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Prem Pal Singh Rawat (born December 10, 1957 in Dehradun in India), known as Maharaji to his students. Since his childhood beginnings as a teacher, he has promoted a personal, individual experience of inner peace through his talks and by what he refers to as "Knowledge" or the techniques of Knowledge." Press releases of the foundation that carries his name point to Prem Rawat's promotion of inner peace through his discourses, as much as for his teaching of the techniques of Knowledge. His message is that it is only by individuals finding peace for themselves that the world can be at peace, and that he is able to assist in this endeavor. He has been invited to address various institutions on the subject of peace, and has through The Prem Rawat Foundation spearheaded various humanitarian initiatives.

Earliest years of Maharaji

Childhood

Prem Rawat was born and spent his childhood in India and attended the Catholic-run St. Joseph's Academy elementary school in Dehra Dun. He is the fourth and youngest son of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj's second marriage to Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi . Shri Hans was an Indian guru who founded an organization known as the Divine Light Mission in India.

Prem Rawat took up speaking about human being's need for fulfillment and love, it has been said as early as age three . His father taught him the techniques of Knowledge at age six, including him among his father's other students. He reported that controversy began to arise around him at about age six, when the quality of his discourse coming from such a small child prompted critics to assert that the speech was coming from a tape recorder and that he was just lip syncing. In the early 1970s his family and certain supporters told stories that even in his early years his older brothers deferred to him, that he was the son who made introductory remarks at his father's events, and that his father indirectly indicated to the family that of all the siblings he was worthy of special respect. In these early days Prem Rawat was known as Sant Ji and as Balyogeshwar (Sanskrit: बालयोगेश्वर = child master of yogis)';.

Succession

Prem Rawat succeeded to the leadership of the DLM upon his father's death in 1966 , which, as he noted, was unusual since he was not the eldest child and not in accordance with Hindu tradition of primogeniture. His family told American reporters during the early 1970s that Shri Hans was away from home at the time of his death and wrote a letter home to the family essentially naming Prem as his successor. A witness account by Shri Hans' personal driver confirmes that Shri Hans publicly requested that Prem would continue his work and that some disregarded this request and discussions were held during the customary 12 days of mourning about the succession. This culminated in Prem Rawat addressing the crowd and being accepted by them as their teacher.

The young Prem reportedly spoke in the same terms as his father had done, comforted grieving devotees and declared his intention to continue his father's work. His family's support as the rightful successor to his father lasted for another eight years. After succeeding to the leadership, Rawat remained in India for several years and continued to teach the Knowledge his father had championed.

Establishment in the West

Maharaji’s first trip to the West

Prem Rawat first came to the West, including the U.K., U.S. and Canada, in the summer of 1971, at age thirteen, at a time of attraction in the West for all things Indian. Previously, a small number of British hippie seekers of truth had come across Maharaji at his home in Dehra Dun, and had asked him to vist the West, where, they said, many young people were waiting for what he had to offer. In October 1969 he sent a mahatma to London to begin teaching Knowledge on his behalf. In doing this he was fulfilling the prediction of his father, who having heard his son speak a few months before his demise, had said that "one day this boy will take the teaching of Knowledge to all four corners of the world."

In 1970 many of his new western followers traveled to India to see and hear him, and were present when he announced at a gathering at India Gate in Delhi that he was ready to begin the task of bringing peace to the world. This gathering of 1,000,000 people on 8th of November, was reported to be one of the largest ever in the history of New Delhi and was the culmination of a procession 18 mile long.

On June 17 the following year, he arrived in London for a short school vacation visit. He traveled without his family, and he reported that he arrived with only twenty-five pounds sterling in his pocket . His reception was such that, in response to his mother's entreaties that he return to India to complete his education, he said that he was doing what he would be doing with his life, whether he completed his education or not. He was interviewed on the BBC, and spoke at the first Glastonbury Festival, where he again offered people peace. He made brief trips to Paris and Heidelberg, Germany, and on July 17 flew to Los Angeles and began a tour of Americian cities. In November 1971 he returned to India accompanied by several hundred of his new western students.

At that time his teaching was enmeshed in Indian traditions and lifestyle, which he was later to renounce as unnecessary. The practice of Knowledge was called meditation, a term he later changed to distinguish it from other practices and teachings to which the term usually referred. He advised his new followers, who were to a large degree wedded to the drug and hippie culture of the time, that successful practice of Knowledge was incompatible with drug use, and he was widely acknowledged for taking many young people from dependency on drugs.

In the first years of his arrival, Prem Rawat received the keys to the cities of New York, New Orleans, Monterey, Oakland, Detroit, Miami and Macon in the United States, and Kyoto, in Japan.

Establishment of organizations in the West

At Prem Rawat's request, U.S. Divine Light Mission, or DLM, was formed in September 1971 in Denver, Colorado after Rawat's first U.S. tour. The DLM organization coordinated Rawat's subsequent U.S. tours and events. The DLM produced a monthly magazine, And It Is Divine, and a weekly newspaper, "Divine Times". It also operated a film and publishing company called Shri Hans Productions, a thrift shop, wholesale electronics firms, aviation and travel services, and a large vegetarian restaurant in New York City. In early 1973 it organized a fifty-six-piece rock band called Blue Aquarius, conducted by one of Prem's older brothers. Its headquarters was moved in 1979 to Miami Beach, Florida.

DLM ashrams were established in the early 1970s in major cities in South America, North America, Europe, and Australia. By 1973 there were twenty DLM ashrams in New York City. Those who entered an ashram were required to take a vow of poverty and give over their possessions and any continuing income to the ashram. They also took a vow of chastity and obedience. They performed service, and drinking alcohol and consuming drugs were prohibited. Vegetarianism was encouraged.

During that time he became widely known as the young guru and attracted considerable media attention. Virologist Robert Gallo, now Director, Institute of Human Virology of the University of Maryland, approached the young Rawat to ask where he might find the origin of cancer, to which Rawat answereed: "Look within the mysteries of life itself."

Permanent residence in the West

Prem Rawat returned to the U.S in 1972, this time accompanied by his mother and eldest brother, Satpal, and an entourage of mahatmas and other supporters. That year the organization held a multi-day event at Montrose, Colorado at which two thousand people attended.

During this time Rawat was the focus of much media attention and publicity generated by the organization. The DLM made two feature-length films about him during this period, and released a book of student testimonials and Rawat's lectures, or satsang, entitled Who Is Guru Maharaj ji? published by Bantam Books.

The organization booked the Houston Astrodome for a three-day gathering and several thousand of his students in November 1973, coinciding with Shri Hans's birthday and called "Millennium '73". Reporters in attendance estimated various days' attendance at between seven and twenty thousand. Rennie Davis, a former member of the Chicago Seven, was a prominent spokesman for the group at that event. Jesus freaks, Hare Krishnas, Jews for Jesus, and the Family of God staged small protests outside. The event lost money for the organization, but Rawat expressed his satisfaction with it.

The DLM was reporting that 60,000 individuals were practicing the techniques Knowledge in 1974 in the United Kingdom and "it was a successful movement because it stressed access to the inner world, the attainment of peace and certainty ('never leave room for doubt in your mind'), direct experience of God within and the use of guaranteed methods".

Early Western students

The Western students who gathered around Prem Rawat in the early 1970s were generally young and were extremely loyal and passionate about his capacity to teach about inner peace. Many devoted considerable amounts of their time to help Rawat spread his message, others joined ashrams and took the vows of chastity and poverty associated with the monastic life in Indian ashrams. In 1973 after a reporter at a public event in Detroit hit Rawat in the face with a shaving cream pie, the reporter was attacked with a hammer and injured by two angry students. In an article published in Penthouse magazine in July 1974, it was reported that the DLM issued a press release informing that the pair were in fact students, and that they were held in custody at the Chicago ashram. They also promised a full investigation. The Detroit police did not pursue the matter.

Some of the Western students claimed that Rawat was personally an incarnation of God, and indeed the greatest of such incarnations. The source of this belief has been a subject of controversy. Most students attribute the belief to unintended confusion in Western minds over what was being said and done by Rawat and the movement, while critics charge this confusion was either deliberately fostered or negligently ignored for his personal gain.

The seeds of this belief may have been planted even before Rawat came to the West. In 1970 at age twelve he gave a speech in New Delhi at an event celebrating his late father's birthday, in which he made statements such as the following, which have been interpreted by some as claims of personal divinity:

The time has come for restlessness to be destroyed and the Kingdom of Peace to be established. Whether you take it as my prophecy or anything else, the Kingdom of Peace will be established soon. You must understand and have faith in my words. All I ask is your love, all I ask is your trust, and what I can give you is such a peace as will never die. I only need the opportunity I declare that I will establish peace in the world. Just give me the reins and let me rule, and I will rule in such a way that even Rama, Harichandra, Krishna, and other kings could not have ruled like that! That day is fast approaching. So arise, awake, open the ears of each man, and tell him the time has come! Do not tell him that there was a festival. No! Make them understand he has come to reveal the Knowledge, that he has come to show us the true path. And if you truly give me the reins of your life, I swear by Guru Maharaj Ji, I swear by the one who has given me birth, that I will give you peace.

In this speech he attributed great power and possibly divinity to "The Lord, Guru Maharaj Ji", apparently referring to his father and teacher. The fact that he himself also came to be called "Guru Maharaj Ji," may have led to confusion, whether intentional or unintentional, in the minds of Western students between Rawat personally and this called-upon figure of divine power. It may be that during the 1970s as praise and divine connotations were further heaped upon "Guru Maharaj Ji," those in charge maintained in their own minds a distinction between the young living man, his deceased father, and the lineage title itself, although that distinction appears to have been lost on some who believed Rawat was referring to himself when using that phrase.

According to a January 1974 Penthouse magazine article, Rawat said to the multitude in 1971 that "guru is greater than God," an expression also voiced by Brahmanand and somewhat in correspondence with the elevated status that some traditional Indian saints gave their gurus. Further clouding the issue were the Indian Hindu forms and customs Rawat's family and entourage brought with them when they arrived in the West in 1972, such as addressing a guru with the terms "Master" and "Lord." His early 1970s events featured the singing to him of Hindu devotional songs such as the arti and the performance toward him of the Hindu devotional ritual of darshan. Whether those in charge at that time understood or intended the interpretations of personal divinity many Western students were giving to these devotional forms has never been definitely established. In an interview with in 1973 Tom Snyder host of "The Tomorrow show" TV series, Snyder asked Prem Rawat: "Now I'm not trying to be disrespectful but' Ive got to ask you this question: Many of your followers say that you are God. What do you have to say about this?" To which Rawat replied: "No, I am not God. I am only a humble servant of God."

Materials written by students during this period and included in DLM publications featured comparisons of Guru Maharaj ji with Rama and Krishna, and the 1973 book Who is Guru Maharaj ji? described him as the "Satguru Maharaj ji" and on its back cover asked the semi-rhetorical question, "Why do more than six million people around the world claim he is the greatest incarnation of God that ever trod the face of this planet?" In the same book, Prem Rawat was asked: "Guru Maharaj Ji, are you God?" to which he replied "No. My Knowledge is God." At a press conference during the 1973 Millennium gathering, Rawat denied to the press that he believed himself to be the Messiah, characterizing himself instead "as a humble servant of God trying to establish peace in this world." A reporter then asked him about "a great contradiction" between what he said about himself and what his students were saying about him, and he responded by suggesting that the reporter ask the students making those claims themselves about that. In a still-later speech, Rawat was to characterize as mistaken the early Western reaction to him upon his arrival, saying, "when people saw me at that time, they really didn't understand what it was all about."

In a proclamation published in 1975, Rawat also said, "I do not claim to be God, but do claim I can establish peace on this Earth by our Lord's Grace, and everyone's joint effort".

Despite these and other declarations, some scholars, for example, the Dutch religious scholar and reverend, who specialized in new religious movements Reender Kranenborg wrote in 1982 article about the now-defunct DLM, that "in Maharaj ji's satsangs one can notice a speaking style that resembles very much some Christian evangelization campaigns: a pressing request, an emphasis on the last possibility to choose before it is too late and a terminology in which one is requested to surrender to the Lord, in this case Maharaj ji himself. The contents of the message is not Christian, though."

In an article named Journey that he published in his personal website on January 1999, Prem Rawat writes about this apparent contradiction: People through the years have tried to place me in a mold, and from the very early years I have not been able to oblige them. When I was very young, people were looking for the "old silver-haired Guru with flowing white robes." I was only eight. When people were flocking to India for their search, I was in the West. When people were looking for sophisticated discourses, I spoke of simple things. When people wanted nirvana, I said, "You need peace." When people said, "Tell us of the scriptures," I said, "Look within you." When people asked, "What is your qualification?" I said, "Judge me by what I offer." To this day, some people see me the way they want to. After all, I guess it is rather inconvenient to see things as they really are. I have evolved, but my message stays the same. Externally, I have changed but within me, something stays the same. In that same article Rawat states that people wanted to see him as a figurehead and as a leader but that he does not want to be one or the other, and that all he wanted to do is speak to those who wanted to hear him, and impart the Knowledge to those that sought it. He also said that if people like what is given, to practice it and if not, to leave it.

Marriage and family rift

In May 1974 at age sixteen Prem Rawat married a twenty-five year old flight attendant named Marolyn Johnson . The marriage to a Westerner apparently precipitated a rift between Prem and his mother. A period of intense conflict in 1974 between Rawat and his mother and brother ensued. At that time Rawat took control of the Western DLM away from them, and his mother disowned him and returned to India with two of his brothers. According to a report in the People magazine (June 16, 1975), she announced that his son was corrupted by Western ways, strayed from the holy Hindu path and claimed he drank alcohol, ate meat and visited night clubs. She managed through legal actions to appoint the eldest brother, Satpal, as leader of the DLM in India. The other two brothers split in allegiance, one siding with Prem and one siding with Satpal. Most of the mahatmas in the West either returned to India with his mother or were fired.

However, this focus on rumours about Rawat was contested by Bob Mishler, the president of Divine Light Mission at the time. He pointed out that people who looked at individual actions of Rawat like riding motorcycles or marrying an air hostess should look instead at the effect he has on the world, by the mark he leaves on society.

Turn toward Western modes of teaching

Discarding the trappings in the 1970s

Ron Geaves, a Professor and Chair in religious studies at the University of Chester, and a student of Prem Rawat, asserts he never intended to create a religious movement or considered his message defined by any lineage or religion. For example, whilst a religion tends to constrain behaviour according to a certain set of tenets, Rawat insisted that his senior staff should not interfere in any decisions that students made about their lives. That is, the emphasis was on people making decisions for themselves.

In 1975, Prem Rawat selected the first group of teachers he called "initiators", replacing the discarded title of "mahatma". This was one of the many and significant changes that took place within the organization in the second half of the decade, many of which were designed to remove elements of Hindu tradition that were unnecessary in the context of the West, and that were not a part of Rawat’s simplified teaching. Thus, the first part of 1976 saw changes that de-empahsized the Hindu associations that had been attached to Rawat from his Indian background, and a refocusing on him as an inspirational teacher. The notion of ahrams, where students lived a semi-monastic existence, was also challenged for similar reasons, and ashram residents were encouraged to consider leaving ; some did, and some of the ashrams closed at that time. Events in the summer of that year were distinctly westernized and were devoid of Hindu trappings; Rawat's clothing changed, and the former darshan lines were abandoned in favor of Western-style reception lines.

Some tension had been developing between Prem Rawat and Bob Mishler—President and Chief Executive of Divine Light Mission—since the early 1970s. According to John Hampton, an early student and assistant of Rawat, Rawat was concerned that Mishler was not practising the techniques of meditation that were essential for any student. The tension between Rawat and Mishler and others—for example, Michael Dettmers—continued into 1976. Earlier, according to Glenn Whittaker, a former UK spokesperson for Elan Vital, Mishler had wanted to further change the thrust of the organization by de-emphasizing Rawat’s role as teacher and focusing on the humanitarian elements that he (Mishler) considered important. Rawat had rejected these attempts to convert the organization into a purely humanitarian-focused one, as he (Rawat) was dedicated to telling people about “a peace within”, and for that a teacher was essential. During these years, Mishler became increasingly unhappy at this rejection of his vision and he resigned. His replacement was Michael Dettmers. According to the transcript of an alleged radio interview with Mishler after his departure from the organisation, he tried to persuade Rawat to tell his followers that he was not god but a human being. However, according to Mishler, Rawat was afraid that such a move would reduce his influence over people and affect his finances. Nevertheless, Rawat's statements from the time discouraged people from making any comparison between himself and god. These examples are too numerous to mention.

According to Dr. George Chryssides, senior lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, Rawat dissolved the ashrams in the West and went on to deny his divine status and status as a guru.

Transition in the 1980s

According to the America's Alternative Religions, during the 1980s, Prem Rawat began the slow dissolution of the Divine Light Mission, and eventually stepped away from the image of himself as a "Perfect Master." He continued to appear to audiences as Maharaji, a teacher, and established a minimal organization called Elan Vital. In this new role "he may be reaching more listeners than ever, especially abroad, but his role is that of a public speaker, and the original religious movement is essentially defunct."

The organization that supported Prem Rawat began retreating from Hindu trappings, and this time the trappings did not return. His supporters assert that during this period Rawat was able to free his core message from irrelevant and even hindering religious and cultural connotations to make it more universally appealing.

According to a 1982 dissertation about new religious movements and mental health by the Dutch sociologist Paul Schnabel, Maharaji's leadership was one of the purest examples of charismatic authority at that moment. Students who lived through those times and continue to practice Knowledge see it differently, however. While the tendency for many was to elevate Maharaji to super-human, divine proportions, the direct, personal experience of Knowledge allowed others to view him as someone they deeply admired and enjoyed listening to, but not as an object of worship.

For a time around 1980 the center of operations moved to Miami where activities included a project known as DECA which was concerned with the customization of a Boeing 707 intended for Prem Rawat's work, and the development of a commercial executive aircraft refurbishing facility. Rawat never used the 707 aircraft and it was later sold to a new owner, and the DECA business was sold to Aircraft Modular Products (AMP), a leader in the field of business jet interiors. (AMP was sold in 1998 to B/E aerospace for $118 US million.)

The Western ashrams were closed in 1983, which induced some disaffection among certain members who had been forced to leave upon the closure. Some of them still hold a grudge about this change. The Divine Light Mission, with its name connoting a religious orientation and its past links with the ashrams, was disbanded and replaced by Elan Vital, an educational nonprofit, sometime between 1983 and 1987. Its website notes the change of legal entity was among a multiplicity of changes suggested by Rawat and implemented by its board . Rawat said that the DLM had become too big and too expensive or inefficient; most of its offices were closed and many of the staff dismissed. Local offices of Elan Vital began to be opened sometime later. The title of "Instructor" was now used to denote those who taught the Knowledge techniques. During this time the students were asked to throw away old books, magazines and videos that included forms of veneration. The video production organization was renamed "Visions International," and it began producing video versions of Rawat's addresses. The former title "Guru Maharaj ji" was dropped in favor of "Maharaji," and Rawat discouraged the use of the Indian name that had been given to his wife upon their marriage.

An article published on December 4, 1987 in The Times of India, describes Rawat's mission as involving international tours during which he explains to "people in general without any distinction of caste, color, race, stature, or wealth that the source of happiness, peace and contentment lies within one's own self. He is trying to prepare humanity to face and overcome the present day tussle and turmoil prevailing in the world in the name of achieving world peace, on individual basis. In fact what Maharaj Ji is trying to do is not being comprehended by most of the people, with the results that he is included in the category of those persons who have become mere machines to collect wealth, while Maharaj Ji has taken a pledge to complete this huge task without any monetary consideration."

Prem Rawat's activities today

Although based in the U.S.A., Prem Rawat is today still active in India as well. With a more culturally neutral approach, Rawat now concentrates on what he calls a "universal message of peace" and "self-fulfillment" , introducing people to the possibility of inner peace. Rawat's message is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries, largely on video and in print. . The video broadcasts have won awards from various non-related entities.

Access to the techniques

The approach to receiving Prem Rawat's techniques of Knowledge has become much less onerous. During the period when the organization was at its largest, a student's access to the techniques was constrained through a layer of intermediaries. A Mahatma or in later times an Instructor would in a "Knowledge selection" process decide and chose which aspirants would receive the techniques. Once an aspirant was chosen, he or she would then be granted access to a "Knowledge session" in which the techniques were revealed. The use of personal mentors and instructors in smaller groups has largely been abandoned in favor of taped or live instruction by Rawat himself via satellite video or cable television programming along with on-line newsletters for information dissemination , and access to the techniques is now governed by a much less restrictive self-paced and self-assessed preparation process, perhaps reminiscent of a more open attitude prevalent during Rawat's initial foray into the West. However, students must be at least eighteen years old and of legal age in their country in order to prepare for and be taught the techniques of Knowledge.

The Prem Rawat Foundation states that the practice of Knowledge has no bearing or compatibility problem with peoples' existing religious or spiritual belief system.

The Dutch religious scholar Reender Kranenborg say that the techniques of Knowledge, also known as kriyas, originated from the Surat Shabda Yoga or Sant Mat, the Path of the Sound Current. This alleged relationship to Surat Shabd Yoga is neither presented or acknowledged in any literature from the organizations that support Prem Rawat's work, or by Rawat himself, and many practitioners regard such history as irrelevant to the peace that the techniques help them to enjoy.

The organizations

In 2001 a new organization, the Prem Rawat Foundation, was founded as a non-profit organization largely for the production and distribution of audiovisual and other materials containing Rawat's message. The Foundation also oversees several humanitarian efforts around the world, providing food and medical relief to war-torn areas and medical care in impoverished areas

Elan Vital organizations remain active in the US, the UK, Australia and Switzerland, engaged in event organization, logistics, and fundraising . These entities are much smaller now than the DLM has been in times past, however, with only a small paid staff and volunteers doing most of the work and preparation for events. While these organizations report that they seek and accept Prem Rawat's input, he is not an officer, director, or employee of either organization. They report he receives no income from them for his services or from sale of materials other than reimbursement for documented tour and speaking expenses.

There are many other independent, volunteer-based organizations that promote Prem Rawat's teachings locally in countries of all five continents.

Current activities

Prem Rawat reportedly travels about eleven months out of the year on speaking tours and giving training on the Indian sub-continent and in the West. In addition to speaking at large gatherings of students and interested persons, he speaks at various cultural, educational and community forums. He reportedly spoke to more than a million people in a 2004 India tour.

Number of practitioners of Knowledge

According to the organizations, Prem Rawat has over the years engaged over six and a half million people in 250 cities and fifty countries. They estimate slightly more than half a million have been taught the techniques since Rawat came to the West, about 125,000 of this number between January 2000 and April 2004 . Volunteers estimate an additional 125,000 currently in preparation to be taught the techniques, 65,000 having been in preparation five months or more, with these numbers on the increase in many countries. A press release states that 2004 was the first year where the number of new students has exceeded 50,000. Printed and audiovisual materials are available in approximately sixty languages, and the organizations estimate Rawat currently has hundreds of thousands of practicing students worldwide, representing a wide variety of backgrounds and personal situations. Since there is no longer any membership component to the organizations, however, it is difficult to determine with precision the number of persons actually practicing his techniques. Chryssides' Historical Dictionary of New Religious movements (2001), estimates 15,000 people practicing the techniques in the USA and 5,000 in the UK.

'Premie' is the name given to students of Rawat in India and other Eastern countries. It stems from the Hindi word "prem" (prema in Sanskrit), which means "love"; "premie" means "lover." Until the early 1990s it also was the name given to his students in the West, and it is still occasionally used. Nowadays students of Rawat sometimes refer to fellow students as "People that received the techniques of Knowledge," "People with Knowledge," or more generically as "Maharaji's students."

Life work

Prem Rawat has addressed audiences from a few hundreds to hundreds of thousands since he the age of three. Between 1965, when his addresses were first documented, and until July 2005, he addressed audiences at 2,280 events around the world. Between January 2004 and June 2005 alone, he delivered 117 addresses in Asia, Europe and North America.

His speaks without a script, and while he always speaks on the same topic—finding peace and fulfillment within—each of his addresses is known to be unique . The range and variety of people that come to him for inspiration and guidance includes people from rural villages of India and Africa, people from all walks of life in Western countries, to diplomats and government officials in large metropoles. Because his message is from the heart, he says, and not from or for the intellect, his words can reach and touch people regardless of their condition or background.

Since 1971, when he was first invited to speak to audiences outside India, Prem Rawat has received proclamations and resolutions that honor his work, and the keys to the cities of New York City; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oakland, California; Kyoto, Japan; Detroit, Michigan; Miami, Florida and Miami Beach, Florida.

For accolades by business leaders, academics and government leaders see Wikiquote.

Other personal aspects

Between tours, Prem Rawat lives with his wife in Malibu, California in the U.S. He has four grown children. He is an experienced airline transport-rated pilot and holds a number of pilot ratings on jet airplanes and helicopters. His resume discusses skills in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and development of aviation software. He is listed as co-inventor on a U.S. Patent for a world-time watch for aeronautic applications. He reports that he supports himself and his family as a private investor, and that he has contributed to the success of several startup companies in various industries, including software.

"Peace needs to be in everyone's life. Of all the things we have tried in this world, there is one thing we have never given a chance. That one thing is peace. If we want to hope for something, maybe we could hope in our heart that peace will come in our life. The peace that we are looking for is within. It is in the heart, waiting to be felt, and I can help you get in touch with it. It is not the world that needs peace; it is people. When people in the world are at peace within, the world will be at peace." --Maharaji

Criticism

Groups of disillusioned ex-students existed in the U.S. as early as 1973, some of whom spoke to reporters during the Astrodome gathering, with other students becoming disillusioned later, expressing anger and a sense of loss. Their disaffection appears to stem in some part from their former belief in Rawat's personal divinity and consequent dissonance with his newer image as human teacher. Some of them assert they came to their disillusioned realization, while his supporters characterize their disillusionment as instead a necessary by-product of Rawat's own efforts to throw off anachronistic Hindu religious and cultural trappings in favor of his core message. Most current criticism is focused though a group of former followers calling themselves "ex-premies" who have an active presence on the Internet.

What is perhaps the oft-repeated and most vehement criticism currently leveled at Rawat by the "ex-premies" revisits their devotion during the 1970s and those "ex-premies'" unresolved issues of ambiguity surrounding personal divinity. They claim that Rawat's and his entourage's behavior during the early period in the West amounted to what they see as a deliberate and public claims of personal divinity, that these assertions of personal divinity have never been properly disclaimed, and that they continue to the present to be asserted in secret, all for personal gain. Other criticisms include allegations that he exploited his students to build a luxurious lifestyle for himself "However as the group withdrew from the public eye, little controversy followed it except the accusations of Robert Mishner , the former president of the Mission who left in 1997. Mishner complained that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill and that money was increasingly diverted to Maharaj Ji's personal use. Mishner's charges found little support and have not affected the progress of the Mission.", that his personal behavior was and is hypocritical and inconsistent with one claiming to have found inner peace, and that he and the organizations engage in various deceptive practices to falsely magnify his perceived significance and prestige. This criticism is based largely on allegations against Prem Rawat's lifestyle and choices, made by key personnel including Mishler, who died in the late 1970s, that after they parted ways with Prem Rawat and the related organizations began making allegations against Rawat's character such as anxiety and alcoholism.

The organizations that support Prem Rawat's work as well as current students categorically deny these and other accusations, labeling the ex-premies an insignificantly small hate group of no more than a handful of individuals who constantly harass Rawat and his students and impinge on freedom of belief with their intolerance . Several "ex-premies" have filed legal documents admitting under oath that the underlying purpose of the ex-premie group is to harass, defame and annoy Rawat and his students, and to purposefully interfere with the rights of people to experience their own spiritual discovery and their right to peacefully assemble. , . In one affidavit, a former ex-premie once touted as a champion apologized for his participation in the ex-premie schemes, and disclosed that many of the people in the ex-premie group are "irrational, obsessed, and motivated by ill-directed anger and that when they purport to report on factual matters they are frequently false and defamatory, unsupported by actual fact basis, and motivated in many instances by hatred, ill will and spite."

Several scholarly articles from the 1970 and 1980s about the DLM and other new religious movements included various critical observations and comments about Rawat and his students: the DLM having no substantial contents was claimed by the sociologists Daniel Foss and Ralph Larkin in 1978; irrationality among students was claimed in a 1981 article about the DLM by a student of religion named Wim Haan that appeared in the magazine about religious movements of the Free University of Amsterdam; materialistic, spoilt, and intellectually unremarkable and Rawat discouraging critical thinking was claimed in a 1982 Ph.D. thesis about new religious movements and mental health by the sociologist Paul Schnabel; Rawat having become a charlatan, leading privately a life of idleness and pleasures hidden from the average followers by the professor of psychology of religion Jan van der Lans in a 1981 book about followers of gurus written upon request for a Dutch Catholic institute (he did not provide sources for this assertion); making claims of personal divinity and having a lifestyle contradictory with Christian values made in a 1982 article by the religious scholar and Christian minister Reender Kranenborg; concern about financial exploitation of students by the psychiatrist Saul V. Levine in an undated article about life in cults that appeared in a 1989 book. Details about their comments, the context in which they were made, the sources (or the lack thereof) they used for their research is discussed in detail in the Criticism of Prem Rawat article.

There are other scholars that wrote about this subject that do not level criticism against Prem Rawat, like Dennis Marcellino, Tim Miller, Raymond Lee, Rosemary Goring, and George D. Chryssides. Other scholars, like David V. Barrett, DuPertuis and Gordon J. Melton do not criticize Rawat themselves but they mention criticism by others, the media, Rawat's mother, and Bob Mishler respectively. Stephen A. Kent makes self-admitted subjective criticism (lacking substance) on Prem Rawat and treats the criticism by the countercultural left on him in the 1970s.

References

1. Goring, Rosemary (Ed.). Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (1997) p.145, Wordsworth Editions, ISBN 1853263540
2. 'Discovering More' (Retrieved August 2005)
3. Maharaji on peace. (Retrieved Feb 2006)
4. Prem Rawat speaks at Australia’s Parliament House on the United Nations’ International Day of Peace
5. Leading Thai University Welcomes Prem Rawat. (Retrieved Feb 2006)
6. Prem Rawat Brings Message of Peace to Members of Italian Parliament. (Retrieved Feb 2006)
7. Hans Jayanti (2000), pp.24-37. DUO, New Delhi, Book published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Hans ji Maharaj's birth.
8. Ram Lila Grounds, Delhi, India, October 29, 1966 (translated from Hindi
   "Today I will speak about love. What is love? How can one get love? Why should one get it? There are two kinds of love. One is the worldly connection. The other is attained through Knowledge. In this human body exists the love we have to discover. You should love one another and behave lovingly because when love comes, everything comes. You should speak to one another with love and humility. Love is the essence."
9. About Prem Rawat (retrieved Nov 2005) "Born in India, he started addressing audiences at the age of three and gave his first published address when he was only four. At eight, he started presenting his message of peace throughout the Indian subcontinent. At thirteen, he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles."
10. Lee, Raymond L M. Sacred Tensions: Modernity and Religious Transformation in Malaysia (1997) pp.109-110 The University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1570031673 "Upon the death of his founder in 1966, one of his sons, Guru Maharaj ji, assumed leadership of the movement and won the hearts of many young Westerners." (p.109)
11. Aagaard, Johannes. Who Is Who In Guruism? (1980) "During the first 6 years of the new movement its head was Shri Hans, the father of the young Maharaj Ji, who, at the age of 8 years, succeeded his father in 1966."
12. U. S. Department of the Army, Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains (2001) pp.1-5 , The Minerva Group, ISBN 0898756073
    Following his death, Shri Hans Ji appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji as the next Perfect Master and therefore he assumed the head of the Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father."
13. Singh, Bihari. Maharaji accepted by his father's students, Retrieved Jan 2006.
    "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.’ 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. 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."
14. Fahlbusch E., Lochman J. M., Mbiti J., Pelikan J., Vischer L, Barret D. (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Christianity (1998). p.861, ISBN 9004113169
    "At the funeral of Shree Hans, his son Prem Pal Singh Rawat comforted those who mourned his father's death with the thought that they still had perfect knowledge with them. The son himself had become the subject of this knowledge, the perfect master, in the place of his father, and took the title of "guru" and the name of Maharaj Ji, or great king, a title of respect of which other titular names were added. The honors paid him by his followers gave him the characteristic of a messianic child. These were supposedly his by nature and they helped him to eliminate rival claims from his own family."
15. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America,(1986), pp.141-2 Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
    "Just six years after the founding of the Mission, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj was succeeded by his younger son Prem Pal Singh Rawat, who was eight when he was recognized as the new Perfect Master and assumed the title, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji had been recognized as spiritually adept, even within the circle of the Holy Family as Shri Hans family was called. He had been initiated at the age of six He assumed the role of Perfect Master at his father's funeral by telling the disciples who had gathered. Though officially the autocratic leader of the Mission, because of Maharaji's age authority was shared by the whole family."
16. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedia of American religions, (1978) p.370-1, McGrath Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8434-643-7
    "As they bewailed their loss at his funeral, one of the four sons, then only eight-years old arose and addressed the crowd. Thus Maharaj Ji proclaimed his lordship and established himself as the new head if his father's mission"
17. Cameron, Charles (Ed.). Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji? (1973), Bantam Books, Inc.
18. Rawat, Prem and Wolf, Burt. Inner Journey: A spirited conversation about self-discovery TC 0:21:45 (DVD). ISBN 0-9740627-0-7
    He was the rock. And the next thing you know, he's not there. And it's like, "Do I really understand this? Do I really understand the dynamics of this?"And then I remember being in this hall where all these people had come to pay their respects to him. And they were waiting and crying. And I came on stage and I said, "Don't cry. Don't weep. Because what you really loved is still here and will always be there with you." And it was a powerful moment. It was very genuine. I saw these people weeping and I felt this is something that I can do. I want to help."
19. Navbharat Times, 10th November, 1970 (from Hindi original)"A three-day event in commemoration of Sri Hans Ji Maharaj, the largest procession in Delhi history of 18-miles of processionits culminated in a public event at India Gate, where Sant Ji Maharaj addressed the large gathering"
20. Hindustan Times, 9th November, 1970 (English)"Roads in the Capital spilled over with a 1,000,000 processionists, men, women and children marched from Indra Prasha Estate to the India Gate lawn. People had come from all over the country and belonged to several religions. A few Europeans dressed in white were also in the procession."
21. Guinness Book of World Records, 1970
22. ^ Maharaji.org website, February 1999
23. Pryor, William. The Survival of the Coolest: A Darwin's Death Defying Journey Into the Interior of Addiction (2004), p. 148. Clear Press, ISBN 1904555136
24. Partial list of honors The Prem Rawat Foundation website
25. Ibid. Religious Requirements and Practices p. 1-6
26. Crewdson, John. Science Fictions p.15 (2003) Back Bay Books ISBN 0316090042
27. Leech, Keneth. Soul Friend (2001) Morehouse Group, ISBN 081921888X
28. Peace Bomb statsang, 11 October 1970, India Gate, New Delhi
29. Marcellino, Dennis Why Are We Here?: The Scientific Answer to This Age-Old Question (That You Don't Need to Be a Scientist to Understand) (1996) p.129 Lighthouse Publishing, ISBN 0945272103
30. Barret, David V. The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions (2003) p.325, Cassel, ISBN 1844030407
31. "Making the First Step: Bob Mishler at a Staff Meeting, 10 June 1974." Divine Times 3, no. 3 (July 1974)
32. Geaves, Ron (2002). From Divine Light Mission to Elan Vital and Beyond: an Exploration of Change and Adaptation, 2002 International Conference on Minority Religions, Social Change and Freedom of Conscience, University of Utah at Salt Lake City (Note: Geaves is a student of Prem Rawat).
33. Baker, Willow. "Organizations not to come between Maharaji and his students" . Accessed 3 February 2006
34. John Hampton. “Agendas in the Organization”. . Accessed 5 February 2006.
35. Jon Knight. “Competing Visions for Maharaji’s Work.” . Accessed 5 February 2006.
36. Glen Whittaker. “A Change in Management” . Accessed 5 February 2006
37. Whittaker. “A Change in Management.
38. George D. Chryssides Chryssides, George D. (2001). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, pp. 108-109, 115-116. The Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland and London, 2001. ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
39. Miller, Tim (Ed.) America's Alternative Religions (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies) p.364 (1995) State University of New York Press. 474pp. ISBN 0791423972
40. Elan Vital, FAQs - History. Available online (Retrieved Jan 2006)
41. Schnabel, Paul Dr. (Dutch language) Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health Erasmus university Rotterdam, Faculty of Medicine, Ph.D.
42. B/E Aerospace to buy Aircraft Modular Products. The South Florida Business Journal, April 1998 [Available online
43. Elan Vital FAQs - About Elan Vitak, Inc. Available online (Retrieved Jan 2006)
44. Visions International website. (Retrieved Jan 2006)
45. Ibid. America's Alternative Religions p.421
46. The Times of India, December 4, 1987
47. Conversation with Prem Rawat, Avaliable online. (Retrieved Jan 2006)
48. The Prem Rawat Foundation About
49. "Words of Peace" by Maharaji receives TV Award in Brazil" Press release.
50. Visions International, Broadcast schedule of Maharaji's addresses (Retrieved Jan 2006)
51. Inspire ' e-newsletter with highlights of Prem Rawat's work (Retrievved Jan 2006)
52. Frequently Asked Questions Available online (Retrieved Jan 2006)
53. Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen/Eastern faith movements in the West (Dutch language) ISBN 9021049651
54. Guidestar report for non-profit organizations. Available online
55. Humanitarian Initiatives The Prem Rawat Foundation (Retrieved Jan 2996)
56. Elan Vital Foundation website http://elanvitalfoundation.com/; Elan Vital; Australia http://www.elanvital.com.au/; Elan Vital, UK http://elanvital.org.uk
57. Elan Vital About (Retrieved Jan 2006)
58. Volunteer-based organizations (Retrieved (Feb 2006)
59. Annual report TPRF(retrieved Jan 2006)
60. Maharaji at Griffith University (2004) ISBN 0-9740627-2-3
61. The Prem Rawat Foundation presents: Maharaji at Sanders Theatre, Harvard University (2005) ISBN 0-9740627-3-1
62. Maharaji at The House of Parliament Conference Hall Rome, Italy (2005) ISBN 0-9740627-4-X
63. Peace Is Possible: an event with Prem Rawat hosted by the United Nations Association of Malaysia with the United Nations Development programme. (2005) ISBN 0-9740627-5-8
64. The Unchangeable: Maharaji at the University of California at Berkeley (2004) ISBN 0-9740627-6-6
65. Maharaji at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona, Spain(2004) ISBN 0-9740627-7-4
66. The Voice of Maharaji: Maharaji on Life and the Possibility of Peace Within (Retrieved Jan 2006)
67. A letter from Prem Rawat (Retrieved Jan 2006)
68. Ibid. Encyclopedic Handbookpp.144-5
    However as the group withdrew from the public eye, little controversy followed it except the accusations of Robert Mishner , the former president of the Mission who left in 1997. Mishner complained that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill and that money was increasingly diverted to Maharaj Ji's personal use. Mishner's charges found little support and have not affected the progress of the Mission.

Bibliography

• Downton, James V. Sacred journeys : The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission,(1979) Columbia University Press.
• Melton, J. Gordon and R. James Lewis, Institute for the Study of American Religion (1993). Religious Requirements and practices: A Handbook for Chaplains. (US) Department of the Army, Office of the Chief of Chaplains (discusses Elan Vital).
• Melton, J. Gordon. Encyclopedia of American Religions (7th ed.). ISBN 0-7876-6384-0.

External links

Official Websites of Maharaji

• 'Maharaji', Prem Rawat's personal website - Content and design by Prem Rawat. Available in 16 languages.
• The Keys website - Keys for preparing to receive the techniques of Knowledge
• The Prem Rawat Foundation
• Visions International a dba of Elan Vital, Inc. USA
• Elan Vital, United Kingdom
• Elan Vital, Australia
• Broadcasting Maharaji's message, Europe
• Raj Vidya Kender, India
• Portal for contact information

Multimedia excerpts

• Address at Barcelona Forum 2004.
• Excerpts from recent addresses
• slideshow and audio excerpt of address at Griffith University in early 2004 (requires QuickTime)

Other

• Biographic eyewitness reports
• Testimonials from students
• Blog of Maharaji activities
• Links to various websites related to Prem Rawat
• WordPaint - featuring excerpts of Prem Rawat's recent talks available in 20 languages
• Elan Vital aka Divine Light Mission article on the website of the University of Virginia, written by Eugene M. Elliott, III, a student of the late Jeffrey Hadden

Critics

• Critical ex-followers' website
• Another critical ex-followers' website. This page critizes this very article accusing it of "apologism".

http://www.ex-disciples.org/index-18.htm

• 1957 births
• Prem Rawat
• Living people