Mahesh and the lie

This might not seem too significant to some. On my ttc, one night, unable to sleep, I went for a walk in the snowy hills of Estes Park. I wandered about and found myself standing in the shadows outside the cabin Mahesh was using. All the doors and windows were open and the living room was filled with American guys telling Mahesh what the Rig Veda said and meant. He always claimed he knew little or no Sanskrit, but we had never questioned how he got his vedic revelations that he told us about day after day.

Now, I knew.

The next day, he told us yet another vedic revelation he had had. All were impressed, except me.

This didn't even eat away at me. I managed, as a friend likes to say, to normalize this. Within a year I was part of International Staff in Mallorca. I became his secretary, first helping with the SCI course and then he asked me to do his private letters. This lasted until late 73 when I was sent to India to, as it were, carry coals to Newcastle, to teach the natives their own heritage, Mahesh style.

During my time with Mahesh, I observed him very, very closely. That lie I had caught him in, back in Estes Park, like a non-rolling stone, gathered much more to itself.

I learned that Mahesh had the power of personality, charisma if you like, to beguile information out of anyone. He was brilliant at it. People were willing, even eager, to tell him everything. He was especially eager to hear what others had taught them. All you had to do was mention some teacher you had been with and he would utter those honey-like words oh, and what did he teach? So innocent.

When I learned the A of E techniques I was, I guess, impressed. Later, after I had abandoned TM, Mahesh, the TMO, all just one thing, actually, I investigated Yogananda's teachings. Lo and behold, Yogananda had taught something very much like Mahesh's A of E. The beginning parts of the A of E format I learned constituted a variation on Yogananda's Kriya Yoga technique plus a couple of other bits Yogananda taught.

Then I remembered. One of the teachers in the centre where I had first taught had been a long-time student of Yogananda and very dear (at least so he thought) to Mahesh who had made him a TM teacher whilst on a two week residence course with Mahesh. He said he had told Mahesh all about Yogananda's teaching. He said Mahesh said it was ok, but to do it after doing TM.