When I started reading the forum, I was surprised how different people's impressions had been of Rawat, ranging from messiah to part-time meditation teacher via sorcerer, shaman, telepath and all sorts of perspectives. And when you listen to him, he says bugger all, but implies a lot. The Maharaji we saw on stage was very much something of our own making, we projected a great deal onto him, whatever we wanted or needed. I know I was very put off when he started wearing suits, and persuaded myself this isn't the real Maharaji (who in my mind epitomised rebellion in ways I wouldn't care to try to explain now). I projected my own guru, the one I wanted to see, onto him. Suits weren't part of that. Lila.

It was us projecting what we wanted onto him, hearing in his words what we wanted to hear that gave him his power. He was plastic enough for each of us to have our projections accommodated sufficiently for the deception to continue.