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Prem Rawat, known also by the honorary title Maharaji, was born in India in 1957 and reportedly started speaking to audiences about inner peace at the age of three. In India he is known as Guru Maharaj ji or Balyogeshwar.

Prem Rawat is the fourth son of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, himself a teacher and guide (called guru in Indian culture).

Since an early age, Prem Rawat has been surrounded by controversy. Denigrated by his critics, loved by his students, and unknown to most, he continues to be a controversial figure to this day:

When he was four years old and was speaking in front of large audiences, detractors would shout from the back claiming that a recorded speech was played and he was just moving his lips.
At the age of eight, when his father passed away, Prem Rawat declared that he would continue his father's work to spread his message of peace in India and around the world. His mother and older brothers accepted this and he became the assumed teacher. According to translations of some of his early addresses, he taught that there was always one "perfect master" in the world at any one time. Just as Rama, Krishna and Buddha had been such manifestations in their time, his father was as well. David C. Lane, a scholar and known anti-cult activist, has tracked the lineages in this tradition.
According to a transcription of a speech that Maharaji gave in India when he was 12 years old, he declared that he will bring peace to the world and that he was the true master (satguru) of his time, . Some interpret this speech as a declaration of divinity. . The FAQ of one of the organizations that support his work (See Elan Vital), rebuts this by saying that in Indian culture it is routinely declared the Guru as God or even greater than God. To the man on the street in India, "Guru is greater than God" is a common statement.. They also say that in India the title of "Lord" is given on the the basis of affection or admiration.
When he was 13 years old, Maharaji was discovered by travelling western hippies who persuaded him to leave India and visit them in England and the U.S. These hippies began to spread the message that the Lord of the Universe was here for all throughout the world. Whether because of his youth or the grand nature of that claim, Maharaji (called at that time Guru Maharaji Ji) courted and attracted the attention of people of all walks of life, journalists and government officials. At that time the Divine Light Mission ran a large public relations campaign on the theme "Who is Guru Maharaj Ji?" The answer, Maharaji taught, was to be found in the Knowledge that he offered which, he claimed, allowed one to have a direct and immediate experience of God within.
When he was 15 years old, he married a stewardess by the name of Marolyn Johnston. His mother and two eldest brothers were so incensed that he married outside of Indian culture that they repudiated him and retreated to India. Prem Rawat's oldest brother, Satpal Rawat, asserted himself as the one to continue their father's teachings within Indian cuture traditions, while Maharaji remained in the West and continued teaching, slowly removing himself from these trappings. Satpal pursued a career in politics in India with mixed success.

Since then, he has presented his message to more than 6.5 million people in over 250 cities and 50 countries. According to official websites, his message is made available in more than 88 countries and 60 languages. In a recent tour in India, he spoke to more than a million people about the possibility of inner peace and contentment .

Acording to official websites, Maharaji travels on average 11 months each year and, between tours, lives with his family (he has now four grown up children) in Malibu, USA. He is acknowledged by many public communities, business associations and magazines for his contribution to helping bring peace into people's lives.. Although many interviews have been published, detractors say that Maharaji only gives interviews to journalist that have positive feelings about his teachings and that the last time is faced the press was at the Milenium event in 1973.

Today Maharaji travels extensively within the India sub-continent as well as in the West, spreading his message that "peace is possible, as it resides within each human being", by speaking at numerous public forums throughout the year, in which he speaks and interacts with individuals interested in knowing more about his teachings.

See slideshow and audio excerpt of an address given by Maharaji at the Griffith University in early 2004. (Requires QuickTime). See also: Video clips of recent addresses given at several universities in the USA and Europe in 2003.

Maharaji's teachings

According to The Prem Rawat Foundation website, Maharaji provides inspiration and guidance about the possibility of knowing inner peace and contentment through techniques that he calls "Knowledge". A short excerpts of one of his addresses:

"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."

According to official sources, his students come from all walks of life. They range from farmers and fishermen in poor countries to executives in global corporations and diplomats in the highest echelons of government and international institutions.Read testimonials. Some of his students are in their late teens, and others have been his students for more than thirty-five years.

Students say that Maharaji has thousands of students around the world, and he provides ways of interaction with him via expression events and question and answers sessions that are broadcast via live satellite TV to thousands of locations around the world. Printed, audio and video materials are available in more than 60 languages for people to keep in touch with his teachings.

Most of the work and preparation for events in which Maharaji is invited to speak is conducted by the students themselves that give their time, effort and money to make these events possible. According to the organizations that support his work, he does not receive compensation for his public appearances.

Although there is no liturgy or social obligations involved, Maharaji aks his students to practice daily for at least one hour the techniques of "Knowledge" to help them experience inner peace and fulfillment. He also motivates them to keep in touch with his teachings, participate in making his message available to other people, and asks not to divulge the techniques of Knowledge to others. These techniques of Knowledge are given free of charge in special gatherings called "Knoweldge Sessions". In early days, Maharaji himself or his instructors (Mahatmas in India) conducted these Knowledge sessions. Nowadays these sessions are conducted with the help of digital media in which Maharaji teaches the techniques of Knowledge via a video presentation available in more than 50 languages.

Students and interested people keep in touch with his teachings via digital satellite video broadcasting and cable TV programming in stations around the word See TV programming schedule.

Excerpt

Posted with explicit permission of The Prem Rawat Foundation
Excerpt of Maharaji's address at the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona:

"So often peace is defined as the absence of war. There is war that happens between two countries. There is war that takes place between two people. There is war that does not even require two people; it takes place inside of a person. For a war on the outside, maybe a cease–fire can be negotiated. Between two people, maybe an understanding can be negotiated. But even in the absence of those kinds of wars, there is a war that takes place inside a human being—a much more ferocious war that devastates the very elements that are the foundation of a person. Which of these wars will become absent so that one day we can stand up and say, 'Now there is peace'?

Whatever it takes, find that peace, and for the rest of your life, enjoy that beautiful peace that has been lying in wait within you. It begins with you. You are the source. You are the source for the thirst, and you are the well in which the sweetest water resides. Within you are both the thirst and the means to quench it. Begin by accepting this possibility in your life. That is where your answer lies. You have had the question for a long time. Now it is time to get the answer and get on with your life—in joy, in harmony, and with understanding. Now is the time to begin to enjoy the rest of your life.

Enjoy every day for the rest of your life. If there ever was a gift, this is the gift. If there ever was a time, this is the time. If ever there was an opportunity, then this is the opportunity. This is my message.

It begins with each one of you. It will be everyone's effort that will make peace possible—each one of us. And yes, peace is very, very possible. I see the possibility, and you need to see it, too.

After all, wherever you go and whatever you do, your heart will not leave you alone because it, alone, holds the quest for peace. You cannot run from it. You cannot evade it. Be sincere toward this existence. Be sincere toward today. Be sincere toward tomorrow as it comes and unfolds itself into today. All those promises will only come together today, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is just an idea. Today is when all tomorrows manifest. In today, find your reality; in today, find your courage. And today, find the possibility of being in peace, being in joy, being in the reality that you are."

Excerpt from "Divine Times", 1976

Organizations

Maharaji's work is helped by many of organizations around the world most of them run by volunteers, others are set up as non-for-profit organizations. The first one "Divine Light Mission" (DLM) was set up in the early 70's, being superseded by Elan Vital in 1983. Ashrams setup by DLM in the West were closed at that time. Several of the most vocal critics came from the ranks of these that lived in the DLM ashrams at that time, who felt disenchanted with the change and abandonment of Indian traditions by Maharaji.

Today, Elan Vital exists in a few countries, mainly involved in organizing events and fund-raising. Although Maharaji is not involved in any aspects of the organizations, detractors claim that he is the leader of these organizations and have decision-making powers in these. Followers deny that the Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital were religious organizations and say that Maharaji only presents the possibility of inner peace through the practice of Knowledge. Maharaji himself has said many times in his public forums, that the practice of Knowledge is compatible with all religions, beliefs, and ways of life.

In 2001, The Prem Rawat Foundation was formed, according the the Foundation's website, to "promote and disseminate the speeches, writings, music, art, and public forums of Prem Rawat."

Critics

For some ex-followers, Maharaji is the head of a cult, who teaches platitudes and fluff, and lives off the gullibility and credulity of his followers. The DLM was criticized for enabling Maharaji to live a live of luxury from the donations of his followers (Barrett). According to the Prem Rawat Foundation website, "He supports himself and his family through independent means".

Other critics believe that he discouraged critical thinking to maintain followers’ unquestioning loyalty and devotion to him. To his followers, he is a loved friend and guide providing ongoing inspiration and guidance, encouraging them to "stand on their own feet".

There are also complaints from ex-followers about alleged sexual misconduct by a former Indian instructor (Mahatma) named Jagdeo in the mid 70's. According to Elan Vital, they received a complaint in 2001 and conducted an investigation. In 2001, the counterpart Indian organization filed a legal complaint as a result. They state that they have adopted a strict sexual harassement policy and that representatives of the organization undergo compulsory training to understand and implement that policy.

Some see the vocal critics as a small group of ex-followers and disgruntled employees, not representative of the many students who have left silently and moved on. They reproach the vocal critics of repeatedly defaming, libeling and harassing Maharaji and his students.

To backup their claim that some vocal critics are of dubious character, official websites tell about legal proceedings against several of them in Australia:

One of them was charged and jailed in what was characterized by local press as one of the "largest drug busts in Queensland's history", for $2.5 million in drugs and illegal weapons posession Queensland Times July 2003.
Another, stole computer data files belonging to officers of the Australian organization.
A journalist that wrote a scathingly negative article in the local press, and reportedly one of the more active critics was found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court of Queensland for lying and disseminating stolen information.

In their website, the group of vocal critics accuses Maharaji of resorting to ad hominem attacks on them because of his inability to confront them directly and justify their campaign as a public service. According to the FAQ in official websites many of their vocal critics' activities have leapt, from mere criticism into outright illegal acts, (See FAQ.) an thus considers some of these vocal critics a hate group .

External Links

Maharaji in the Press

Recent newspaper and magazine articles about Maharaji (source: The Prem Rawat Foundation)

http://www.forum8.org/forum8/posts/2305.html

Clippings and trascriptions of newspaper articles of interest, mainly from the early days (1970's) is available on the ex-followers website's press room.

Official websites

Maharaji's personal web site Short poems set to music. Available in Chinese, Danish, English, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Slovenian, Finnish and Swedish
The Prem Rawat foundation A non-for-profit Foundation that promotes and dissminates Maharaji's speeches, writings, music, art and public forums.
Contactinfo.net News, Event information, Materials, Contacts around the world
Inspire Weekly newsletter with highlights of Maharaji's work
- Inspira Spanish version (Version en español)
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Unofficial websites

Organizations that support Maharaji's work

These organizations, setup as non-profit orgnizations in most coutries, are mostly run by volunteers to promote Maharaji's message in their localities and organize events to which Maharaji is invited to speak. A short list of these follows:

Grassroot websites of followers

Some localities have groups of volunteers that support Maharajis's work. A short list of these follows

Ex-followers websites

Other

University of Virginia, written by a student of the late Jeffrey Hadden, includes obsolete practices Contains outdated information. Mostly based on accounts provided by ex-followers.

References and bibliography

Barrett, D. V. The New Believers - A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions 2001 UK, Cassell & Co ISBN 0-304-35592-92-5 pages 65, 305-329
Lane, David C., The Radhaomi Tradition, A Critical History of Guru Successorship
Melton, J. Gordon Department of the USA Army, Office of the Chief of Chaplains Religious Requirements and practices. A Handbook for Chaplains written by The institute for the study of the American religion (ISAR) 1993

Category:

New religious movements