What happened between 1958-1965...

This time period includes Maharaji's childhood from the age of 1 month through 7 years old.

The family residence during this time is in Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh. Maharaji's early childhood is spent in company of his father's mahatmas or instructors; students of his father; family and family attendants who describe him as a very playful and happy child, wise beyond his years.

Maharaji and his brothers are enrolled in St Joseph's Academy in Dehra Dun.

When not in school, Maharaji often accompanies his father as he travels and speaks at events. On occasion, Maharaji gets on the stage at these events before Shri Maharaj Ji and speaks to the audience. The earliest documented occurrence of Maharaji speaking at an event is when he is just 3 years old.

In January 1964, when Maharaji is 6 years old, Shri Maharaj Ji teaches him and his three brothers the techniques of Knowledge.

According to those who were close to him or Shri Maharaj Ji, there are further indications that Maharaji would be the one to succeed Shri Maharaj Ji.

At the age of 7, in 1965, Maharaji speaks at Shri Maharaj Ji's events in Hardwar and Dehra Dun.

Clarity of a child

Once, a gentleman came to see Shri Maharaj Ji to receive Knowledge. Shri Maharaj Ji asked me to speak with him. I was an instructor at that time. While we were talking, this gentleman started arguing with every point I was trying to convey. He did not want to listen. At that moment,  Maharaji came and sat on my lap - he must have been five or six years old at that time - and he began listening to our discussion. At one point he stopped us and asked the gentleman, "How old are you?" "Seventy-five." "Do you know your true self?" "No, not yet." "So," Maharaji said, "you have no right to argue with this instructor because he is talking to you about something he has experienced directly in his life. Your mind is filled with book learning that has brought you no direct experience. My advice is that you waste no more time and receive Knowledge, because you are already old enough and you do not have much time left." After saying this, he asked me to go with him. When I came back to the room, I found the gentleman sitting quietly. He asked me, "Who was that boy?" I told him he was my Master's youngest son. Then the gentleman said, "I never met anybody in my whole life who could make me speechless. This is the first time I have found myself so shaken. He asked me such a direct question that I had to be sincere in my response and admit that I have no realization of my true self. Now I really want to listen to you about this Knowledge and receive it. I feel empty in my life even though I have read so many books and performed many rituals. I have not found the satisfaction I am looking for."

Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaj Ji at the time who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West

Sikh sees infant Maharaji as a great saint

When Maharaji was a couple of months old, I was taking him in a baby buggy every evening to Gandhi Park. One day, a revered Sikh came and looked at Maharaji's face. He put a rose at his feet and said, "He's a great saint." When I came back, I told Shri Maharaj Ji and Mata Ji, and then everybody started to call Maharaji "Sant Ji."

Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaj Ji's personal driver

Shri Maharaj Ji's prediction

According to Indian tradition, when a child is born the parents have a celebration in order to express their joy, inviting guests and then just expressing how happy that moment is for them. At the time, I was a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaj Ji, and I was there when Maharaji was just a few months old and Shri Maharaj Ji was holding him. He was so happy and told everybody, "The one who is going to take this message across the world is now in my arms."

Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaj Ji at the time who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West

A pundit's proposal

Mata Ji, Maharaji's mother, used to invite pundits to come and do some puja, some rituals. Once one of them said to Shri Maharaj Ji, "Why don't you send your son Sant Ji (Maharaji's nickname) to Sanskrit school?" And Shri Maharaj Ji said, "Why?" "So that he will learn the scriptures." Shri Maharaj Ji looked at us all, and he smiled and looked at that person and said, "He doesn't need to learn scriptures. When he grows older, scriptures will be created when he speaks."

Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaj Ji at the time who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West

Maharaji speaks at event in Nasik at age three

Once Shri Maharaj Ji took the whole family on the road with him. I was his personal driver at that time. There was an event in Nasik, near Bombay. Shri Maharaj Ji was taking a rest in the afternoon before he was to speak. Maharaji, three years old at the time, went onto the stage. When Maharaji started to speak, Shri Maharaj Ji asked me, "Who is speaking?" I said, "Sant Ji." So he said, "Bring my chair." And he sat down near the stage door to listen. When Maharaji came back, Shri Maharaj Ji asked him, "If somebody asked you a question about what are you are saying, could you answer?" He said, "I can answer them. I know what I'm speaking about." And Shri Maharaj Ji was really happy. I think that was June or July of 1961.

Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaj Ji's personal driver

Shri Maharaj Ji comes to Maharaji's event

Maharaji invited Shri Maharaj Ji to have a program in an open field in Dehra Dun, and Maharaji invited his own schoolteachers and friends. At the same time, Shri Maharaj Ji was traveling in Punjab, and I was accompanying him as one of his mahatmas, or instructors. Maharaji sent a mahatma with an invitation card to Shri Maharaj Ji requesting that he please come and attend this event. When Shri Maharaj Ji saw the mahatma, he asked him, "Why are you here?" He said, "Sant Ji has sent me, and this is your letter. He wants you to come." Shri Maharaj Ji said, "But when he's there, I don't need to be there." Then Shri Maharaj Ji opened the letter, and there was a humble request from Sant Ji. Shri Maharaj Ji said, "I really cannot refuse now because he has asked me to come and asked me humbly." So he cancelled his event and left by car in the middle of the night for Dehra Dun.

Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor, for Shri Maharaji at the time who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West

Shri Maharaj Ji talks to sons about Maharaji's future role

We went 25 miles away to Monsoorie near Dehra Dun in early July. One day, Shri Maharaj Ji invited the four brothers to a big park. Everybody sat down to have lunch there. Shri Maharaj Ji started to talk to his sons about what they would do when they grew up. To the eldest, he said, "You are the older brother. Never try to make yourself anything. Try to help your brother!" Then he pointed to Maharaji and said, "Sant Ji is going to take my place. He doesn't need anybody's help. But don't disturb whatever he's going to do his work."
Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaj Ji's personal driver

Maharaji at the time of his father's death

When Shri Maharaj Ji died, I drove his body back to the family home in Dehra Dun. Then I went to the school to bring Maharaji and the all brothers home. I didn't say anything to them about their father having died. When I came to the family home, everybody was crying. But Maharaji, who was eight years old, walked inside the room where his father was, touched his feet and looked at his face without crying a single tear. Then he went out near the garage, where he looked at me and said, "Bihari Singh, why are you crying? I am still here, and he left his body. Guru never dies and is never born. Guru is a power."

Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaji's personal driver and aide

The night before Maharaji publicly accepted the role of Master

In 1966, when Maharaji was only 8 years old, Shri Maharaj Ji passed away. Once word of his passing got out, thousands of people started gathering in Prem Nagar to express their deep love and gratitude and to honor Shri Maharaj Ji's sweet and profound memory. Some were crying, some were confused and others were asking who was going to guide them in the future and who would shower them with that tender love and care.

On the evening before Maharaji was to publicly accept the role of Master, I was standing with him on the roof of Shri Maharaj Ji's residence. He was very serene and quiet. The sky was clear, the moon was full. He turned his eyes toward the stars and the moon and said to me so innocently, "Look Charan Anand, I feel Shri Maharaj Ji watching us to see whether we are lost in our sorrow or are still remembering him and how dear the propagation of Knowledge was to him." I was so deeply moved and felt total admiration and reverence. Surrounded by so much sorrow, let alone his own unimaginably intense personal feelings of loss - in that most painful of moments, he retained such a profound awareness of Shri Maharaj Ji's wishes for him. All I could feel was that if Maharaji at this tender age has such strength and clarity under these challenging circumstances, then what won't he be able to do when he grows older?

Charan Anand, a mahatma, or instructor who would later assist Maharaji in bringing his message to the West

Maharaji accepted by his father's students

Right after Shri Maharaj Ji's death, the family and several mahatmas were discussing who would become Master after the 13 days of mourning were over. They were thinking about Bal Bhagwan Ji, who was the eldest son. When they asked me what I thought, I said, "Shri Maharaj Ji told us when Maharaji was born, 'He's going to take my message all over the world.' Then, before he left Dehra Dun, he told the whole family in Monsoorie, 'Sant Ji's going to take my place.' So everybody knows."

So I took Maharaji from Dehra Dun to the Prem Nagar ashram. The discussions were still going on. Some were suggesting that there be several gurus (all four brothers or some group of 5 or 7 gurus), and others were still in the Bal Bhagwan Ji camp. Particularly in India, when a father dies, the older son steps into his place. I said, "Listen, the one who has the power is going to satisfy everybody. Relax and watch what happens." Twelve days after Shri Maharaj Ji's death, Maharaji went on stage with a handkerchief on his head and spoke for about 45 minutes to the people who had gathered. After listening to him, everybody accepted him as their Master.

Bihari Singh, Shri Maharaji's personal driver

What happened in 1968...

Maharaji is 10 years old.

Maharaji continues to attend St. Joseph's Academy, while traveling on weekends and school holidays to speak at events in northern India for followers and interested people.

He visits Mumbai, Lucknow, Meerut, Nainital, Fatehpur, Pudri, Patna, Hardwar and Delhi. The Hans Jayanti festival in honor of Shri Maharaj Ji is held on November 8,9,10, at India Gate in New Delhi.

Some of the first Westerners who will be instrumental in his coming to the West arrive in India on journeys that ultimately lead them to Maharaji.

When Maharaji was around ten years old, on his summer school holidays, he attended an event in Nainital, Uttaranchal , which is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. That area is renowned for its natural splendor with pristine lakes and glistening snow capped mountains. The event took place in a school ground. While he was speaking, a person sent him a note, "Maharaji, you are young. Why not talk about modern science and technology instead of this old message?" Maharaji received the note, spontaneously read it out from the stage, and responded, "My friend, I am very fond of modern technology and science. However, there are some old things that still retain their charm, significance, value. Look at the sun and moon. How old are they? Aren't they still beautiful? Look at this impressive scenery with these majestic mountains. Aren't they still captivating and enchanting? Look at your parents. They too must be getting older. Don't you still find their faces beautiful and heart-warming? Would you have their faces modernised through plastic surgery?" As Maharaji spoke, people started laughing and applauding with delight. He continued, "Then look at this breath. How long has it been pulsing within you? Isn't it still just as essential and exquisite as the moment you were born? Yes, we need modern science and technology, but let's not be so naïve to ignore those old things in life that are inherently priceless. My message is neither old nor new, it is timeless."

Charan Anand, instructor for Maharaji who would later assist him in bringing his message to the West