Joe,
When I became Maharajis personal business
manager, he made it clear to me from the very
beginning that I was to act at all times with
utmost discretion, to maintain a very low profile,
and to conduct his business affairs on a need
to know basis only. If Marolyn was to be
included in certain discussions, he would let me
know, and he would define the boundaries of those
discussions. Consequently, I was somewhat of an
enigma, even around his residence. I did not engage
in very many conversations with Marolyn and I had
little contact with his children. I focused on my
responsibilities and I kept my nose out of
Maharaji's family matters. I say this so that you
may understand why I am not the best person to
answer some of the questions you have posed. I also
agree with those who expressed the view that
Marolyn and her children do not warrant the same
kind of scrutiny as does Maharaji and I will bear
that in mind as I respond to some but not all of
your questions.
1. Did Maharaji ever consider divorcing
Marolyn or she him?
I do not know if Marolyn ever broached the
subject of divorce with Maharaji but I do know that
Maharaji would never consider divorcing Marolyn
because he was obsessed with the Eastern concern
for saving face. When Maharaji got
married he did so without his mothers consent
even though he was still a minor. In fact, she did
not even know of the marriage until after it took
place. It was anathema to her that any of her sons
marry outside of the Hindu tradition. To his
mother, marrying a Westerner was tantamount to
sacrilege. Thus, Maharajis marriage to
Marolyn was the decisive act that forced the split
up of the so called holy family and
cleared the way for Maharaji to take full control
of his mission, and that was the main reason he got
married. He did not get married to obtain US
citizenship. He would have gotten that without
marrying Marolyn because he already had US
permanent residence status and was eligible for
citizenship in 1979. His marriage to Marolyn simply
accelerated the process by a couple of years.
Im sure that Maharaji was in love with
Marolyn but that, in itself, was not necessarily a
compelling reason to get married, especially as he
was only 16 years old at the time. Before they were
married, they carried on a secret love affair. I
discovered this when Maharaji and his mother were
touring in Canada in 1974. I had been instructed to
use the ashrams for their accommodation because
that is what his mother wanted. Upon arriving at
the Toronto ashram, however, Maharaji asked me if I
could arrange for him and his mother to stay at a
hotel. Within an hour, they were comfortably
ensconced in the Presidential suite of
Torontos newest hotel. His mother was pissed,
but he was delighted. He further requested that I
make similar arrangements in the other cities. It
was during that tour that I became x-rated so that
I could also make arrangements for Marolyn who was
secretly following the tour.
Several years later, when Raja Ji and his wife
Claudia were contemplating a divorce, Maharaji did
everything he could to prevent it from taking
place, including the threat of financial ruin for
Claudia and her children. Maharaji did not really
care about the pain or difficulties that Raja Ji
and Claudia were experiencing, or even about the
potential adverse consequences of a divorce on
their two children. Maharaji only cared about
saving face. He did not want to give his mother and
all of the Indian premies who had left him when the
family split up to say I told you so.
It would be worse, as far as Maharaji was
concerned, if he and Marolyn got a divorce. That is
why I say that Maharaji would never contemplate
divorcing Marolyn, at least while his mother was
alive, which she was when I was still involved.
2. When Maharaji began having you and later
others arrange for him to have sexual liaisons with
premie women, where did they go? Are you aware of
any premie women turning Maharaji down when he
propositioned them?
During the time I handled such matters,
Maharajis liaisons were conducted in hotels
while he was on tour. In my limited involvement, no
one turned him down, just like no premie declined
to be x-rated when I presented the possibility. I
dont know any of the details of his
relationship with Monica including whether or not
he has set her up in a home or apartment.
3. When Maharaji suggested to you that he
wanted to have sex with women not his wife, you
said you thought it might be a good idea (as long
as it wasn't with premies) because it might help
Maharaji get in touch with his humanity. I think I
can actually kind of understand what you mean by
that, but can you explain further?
By 1985, I once again reverted to a belief that
I had previously come to in 1976, namely that
Maharaji would be more successful at spreading
knowledge if he attempted to relate to others in a
more natural and human manner. I was convinced that
the perfect master devotee paradigm was a
huge barrier for most people to overcome in order
to receive knowledge. I wanted him to get down off
the throne and engage in authentic dialogue with
people. I realized that he was indoctrinated at a
very early age to embody the Perfect Master role as
the truth, but I, nevertheless, hoped against hope
that he would open up and re-assess his life. I
based my hope on my observation that he was in
obvious pain, what with his marriage difficulties,
his alcoholism, not to mention his failing mission.
In felt the time was right for Maharaji to make the
shift. The conference at San Yisidro was part of my
effort to bring it about.
When Maharaji told me that he wanted to
experience other women, I thought it might be
another opportunity to help him connect with his
own humanity. In the end, as must be obvious to
everyone, none of my efforts worked. Hes
still playing the same sick game. He thinks
hes the lord and believes the whole world
should humbly surrender and kiss his ass. Some
premies agree as evidenced by his recent program in
India. I heard from one of the attendees that he
gave darshan to all of the Western premies who came
early to do service. How does that jibe with your
FAQs Élan Vital?
4. I assume Maharaji's affairs became common
knowledge among the residence staff and probably
the PAM community. Is that true?
When I was around Maharaji, his affairs were not
common knowledge, even among the residence
staff.
5. You said that Maharaji made it clear that
it was not okay for Marolyn to have affairs outside
the marriage, but it was okay for him to do so. How
did he talk about that?
He didnt really talk about it. He simply
assumed it on the basis that hes the master
and everyone is supposed to do as he says, not as
he does. Any rational person, however, would see
his behavior for what it is
hypocritical.
6. Did Maharaji ever tell his off-color jokes
in front of his kids, or in front of large groups
of people?
I dont know about telling off-color jokes
in front of the kids. I remember an instructor
conference in Texas in 1986 when he had a joke
contest where participants got up on the stage and
were judged on who told the best off-color
joke.
7. Also, it appears that Maharaji's stage
persona was very different from the way he was
other times. Did Maharaji ever talk about the
difference? Like did he think that he was at
certain times the Perfect Master, and certain times
Prem Pal Singh Rawat?
No.
Michael.
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