Darshan of Prem Rawat

Darshan - being in the physical presence of the living Perfect Master and doing pranam is the peak experience for students of Prem Rawat. In the West this has only happened at Amaroo since the early 1980's. After proving they are bona fide "People who Have Been Revealed the Techniques of Maharaji's Knowledge" by showing their Smart Cards or being vouched for by a premie with credibility within the organisation they are allowed to file past and either place their foreheads on his feet or kiss them but only gentle kisses are allowed, nothing passionate.

Here is a quick teaser from an Amaroo video showing those who have been revealed the "secret techniques" the darshan line at Amaroo. It seems that despite all that de-Indianisation that Elan Vital claims occurred Guru Maharaj Ji (Prem Rawat) is still giving 'Holy Breath'. Look at the woman second in line cupping her hand over her right ear. This was the instruction for new initiates to indicate to Rawat that he should blow on them ("Holy Breath"). That section is repeated 3 times in slow motion at the end so you don't miss it while blinking.

Here is a recorded darshan and pranam of Prem Rawat's wife and devotee, the former Marolyn Johnson. Prem Rawat gave her the title of Durga Ji after their 1974 marriage. In 1979 to the ecstatic chants of "Bhole Shri Satguru Dev Maharaj Ki Jai" from the thousands of premies watching she symbolises their devotion by crowning Prem Rawat with the crown of Krishna and then doing full pranam before him and lovingly kissing his "Lotus Feet" as his students then referred to them. Unfortunately this is a very poor quality video clip. If anyone still has the original tape or a better quality clip, please contact me.

In 1980 at a Divine Light Mission religious festival to a song which makes a pretty straightforward statement about Prem Rawat's role on earth, a song called 'You Are My Saviour'. Prem Rawat's wife is shown crowning him with the crown of Krishna whose costume he is wearing and then doing full pranam (lying on the ground in front of him) and kissing his feet in adoration.

In the previous years, before Prem Rawat began his public dancing performances, darshan was the peak feature of all Divine Light Mission religious festivals. This clip of a darshan line is from 1979. It was held in a darkened tent either to enhance the mystery and experience or keep them secret and ushers prevents too much enthusiasm from his followers as they kissed his feet in adoration. On the left he is giving "Holy Breath" to a first time darshanee.

Here is a video clip of a darshan line during the Guru Puja Festival, London, England in 1973 from the movie 'Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji?.

Here is a video clip of a darshan line in Montrose, Colorado in July, 1972. Bihari Singh collects the donations as the premies come to pranam to Maharaji.

In India such huge crowds gather for festivals that darshan is sometimes seeing the Master drive past but in the West darshan lines of over 20,000 were known in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Darshan in the West is now only held at Amaroo in Australia where lines of a few thousand have been known in the 1990's.

Scenes of Holi and some privileged Indian premies receiving intimate darshan in the mid 1990's with the camera looking over Maharaji's shoulder..

When the number of premies was growing rapidly in the 70's Prem Rawat devised a system where two people could do pranam at the same time. When numbers fell in the 1980's this was no longer required, note premie in right lane receiving Holy Breath by holding his cupped hand behind his right ear.

Click to see darshan at Millenium 73. Prem Rawat wrote to his followers that Millenium '73 was going to be "the most Holy and significant event in human history". Rawat is giving Holy Breath.

People queue past to do pranam in Copenhagen in a mid-70's darshan line. Note photo on left where Maharaji has given Holy Breath.

Here, in the 1998 Elan Vital video The Connection, there is film of a darshan line that is obvious to anyone with any knowledge of Rawat's career but would not be recognised by innocent bystanders. The camera is above and to Rawat's right or left, looking down. We see the followers approaching, single file through the darkened tunnel, begin to bow and go out of the picture or are shown raising themselves and moving on after they've kissed his feet. The portrayal of this ceremony, considered the peak experience, in a student's life is shown to inspire Rawat's followers but in such a way as to prevent understanding and criticism of Rawat's role since his followers have claimed he renounced his divinity in the early 1980's. Click here to see the clip of the darshan line.

The students' devotion sometimes doesn't even require the physical presence.

Prem Rawat being drawn through the crowd at the Hans Jayanti Festival in Kissimmee, Florida in 1978 or 1979.

Here Prem Rawat is carried through the crowd at an early Western festival.

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