Jacques Sandoz, Divine Light Mission Film-Maker
This is a facsimile of a Facebook page created by Jacques Sandoz, Divine Light Mission film-maker
In 2023 Sandoz updated his album and added a more critical introduction, possibly because he had been contacted by Rawat's daughter-in-law. As best I can understand, Sandoz still claims that just by being initiated (taught the four techniques of the DLM methods of meditation):
"you have realized everything you can and you are a free bird for ever. From than on, your life becomes exclusively three definite actions 1) Tuning to your true self (meditation) 2) Express truth (satsang) 3) Act for the service of humanity (service). You understand that there is nothing else to do and you become very, very happy"
Prem Rawat had much more specific instructions about these three actions which I certainly can't believe Sandoz attained then or ever but then he also didn't obey the strictures that Rawat had imposed: obedience, celibacy, poverty and abstinence for drugs:
Another thing which was especially cool with ashram life, besides the fact we were somehow meant to live some sort of monk life in the beginning, was the fact we had on the contrary an intense social life with lots of parties and lots of beaches. The dayly satsang was in itself a social event with several performances.
It appears Sandoz just kept on doing what he wanted while being supported by all of the other ashram premies who, to a greater or lesser extent, were obeying the rules. Many, if not most, had been living the very life that Sandoz now was and who believed (incorrectly) that this "monk life" as taught by Rawat was the way to realization, enlightenment, transcendence.
The comments are all his own and in many cases I disagree wth his beliefs, especially many of his ideas about Rawat.
Who is Guru Maharaj-ji ? A master who teaches perfection, certainly, but a perfect master, certainly not. There are several aspects of his life that I find critical and controversial. First the way he abandoned the ashram premies who had dedicated their lives to him, of which I spoke already, second his constant funds raisings in the Eighties and the Nineties to buy a new plane or a new residence, instead of raising money to alleviate the sufferings of this world, third his relationship with his own family, particularly with his son Hansi and his daughter-in-law (Who can pretend to bring peace in this world if he is not even able to bring peace to his family ?). And to finish the waste with the films productions which has concerned me directly, why spend money on movies if it is to throw them away (Milleniunm 73, Kissimee, also). As you know, I produced filmed and directed the only three articulated films on him, "The Lord of the Universe" 1971, "Satguru has come" 1972 and "Who is Guru Maharaj-ji" 1973. After I was banned, Prem Rawat tried to eradicate these films, of which the value is historical. Why, to hide his past ? Because he is ashamed of his behavior in this time ? Anyway he failed to do so. I coud recuperate the three films from worn out 16 mm prints from Australia and you find a revisited version of them on my YouTube channel Jacques Sandoz !
The dark side : it is at this moment that my life turned upside down of 180 degrees. Maharaj-ji came to me and bluntly told me "Jacques, you can eat up your film !". It was not only gross, it was nasty. I had achieved what I wanted most, to produce and direct an American feature film, and in one sentence, he destroyed everything, including the film he had himself supported. "Jacques you can eat up your film !" : this is what I deserved to have served him for more than three years, to have promoted his career with my films, to have entertained with him a relationship that I thought was a friendship ! I felt betrayed, in one glimpse I had discovered his dark side, in fact I was furious. From this moment on I became an outcast, I was banned from the ashrams, Shri Hans Production office on Larchmont Boulevard was closed and became a pet clinic, the word that the DLM was letting out was "Jacques is crazy !". Luckily, George and myself owned our equipments, him his Nagra sound recorders, me my Eclair Coutand 16 mm camera, so we were still operative. My friend Billy Burkenroad supported me financially and we rented an apartment in Hollywood. Wait and see ! Jacques Sandoz in Denver in December 1973.
Jacques-f Sandoz added 58 new photos to the album Guru Maharaj-ji, 1971 - 1974.
Prem Pal Singh Rawat, born as Balyogeschwar, knownb as Guru Maharaj-ji adresses his "laks" of devotees in Ram Lila Grounds, New Dehli, India, at the age of seven. He is the Lord of the Universe, the Saviour of Humanity, the Living Reincarnation of his father Shri Hans, Satguru himself. This album tells, very roughly, my four years story with him.
On the 9th November of 1970, I had a powerful psychedelic realization that a bomb was exploding somewhere in the world, and that it would affect my life. I also saw thru the eyes of a young Indian guru a stage where I actually sat a year later. I realized, not much later (London, September 1971), during a session of satsang by Mahatma Ashokanand, that it was Guru Maharaj-ji (we called him several ways) who had exploded a Peace Bomb in Dehli on that day, at the age of thirteen. I received knowledge and Ashok joined us in Switzerland where the young Guru came to visit a month later in our country house in Appenzell and then took some 100 of us, the Swiss premies, to India in November with 400 of the coolest friends you can imagine. What a dream trip that was ! Maharaj-ji at Ram Lila Grounds, on the 9th of November 1971 .
From this point, I went on filming everything that happened with him and around him for some 4 years. And there was a lot of happenings, be sure of that. We became quite good friends. He taught me life, I taught him photography. A lot of fun. And a lot of adventures. Me with my 16mm Arriflex, New Dehli, nov. 1971.
Filming the young teacher with my 16mm Arriflex upon his arrival at New Dehli airport in November 1971, left Reto Savoldelli.
What does he teaches : He reveals the knowledge of everlasting life within yourself. Be the word, see the light, hear the music, taste the nectar. Once done, you have realized everything you can and you are a free bird for ever. From than on, your life becomes exclusively three definite actions 1) Tuning to your true self (meditation) 2) Express truth (satsang) 3) Act for the service of humanity (service). You understand that there is nothing else to do and you become very, very happy, if you do not let doubts enter into you mind, the one key to stay tuned. But doubts are always looming around. Beware of these tricky bastards ! Maharaj-ji giving Pranam, Dehli, India, 10th November 1971
We went on from Dehli to Hardwar on the Ganges and spent some memorable weeks at Prem Nagar Ashram. People were great, a big loving party. I was invited to his house in Dehradun, uper up in the Himalayas, where I met his family (mum + 3 bros), played all sort of games he was calling the sweet word of lilas. Quite crazy sometimes. We organized his memorable 14th birthday on the 10th of December and went on to Patna for another festival that could make a full novel in itself. We flew back to Europe in January 1972, impregnated with knowledge and bang lassis ! Prem Nagar Ashram, Hardwar, Utar Pradesh, India, dec 1971
In February 1972, his mother (Mata-Ji), two brothers (Raja-ji and Bole-ji) and their substantial court landed in Germany and came straight over to Switzerland. They were sort of counting on me to organize everything, which I assumed quite well as a producer now empovered with the ultimate knowledge of life. It does make things quite easy, if you stay tuned and do not let doubts enter into you mind, the one key. But doubts are always looming around. Beware of these tricky bastards (second warning). Switzerland, February 1972
Among the court, my true sweetest friend Mahatma (great soul) Guru Charanand. A human being I will always love. Just to see his picture rejoices me.
Prem Pal himself joined us late February and we had quite a hectic festival meeting in my hometown of Neuchâtel. The young wonder guru was making news and the "religious" world is not the friendliest, we all know this by now. And I was in charge of all that fuzz ! My god ! Neuchâtel, Panespo, February 1972
Maharaj-ji went on to London and I followed, establishing a production with Mahatma Ashokanand to edit the film I had shot in India and that became the 40 min largely known documentary "The Lord of the Universe" With Ron Geaves, London, 1972
Exiting time, the months in London. I was thirty, in full force, influencial in my circles and making interesting new friends. We had the film production with my editor Peter Lile in South London and Prem Pal residence was in Hampstead. We were switching from one to the other. John Pring, UK
London is a very slick world, arrogant, selective, expensive, enjoyable to experience if you know how. I knew how. Jonathan Mills, London, 1972
Maharaj-ji went on to the USA. We finished the film in London and I moved over to New-York in June, to present "The Lord of the Universe" to him first. It happened in a crowded Manhattan building. It was very hot. He "loved" the film. Alan Jones, London, 1972
The next 10 days (my first time in the US) I took the airplane 14 times with Joan Apter to present the film "The Lord of the Universe" in 12 universities around the country and address the students to convince them to join Maharaj-ji at Montrose, a week long festival in the Rockies of Colorado that took place in July 1972. I must have brought there some thousands of people! The rest of the time in New York, I spent at the residence pushing Maharaj-ji back and forth when he exercised with a boat in the swimming pool ! He always had the weirdest ideas.
At this time, with fourteen, Guru Maharaj-ji was at his best. The premies (followers) were mostly formed by the cool post hippie generation and everything was for celebration, music, lighthearth and joy. However, as of myself, I returned to London to produce with Ashok the second film : " Satguru has come " (16mm, 25 min) that was composed of 16mm documents on our master youth that his oldest brother had entrusted to me in India and of new material we shot in 1972. The film was completed before our 2nd departure to India in November 2072. Prem Pal in Denver, July 1972, 14 years old.
In November 1972, there was not one Jumbo jet with some 400 premies that flew into New Dehli for the Shri Hans festival, but 10 with some 4000 followers ! I was flying with Balyogeschwar and at arrival, Bihari Singh (let us call him his personal assistant), forgot an attaché case in the jet and was stopped at border for trying to smuggle in watches, jewels, cash and more. I was implicated for a Swiss bank statement and a reel of my film "Satguru has Come". I could solve the bank statement problem by endorsing it to my name, but we were interrogated by Indian secret police and a small world scandal errupted in the press. In Prem Nagar ashram (Hardwar) the situation was not at all as harmonious as in 1971, because it was overcrowded and the installations were totally unsufficient. Followed a serious health problem and many illnesses due to lack of hygiene and malnutrition. Additionally the ashram security was searching luggages for hashish and stopping people to leave the precinct. And to top all, Maharaj-ji was not much there. I was personnally not affected as I lived on the roof of the ashram and had a privileged treatment, but we were far away from an Indian spiritual journey. For many it was more like a prisoner camp ! Prem Nagar Ashram, Hardwar, November 1972
The Divine Light Mission is a big movement in Utar Pradesh, Dehli and Northern India with laks of followers, many ashrams and sort of a small army called the World Peace Corps (WPC). It was needed for the festivals that sometimes brought a few hundred thousands together. When Maharaj-ji arrived in Dehli this year 1972, there was a press conference I attended where he was asked the question : "Are you a Hindu ?" To which he very naturally answered "I'm not an Hindu because the knwoledge I'm teaching is at the source of all religions...aso." Next day the "Indian Times" published in full front page : Curu Maharaj-ji declares "I'm not an Hindu" which provoked the anger of the New Dehli ashram. Some mahatmas and peace corps members stormed the office of the newspaper, breaking all the furnitures; there was fights between both sides and a policeman was killed. I was unaware of these facts until Professor Tendon, general secretary of the mission, came to Hardwar with a bloody bandage on his head and explained the events to Maharaj-ji on the roof of the ashram. I overheard some of it. A bit later, Maharaj-ji asked that they cut my long hairs, fitted me with a brand new suite and sent me to New Dehli for an official visit, not telling me anything else. Sukhi Bai, an Anglo-Indian girl of his entourage, accompanied me in a taxi (five hours drive) and brought me first to some governemental Sikh with whom we had chit-chat. I said to myself that if they did cut my hairs for this stupid meeting, I was going to be very angry, but Sukhi Bai told we should drop by some other acquaintance. We drove to a rich neighbourhood where we entered a wealthy house' court. I was than presented to ... the owner and director of the Indian Times ! He explained me that he had a big problem with the Divine Light Mission, that they were surrounding his house, that he feared for the safety of his family and was thinking of cancelling the wedding of his daughter the next Saturday. He even made me listen to a recording in which I recognized the voices of mahatma Sampuranand and of Professor Tendon urging Indian WPCs to destroy everything. I thought for a while and told him : "It is your journalist who provoked this riot". I explained my point of view. He told me that he was understanding, but what should he do ? I told him : "First you get rid of this journalist, second you publish tomorrow on same page and same size a deny explaining what was the real sense of Maharaj-ji words. If you agree with this I garantee that nobody from the mission will bother you or your family any more after midnight tonight". We shook hands. It was 8pm. When we drove out I noticed effectively that a group of WPCs were watching the house, and that they had seen me for sure. We drove to the Dehli ashram, where I had dinner served to me, but did not say a word. I was feeling the tension. After dinner, I went to the office where a dozen persons were supposedly busy, but in fact just watching all my movements. I said nothing. At last the ashram administrator I knew well dared to ask what I had done in that house with that man. I told them I was sent by Maharaj-ji and would report only to him. They threw themselves at my feets begging not to tell anything to their Lord. I answered we could cut a deal, and explained them the conditions. They rushed in all directions and before midnight there was not any more a soul threatening the gentleman or his family security. I went for a good sleep, read the newsppaper the next morning and drove back to Hardwar. I never exchanged a word about this story with my young master. This is the kind of synchronicity of thoughts I loved to exchange with him. Total reciprocal tuning... in many occasions ! Three Indian mahatmas of Divine Light Mission
So in fact I installed myself only upon my return of India in January 1973 into the US ashrams where I lived of and on until the end of 1974. We didn't have to worry about anything. In Los Angeles, the film production was based on Larchmont Boulevard, South of Melrose. I had a great group of collaborators : Patty Lancaster as secretary, George Goen, my soundman, Peter Lile, my film editor and several more sweet premies as Steven Warwick, Rick Spears, Leroy West.
George and myself did not stop travelling around the States and abroad, always ready to depart at once with our sophisticated 16mm equipment, Eclair Coutand camera by now and Nagra sound recorders. So much travelling that we were living in L.A. half of the time and spent the other half here and there. I loved this rithm. Jay Zemel, premie USA
We had equiped the production with the best Kem editing tables. We produced there "Who is Guru Maharaj-ji" (16mm, 35 min, Special Jury Award Atlanta Film Festival) and "Duo" (16mm, 18 min). We also delivered material on the Eastern religions to several outside productions and televisions. Premie USA
Maharaj-ji was hanging around a lot at the production and I was hanging around a lot at the residence of Pacific Palissades. We sort of waited at night in case he would drop by. One evening he popped up with a blond wig (to pass incognito) and declared : "I just had a doughnut, and it was delicious". He was fun to be around. Jane Atchinson, premie, L.A.
Another time, we were riding around Bel Air in his Rolls, he cornered a Mini-Cooper and bought it straight away with hard cash. Back at the residence he went into tuning the engine, than invited us for a blind race down a nearby valley that freaked us out. He said "This engine needs some more tuning, don't you think ?" looking at us with a questioning smile, his hands full of grease. Then he invited us back for a deadlier blind run down the dangerous valley we all really enjoyed this time. It was a question of trust. You had to understand that he was going behind limits, but that he "knew", somehow. Bruce Goldstein, premie USA
Yes, he was joyously and extravagantly spending the money of his followers, but somehow it didn't disturb me. He was cool with me, I was cool with him. Ron Clearfield, premie USA
The ashram premies had given to him all their belongings when they moved in, to live a life totally dedicated to him. I knew many of them in the Seventies, and this lasted until around the late Nineties. At this time, the ashrams were simply closed and the premies asked to go and see somewhere else. They were left after more than 20 years without any social security and for the most of them totally lost. This is one of the main controversy regarding Prem Rawat behavior. Dean Mermell, premie, USA
To move into an ashram was the regular procedure for many premies. You did not have to worry about the material life anymore. There were ashrams not only in the USA, but in many countries as England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and more. So when the ashrams were rudely closed, this affected a lot of people. Michael Paragon, premie, USA
Our life was punctuated by the festivals Maharaj-ji was holding around America and the world several times a year: April Holy, July Guru Puja, November Shri Hans, aso. I do not know how this great group of spiritual gipsies managed to get the energy and the money to move there, but they were present everytime and everywhere. These lasted during the early seventies and went up to the Circus Maximus of Millenium 73 in the Houston Astrodome, but also to memorable programs in London, Roma, Essen, Geneva, three days Holy Festival in a Marbella's bullring, Spain, in March 1978 and a 7 days extravaganza camp in Kissimee, Florida, in November, same year. Very festive, very free, very spiritual : the great years. Rob Manning, premie, USA
I lived in Los Angeles on and of from 1972 to 1988, first in the ashrams, than by myself or with friends. What was great in L.A., was the fact that when you took away, you could leave your things in a closet and when you returned, you would get a brand new place within 24 hours. So I lived everywhere: Dowtown, Hollywood, North Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice, Topanga Canyon, Malibu, The Valley, Pasadena and more. I loved it. Premie, USA
Another thing which was especially cool with ashram life, besides the fact we were somehow meant to live some sort of monk life in the beginning, was the fact we had on the contrary an intense social life with lots of parties and lots of beaches. The dayly satsang was in itself a social event with several performances. I was one of the beloved speaker and managed to introduce some sort of extatic musical communion known as "Fly Away". I performed this everywhere, as in a 1000 seats hall in Denver with a ten pieces professional band or in the mountains above Patna to at least ten laks of devotees (it means many, many). This didn't hinder the fact that we were actually true saints ! Rick Spears and premie friend, ashram, L.A.
1973 was "The Great Year" for the movement, which culminated with the biggest extravaganza ever put together by Maharaj-ji : Millenium 1973 in the Houston Astrodome ! The network of DLM' ashrams in the Western World had never been that dense (and will never be). The film and the book "Who is Guru Mharaj-ji" were published conjointly, attracting mass press revues and world attention. During this period, Maharaj-ji was still one step ahead of his competitors and the big controversy on Eastern religious movements had not yet really started. But is was looming around and scandals dit not miss the movement shortly after Millenium. In this sense, we can say that Millenium 1973 was the peak of Maharaj-ji's popularity. Premies of a French ashram, 1973
When I landed back in Los Angeles early 1973, there was a new visitor at Pacific Palissades residence : Bal Bagwan-ji, the oldest and most clever brother of Maharaj-ji. I had met him in India where he trusted me with some valuable historical 16mm footage that did constituate the core of the film "Satguru has come". But this needs some explication : Shri Hans-ji Maharaj, the founder of DLM in India, had four sons : Bal Bhagwan embodying the Light (the Reason), Bole being the Music (the Devotion), Raja the Breath (the Word, the Force) and Prem Pal the divine Nectar (the Will). But who of these four brothers would become the Raja (the King, the embodyment of the four elements), the Balyogeshwar (born awake), the Satguru? At Shri Hans' death, everybody expected Bal Bhagwan to be the new incarnation, but to the astonishment of the family and of the followers, Shri Hans had designated Prem Pal, his youngest son ! It is clear that this provoked a disturbance in the family and a resentment from the part of Bal-Bhagwan. This explains largely the schism that broke the family in two early 1974, Bal Bhagwan taking over the essential grounds of his father in India with Mata-ji and the submitted Bole, on the other side Prem Pal keeping the new territories he had gained and some Indian scarce ashrams with Raja. Young Bal Bhagwan-ji
Well, I started to hang around a lot with Bal Bhagwan. He did not have the rough power of Prem Pal, but he had a very refined mind, was sensible and open to anything new. And he liked me a lot. It is during this period that Millenium and the Soul Rush were conceived, and he was definitely one of the architects of these projects. He was also the one who instilled in me the idea to film Millenium in 35mm cinemascope, and he also was the one who supported my idea to include the festival into a fiction feature. He worked on the script with Mickey Cottrell and myself. This might be the reason the film was never finished nor released, but it is not the true motive in my opinion. What would Maharaj-ji have done in 1974 with a commercial feature film, when the mood of the time was to keep a low profile ? This film would in effect be an unique testimony on the spirit of the Seventies. Bal Bhagwan with John Berzner and myself in Disneyland, 1973
In 1973, the team of the film production was part of what one could call the "artistic scene" of the movement, to which belonged the musicians (among them the band "One Foundation" and the Bole-ji big band), as well as the Rainbow Gipsies (who will be the subject of a future album), with their Pasadena Estates which always have been a haven for us the artists. Same as Balyogeschwar, this artistic elite within the movement reached its peak late 1973 at the Houston Astrodome, the Rainbow Gipsies with their stunning performance of "Krishna Lila" with some 40 dancers. On top, Lothar and Ricardo Delgado, the directors of the dance company with their first daughter, Stefanie Buffington, designer and circus artist, an exceptional woman, and Paul Beausoleil, hang-around musician. Bottom, two of the dancers
Among the leading artists of the movement was Michael Nouri, who enlightened us with his songs and made a stunning performance of the Christ at Millenium. He later became the famous actor he is now. Michael Nouri and Jacques Sandoz in New-York, 1974
In the early Seventies, talent was much in use in the Divine Light Mission with the many publications, films and tapes that were produced and released. This included a force of outstanding writers (like Charles Cameron), photographers or illustrators. Rance Barela was a superb airbrush artist who delighted us with his art in each new publication of the magazines (that were always quickly changing names upon redactional instructions !) Rance Barela in front of one of his murals, 1973
Talent was also surrounding the premies in Los Angeles. Stephanie Buffington was dating Bob Dylan, I spent a night explaining the quality of Maharaj-ji's knowledge to Robert de Niro, Patty Lancaster was close friend with the Eagles, and much more in that way. there are two stories worth telling : at the film production we befriended two very lovely airlines stewardess who were attending satsang and liked our company: Olivia who was flying on Mexican Airlines and Marilyn flying on Delta. Both were a bit fed up with their job and were looking for other opportunities. One day I pointed out an add in Variety to Olivia. "Dark Horse Records" was looking for a secretary. I knew it was George Harrison' new company. Olivia got the job, George fell in love with her, they married and she is now the widow of the Beatles and the mother of his children. As for Marilyn, she met the Lord of the Universe, they married, had many children and were happy for the rest of their life. Nice stories, don't you think ? Carl Roles, astrologer, L.A., 1973
There were also quite a few wealthy premies, and this leads me to Larry Canada' story. He had married an inheritor of Lillies Chemicals and did not know what to do with his money. One morning in April we received a phone call at the L.A. production : George and myself had to be at JFK airport the same evening fully equipped. Once there we met with Charles Cameron, as reporter, and with another premie as photographer. Larry Canada gave us each a round-the-world Panam airline ticket and some cash. We were to go to Hanoï with Rennie Davis, a leftist activist, one of the Chicago Seven, to report the victory of North Vietnam on the South and the Americans. Quite a programme ! During the flight to Paris, I convinced Rennie to fly straight away to India, where Maharaj-ji had recently returned, to receive knowledge, what he did. We stayed in Paris around ten days at the Georges V, joining Larry Canada at night at his table at the Lido, but also representing Rennie at the Tet festival where I informed Mme Bingh, minister of foreign affairs of Northern Vietnam, of our intentions. We were waiting for our visas to Hanoï but no visas were manifesting. Steve Sordoni and wife, a wealthy friendly premie who organized Lothar and Ricardo wedding on his East Coast property, not to be taken for Larry Canada. Larry was the dark side, Steve the bright one.
Once in India, we learned that Rennie was at Prem Nagar ashram with Maharaj-ji, so we rejoined them in Hardwar and discovered a blissed out Rennie Davis. We spent then some memorable days alone with our Sweet Lord. After some three weeks, still no visa, and the Americans were barely holding their embassy in Saigon. We decided to move nearer and fly to Thailand, but Larry Canada gave up and flew back to the States, leaving us with just enough cash to complete our round-the-world trip! Once in Bangkok, we obtained immediately an authorization to fly in a broken down airplane to Vientiane, Laos, that was already in communist hands. We were the only Westerners in an empty hotel, but could not get the authorization to reach Hanoï, some 200 miles away. We watched on the TV the helicopters hauling the last Americans out of the Saigon Embassy but we never reached Hanoï. We concluded our tour with stays in Hong-Kong, Tokyo and Hawaï, and filmed a lot of material on several subjects. We returned to Los Angeles three months after our departure and Rennie Davis became one of the leading figure of the mission of that time. Maharaj-ji, myself and a blissed out Rennie Davis, Prem Nagar ashram, Hardwar, May 1973
October 1973, we were in the preparations for Millenium. Soul Rush (busses full of premies coming from every corners of the country to reach Houston, gathering momentum) was starting. Everything was ready to shoot our feature film that told the story of a lost guy lead by events from New-York to Houston and joining the festival. At first, Bob Mischler was opposed to spend our quite serious budget, so I went to Prem Pal and argued : "If Millenium is supposed to be the most important event in human history (it was labelled that way!) we have to film the festival in 35mm and cinemascope". He answered, "Right, go ahead". So we started the film shooting in New York and it took two weeks to reach Houston, around ten days before the festival beginning. The stage construction in the Houston Astrodome was giant. A base huge platform for performances, another band stage a bit higher, another "holy family" stage higher, and on top, at some 200 feet heigt, Maharaj-ji's throne. There were rumors that the astrodome would take off like a spaceship on the 9th of November, exactly three years after the peace bomb was launched. There also were rumors that Prem Pal (15 at this time) was dating a girlfriend, and that she was Marilyn, our airline stewardess ! Jacques Sandoz and Peter Lile on the shooting of "Millenium 73"
Millenium was scheduled at the same time then the Shri Hans festival we had celebrated in New Dehli in 1971 and 1972 : 8th, 9th and 10th of November, a tradition that didn't last later. The show was punctuated by performances of Bole ji's newly founded big band, Eric Mercury, a black soul singer with his big band (because of an agreement with Stax Records), the Christ Play, put together by premies and staring Michael Nouri, as well as the Krishna Lila ballet of the Rainbow Gipsies. In between these acts you had talks (satsangs) from mahatmas and holy family members from their stage as well as performances by "One Fondation" and another UK premies band. Of course the top shows were the appearances of Maharaj-ji himself, who was the only one on his upper stage. With an audience of close to 20'000, you can imagine that the technics of the festival, regarding stage, light, sound and film, were quite sophisticated. There were three persons directing the show : stage director, light and sound director and film director (myself). Only these three had a radio system that could reach everybody : their own group and the two others. The first day, the synchronicity between the three groups was not right and the whole show went somehow astray ! Krishna Lila Ballet by the Rainbow Gipsies, Millenium 73
On the 9th of November, we were hoping Mahara-ji would appear with his Krishna costume and crown, an habit in India, but quite new for the West. When evening came, I was still worried we would blow it and I took one of the most challenging decision of my life : I was going to take over the direction of the evening. So I climbed the 200 feet backstage ladder, positioned me exactly on the back of his throne, took my radio, switched it to general and told : "Now everybody shut up and listen to me !". Maharaj-ji appeared in his Krishna attire. I was actually less than 1 meter behind him watching him on big suspended mirrors that had been hooked to direct on him better reflected light. I was speaking softly so that he doesn't here me and there was not another sound in the radios, just total concentration, total peace. This was grace, absolute energy, prefect bliss. I can swear that the Houston Astrodome actually took off like a spaceship this evening within a nanoscopic and at the same time eternal time lapse. We all were one with our resplending Lord for ever. When he left, he had to turn right beside the throne and than walk down stairs, so I just moved two meters to my right and faced him. He was surprised, opened his arms, said "Jacques ?" and moved out. I was so engulfed in light, so stunned, that I was unable to say a word in my radio for a good while, faintly hearing far away voices calling me. Prem Pal, you were the best of all. One day after the festival, I was invited to his penthouse apartment where we met alone in a room. He told me "Jacques, I want to thank you for what you did". Krishna Lila Ballet by the Rainbow Gipsies, Millenium 73
After Millenium, I went to Denver with Peter Lile where we established a 35 mm editing room to complete the film. The story of the movie was the one of a junkie of New York who wants to kick off his habit. He hitchhikes out of NYC in a truck, but at the first stop, he falls under the influence of a dealer and shoots again. He has the force to escape and from then on his journey will bring him thru the North American Indian Summer to Houston, being led there by a series of coincidences as the Premies procession around the White House, or the encounters with devotees who turn him to Maharaj-ji's message. Hitchhiking on a deserted road of Oklahoma, the Soul Rush procession of busses overtakes him, the last one stops, he enters and his surrounded by a flock of beaming premies who exhort him to join the Millenium 73 festival. He arrives one morning to the deserted Houston Astrodome, enters into the immense empty space and wonders. But soon trucks move in and the stages are starting to be built. He is given an hammer and joins. Progressively we loose him in the events and the film turns into a documentary on the festival, culminating with the stunning appearance of Guru Maharaj-ji in Krishna outfit on the 9th of November, and of course with all the performances. The story is very simple but it works perfectly and the movie was promising to be an exclusive and astounding testimony of the spirit of the Seventies. Toward the end of the year, we had completed a rough editing of 90 minutes, and Maharaj-ji asked us to present it in a public screening. We did not think it was a good idea as this rough editing was meant for professionals, with its appearing cuts, no transitions, no effects, no mixing, original music but no musical score, no dubbing, no foleys, no titles, but what could we do but agree ? So we rented a theatre and rigged the editing table to a projector. The theatre filled up with more than one thousand premies and we thought that the audience was receptive. After the show, it remained to have Prem Pal's opinion. Peter Lile on his editing table in Denver in December 1973
The dark side : it is at this moment that my life turned upside down of 180 degrees. Maharaj-ji came to me and bluntly told me "Jacques, you can eat up your film !". It was not only gross, it was nasty. I had achieved what I wanted most, to produce and direct an American feature film, and in one sentence, he destroyed everything, including the film he had himself supported. "Jacques you can eat up your film !" : this is what I deserved to have served him for more than three years, to have promoted his career with my films, to have entertained with him a relationship that I thought was a friendship ! I felt betrayed, in one glimpse I had discovered his dark side, in fact I was furious. From this moment on I became an outcast, I was banned from the ashrams, Shri Hans Production office on Larchmont Boulevard was closed and became a pet clinic, the word that the DLM was letting out was "Jacques is crazy !". Luckily, George and myself owned our equipments, him his Nagra sound recorders, me my Eclair Coutand 16 mm camera, so we were still operative. My friend Billy Burkenroad supported me financially and we rented an apartment in Hollywood. Wait and see ! Jacques Sandoz in Denver in December 1973.
Early 1974, the mood was electrical at Pacific Palissades residence : Prem Pal was sleeping out as Mata-ji wanted to keep some sort of control on his 15 years old youngest son ! Maharaj-ji was more and more evading his family to be with Marilyn. He first took refuge in Denver, at the time I was comploting with Bal Bhagwan who wanted to bring Balyogeshwar to India for Guru Puja. It would be the time of the Kumbha Mela in Hardwar, the every twelve year (cycle of Jupiter) huge spiritual gathering. Maharaj-ji had to be there. We would film it in 35mm with an Indian crew, Bhagwan providing the financing. Game of voice mirror with Bal Bhagwan-ji, 1973
Maharaj-ji was touring the East Coast, not caring to really hide Marilyn anymore. However, I was not invited to join and film. This was the first time I was left out. I was feeling abandoned in L.A., maybe having choosen the wrong side. It was sometime in March 74. I took one more bold decision: simply fly over there and sort of impose myself ! We were friends, I thought. I caught the tour somewhere like Georgia, went to the residence and established my camera to get a great shot : you would see the car coming from far away, watch it approach smoothly thru three elegant curves, stop in front of the camera and have a beaming Prem Pal come out saying "What's up, Mister Jack ?" Well it didn't happen rigorously that way ! Prem Pal and Marilyn touring the East Coast, early 1974
The car appeared in my lense, I started to shoot. First curve: very elegant, second curve: smooth and nice, third curve: no more car ! An assistant rushed towards me yelling "Maharaj-ji says no shooting". I put my camera down. The car drove up to the house, Prem Pal jumped out and shouted at me "Who told you to come here ?" When I say shouted, I'm conservative. It was more like thunder. Everybody was freezing. No one dared to whisper a word. A complete silence established itself. Maharaj-ji appeared on the balcony of the first floor and said with a loud clear voice, like the last judgment : "Jacques, you are completely wrong". Well what should I do ? Just stay quiet and wait. In fact I was clever enough not to resent any anxiety, more an amused interrogation. I felt something was cooking and I should learn from it. But it took me quite a while to realize what the plan was. "Holi Festival", Miami, April 1974, I climb the ladder to establish myself on top of the trailer, Maharaj-ji sprays my $25'000 camera with paint.
After a while, Maharaj-ji walked smoothly out of the house, approached and asked me softly : "Jacques, what do you want?" "Well Lord, you will go to India for Guru Puja, I want to come" "Why should I go" "Because it is the Kumbha Mela. They all expect you to be there" "OK then go ahead and do it. But you have one problem, I'm not going". These are the last words he ever spoke to me "But you have one problem, I'm not going". I had his agya (order) to go and I had one huge lem to solve. "Holi Festival", Miami, April 1974, I catch Maharaj-ji's hand and turn the hose toward his face, but at the same time a mahatma throws a full bucket of paint on myself.
From then on, I was adopted on the tour, was holding my position, filming the programmes, but without any direct interrelation with him. I didn't see Marilyn either. The tour ended in April in Miami where the Holi festival was taking place. In India, the Holi festival happens each spring. People throw colours at each other in order to clean their last years bad actions from one to the other, to wash their karmas. Maharaj-ji and entourage were on the top of a trailer, premies on the ground. I managed to establish myself on the roof, as you can see in these three pictures. This was my last direct physical interaction with my Guru. It was not bad as an "au revoir". At least we parted one from the other with clean karmas ! "Holi Festival", Miami, april 1974, Maharaj-ji is blinded by the spray I turned on him as I can establish myself victoriously on top of the trailer, my camera saved.
When did Marilyn, who became Durga-ji simultaneously, marry Maharaj-ji in Denver ? Was it before or after Mata-ji, Bal Bhagwan-ji and Bole-ji departure from Los Angeles ? I couln't say. Anyway I had my agya (go to India), and I was not invited at the wedding. We had no problem getting the money for our travel and for the 16mm expenses from the mission as it was on Prem Pal's order. But the plan was to film Maharaj-ji in 35mm at the Khumba Mela. And Bal Bhagwan had had promised to finance it. Even if Maharaj-ji had somehow told me he wouln't come, I didn't wanted to believe it. And I didn't wanted to disappoint Bhagwan. So I sent Steven Warwick ahead of us to Bombay to gather a crew and 35mm equipment. One week later, May 26th 1974, George Goen and myself flew to the same destination. It was on my 32nd birthday. Maharaj-ji and Durga-ji's wedding, Denver, spring 1974
This was the last of my four stays in India, which lasted all in all around a year. George Goen and myself arrived at the Gate of India on a glorious Sunday afternoon, but Steven Warwick, whom we had sent ahead, was nowhere to be found. George opened his hand holding two little white pills telling me : "I think you should drop one of these now". I had not taken any acid during the last four years, but the circumstances helping, I did. We took a boat and went to Elefanta island. I'm not going to describe my psychedelic experience there (this one and the others, I might tell once), but it was cosmic, showing the turmoil happening in the heaven, and a great gathering of forces for me. I ended up spending a colorful night in a suite of the Taj Mahal hotel, had a massage in the morning and George, accompanied by Steven, joined me for breakfast. Everything was ready, Steven had gathered crew and equipment, they would take the train within two days to be in Hardwar on time, we only needed $12'000 ! I had no idea where Bal Bhagwan was but a phone call had informed me that Mata-ji, Bole-ji and himself had left L.A., so I took a flight to check on him at the Dehli ashram. When I arrived, the ashram people had no idea of any coming of the holy family, thought I was crazy, cooked me a meal and put me to bed. I thought all was lost. When I woke up the next morning, they treated me like a saint ! What had happened was they all went to bed closing the ashram, but at one in the morning they were awoken by loud bangs on the doors. It was the holy family trying to get in ! I told them that I needed to speak to Bhagwan at once, but you do not waken up a god in India ! The commotion helping, Bal Bhagwan-ji walked out of his room. I told him I needed $12'000 (it makes quite a lot of rupees) the same afternoon for the film to happen. He answered "Impossible". I said "You once told me nothing is impossible". "Right". He called the ashram administrator and yelled orders in hindi. The poor guy rushed out aghast, and in the afternoon they were running from everywhere with bundles of rupees we were stuffing in my attaché case. They rushed me to the airport to catch my evening flight to Bombay. Mission accomplished. Front: Steven Warwick and George Goen, back: the Indian 35mm film crew, Prem Nagar ashram, Hardwar, june 1974.
For Bhagwan and myself it was clear now that Maharaj-ji would not come for Guru Puja. Prem Nagar ashram was full with premies camping on the grounds. An immense crowd of several million seekers had gathered in and around Hardwar. They had built two bridges crossing the Ganges allowing everyone to perform the ritual bath in the Hardwar temple waters. The huge endless procession coming on one of the bridges and leaving on the other went on for more than a month. We devised with Bhagwan the story of a simple farmer living in a remote place of the Himalayas coming down to the Kumba Mela to find peace, but on the contrary encountering hassle, all his poor belongings being stolen. Desperate, he meets premies and takes refuge in Prem Nagar where he finds truth with Balyogeschwar. It was relatively similar to our story from Millenium. We choose a wonderful premie named Ram Sarup to play the part. We went on filming in the Hymalayas and all the way down along the Ganges to Hardwar, meeting more and more laks of seekers as we approached the holy city. The problem appeared when we started filming within the precinct of the festival. It was forbidden, a crew from Italian TV had spent some time in jail and another from France 3 had their equipment smashed. Ram Sarup was once almost arrested. However with the help of local premies we managed to film whatever was needed. But we had still to film overall scenes of the whole Kumba Mela, meaning Hardwar temples court, the Ganges with the two bridges and camps of seekers spread until the hills on the other side of the holy river. And this I din't know how to manage ! Ram Sarup is lead by a premie into Prem Nagar ashram, Hardwar, June 1974
I wanted to film the site at the exact crucial time of the full moon, on Saturday at 4pm. It was Friday afternoon same time and I had not yet found the solution ! Ideally we should take position on one of the high buildings (mostly hôtels) overlooking the scene and leaning up against the hill. But they were so crowded that we would never reach the roof without being stopped. Suddenly I realized that the solution was right there in front of my eyes. They had diverted the trafic which could no more cross the overcrowded Hardwar by a dirt road up that hill. And you could walk down from this dirt road to reach the roof of an eight storeys hotel perfectly positioned. I calculated that it would give us ample time to film what we wanted before they would reach us. When I explained the plan to the Indian crew, they were not very warm, fearing for themselves and for the equipment. I told them bluntly that they were paid for this and I was taking responsibility. On right time the next day a minimum crew of five persons walked down discretely with the equipment from the dirt road onto the roof, two vehicles waiting for us on the road. We prepared the camera hidden from any eye and at 4.00 pm, we established the camera and started to shoot according to my plan. I was hoping to gather around ten shots of some twenty seconds each, which we did. We were of course spotted at once and a squad of police moved immediately to stop us. But it was not that easy; they had to walk up the eight floors stairs, that were overcrowded as a family was camping on each one of their platforms ! I waited until they were one storey below to send away a swift Indian assistant with the footage to the first vehicle. I had the intuition to tell the cameraman to turn his camera away and frame the distant Himalayas. I told everyone "Not a word of Indi". A young corporal with and old gun and some five policemen with long sticks erupted on the roof, not really knowing what to do. I invited the corporal to put his eye into the viewer of the camera, which he did, impressed by this big equipment, and told him "See, we are not interested by your festival, we are filming the Himalayas". In fact he was the only one speaking English and he was so confused that he left to look for instructions. I told my crew to pack quietly and we left saying a polite "au revoir" to the baffled policemen who did not understand at all what was happening. Of course, we accelerated as we climbed the hill to reach the second car that departed immediately once we had boarded it. When I think that this footage is rotting in the mission' production, it does make me a little bit angry, this I must admit ! Ram Sarup and Jacques Sandoz, Ganges, June 1974
Two weeks later, George, Steven and myself were invited with Rennie Davis and Charles Cameron by Mata-ji and Bal Bhagwan-ji to a festival at the new Patna' ashram, where Maharaj-ji was expected. This needs a clarification : In 1971, around one hundred of us had gone by train to Patna to assist to a huge festival held by our young Guru, at this time barely 14. After a procession where we were exposed on 27 elefants (sic) we were seated in the middle of a crowd of at least 100'000 Indian premies. Riots erupted (for obscure religious reasons) at the outskirt of the crowd, stage power was cut, there was a least one dead and we had to be saved out of this mess to board the trains back to Dehli that waited for us outside of town. So our stay in Patna was quite brief. Maharaj-ji, very upset, told the Patna mission administration that if they wanted him back, they better build an ashram out of town. They did. In july 1974, our fleet of cars and jeeps took several hours until we discovered a white building in the middle of the desert. Hundreds were shuffling the ground to offer a swimming pool to their Satguru. When the Holy family moved into the new ashram, a mass of premies gathered around the new building praysing their Lord. My conservative estimation evaluates the number at some 30'000. Mata-ji empowered Rennie and myself to go and explain them Maharaj-ji was not coming. I found myself sitting in several tents telling a group of them their young master was living in the West, driving a Porsche in Bel Air or flying his own airplane. They would than ask the question "Is Guru Maharaj-ji actually coming here". I had to answer "No". Each time, some 100 premies were falling in tears on the ground lamenting ! I told myself we could cheat on this and make some believe Maharaj-ji was there more than he ever was ! The festival ground was rigged with at least 20 rows of loudspeakers I could use for sound. I had taken with me a 16mm Swiss Bolex projector and a reel of the film "Satguru has come". I had the ashram personal sew bedshits together to make an enormous screan we mounted right in the middle of the audience and that you could watch from both sides. When the evening came, Mata-ji asked me to sing "Fly away" to the crowd, with Professor Tendon, mahatma Sampuranand and Rennie Davis as a choir (the worst I ever had!). 30'000 Indian premies were rocking with my singing. When the film was projected, their master appeared in the middle of them as a young man, as a krishna dancer, as a pilot... Then Sampuranand took me thru the crowd up to the screen and I could feel premies kissing my feets. I was actually giving darshan, walking in the feet of my Lord ! When you would ask some of them the next day if Maharaj-ji was there, they were answering : "He was more there than we have ever seen him". We must understand that many of these mountain simple dwellers had never seen a movie. I had solved the riddle : "But you have one problem, I'm not going". The solution was to replace him, to create his presence, to fake his darshan. Formidably clever ! Ram Sarup, an Indian saint, Hardwar, 1974
When I came back to L.A. early September 1974, I moved again in our apartment with Billy Burkenroad. I had not much to do left in Los Angeles. Billy and me did a nice one. month trip to Mexico. I was no more an ashram premie, but I was still very popular in the community. Peter Lile and friend Jennifer, Billy Burkenroad, Maji Sahara, in front of our flat, Hollywood, September 1974.
In October 1974, I was invited to be Jupiter at the wedding of Ricardo and Lothar and to marry them, surrounded by graceful deities as I have never been ! These were blissed out days that we spent on the East Coast, on Steve Sordoni property. Jacques Sandoz as Jupiter with his court, among them Tina Murphy, Randy Rosenthal, Jule Kowarsky.
The wedding party in October 1974 : Crowned Ricardo and Lothar with Ladislas and Cleo. Precious memory of unity and of pure joy
I managed, I do not know how, to get from the mission the money to film in 16th mm the "Shri Hans Festival" in Montreal, on the 8th, 9th and 10th of November 1974. This was the fourth anniversary of my experience "seing thru his eyes" and three months had passed since I had "walked with his feet" ! Maharaj-ji would appear in Krishna crown accompanied by Durga-ji. They had married. A new life was in front of us both. I was feeling the story was over. I was only regretting that… See more
Early 1975, Maharaj-ji and Durga-Ji were established in the Malibu residence and had children. On my side, I went to live with a community of premie friends in Malcantone, in the Italian part of Switzerland. My life was taking a new turn. I still went to a few programmes until 1979, then I stopped. I have not been to a programme for the last forty years and I do not need it. In fact, when Prem Pal abruptly cut our relationship, I think he did me a service. My addiction to him stopped completely. I'm a free bird and still practice the meditation as well as the ways of life that he taught me. Of course I keep a very found memory of the extraordinary three years we spent together. He has been the most amazing person I ever met. Fly away
"The Lord of the Universe", 45 min, shot in London and India in nov/dec 1971, filmed, produced and directed by Jacques Sandoz Warning : This film was extracted in Australia from a worn out 16 mm copy. The quality is poor. but the historical value is very high.