This story is at worst a complete pack of lies or at best an extremely grave distortion of the events that occurred. The truth behind this is revealed in Soul Rush by Sophia Collier the Divine Light Mission journalist who recorded this interview. It is astonishing how Ellen Saxl looks into the camera with such "truth and love" shining from her eyes while lying through her teeth to her "brothers and sisters" at Prem Rawat's instructions.
OASIS OF LOVE
An interview with Ellen Saxl who accompanied Guru Maharaj Ji and Durga Ji on their trip to India
How did you find out you would be going to India with Maharaj Ji?
I was fortunate to be able to be with Maharaj Ji and Durga Ji pretty much since Premlata was born. I was called in the early morning when Durga Ji went into labor and I flew out to L.A. to help with the delivery and to be of whatever service I could. Then Maharaj Ji and Durga Ji told me to go to Holi Festival. Just after Holi, in Miami, Maharaj Ji started having a lot of meetings in the living room talking about the things that needed to be done in India. One day when I was out doing some service, DurgaJi asked Maharaj Ji if I could go along. I came home and they asked me if I had my shots and visas together and that was that.
When did you actually leave?
Maharaj Ji, Raja Ji and the boys (John Miller, Bob Mishler, Brent Neely and John Hampton) left early, and we stayed behind with Durga Ji and Claudia. Maharaj Ji was going to go to pave the way and then the whole group would meet up in Bombay. They left about four or five days before we did. He told us that we would be coming to India and there was a task that had to be accomplished there, and then he gave us specific instructions as to what he wanted each of us to do.
What did he tell you to do?
He said that he was holding me responsible for Durga Ji's and Premlata's security.
How'd you feel about that?
It's really an incredible thing. As premies, we know what we have to do in this life, but if you're sitting on the floor and he's standing over you, looking down in your eyes, and telling you just exactly what to do, it's such an incredible feeling. There's just that authority of love that he has. You feel pretty small; you feel very, very lucky, too. It's so nice when he tells you exactly what he wants you to do down to the last detail.
Were you ever afraid at all?
No, how can you be afraid? There have been times in my life when different circumstances have brought me close to the point of death. At those times, his grace completely surrounded me in Holy Name, and it didn't make any difference which side I fell on, because the only thing that is real is that vibration. I'm really lucky; I don't have any fear of those things because I'm able to see that the only thing that is real is Guru Maharaj Ji's love. There's no way he's going to let you fall away from him at any time. There you are with your Lord, how can you be afraid of anything?
When you got to Bombay, then what did you do?
First we stayed in a hotel and made our plans. This was when all the newspapers were saying that they couldn't find Maharaj Ji in India and were wondering if he was in India at all. Then we headed up to Lucknow by plane. We had a stopover in Calcutta. While we were waiting there, Maharaj Ji was walking in the terminal and a plane came in from Japan. Two premie sisters walked off the plane and the first thing they saw was Guru Maharaj Ji. It was just phenomenal. Then the two sisters got on our plane to Lucknow. The plane had another stopover in Patna. There, a mahatma and the general secretary of Nepal got on the plane and they came walking down the aisle and bam, they saw Maharaj Ji. It was just so beautiful.
It really showed me that just at the right moment Maharaj Ji will come to you, or let you come to him. It's hard to see this because we always have a desire to be with him. Yet he's the one who knows the perfect time that we should see him. We don't have to worry, because he'll call us. We have to have the faith that he hasn't forgotten us, but he's the one who has that perspective to know what's the best timing for these things.
There was supposed to be a big program in Lucknow, but the officials were saying that it wouldn't be possible for us to have the program, so it was called off. A few of the premies had darshan when Maharaj Ji went to a small hall, but most of the Indian premies were pretty disappointed. They really wanted to see Maharaj Ji, but at that time it didn't work out.
From Patna we drove to the ashram in Bihar and spent about a week and a half there. For me, that was one of the most beautiful experiences of our whole stay in India. Bihar is one of the poorest states in India. It was a few months before monsoon weather and the ground was completely hard and caked from the sun. There were very few trees, no vegetation and it's rocky and I had a hard time seeing how people could exist out there. It was super hot and super dry with no water around. There couldn't have been a more desolate place anywhere.
Then here was this ashram, this home, this residence for Maharaj Ji that the premies had built with bricks that they had made with their own brick presses. All around the house fruit trees and gardens had been planted. The premies had taken picks and shovels and dug and dug and dug and dug these enormous wells into the earth. Now, they were trying to make a pond beside the residence. Hoards and hoards of premies were out in the noonday sun digging. It must have been 110 degrees. They wore no hats or anything. They didn't have bulldozers; they just have their shovels and their hands. And there they were digging, putting rocks and dirt into a little basket. Then someone put the basket on their head and they walked out and they dumped the dirt somewhere else. They were doing this for hours and hours, day after day.
In the middle of absolute scorching emptiness there was a complete oasis of love. You just see the manifestation of Maharaj Ji. When you see devotion, you realize how far away you are from it. When the premies ware raising money to put an air conditioner in Maharaj Ji's house, they were selling everything they owned, doing everything they could do so that an air conditioner would be there and Maharaj Ji, Durga Ji and Premlata would be comfortable. Their devotion is totally unselfish.
There were some western premies from England and Spain who had just travelled to India overland. I think they were trying to set up some sort of business importing Indian clothing. When they got into Bihar, they found out that Maharaj Ji was there and joined us at the ashram just in time to take part in the wedding. The Indians were calling themselves Maharaj Ji's family, so all of the westerners were Durga Ji's family. Everyone was singing songs and making little skits and stuff. How can you imagine 6,000 people completely blissed out of their heads, dancing and singing all night long?
From Bihar we went on to Calcutta, had a beautiful program there and then we went back to Bombay for a few days. From Bombay we went to Katmandu, Nepal, where we had an outside program. When we got to Nepal after being in the dry desert, it was just so nice. Everybody just went, 'Wow, this is like Denver, isn't it?' But we didn't stay too long, only about 2½ days - enough for Maharaj Ji to give darshan and direction to the premies there, and then we returned to India.
We came back into India through Delhi and drove to Jaipur. Jaipur is a really beautiful city - it's called the pink city. All the houses are painted pink and they have white filagree on them. There are old castles and fortresses and walls partially encircling the city. When we came into town, there were five elephants walking down the street holding trunks and tails. And there were stately camels everywhere, and everything from water buffalo to bicycles to Mercedes Benzs' to public carriers on the road. Then there were people running around in little rickshaws made out of old Harleys left over from the war. It was great.
We were supposed to have a big program there, and a lot of premies were coming. But again, we had this whole trouble with officials and somehow somebody arranged to have them call our program off. But there is no stopping Guru Maharaj Ji and his premies from getting together. Since we couldn't hold the program in town, we went right tothe city limits. And just on the other side of Jaipur, all of the premies assembled and Maharaj Ji and Durga Ji got into the jeep and went to the premies to give them darshan. We had binoculars, so we saw it all from the hotel. The Rajasthani people are really different than other people in India. The ladies do not wear saris, head to foot. They wear beautiful indigo skirts and silver ankle bracelets with maybe a bright pink shirt, jewelry up and down their arms, and a bright yellow scarf wrapped around their head. To see these colorful people come walking across the desert, gathering for darshan, it was amazing. We did this day after day. People would come and Maharaj Ji would go in the jeep, give them darshan and talk to them.
What was the Indian premies' reaction to Durga Ji?
Oh, they just loved her so much. All the Indian premies wanted to do was just see her, hear her voice. They were just completely blown away … oh, they just loved her so much. She would give them satsang in English and they would completely bliss out. At programs, Maharaj Ji usually would give satsang first and then he would ask Durga Ji to give satsang, and somebody would translate the satsang for her. Premlata went to the satsang programs too, she loved them.
The Indian premies were just so innocent and full of love, just so happy to see Maharaj Ji, Durga Ji and Premlata.
After we were in Jaipur, we went back to Delhi and had a really nice program with about 1,500 people. That was the capacity of the hall, but many more people were waiting outside to get in. At the satsang program, Maharaj Ji really made it clear to the premies that they could either be his premies, follow his agya and surrender to him, or they could do something else. That was the choice they had. He gave them so much satsang, just so much love.
The same with Durga Ji. At the Delhi program, she told a story of how Maharaj Ji would go to a farmer who was really having a hard time farming because his land was so dry and barren, and he would see the perfect spot to dig a well for water. Finally, he would convince the farmer to go ahead and dig to see what would happen. Of course, when the farmer dug down, he found water. So then the farmer took Maharaj Ji to other farms to show them, 'Hey, our crops can be so beautiful, we can get so much from this earth, if you will just let Maharaj Ji show you where the water is.' So, she said that we have to be Maharaj Ji's legs so that he can tell everybody how to find the hidden water. That's the service he gives the premies to do: to carry him and to spread his message throughout the world. It's just so clear that the premies understood. All they needed to do was to see Maharaj Ji, receive his darshan and hear his satsang. The newspapers had been so inaccurate; they had given the premies such a strange view of what was going on. Mlaharaj Ji was the only one who could set it straight.
Since you were there in Delhi, did you go to court with Maharaj Ji?
No. Maharaj Ji, Raja Ji, Bob, Brent, John and Sampuranand went to court and the rest of us stayed behind in the hotel. But when Maharaj Ji came back, he told us what had gone on there. He was completely elated and full of joy. He said the grace had completely taken over. Nobody could have expected that the trial would go that way. It was almost as if the judge had been taken over by that love, and was speaking from a trance. The judge was giving satsang in the court, instead of presiding, the way judges usually do. Maharaj Ji was completely elated because here was another practical example of grace working.
People have so many different motives. They try to stand in the way of Satguru, but there's nothing they can do to stop him. They try to go against this love; they try to go against this light, in what they think are very cunning means, but in fact they can never come near to Maharaj Ji. It is the power of grace that causes Satguru to be here with us, and for us to be able to experience him. And that grace is behind him completely when he does anything in this world. You know, it's the supreme thing … That's what India was like, unfolding of grace.