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Born in India, Prem Rawat (known also as Maharaji, a honorary title given to him in India) started speaking to audiences at the age of three and gave his first published address when he was only four. At the age of eight, he started presenting his message of peace throughout the Indian subcontinent. At thirteen, he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles. Since then, he has presented his message to more than 6.5 million people in over 250 cities and 50 countries around the world.
The movement that he founded is called the Divine Light Mission. Later the Divine Light Mission and its ashrams were dismantled and Maharaji became the head of a movement called Elan Vital which ex-members consider just a name change. The followers of Maharaji were called Premies.
Maharaji teaches a way to go within oneself, which he calls "Knowledge". According to practitioners of this Knowledge , it is the way to inner peace. It is believed to be the tool for enjoyment of the gift of life.
The dissemination of his message, which is made available in more than 88 countries and 70 languages, is entirely supported by voluntary contributions and the sale of related materials. He supports himself and his family through independent means.
Too some of his ex-followers, Maharaji is the head of a cult, who teaches platitudes and fluff, and lives off the gullibility and credulity of his followers.
Maharaji is now very wealthy. Apologists claim that his followers support him for giving them such a wonderful gift, and they are only providing him with the comfortable life-style that he deserves. Detractors say that he has milked his followers through manipulation, though opinion differs on whether he is an actual con-artist, deliberately deceiving people, or whether he himself believes that he is indeed the satguru of this age and that he is as deluded as his followers.
External Link
- official home page, an extremely uninformative site
- http://realmaharaji.bravepages.com/index.html a more revealing, satirical website made by ex-members]
- Ex-premie, Another website made by ex-followers