives with this Satguru Maharaji and experiences the amazing Grace of the Lord.
Young American: What does he want?
Indian voice: Guru Maharaj Ji for you?
Young American: For me uh Guru Maharaj Ji's sort of uh answers every prayer I ever made, to God you know. He, he's living proof of uh of God's existence you know
that that God really can come into my life, really can form a personal relationship with, with human beings and really can save them you know from the pain of the world, you know.
Like ah so many people live you know throughout throught their whole lives in pain never knowing God never thinking above their normal way of living and Guru Maharaj Ji comes
pulls us up, makes us see, you know and just uh gives us heaven on earth really really give us
Child: Guru Maharaj Ji is my father. That's all, he's everything to me.
European adult: Is everything, everything you want it to be. Guru Maharaj Ji is everything that is ever a reflection of every individual. He's everything to me that I ever looked for and
He's getting stronger and stronger.
Young man: He's everything in the whole world
Suzie "Bai" Whitten:
Green were the hills I used to roam
Then I heard you call and I came home
Now I will stay right at your side
For I have now become your bride
Oh my Lord I live within your light
For me now there is no night
My whole heart longs just for one
In loving Him I've just begun
Background Soundtrack: Amazing Grace
Sometimes I would sit in the forest and I would hear the birds sing and I would always this that they were trying to tell me something and I would hear the wnd blowing through the trees and I would think that Nature was trying to communicate some message to me and the I would go and listen to the sound of the water rushing in the stream and I'd feel the coolness of the water, the freshness of the water and I'd feel some message coming towards me but I didn't quite understand what the message was. I never could understand it because I didn't know that living stream within me. I didn't know those birds singing within me. I didn't know that breeze blowing within me. When you smell a rose it is telling us something but we must have that way of knowing that fragrance within and if we go to one who knows, a Perfect realized Soul, He can take us to that place and we can understand that message Nature is trying to tell us at every moment. I have finally understood now what Nature has been telling me because I have realized it within me.
Joan Apter: To me, I have really nothing to say. All I know is that Guru Maharaj Ji is perfect, that Guru Maharaj Ji whole personality is Light and it is that personality which He gives us, that perfection which He gives us, it causes us to love because all the time we are searching for that perfection. Guru Maharaj Ji is perfect and that in itself is a mystery and that mystery He gives to us. The mystery of perfection which He really is.
My guru.
That was your guru? And what was his name?
My father.
And who
My father was my guru.
And who was his?
Do you know what a darshan is?
No
Seeing of the Spiritual Master (girl giggles) Whatever is a ??? If you are not conformed about it, we conform it. ??? If you are not conformed about it ???
Whatever is better, whatever is better than this, do that.
Girl: Should I stop doing service then if all the time I'm doing service I'm thinking "Oh I'm going to get there so much quicker?"
??? pronounce your Name?
Well you can pronounce the adjective, by all means but not the noun. You can, by all means, prnce pronounce adjective but not the noun. Okay? (general laughter Okay) Okay? (Okay) Understood?
Song:
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splatter become oceans of bright light
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splatter become oceans of bright light
Little drops of grace
Come and splash me in the face
And I leave my physical place
As well as this silly human race
Little drops of grace
Come and splash me in the face
And I leave my physical place
As well as this silly human race
Wooo
Only 13 years of age
But he seems like such a sage
Though his class is only nine
Well His Knowledge is Divine
Little drops of mercy from the guru
Fall and splatter become oceans of bright light
Jagat Jnani Mata Ji, Mother of the Universe, Holy Mother of Guru Maharaj Ji bowing with flowers of love before the immortal sacred ashes of Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, the father of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji
On his 14th birthday the young Rawat is crowned with the regalia of Krishna and Arti is sung by Western and Indian premies
Raja Rawat cannot swing an arti tray and sing at the same time
We wish you the Happiest Birthday: Oh Lord we are not here to wish that we may be happy but that you may be; And we know that your happiness is that we remember you constantly. Forgive me.
The movie ends on an upbeat note with a fancy dress party, a darshan line, hippie dancing (as bad as it gets) and a slomo stroll in the woods, with the young Lord of the Universe followed by some worshipping premies all to the strident and inappropriate accompaniment of 'Bolero' by Ravel
Jacques Sandoz with camera
