When Maharaji first came to the west he was promoting himself as the Lord of the Universe openly. This happened even up through the early eighties, although he dropped the "Guru" part of his name about 1982ish.

Premies were told that everything that was not understandable (or explainable) about him was to be attributed to Lila. Roughly, "lila" is a hindi term that means the "Divine Play of the Lord." Hence, when premies couldn't explain something about Maharaji's words and actions, or even when something would go wrong (or right) in our own lives, we always attributed it to "lila." We would say something like: "It's lila, By His Grace, oh that Maharaji, he's playing with me again."

We were to consider ourselves as the most fortunate humans on earth because the Lord had come for us. I didn't believe that Maharaji was my Lord, rather, I believed I knew that Maharaji was my Lord. Premies were taught through listening to daily satsang programs within communities that we had the greatest opportunity of all mankind because we had learned about the Lord's coming in a body to impart his knowledge to those of us who came to him with a guileless heart and receive the secret to the entire universe: the Knowledge of all Knowledges.

Everything about him could be explained away (or excused) by premies to aspirants (and to ourselves) because we were taught that our limited minds that is our enemy as he defines it could never possibly know or understand the plan of the Perfect Master, the Lord of the Universe: Guru Maharaj Ji. We were told over and over again that Maharaji was omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. I believed it. I believed he knew my every action, word and thought. I prayed to him and I adored him as my Lord. I'm not kidding.

You said:

In Miami, before Maharaji came onstage, a video showed images of his latest trip to India, where attendees packed Nehru Stadium. The voice-over said, "In every age, a leader has risen to give people meaning in their lives. Maharaji offers that possibility...." Dramatic images depicted Maharaji in front of his audience, portraying Maharaji as nothing less than a Messiah facing his minions."

In the seventies there were thousands of premies all over the United States, Europe, South America, and of course, India. Your description of his stage in India is how it was when I was a premie right here in the U.S. Maharaji would hold festivals to give premies the opportunity to see him in his "Golden Form," listen to his "Precious Satsang," and to kiss his "Lotus Feet," which was called Darshan. He would sit on a huge stage, in various thrones, with his stocking feet resting on a silk pillow. His feet were considered the most precious thing because they were the the feet of the Lord Incarnate, Guru Maharaj Ji. He always explained that his feet were like a lotus flower that floats above water even though it's roots are embedded in the muck of the bottom of the pond. It was a metaphor to explain that while Guru Maharaj Ji, the Lord of the Universe was perfect, he suffered the impurities of this world just for those of us who found him, accepted him as our Lord, and even though his feet walked this "miserable world" Maharaji was above it.

Maharaji taught us that there is always an incarnation of God in a human form walking this earth. He would refer to the more famous previous Perfect Masters, such as Jesus, Buddha, etc. although he said that he had come to earth with more power than ever before in history of mankind.

Your description of that video of Maharaji in India and that he even shoed it to premies in Miami tells me that he is still promoting himself as the Lord, in perhaps a more subtle way (or not!).

Cynthia