I Am A Smuggler Prem Rawat In His Own Words
Prem Rawat or Maharaji (the Ultimate Ruler) as he called himself until 2010 or Guru Maharaj Ji as he called himself until the 1980's says he is the one and only living Perfect Master teaching the Knowledge, the only way to achieve an experience of God, the energy that is keeping you alive, the Creator, the Generator, Operator and Destroyer. He now refers to himself as "the Master" or "the Teacher", vaguer descriptions which are less controversial but there has no been no real change in his teachings about himself and his Knowledge (sometimes referred to as Self-Knowledge) - only in the language he uses. He stresses that this is the same Knowledge that every Perfect Master in the true lineage such as Jesus and Krishna and Buddha and Mohammed and Guru Nanak and Kabir and his own father, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj also taught, the exact same Knowledge.
So it is a little unexpected that he also proudly calls himself a smuggler and repeats the claim on numerous occasions. In fact he has been accused of smuggling and suffered possible prison time and temporary sanctions from the Government of Indira Gandhi at one time. Of course, the the devotees this was just a divine Lila, a play created to maximise publicity for the Great Meditation Retreat.
"Peace Bomb" speech, 8 November, 1970 in front of 1 million people at India Gate, Delhi
Some say I am a smuggler. Yes I am such a great smuggler that there may not be another like me! You smuggle cars and tape recorders and escape duty, but I smuggle the Knowledge of God which saves everybody. The unrest within you stops you finding true peace. We save you from it. Not only am I a big smuggler, but I am also a big thief. I steal your heart. I am a big fraud because I destroy your unrest. I raise slogans against unrest and bring peace.
The Golden Age November 1978 Number 49
Boulder, Colorad, August 28, 1971
I Have a union from inside, from God. Have a union from inside. Have a permanent union. And if you can't, come to me and I'll get you that wire. I have a machine. I have a machine which I have smuggled into the U.S.A. Suppose this is my watch. I bring it into the U.S.A. and take it off. Customs won't be imposed on it. And this won't be called smuggling. But I have brought something in. I am giving it to people. Customs people checked my suitcase. What they saw were my clothes. They closed it and gave it to me. They checked my hand luggage; that was papers. They closed it and gave it to me. But they couldn't open my heart and see what was in it, right?
Élan Vital magazine, Fall 1980. Volume IV, Isssue 3
Central Hall Westminster, London England, November 2 1971
So that knowledge I have. I took this knowledge from London to America. I passed through customs. The customs people opened my suitcase, checked my clothes and all my luggage, everything. I was laughing and so this made those people very suspicious. What have I got? I was laughing because they were checking my luggage but I still was smuggling, and what was I smuggling? This knowledge. They were not checking me, they were checking my luggage and I smuggled it in and spread it among many, many people. I have satisfaction. I have love. I have devotion to give to people, to scatter to people.
Perfect Master Tape #004 and Reflections on an Indian Sunrise, 1972
1971 - 1974?
If you think I'm really a smuggler, then Lord Krishna was a smuggler too, Jesus Christ was a smuggler too, and Lord Rama was a smuggler too, because they were smuggling the same Knowledge. And maybe I'm a bigger smuggler because I carry it from one part of the world to another. So I don't say I'm a Perfect Master, I say I'm a smuggler.
The sayings of Guru Maharaj Ji, © Divine Light Mission 1974
Millenium '73, Houston Astrodome, November 8 1973
People think I am a smuggler. Well, you bet I am a smuggler alright! I smuggle peace and truth from one country to another. Because the currency I am talking about - oh boy - it's, it's too big. It's really rich, and I smuggle it. I'm a smuggler. And if you think I'm really a smuggler, then Lord Krishna was a smuggler too, Jesus Christ was a smuggler too, and Lord Rama was a smuggler too, because they were smuggling the same Knowledge. And maybe I'm a bigger smuggler because I carry it from one part of the world to another. So I don't say I'm a Perfect Master, I say I'm a smuggler. When this press release came out saying "Fifteen-year-old guru, a smuggler", I really laughed, because they didn't know what was going on. I really was a smuggler! They said it because of something else, but they just didn't know what was really going on behind the scenes. I was really smuggling! And this is what smuggling is all about. It's about this Knowledge, this fantastic and perfect Knowledge. Who charges me customs duty on it? Nobody does. Ain't that beautiful smuggling! I've been to Italy, Copenhagen, Germany, France and all these countries.
Divine Light Magazine, Volume 3, Number 5
Millenium '73, Houston Astrodome, November 9 1973
People think I am a smuggler. Well, you bet I am a smuggler. I smuggle peace and Truth from one country to another. The currency I am talking about, oh boy, it's too big, it's really rich, and I smuggle it. Jesus Christ was a smuggler too. And Mohammed was a smuggler too, and then Krishna was a smuggler too and then Ram was a smuggler too, and I am smuggling the same Knowledge. I don't say I am Perfect Master, I'm a smuggler. I went from Italy, Copenhagen, Germany, France, all these countries and came to America so many times, and carried this Knowledge with me and still nobody charged me anything. That's beautiful, that's a good job.
And It Is Divine Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 4, Winter 1976