The Holy Jesters

The Holy Jesters, Mahatmas Gurucharanand and Padarthanand and Initiator Arthur Brigham (who had been Mahatma Param Premanand before being demoted) sang at Divine Light Mission festivals and released the "Court Of Love" audio tape in 1982 - SLT 018 by Élan Communications which shows that Indian style devotion was being openly promoted and used for fund-raising in the organisations even as the renaming of Divine Light Mission to Élan Vital and the removal of all Indian appearances and links was about to begin. They mainly performed translations of Indian bhajans such as "Glory Of My Master" and this inspired One Foundation to write and perform songs highly influenced by these bhajans. Bhajan songbooks (Click here and click here and click here for examples of songbooks of bhajans) were printed and used at nightly satsang meetings. Song titles such "The Glory Of My Master Is Endless," "Boundless Is Your Love And Glory," "Glory To Maharaj Ji," "Glory to the Lotus Feet of Guru Maharaj Ji" are evidence of Prem Rawat's glorious megalomania.

In the early 1980's, far from attempting to remove Indian trappings from his "Knowledge" and followers' lives, Prem Rawat was intensifying their influence by promoting the use of bhajans as the main musical form used at his meetings and festivals. The lyrics demonstrate that these westernised bhajans are/were far more overtly worshipful than any used before (apart from the ubiquitous Arti) The extreme personality worship of Prem Rawat as a Divine and Holy Being was reinforced with such lyrics as "Always Remember His Every Word is Holy", "How Beautiful Are The Feet Of Him" and "Maharaj Ji, Boundless is Your Love and Glory". For many further examples see the song books of DLM/EV bhajans here and here.

Prem Rawat spoke of the Holy Jesters in one of his "satsangs" at the Hans Jayanti festival on 8th November 1979. Naturally he denigrated them as musicians and as people caught in their ignorant concepts but He said their music ended up sounding fine because they were playing for Him, Guru Maharaj Ji.

When this Holy Jester band started off … Jesters aren't fools. (But then again, what's the difference?) Jesters are the pleasers, the courtpleasers, the ones who please the king. Not exactly fools or crazy or clowns or anything, but those whose job it is to keep the court happy, the king happy. And we have the Holy Jester band here. And when they started off, man, it was something else. One of them hadn't played for a long, long time. And he would play and he had his concept of what the song had to be like. When another one played, he had his concept of tablas, because he picked the tablas up, started fiddling with them, and just started to play them. Each member of the band would have his concept. And along with everything else, one thing that wasn't being produced was the proper sound: off-key here or a little bit off-key there.

But it doesn't matter whether they are professionals or whether they're not professionals. If that love is truly within inside of them and that's the reason why they're singing, then it's okay. Then it can be enjoyed. Because if that were the case - the way they sounded in the very beginning - they would have never made it this far. They should have been scratched right in the beginning. "You guys don't sound so great. Forget it."

Even when one of them used to get up alone and snap his fingers, he definitely didn't realize that he was singing off-key. And none of these guys realized that they were singing off. And yet they were just playing. They were playing. They were playing for a purpose, not for just playing, but playing for a purpose, playing for Guru Maharaj Ji. I hope. And it sounded fine; it sounded great. Because it wasn't coming out of their ego. It wasn't coming out of their mind.

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I Have Seen Such A Wonder

Chorus
I have seen such a wonder, oh people
I have seen such a great wonder.

Blissful nectar is always falling
from the well up in the sky.
There the cripple climbs with no ladder
drinking till he's satisfied.

With no player music is playing
all the time both day and night.
There the deaf man hears sweet melody
forgetting all in his delight.

Without earth there is a palace
which is filled with heavenly light.
The blind see and feel so blissful
then describe that beautiful sight.

A living person dies and returns
to his body again and again.
What I am talking about, oh people
only a rare soul understands.

Court Of Love

Please Fill Me With Your Devotion

Glory of My Master

Chorus:
The glory of my Master is endless
How could I ever express?
The glory of my Master is endless
How could I ever express?

For the sake of the children
For the sake of the children
My Lord has taken a Form Oh such a beautiful Form
My Lord has taken a Form Oh such a beautiful Form

Chorus

Because the ties to worldly attachments
Because the ties to worldly attachments
Can't take to me sweet love flowing from His Lotus Feet
Can't take to me sweet love flowing from His Lotus Feet

Chorus

He will reveal that Creator's true name
He will reveal that Creator's true name
Showed me His light and the essence of devotion within
Showed me His light and the essence of devotion within

Chorus

Leaving the world of delusion I found
Leaving the world of delusion I found
The door to His true realm and His court of love
The door to His true realm and His court of love

Chorus

There is such a beautiful throne
There is such a beautiful throne
Where my Lord is seated in His magnificent Form
Where my Lord is seated in His magnificent Form

Chorus

The glory of my Master
The love of my Master
The mercy of my Master

Chorus

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In Your Hand There Lies A Jewel

Chorus
In your hand there lies a jewel,
you don't know how precious it is.
Till you know your life's real meaning
you will wander aimlessly.

Knowing that your life is mortal
you pretend you will never die.
Don't you see death like a vulture
hovering o'er your head all the time?

What's the use of reading scriptures
if you don't know their mystery?
Without knowing your true essence
a man of knowledge you cannot be.

Many years of worldly living
cover the beauty of your soul.
Only with the Lord's devotion
can that beauty now unfold.

For so long you have been singing
songs which have no real meaning.
The sweet melody of the true name
you did not learn how to sing.

My Master Blessed Me (With Such An Eye)

My Master blessed me with such an eye
And has shown me the secret beyond compare
I once believed God was far away
I prayed to Him thinking we were apart
My Master revealed the beauty
Now I see His Glory everywhere

Life Is Passing Away

Chorus
Life is passing away.
In false expectations,
Life is passing away.

All of your childhood
was spent in play.
Then you were caught
in worldly relations.

As you become older
your mind grows stronger.
Even the little things
bring you frustration.

You never took shelter
in Satguru's feet.
Nor did you
practice meditation.

The master warns you
when death gets your hand
Then what will be
your situation?

I Am In Love With You My Lord

Chorus:
I am in love with You my Lord
I don't care what happens now
You are in my dying thought
I don't care what happens now

I was so afraid and shy
In secret I would think of You
I was so afraid and shy
In secret I would think of You
I have lifted the veil away
I don't care what happens now
I have lifted the veil away
I don't care what happens now

Chorus

Once I was afraid of the world
That people would make fun of me
Once I was afraid of the world
That people would make fun of me
I have put my shame away
I don't care what happens now
I have put my shame away
I don't care what happens now

Chorus

While I am lost within Your love
Why should I fear anyone
While I am lost within Your love
Why should I fear anyone
Since I now belong to You
I don't care what happens now
Since I now belong to You
I don't care what happens now

Chorus

We love it if You dance away
Then my heart will surely see
We love it if You dance away
Then my heart will surely see
I have put my faith in You
I don't care what happens now
I have put my faith in You
I don't care what happens now

Chorus

Don't Let Me Loose Hold