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Prem Rawat, also known as Maharaji (formerly Guru Maharaj Ji) has been a speaker and teacher on the subject of "inner peace" since the age of eight, as well as offering instruction of four meditation techniques he calls Knowledge.

In 1971 Rawat traveled from India to speak in London and Los Angeles and was the subject of substantial media attention. He returned to the West in 1972 with his mother and elder brother and formed the Divine Light Mission to assist in spreading his message. Dozens of Indian style ashrams were established and tens of thousands of followers were attracted, largely from the hippie culture. Rawat was frequently criticised by religious scholars on the basis of his age, his behaviour and his teachings.

Rawat's desire to manifest his own vision brought him into conflict with his mother and family, and his marriage to an American follower in 1974 caused a permanent split. From this point Rawat and his teachings became more Western, and in the early 1980s he abandoned the title and trappings of a guru, closed the ashrams and changed his style to appeal to a Western audience. The Prem Rawat Foundation was established in 2001 to promote his message which is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries on video, print, and television, as well as to spearhead humanitarian efforts.

Childhood

Prem Rawat was born in Haridwar, North India, on Dec 10, 1957. The fourth and youngest son of guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj and his second wife, Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi, Rawat attended elementary school at St. Joseph's Academy in his hometown of Dehra Dun. At the age of three, he began speaking at his father's meetings, and when he was six, his father taught him the techniques of "Knowledge". In 1966 his father died, and eight year-old Rawat was accepted by his family and followers, known as "premies", as the new Satguru and leader of the Divine Light Mission. During weekends and school holidays, Rawat traveled and spoke about inner experience in much the same way that his father had.

In the late 1960s, some young Western followers asked him to visit the West. In 1969, he sent one of his closest Indian students (known as Mahatmas) to London to teach Knowledge on his behalf. In 1970, many of his new Western followers traveled to India to see him, and were present when he announced at a gathering at India Gate, Delhi, that he was ready to begin the task of bringing peace to the world. The speech became known as the Peace Bomb, and according to the Dutch religious scholar and minister Reender Kranenborg, it marked the start of Rawat's international work.

Leaving India

On 17 June 1971, during his school holidays, Rawat flew to England leaving his family behind. He was thirteen and the subject of substantial media attention. On 20 June, he spoke at the Glastonbury Fayre, and on 17 July, after brief trips to Paris and Heidelberg, flew to Los Angeles to begin an American tour.

Rawat established the U.S. Divine Light Mission (DLM) in September of 1971, based in Denver, Colorado. He then returned to India in October to celebrate the anniversary of his father's birthday. In 1972, he returned to the West, this time accompanied by his mother, eldest brother Satpal, and an entourage of mahatmas and other Indian supporters. DLM held a festival in Montrose, Colorado which was attended by 2000 people. An article in Time Magazine reported that his mother and three older brothers kissed his feet when they were in his presence as a demonstration of worship.

By 1972, DLM was operating in North and South America, Europe, and Australia. Tens of thousands of people had been initiated. Several hundred centers and dozens of ashrams had been formed.

Divine Light Mission booked the Houston Astrodome in November 1973 for "Millennium '73," a three-day celebration of his father's birthday. An attendance of twenty thousand people was estimated. The event was covered satirically in the award-winning documentary "Lord of the Universe" broadcast by PBS Television throughout the U.S. in 1974. Rennie Davis, a former member of the Chicago Seven, a prominent spokesman for the group, was featured in that program, as well as Abbie Hoffman, another Chicago Seven member, who commented: "If this guy is God, this is the God the United States of America deserves." When asked if he was God in 1971, Rawat replied "No. My Knowledge is God".

Although Rawat appealed to premies to give up their beliefs and concepts and denied being the Messiah in interviews, pre-existing millennial beliefs were fostered partly by his mother, whose talks were full of references to her son's divine nature, and partly by Rawat himself, when he let others cast him in the role of the Lord. Rawat was said to "generally encourage whatever view is held by the people he is with".

Taking Control

In April 1974 Rawat, now aged sixteen, became an emancipated minor and in May married Marolyn Johnson, a twenty-five year old flight attendant, and one of his early American students. The marriage to a non-Indian finally severed Rawat's relationship with his mother, who disowned him and returned to India with his two eldest brothers, gaining legal control of DLM India and appointing the eldest brother, Satpal, as leader. Rawat declared himself the sole source of spiritual authority in the Mission, took control of the Western DLM, and most of the mahatmas in the West either returned to India or were fired.

After the split with his mother, Rawat and non-Indian DLM became more Western and secular. Rawat encouraged students to leave the ashram and discard Indian terminology and customs. Staff at DLM's Denver HQ were reduced from 250 to 80 and Rawat became financially independent through the contributions of his Western devotees which allowed him to follow the lifestyle of an American millionaire, support his wife and children and finance the world travel of staff.

Although there were still residues of belief in his divinity, by 1976 the vast majority of students viewed Rawat primarily as their spiritual teacher, guide and inspiration. However, his appearance in a Krishna costume at an event on December 20th, 1976 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, signaled a resurgence of Indian influence. Rawat was elevated to a much greater place in the practice of Knowledge, many people returned to Ashram life and there was a shift from secular tendencies towards ritual and messianic beliefs and practices. In 1979, Rawat moved to Miami Beach, Florida with his wife and three children and DLM headquarters relocated there.

In 1980, Rawat's activities included the development of an executive jet refurbishing facility known as DECA. The first project was the customization of a Boeing 707 for his work. During 1981, Rawat flew the 707 to forty different cities, and spoke on 120 occasions, criss-crossing North America four times and touring South America, Europe, India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. DECA was later sold to Aircraft Modular Products (AMP), which in turn was sold in 1998 to B/E Aerospace for US$118 million.

Rawat returned to India in October 1980 after an absence of five years, and on newly acquired land in Delhi spoke to over 38,000 people. He also returned to South America, visiting Mexico for the first time. He held large, multi-day events for his students in Cartagena (Colombia), Miami, Rome, London, New Delhi, and Kansas City (Missouri), and also spoke at programs in Cancun, Lima, Sao Paulo, and Leicester (UK).

Westernisation

In the early 1980s, Rawat moved to disband the Divine Light Mission and personally renounced the trappings of Indian culture and religion. He saw his teachings as independent of culture, religion, beliefs or lifestyles and regularly addressed audiences in places as culturally diverse as India, Japan, Taiwan, the Ivory Coast, Slovenia, Mauritius, and Venezuela, as well as North America, Europe and the South Pacific.

In 1983 the downsized Divine Light Mission changed its name to Elan Vital, and Rawat closed the last western ashrams, marking the end of Rawat's use of Indian methods for western objectives.

Rawat continued teaching the four techniques of Knowledge and affirmed his own status as a master rather than a divine leader. The original religious movement was essentially defunct. Scholars such as Kranenborg and George D. Chryssides describe the departure from divine connotations, and the new emphasis that the Knowledge is universal, and not Indian. According to America's Alternative Religions, in this new role "he may be reaching more listeners than ever, especially abroad, but his role is that of a public speaker."

Rawat continued to tour internationally throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly piloting the leased executive jets himself. He held events in over 40 countries, and in 1990 spoke at over 50 public events across the world. In December 1998, Rawat spoke via a live, interactive global satellite broadcast from Pasadena, California, to 86,600 participants at 173 locations in 50 countries. 1999 saw the commencement of regular satellite broadcasts to North American cities, with similar initiatives started in other regions and countries soon after.

Recent Years

Between 1965 and July 2005 Rawat spoke at 2,280 events around the world. Between January 2004 and June 2005, he delivered 117 addresses in Asia, Europe, and North America. With a more culturally neutral approach, Rawat now concentrates on what he calls a "universal message of peace" and speaks of "self-fulfillment." His message is currently distributed in eighty-eight countries, on video and in print, and is broadcast on TV channels such as Canal Infinito in South America, Channel 31 in Australia, Kabel BW in Germany, Dish Network in the U.S.A, and others.

In 2001, The Prem Rawat Foundation was founded as a Public Charitable Organization, largely for the production and distribution of audiovisual and other materials promoting Rawat's message. It also funds international humanitarian efforts and provides water , food, and medical relief to war-torn and impoverished areas. In 2007, the accountability of the Foundation as a non-profit organization was evaluated by the Better Business Bureau and it was accepted as a member of the "Wise Giving Alliance". Rotary International describes TPRF as being established "to improve the quality of life for the disadvantaged."

TPRF reports that during a tour of India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in March and April 2007 Rawat addressed over 800,000 people at 36 events, with an additional 2.25 million listening via five live satellite broadcasts.

Teachings

Scholars have claimed that Rawat's teachings spring from the Indian Sant tradition which sees true religion as a matter of surrendering to God "who dwells in the heart," and the guru or Perfect Master as "an embodiment of God on Earth, a fitting object of worship and veneration." Kabir, the 15th Century Sant poet wrote: "Guru and God both appear before me. To whom should I prostrate? I bow before Guru who introduced God to me".

Like the Sants, Rawat's main claim is that God lives in the heart of every human being, and can be experienced through the techniques of Knowledge with the help and guidance of the guru. His early teachings, which were essentially Hindu in origin, were frequently criticized by Christian scholars and anti-cult organisations. Critics described his public talks as "banal" and like "Christian evangelization campaigns." Christian scholars described his teachings as "lacking intellectual content," and saw Rawat himself as immature, with behavior that was “unpredictable” or “nonsensical," and unworthy of a religious leader.

After the split with his family, Rawat declared himself the sole spiritual authority in the Mission.He removed many of the Hindu beliefs and Indian trappings, and focused his teachings more on the experience of Knowledge.In the early 80s closed the ashrams and relinquished the remaining Hindu traditions, dropped the title "Guru" and spoke to audiences as Maharaji, a teacher. His work continued to be supported by a new, minimal organization, Elan Vital.

Practitioners describe Knowledge as internal and highly individual, without social structure, liturgy or articles of faith, and say that Rawat teaches no beliefs or ethical practices. Rawat advises students that for maximum benefit the techniques should be practised daily for at least one hour.

In 2005, a process of self-paced preparation for receiving Knowledge was introduced by Rawat. Known as "The Keys," the process consists of a series of five video packages (Keys) in which the student gains the understanding necessary to learn and practise the techniques of Knowledge. Key Six is the "Knowledge Session" itself, a multimedia presentation available in fifty languages, where Rawat teaches the techniques. Though a small fee is requested to cover postage and packing, the techniques are taught without charge.

Personal

Rawat lives with his wife in Malibu, California in the Unites States. They have four grown children. He is an experienced airline transport-rated and commercial pilot and holds a number of pilot ratings on jet airplanes and helicopters. His résumé shows 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. A U.S. citizen since 1977, 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.

Footnotes

1. ^ Cagan, A. Peace is Possible The Life and Message of Prem Rawat -Mighty River Press -ISBN -10: 0-9788694-9-4pp.200
   On May 20, 1974, in Gennessee Mountain, Colorado, Marolyn and Maharaji arrived at the Rockland Community Church, a small glass-and-timber chapel in the Denver mountains adjacent to a serene lake. Maharaji’s marriage to Marolyn was one of the most life-changing events for him.
2. Cagan, A. Peace is Possible, pp.206, 215, 219 and 233
3. Cagan, A. Peace is Possible The Life and Message of Prem Rawat -Mighty River Press -ISBN -10: 0-9788694-9-4
4. Hadden, Religions of the world, pp.428
   "The meditation techniques the Maharaji teaches today are the same he learned from his father, Hans Ji Maharaj, who, in turn, learned them from his spiritual teacher , 'Knowledge', claims Maharaji, 'is a way to be able to take all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you... "
5. Goring, Rosemary (Ed.). Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (1997) p.145, Wordsworth Editions, ISBN 1853263540
6. Melton, Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission
   "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."
7. Melton. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America pp 141-145.
   In 1970 Maharaj Ji announced his plans to carry the knowledge throughout the world and the following year, against his mother’s wishes, made his first visit to the West. A large crowd came to Colorado the next year to hear him give his first set of discourses in America. Many were initiated and became the core of the Mission in the United States. Headquarters were established in Denver, and by the end of 1973, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers as well as over twenty ashrams...The teachings of the Mission, particularly the public discourses of Maharaj Ji, were condemned as lacking in substance. Maharaj Ji, who frequently acted like the teenager that he was in public, was seen as immature and hence unfit to be a religious leader.
8. Stephen A. Kent From Slogans To Mantras- "I found his poorly delivered message to be banal".
9. J. Gordon Melton, Christopher Partridge (Eds.), New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities pp.201-202, Oxford University Press, USA (2004) ISBN 978-0195220421 -
   As Maharaji began to grow older and establish his teachings worldwide he increasingly desired to manifest his own vision of development and growth. This conflict resulted in a split between Maharaji and his family, ostensibly caused by his mother's inability to accept Maharaji's marriage to an American follower rather than the planned traditional arranged marriage.
10. a b Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions-"In the early 1980s, Maharaj ji moved to disband the Divine Light Mission and he personally renounced the trappings of Indian culture and religion, disbanding the mission, he founded Elan Vital, an organization to his future role as teacher".
11. "The Prem Rawat Foundation website".
12. A.Cagan - Peace is Possible - page 3
13. Melton, Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission
    "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."
14. Geaves, Ron, Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji), 2006, Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 2 44-62.
    "There had been a presence in the UK since 1969, located in a basement flat in West Kensington and then in a semi-detached house in Golders Green, North London. This had come about as a result of four young British members of the counter-culture, taking the ‘hippy trail’ to India in 1968 discovering the young Prem Rawat and his teachings and requesting that a ‘mahatma’ be sent to London who could promote the message and show interested individuals the four techniques known as ‘knowledge’.
15. Navbharat Times, 10 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 processionists culminating in a public event at India Gate, where Sant Ji Maharaj addressed the large gathering" Hindustan Times, 9 November 1970 (English)"Roads in the Capital spilled over with 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." Guinness Book of World Records, 1970
16. Kranenborg Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westenpp.64
    English translation "This prediction came true very soon. In 1969 Maharaj Ji sent the first disciple to the West. In the next year he held a speech for an audience of thousands of people in Delhi. This speech was known as 'the peace bomb' and was the start of the great mission to the West." Dutch original "Deze voorspelling gaat al snel in vervulling. In 1969 stuurt Maharaj ji de eerste discipel naar het Westen. In het daaropvolgende jaar houdt hij een toespraak in Delhi voor een gehoor van duizenden mensen. Deze toespraak staat bekend als 'de 'vredesbom' en is het begin van de grote zending naar het Westen."
17. Pryor, The Survival of the Coolest, p. 148.
18. J. Gordon Melton Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (New York/London: Garland, 1986; revised edition, Garland, pages 141-145
    "In 1970 Maharaj Ji announced his plans to carry the knowledge throughout the world and the following year, against his mother’s wishes, made his first visit to the West. A large crowd came to Colorado the next year to hear him give his first set of discourses in America. Many were initiated and became the core of the Mission in the United States. Headquarters were established in Denver, and by the end of 1973, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers as well as over twenty ashrams, which housed approximately 500 of the most dedicated premies, had emerged."
19. Time Magazine 2 November 1972 Junior Guru"
20. Time Magazine. April 28 1975 One Lord Too Many.
21. J. Gordon Melton Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (New York/London: Garland, 1986; revised edition, Garland, pages 141-145
    Many were initiated and became the core of the Mission in the United States. Headquarters were established in Denver, and by the end of 1973, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers as well as over twenty ashrams, which housed approximately 500 of the most dedicated premies, had emerged.
22. "All Movie Guide profile".
23. J. Gordon Melton Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America (New York/London: Garland, 1986; revised edition, Garland, pages 141-145. Copyright 1986.
24. Interview with John Wood of the Boston Globe with Guru Maharaj Ji in Newton, Massachusetts, August 3, 1973, published in And It Is Divine ~ Dec. 1973, Volume 2. Issue 2.
    Question: Guru Maharaji Ji, are you God? – Answer: No. My Knowledge is God.
25. Reporter: I was told that probably the best question to ask you, out of sincerity, is: who are you? Maharaj Ji: ... really I can't say who I am. But, though, there is a very basic thing, what I feel about myself. And that is that people have been claiming me as God or as Jesus or so on, and ah, many television people have been asking this question, and this is an interesting question of course. I thought maybe you will interested in the answer. I am not Jesus and I am not God or so on, but I am just a humble servant of God, and I am preaching this Knowledge, and it's ideal of humanity. I don't want to form a small sect or a religion. It's open thing to all. It' for all casts, all creeds, all colors. And man is human, and it's OK he can receive it. And it's something that is internal, something that does not interfere with any religion. And this is the highest thing that I am teaching, about the people of this time, today. I don't claim myself to be God. I don't claim myself to be something like that, but I can claim I can show you God. Montrose, Colorado, 25 July, 1972
26. Downton - Sacred journeys.
    During 1971, there were social forces encouraging the development of millenarian beliefs within the Mission. They were developed in part by the carryover of millennial thinking from the counterculture; by the psychological trappings of surrender and idealization; by the guru's mother, whose satsang was full of references to his divine nature; and partly by the guru, himself, for letting others cast him in the role of the Lord. Given the social pressures within the premie community which reinforced these beliefs, there was little hope premies would be able to relax the hold that their beliefs and concepts had over them....From the beginning, Guru Maharaj Ji appealed to premies to give up their beliefs and concepts so that they might experience the Knowledge, or life force, more fully. This, as I have said, is one of the chief goals of gurus, to transform their followers' perceptions of the world through deconditioning. Yet Guru Maharaj Ji's emphasis on giving up beliefs and concepts did not prevent premies from adopting a fairly rigid set of ideas about his divinity and the coming of a new age.
27. Collier, Sophia, Soul Rush: The Odyssey of a Young Woman of the '70s Morrow, 1978.
    "There are those who sincerely believe that Guru Maharaj Ji is the Lord of Creation here in the flesh to save the world. And then there are those who know him a little better than that. They relate to him in a more human way... to them he is more of a teacher, a guide, a co-conspirator in their personal pursuit of a more heavenly way of life..Guru Maharaj Ji, though he has never made a definitive statement on his own opinion of his own divinity, generally encourages whatever view is held by the people he is with. Addressing several hundred thousand ecstatic Indian devotees, prepared for his message by a four-thousand-year cultural tradition, he declares, 'I am the source of peace in this world . . . surrender the reins of your life unto me and I will give you salvation.' On national television in the United States he says sheepishly, with his hands folded in his lap, 'I am just a humble servant of God."
28. Cagan - Peace is Possible - page 197
    "In Denver in April 1974, Maharaji applied to become an emancipated minor, becaue he and Marolyn were now engaged and he knew his mother would not condone his marriage at sixteen (or any other age, considering the American wife he'd chosen). With his emancipation, he could obtain a legal marriage licence without his mother's signature. After spending about forty five minutes with a judge, he was granted his request"
29. "Guru Maharaj Ji", Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan, Thomson Gale, 2007
    "The marriage further disrupted his relationship with his mother and older brothers. A lawsuit in India gave control of the Indian branch of the Divine Light Mission to Maharaj's mother and led to a complete break with her son, who maintained the complete support of the Western disciples."
30. "Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission" in The Ruston Daily Leader, April 9, 1975
    "Earlier this month, the guru's mother issued a statement in New Delhi saying she had disowned her son because of his pursuit of 'a despicable, nonspiritual way of life.' Sources close to Rajeshwari Devi said she was upset because of her son's materialistic lifestyle, including a fondness for expensive homes and sports cars, and because of his marriage last year to his secretary."
31. Downton - Scared Journeys.
    "The end of 1973 saw Guru Maharaj Ji breaking away from his mother and his Indian past. He declared himself the sole source of spiritual authority in the Mission. And, unlike some gurus who have come to this country and have easternized their followers, he became more fully westernized, which premies interpreted as an attempt to integrate his spiritual teachings into our culture".
32. Downton-Sacred Journeys- "The end of 1973 saw Guru Maharaj Ji breaking away from his mother and his Indian past... he became more fully westernized... many of the movement's Indian traditions and rituals were eliminated...the Mission was moving in a more secular direction."
33. Downton - Sacred Journeys - "the guru had inspired greater autonomy by saying in January 1976: "Don't expect that all these premies who are in the ashram right now are going to stay in the ashram. I hope they don't." This comment had the effect of producing a widespread exodus from the ashrams that year, which gave rise to an individualistic attitude ....Changes in terminology were made in an attempt to divorce the Mission from its Indian trappings. "Festivals" became "regional conferences." "Holy Company," a term used to describe the state of being in the presence of other premies, fell from use, as did the customary Indian greeting.
34. Downton - Sacred Journeys - "The staff in Denver was 250 just a couple of months ago. Now it is 80"
35. Price, The Divine Light Mission as a social organization. pp.279-96
    "Immediately following Maharaj Ji's marriage a struggle for power took place within the Holy Family itself. Maharaj Ji was now sixteen years old. He had the knowledge that his personal following in the West was well established. It is likely that he felt the time had come to take the reins of power from his mother, who still dominated the mission and had a strong hold over most of the mahatmas, all of whom were born and brought up in India. Another factor may well have been the financial independence of Maharaj Ji, which he enjoys through the generosity of his devotees. Note 27: Contributions from premies throughout the world allow Maharaj Ji to follow the life style of an American millionaire. He has a house (in his wife's name), an Aston Martin, a boat, a helicopter, the use of fine houses (divine residences) in most European countries as well as South America, Australia and New Zealand, and an income which allows him to run a household and support his wife and children, his brother, Raja Ji, and his wife, Claudia. In addition, his entourage of family, close officials and mahatmas are all financed on their frequent trips around the globe to attend the mission's festivals."
36. Downton, James V., Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission, (1979) Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04198-5 page 199
    "Although there were still residues of belief in his divinity, in 1976, the vast majority viewed the guru primarily as their spiritual teacher, guide , and inspiration
37. Downton, James V., Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission, (1979) Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04198-5 - page 211 - "To the surprise of everyone who had come to the Atlantic City program at the close of 1976, Guru Maharaj Ji appeared in his Krishna costume, a majestic looking robe and crown he had not worn since 1975. The sight of him in his ceremonial best brought premies to their feet singing, as nostalgia for the early days caught them up in feelings of devotion once more.... With so many premies coming out in support of devotion, there has been a shift away from secular tendencies back to ritual and messianic beliefs and practices....elevating the guru to a much greater place in their practice of the Knowledge
38. Cagan - Peace is Possible -page228
39. Downton, Sacred Journey.
    Signs of rededication both to Guru Maharaj Ji and the inner guru became quite apparent. Most of the premies who left the ashrams in the summer of 1976 began to return in 1977, when more than 600 signed up to enter the ashrams in just a few month's time
40. Cagan - page ?
41. Cagan - Peace is Possible -page229
42. B/E Aerospace to buy Aircraft Modular Products. The South Florida Business Journal, April 1998 Available online
43. Cagan, A. Peace is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat, pp.229
44. Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions.
    "In the early 1980s, Rawat moved to disband the Divine Light Mission and personally renounced the trappings of Indian culture and religion, disbanding the mission, he founded Elan Vital, an organization to his future role as teacher." Maharaji had made every attempt to abandon the traditional Indian religious trappings in which the techniques originated and to make his presentation acceptable to all the various cultural settings in which followers live. He sees his teachings as independent of culture, religion, beliefs, or lifestyles, and regularly addresses audiences in places as culturally diverse as India, Japan, Taiwan, the Ivory Coast, Slovenia, Mauritius and Venezuela, as well as North America, Europe and the South Pacific.
45. Miller, America's Alternative Religions, pp.474
46. Chryssides, George D., Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements pp.210-1, Scarecrow Press (2001) ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
    "Maharaji progressively dissolved the Divine Light Mission, closing the ashrams, affirming his own status as a master rather than a divine leader, and emphasizing that the Knowledge is universal, non Indian, in nature" "This Knowledge was self-understanding, yielding calmness, peace, and contentment, since the innermost self is identical with the divine. Knowledge is attained through initiation, which provides four techniques that allow the practitioner to go within.
47. Miller, America's Alternative Religions, pp.474
48. Cagan, A. Peace is Possible -pp 255, 266
49. http://www.contact-info.net/broadcasts.cfm
50. http://www.tprf.org/prem_rawat.htm
51. Conversation with Prem Rawat, Available online. (Retrieved January 2006)
52. "Words of Peace" by Maharaji receives TV Award in Brazil" Press release.
53. The Prem Rawat Foundation
54. "Young professionals from 42 countries meet in Malmö to promote international understanding". Rotary International. June 7, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
55. Guidestar report for non-profit organizations.Available online
56. Humanitarian Initiatives The Prem Rawat Foundation (Retrieved January 2006)
57. Prem Rawat Inaugurates First 'Food for People' Facility in Northeastern India (Retrieved March 25 2006)
58. "Charity report". BBB Wise Giving Alliance. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
59. http://www.tprf.org/Prem_Rawat_press_releases/Prem_Rawat_addreses_over_3_million_in_India_events.htm
60. Ranade, Ramchandra Dattatraya Mysticism in India: The Poet-Saints of Maharashtra, pp.392, SUNNY Press, 1983. ISBN 0-87395-669-9
61. Kranenborg, Reender, Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen/Eastern faith movements in the West
62. Geaves, Ron, Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition:, 2006, Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 2 44-62.
    "Prem Rawat has affinities with the mediaeval nirguna bhakti (formless devotion) tradition of Northern India, more commonly known as Sant. With its emphasis on universalism, equality, direct experience, criticism of blind allegiance to religious ritual and dogma, and tendency towards syncretism."
63. Peace Bomb satsang, 11 October 1970, India Gate, New Delhi, India (translated from Hindi).
    "Receive this Knowledge and know God within yourself. That pure energy, God, is within your own heart".
64. Hadden, Religions of the world, pp.428
    "The meditation techniques the Maharaji teaches today are the same he learned from his father, Hans Ji Maharaj, who, in turn, learned them from his spiritual teacher , 'Knowledge', claims Maharaji, 'is a way to be able to take all your senses that have been going outside all your life, turn them around and put them inside to feel and to actually experience you... "
65. Stephen J. Hunt Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8
    The process of reaching the true self within can only be achieved by the individual, but with the guidance and help of a teacher.
66. Geaves, Ron, Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji), 2006, Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 2 44-62
    The teachings were essentially Hindu in origin, embracing a worldview that accepted transmigration of souls, karma, human avatars and imbedded in an interpretation of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. However, a discerning listener would have recognized the radical voice of the North Indian Nirguna Bhaktas, also defined as Sants, notably Nanak and Kabir, especially in the message of universalism, equality and the focus on inwardness rather than the outward forms of Hinduism
67. Stephen A. Kent From Slogans To Mantras- "I found his poorly delivered message to be banal."
68. Hummel
    In a Satsang in 1975 in Orlando/Florida, he speaks a similar language as American evangelization campaigners
69. Melton. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in Americapp 141-145.
    The teachings of the Mission, particularly the public discourses of Maharaj Ji, were condemned as lacking in substance. Maharaj Ji, who frequently acted like the teenager that he was in public, was seen as immature and hence unfit to be a religious leader.
70. Downton - Sacred Journeys
    "The end of 1973 saw Guru Maharaj Ji breaking away from his mother and his Indian past. He declared himself the sole source of spiritual authority in the Mission. And, unlike some gurus who have come to this country and have easternized their followers, he became more fully westernized, which premies interpreted as an attempt to integrate his spiritual teachings into our culture."
71. Stephen J. Hunt Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8
    Maharaji transformed his initial teachings in order to appeal to a Western context. He came to recognize that the Indian influences on his followers in the West were a hindrance to the wider acceptance of his teachings. He therefore changed the style of his message and relinquished the Hindu tradition, beliefs, and most of its original eastern religious practices.
72. Miller, America's Alternative Religions, pp.474
73. Chryssides, George D. Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements pp.210-1, Scarecrow Press (2001) ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
    "This Knowledge was self-understanding, yielding calmness, peace, and contentment, since the innermost self is identical with the divine. Knowledge is attained through initiation, which provides four techniques that allow the practitioner to go within...and emphasizing that the Knowledge is universal, non Indian, in nature."
74. Hunt, Stephen J. Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8 Br />"The major focus of Maharaji is on stillness, peace, and contentment within the individual, and his 'Knowledge' consists of the techniques to obtain them. Knowledge, roughly translated, means the happiness of the true self-understanding. Each individual should seek to comprehend his or her true self. In turn, this brings a sense of well-being, joy, and harmony as one comes in contact with one's "own nature." The Knowledge includes four meditation procedures: Light, Music, Nectar and Word. The process of reaching the true self within can only be achieved by the individual, but with the guidance and help of a teacher. Hence, the movement seems to embrace aspects of world-rejection and world-affirmation. The tens of thousands of followers in the West do not see themselves as members of a religion, but the adherents of a system of teachings that extol the goal of enjoying life to the full."
75. Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions
    Maharaji had made every attempt to abandon the traditional Indian religious trappings in which the techniques originated and to make his presentation acceptable to all the various cultural settings in which followers live. He sees his teachings as independent of culture, religion, beliefs, or lifestyles.
76. J. Gordon Melton, Christopher Partridge (Eds.), New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities pp.201-202, Oxford University Press, USA (2004) ISBN 978-0195220421.
    Rawat is insistent that it is not the product of any one culture or the property of any religious tradition and that it can be practiced by anyone. Consequently, Maharaji asserts that he is not teaching a religion and there are no particular rituals, sacred days, pilgrimages, sacred places, doctrines, scriptures or specific dress codes, dietary requirements or any other dimension associated with a religious lifestyle.
77. Geaves, Ron, Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition.
    "He does not demand obedience, in that no outer requirements or prohibitions are placed on those taught the techniques. The simple axiom, “If you like it, practice it, if you don’t, try something else,” is applied on frequent occasions in his public discourses. Neither does Prem Rawat regard himself as an exemplary leader, a role often ascribed to religious founders".
78. http://thekeys.maharaji.net/home/
79. Cagan, A., Peace is Possible, pp.228
80. U.S. Patent Office
81. "Guru Maharaj Ji becomes a citizen of the US", Rocky Mountain News, Wednesday, October 19 1977, Denver, Colorado, USA
82. "Maharaj.org". 1999. Retrieved 1999-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

Bibliographical references

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• Barret, David V., The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions (2001), Cassel, ISBN 1-84403-040-7
• Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults, (1997), ISBN 0-8239-1505-0
• Bowker, John (Ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Oxford University Press, New York (1997) ISBN 0-19-213965-7
• Cagan, Andrea, Peace Is Possible: The Life and Message of Prem Rawat, Mighty River Press (2007), ISBN 978-0978869496
• Cameron, Charles (Ed.), Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji? (1973), Bantam Books, Inc.
• Carrol, Peter N. Nothing Happened: The Tragedy and Promise of America in the 1970s, Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1982), ISBN 0030583195
• Chryssides, George D., Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, Scarecrow Press (2001) ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
• Collier, Sophia, Soul rush: The odyssey of a young woman of the '70s, Morrow (1978), ISBN 0-688-03276-1
• Downton, James V., Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission,(1979) Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04198-5
• DuPertuis, Lucy (Summer 1986), How people recognize charisma: the case of darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission Sociological Analysis, University of Guam, Vol 47, No 2
• Fahlbusch E., Lochman J. M., Mbiti J., Pelikan J., Vischer L, Barret D. (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Christianity (1998), ISBN 90-04-11316-9
• Frankiel, Sandra S. in Lippy, Charles H. and Williams. Peter W. (Eds.) Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience, p.1521, Charles Scribner's Sons (1988), ISBN 0-684-18863-5 (Vol III)
• 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
• Geaves, Ron, From Totapuri to Maharaji: Reflections on a Lineage (Parampara),. Paper presented at the 27th Spalding Symposium on Indian Religions, Oxford. March 2002.
• Geaves, Ron, Globalization, charisma, innovation, and tradition: An exploration of the transformations in the organisational vehicles for the transmission of the teachings of Prem Rawat (Maharaji), 2006, Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies, 2 44-62.
• Goring, Rosemary (Ed.). Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (1997) Wordsworth Editions, ISBN 1-85326-354-0
• Haan, Wim, De missie van het Goddelijk licht van goeroe Maharaj Ji: een subjektieve duiding from the series Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland Feiten en Visies nr. 3, autumn 1981 (Dutch language) ISBN 90-242-2341-5.
• Hadden, Jeffrey K. and Elliot III, Eugene M., Divine Light Mission/Elan Vital in Melton, Gordon J. and Bauman, Martin (Eds.) "Religions of the world: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of beliefs and practices" ABC-CLIO (2002), ISBN 1-57607-223-1
• Hans Jayanti (2000), DUO, New Delhi, Book published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Shri Hans' birth.
• Hinnells, John (Editor), The Penguin Dictionary of Religions (1997), ISBN 0-14-051261-6
• Kent, Stephen A. From slogans to mantras: social protest and religious conversion in the late Vietnam war era, Syracuse University press, 2001, ISBN 0-8156-2948-6
• Hunt, Stephen J. Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction (2003), pp.116-7, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0-7546-3410-8
• Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen ("Eastern faith movements in the West") (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1
• Kranenborg, Reender, Neohindoeïstische bewegingen in Nederland: een encyclopedisch overzicht, Kampen Kok cop. (2002)
• Lans, Jan van der and Dr. Frans Derks, Premies Versus Sannyasins in “Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements”, X/2 (June 1986)
• Lans, Jan van der Dr. Volgelingen van de goeroe: Hedendaagse religieuze bewegingen in Nederland (Dutch language), Ambo, Baarn, 1981 ISBN 90-263-0521-4
• Lee, Raymond L M., Sacred Tensions: Modernity and Religious Transformation in Malaysia (1997), The University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-167-3
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• Pryor, William, The Survival of the Coolest: A Darwin's Death Defying Journey Into the Interior of Addiction (2004), Clear Press, ISBN 1-904555-13-6
• Rawat, Prem and Wolf, Burt. Inner Journey: A spirited conversation about self-discovery (DVD). ISBN 0-9740627-0-7
• Rawat, Prem, Maharaji at Griffith University (2004) ISBN 0-9740627-2-3
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• (In Dutch:) Schnabel, Paul. Tussen stigma en charisma: nieuwe religieuze bewegingen en geestelijke volksgezondheid ("Between stigma and charisma: new religious movements and mental health"). Erasmus University Rotterdam, Faculty of Medicine, Ph.D. thesis, 1982. Deventer, Van Loghum Slaterus, ISBN 90-6001-746-3.
• The Prem Rawat Foundation presents: Maharaji at Sanders Theatre, Harvard University (2005) ISBN 0-9740627-3-1
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External links

Official websites of Prem Rawat

• 'Maharaji', Prem Rawat's personal website. Available in 16 languages.
• The Prem Rawat Foundation
• The Keys website - Keys for preparing to receive the techniques of Knowledge
• Broadcasts, online radio, audio-visual materials about Maharaji and his message, Europe - Available in 11 languages
• Raj Vidya Kender, India
• Portal for contact information Information about volunteer groups world-wide, news, etc.
• Excerpts from recent addresses

Other

• Manav Dharam website of Sat Pal, Prem Rawat's elder brother who claims to be a Satguru

Template:Persondata

• Prem Rawat
• 1957 births
• Living people
• Naturalized citizens of the United States
• Indian Americans
• People from Uttarakhand