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People say “now,” right? I have said “now.” And one day I was thinking about “now.” Now is the most elusive thing there is. Because by the time I say “now,” it’s not now anymore. So, by the time I finish saying “now,” now is gone.

Here is one for you. If you don’t understand the meaning of “one,” what is the point in going on to two? After all, “two” is just two ones.

If you don’t understand the meaning of “now,” what is the point in trying to understand the meaning of “tomorrow”? Because you would be pleasantly surprised that tomorrow too will be just full of a bunch of nows—and none different. You need in your life to know.

– Prem Rawat

I’m just a human being. And I am not sitting here claiming I don’t have bad days—that would be stupid! I do! But I also question, "Why am I having a bad day?"

I’m having a bad day, not because the day is bad! Uh-uh-uh, the day is the same!

You think the sun comes out and says, “Here, I’m going to nail that guy.” You really think so?

There are people who believe in the cosmos—you think all those planets and all those stars know, “Hah, huh, oh, let’s nail that one.” No! Mars doesn’t know you exist. Saturn has no idea you are here and you had a burned toast and slipped in your bathtub and have diarrhea … and flu!

I mean, do you really think Mars goes, “Yeah, let’s get that guy. He’s—just keep that train going. So far, we’ve gotten him to slip in the bathtub, burnt his toast, killed the electricity, no coffee in the morning. Let’s just keep going with that thought! I mean, just…the flow is on."

No! No! It has nothing to do with it. You need explanations, so you create an explanation. And this is the beautiful thing about human beings: they have used their creativity, not to create clarity, but to create an explanation which has no head and tail. Point: “Why is this happening to me?” “It was your last lifetime."

All right. Would somebody please tell me what is it that I did, so I won’t do it? I mean, the whole point of punishment should be that you don’t repeat! I mean, what is the point of a punishment—that you are not told?

Somebody walks up to you, hands you a ticket: “What is this ticket for?” “Parking violation."

"I don’t even own a car. How can I have a parking violation? What did I do? Please! So I won’t do it again!"

"No, that’s a secret. You…you figure it out."

I mean, I’m not saying there isn’t karma—there is! But it’s much more recent. It’s nothing to do with the last lifetime. It’s now!

– Prem Rawat

You were born; you are alive. And one day, whether you like it or not, you have to go. Right? Where do you go? Where do you go?

I ask this question: “When a child is born—and say, the child weighs ten pounds, five kilos, whatever—does the earth get five kilos heavier? And when you die, does the earth get that much lighter?”

So, where do you go? Where do you go? You go nowhere. Where did you come from? From nowhere—right here! From all the materials of this earth you are made. And when you die, these materials go back to where they came from. Earth doesn’t get any heavier because you were born and doesn’t get any lighter because you died.

Do you understand what that means? Think about it! Think about it. This is it! This is it! You are here. You exist. You’re alive and that means so little to you, so little. Till the day comes...or, the doctor says, “You are going to die.” The doctor says you’re going to die. And you go, “Aaaaaaaah!”

It’s funny. A lot of people come to me, very concerned, “Oh, the doctor said I’m going to die.” I say to them, “You didn’t know that? You didn’t know you’re going to die one day?” You are living in this world like you’re going to live forever? Excuse me. What the doctor said was just stating the obvious. “You’re going to die.” Well, don’t you know that?

And once they understand that, then I said, “Let’s help you. Let’s find out what the problem is, and let’s help you.” And I have a very good team of doctors from around the world, and it works. A lot of people have been helped.

But, the first thing is, “What do you know about yourself?” You were born. You came in this world, not because you pushed a button; you did not choose your parents. You came....

Now, let’s see—so, you’re alive for eighty years; you’re alive for ninety years—even if you’re alive for a hundred years—that’s a long time, a hundred years. The last thing that’s going to happen, do you know what that is? The last thing. Do you know what it is?

We talked about the first thing—that was the breath, right? You know what the last thing is going to be? What the doctor looks for? The doctor will look for a pulse, but the last thing the doctor is going to look for is if you are breathing or not. Right?

In the old days they used to put a mirror under the nose to see if you were breathing, because if you were breathing, then they could see the steam; they could see the fog. So they knew, “Okay, he’s still alive”—he, he is what? “He’s still alive."

He is what? “He’s still alive.” He’s quiet. He is not solving any problems. He is not ordering his wife around, but so far he’s breathing, he is what? He’s still alive. And, so far he’s still alive, he gets to stay where he is. Because after that? No more breath? “Sorry.” First thing: the sheet over the head. Finis.

Hmm! Well, this is very interesting. It all begins with that breath, and it ends with the breath, right? Do you agree? So, this drama that you are going through in your life is in the middle of that first breath and the last breath. This is the drama.

You know the drama—right? But you don’t know the breath. Do you understand this breath? Do you understand the meaning of this breath? Do you understand that this is life? Not life style—life. Big difference: lifestyle and life. I’m talking about life, not life style. Lifestyle is rich or poor. Life is life. A poor man is also alive; a rich man is also alive.

How long is a poor man poor? So long as this breath is still coming into him. How long is a rich man rich? So far this breath is coming into him. You have children? How long do you have children? So far this breath is coming into you, they will call you, “Dad, father.” When this breath goes away, they have no problem taking you and burying you six feet deep.

The difference between six feet under and sleeping on your bed is? This breath. Without this breath, you neither have a personality or a life!

So, this breath is your candle. In this darkness, this is your candle! Only if you can understand it, understand the self—that at the base, at the core, you exist!

– Prem Rawat

This is your time on this magnificent planet earth.

Wasted, and it's too short.

Lamenting, and it's too long.

Fulfilled, and it is just right!

- Prem Rawat

There was a guy, and his job was to go every day to the mountain. And he would cut a piece of rock; he would take the rock, bring it back home, and he would make little things from that rock. He would make mortar-pestle, small statues—and he would sell them. And this is how he made his living.

So, one day he was very sad. And he was walking along the street—and he was just sad with his situation, because he saw no future, and he did not like his lifestyle. So he heard noise coming from behind the wall; he just heard some noise coming. So he stood on his tiptoes and he looked!

And it was a beautiful house! And they were having a party. And there were servants! And there were guests! And there was music! And people were dancing! And he went, “Wow! The person who lives in this house, he must be really powerful. I, I want to be like him!”

So he looked up, and he prayed. “God, I want to be like him.” It just so happened that that day, God was listening. And God said, “Okay!” And he snapped his finger—and the man had become rich!

And he said, “Now, this is more like it! I like this. I am powerful! I have servants! I have a house! I have rich friends! Ah, this is really good!” And he was enjoying it.

One day, a procession went by, and he just heard all the noise, so he came out of the house and he looked—and it was the king! And he was going.... And all the rich men were lined up bowing to the king! And he said, “Wow! This king is more powerful than me! God, I want to be like the king!”

Also that day, God just happened to be listening. Just like that, he was the king! Big army, lots of servants—everybody paying respects to the king.

One day, he came out to his balcony in the morning and he saw the sun rising. And as the sun rose, all the birds started to wake up. All the animals started to stir! It’s like, “Wow! This sun is more powerful than me!” So he looks up, prays, “I want to be like the sun!”

Just like that, he’s the sun! And one day he’s shining really bright; it’s really hot—and he sees there’s something between him and the earth. And he looked—and it was a cloud. And the wind was blowing and moving the cloud. “Wow! The wind is more powerful than me! I want to be the wind.”

Well, he becomes the wind. He blows! Nothing can stop him—he goes wherever he wants! He’s blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing, blowing! And all of a sudden he’s stopped! “What’s stopping the wind?” He looks—and it is a big mountain. “Ah! I want to be the mountain. More powerful....” He becomes the mountain.

Very happy. Most powerful. Mighty! Strong! And one day he notices that somebody is cutting the mountain! And he goes, “Who can be more powerful than this mountain? Cutting the mountain?” And he looks, and way down there is a stonecutter, just like him, cutting away at the mountain.

In this moment he realized that all along he has been powerful, but he did not know it. Same thing for all of us.

– Prem Rawat

There is a saying in Hindi. One day it started to rain gold—and it was raining gold everywhere. There was a washerman. He said to himself, "My goodness, it’s raining gold outside. And this is my house! And this is my house. And whatever gold is raining by my house is mine! So nobody’s going to come and get it."

"But where I wash my clothes, that’s on the banks of the river—and that’s not really my place, but it’s raining gold. So, I’d better go there and get the gold first." So, by the time he got to the bank of the river, the gold had been picked clean. There was nothing left for him. And he went, "Naah, not, not to worry. Nobody would have taken the gold at my house."

So, he went back. By the time he got to his house, all the gold had been picked clean. So it rained gold, and he didn’t get any, neither at home nor at his workplace. So, the saying in Hindi goes, "Na ghar ka, na ghat ka." And, “ghat” is by the bank of the river; "ghar" is “home.”

Would you like your condition to be like that? "Na ghar ka, na ghat ka." Came here; had the opportunity to enjoy, to have that bliss, to have that beauty in your life. But you said, "Oh, well, let me work hard"—like an idiot, like a donkey, day and night.

At night, what did you think of? Your job. In the morning, what did you think of? Your job. In the evening, what did you think of? Your job. And at night, what did you think of? Your job. And then when you got sick and tired, you started thinking about retirement.

And then you got to retirement. And then you started looking at your whole life that had passed by. And then you start to smell, "sniff-sniff, sniff-sniff, sniff-sniff, what is that peculiar smell? Ah, that’s the crusty old wall." You smell it.

Knowledge offers that opportunity to enjoy that heaven now, while you’re alive, every single day. And you don’t have time for that? You’re in the wrong body, son! You’re in the wrong place! You should have been on Mars. In one of those other planets, some frozen amoeba, seven thousand feet under the surface, waiting for an opportunity.

Because this is very different. Here, the blessing comes, blesses you; leaves, comes again. Leaves, comes again. Leaves, comes again. Leaves, comes again. Leaves, comes again. And each time that it comes, it is new and it is fresh and it is real.

And that’s how elegant it is—elegant! Knowledge is elegant. Not a set of rules—elegant! You accepting it, you understanding it, you opening it, you taking advantage of it, you enjoying it. You.

- Prem Rawat