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Prem Pal Singh Rawat, also called Maharaji (formerly called Guru Maharaj Ji), was born on December 10, 1957 in Dehradun, India. He has, since the age of four, been addressing people around the world on the subject of finding peace within and says that he is able to offer a practical way to do so. He calls this method "Knowledge" and describes it as taking "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".

According to George D. Chryssides, this "Knowledge" is based on self-understanding, providing the practicioner with calmness, peace, and contentment, as the inner-self is identical with the divine, and that Maharaji emphasizes that Knowledge is universal, not Indian, in nature.

At the age of six, he was taught these techniques of Knowledge by his father and succeeded him when he died in 1966, being accepted by his father's followers as their satguru (Sanskrit: true teacher) and assuming the role of "Perfect Master" at his father's funeral. He thereby became the recognized leader of the Divine Light Mission (DLM) that was started by his father and began taking his message to people throughout the Indian subcontinent.

In 1971 he was invited to speak in London and Los Angeles and attracted substantial media attention, some of which referred to the 13-year-old as the "boy guru". In 1972 he began touring the world talking about inner peace and teaching Knowledge, revisiting the UK and the US and speaking at events for the first time in Switzerland, Germany, Kenya, South Africa, Japan, and Australia. His marriage to a Westerner in 1974 precipitated a family rift and Prem Rawat's mother and his eldest brother Satya Pal Singh (Satpal) secured control of DLM in India through legal proceedings. Prem Rawat remained in the West and in the 1980s he began the slow dissolution of the Divine Light Mission, stepped away from the trappings associated with an Indian guru and continued to appear to audiences as Maharaji, a teacher and public speaker, promoting the same message and offering the same techniques of Knowledge. At that time, non-profit, charitable organizations with a minimal structure manned mainly by volunteers were established in several countries called Elan Vital, whose main purpose is organizing events to which Prem Rawat is invited to speak.

According to The Prem Rawat Foundation, he has continued to promote a means to achieve a lifelong, individual experience of inner peace, and that his message is that "it is only by individuals finding peace for themselves can the world be at peace" and that he is able to assist in this endeavor. Starting in 2001, he has been invited to address various institutions on the subject of peace, and has, through the Prem Rawat Foundation, spearheaded various humanitarian initiatives.

Prem Rawat has attracted controversy for what his critics consider a lack of intellectual content in his teachings, leading a sumptuous lifestyle, and making what critics and religious scholars regarded as personal claims of divinity.

Prem Rawat lives with his wife in Malibu, California in the US. They have four grown children. He is an experienced airline transport-rated pilot and holds a number of pilot ratings on jet airplanes and helicopters. His résumé discusses skills in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and development of aviation software. He is listed as co-inventor on a US Patent for a world-time watch for aeronautic applications. A US 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.

Childhood in India

Prem Rawat was born in India where he 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 and his second wife, Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi. At the age of three he began speaking about fulfillment, love, and peace at his father's meetings. In these early days, Prem Rawat was known both as Sant Ji and as Balyogeshwar. When he was six years old, his father taught him the techniques of Knowledge, including young Prem among his other students. In 1966, at age eight, Prem Rawat succeeded to the role of Satguru and leadership of the DLM upon the death of his father, which was unusual since it was 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 that shortly beforehand he had written a letter home to his family essentially naming Rawat as his successor. There is a witness account by Shri Hans' personal driver that refers to Shri Hans' request that Prem succeed him and also reports that some of the family were discussing alternatives. His mother and eldest brother were meeting with senior mahatmas to discuss what to do, when Rawat walked on stage to comfort the grieving crowd. Speaking much like his father, he assured them that the master would always be with them and that he would continue his father's work. His succession was generally accepted when the crowd responded to him as their teacher. Afterwards, his mother and brothers came on stage to pay their respects to him.

Prem Rawat remained in India for five more years, continuing to offer the Knowledge his father had championed. In the late 1960s, a small number of young Western seekers, many of them hippies, had come across Prem Rawat at his home in Dehra Dun. Several of them asked him to vist the West, where, they said, many young people would be interested in what he had to offer. In October 1969 he sent a mahatma to London to begin teaching Knowledge on his behalf. 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 8 November, was reported to be one of the largest ever in the history of New Delhi and was the culmination of an 18-mile-long procession.

According to the Dutch religious scholar and minister Reender Kranenborg, this speech called 'the 'Peace Bomb' marked the start of the Maharaji's mission to the West .

The 1970s

Prem Rawat first came to the West during his school holidays on June 17, 1971, visiting the UK, US and Canada.

He traveled without his family and reported that he arrived with only twenty-five pounds sterling in his pocket. He was interviewed by 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 American cities.

Before returning to India, Rawat established the US Divine Light Mission, or DLM, in September 1971 in Denver, Colorado, and it coordinated Rawat's subsequent U.S. tours and events. In 1972, Rawat returned to the West, 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.

In November 1973, DLM booked the Houston Astrodome for a three-day gathering coinciding with Shri Hans' 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.

By the early 1970s, DLM was operating in South America, North America, Europe, and Australia and had established ashrams, whose members were required to take a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

In 1974 DLM was reporting that 60,000 individuals were practicing the techniques of Knowledge 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".

J. Gordon Melton, a religious scholar and United Methodist minister, believed that Prem Rawat comes from a Sant Mat lineage and claimed him to be a "Perfect Master", an embodiment of God on earth. The psychologists of religion Jan van der Lans and Frans Derks of the Catholic University Nijmegen wrote that in this "new religious movement, the devotee’s relation with the guru is considered identical to his relation with God".

The first posters about Prem Rawat in the early 1970s said, “Meditation is not what you think.” At that time, Prem Rawat was already making a distinction between the "mind", which he described as including the dark or negative thoughts that a person may have, and "heart", the place within each person where peace can be found. Lans and Derks wrote that according to Maharaj Ji, "all evil should be attributed to the mind", and that such concept of mind indicates the obstacle of freeing oneself from former bonds, referring primarily to a "state of consciousness characterized by everything but passive, nonrational confidence and trust." Reender Kranenborg, a religious scholar who specialized in new religious movements and Hinduism, and who was also a Christian reverend, described Maharaji's speaking style as resembling Christian evangelization campaigns and using a terminology in which one is requested to "surrender to the Lord". The Lord, according to Kranenborg, was Maharaj ji himself, but the content of his message was not Christian. Other scholars studied the DLM and Prem Rawat from Max Weber's perspective of charismatic authority. During these years, claims of divinity made by the Indian mahatmas, his family, and some followers where reported by the media, claims which Rawat denied in several interviews given to the press and on television.

In an autobiographical book by an early follower who was quite involved with the DLM in the early 70s, Sophia Collier writes, "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.".

In May 1974 at age sixteen, Prem Rawat married Marolyn Johnson, a twenty-five year old flight attendant and one of his early American students. The marriage to a Westerner apparently precipitated a rift between Prem and his mother. Rawat took control of the Western DLM away from them, and his mother disowned him and returned to India with two of his brothers. His mother gained control of DLM India through legal means and appointed 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. Rawat later commented to the press on the family rift, saying "They live in India and I think was upset that I married a foreigner. She thought I had married out of my caste or something like that." According to an article in the 1979 Sociological Review, immediately after his marriage, Maharaj Ji gained financial independence from his mother and family through the generosity of his devotees, and these contributions allowed him to follow the lifestyle of an American millionaire.

In the 1970s Rawat spoke in more than 20 countries and 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.

The 1980s and 1990s

Prem Rawat returned to India in October 1980 for the first time since 1975, and spoke to over 38,000 students in Delhi on newly acquired land.

He returned to South America for events for the first time since 1976, and visited Mexico for the first time. He continued to hold large, multi-day events for his students in Cartagena (Colombia), Miami, Rome, London, New Delhi, and Kansas City (Missouri). Other cities where he spoke included Cancun (Mexico), Lima, Sao Paulo, and Leicester (UK). He obtained a private pilot’s license and began training to obtain certifications and ratings for operating various types of aircraft.

For a time around 1980, the center of operations moved to Miami, where activities included a project known as DECA. DECA 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 Encyclopedia of American religions describes that in the early 1980s Prem Rawat personally renounced the trappings of Indian culture and religion, and disbanded the DLM, to make his teachings independent of culture, religious beliefs, and lifestyles. Other scholars, such as Kranenborg, George D. Chryssides and Ron Geaves also described a departure from divine connotations. while continuing delivering the four techniques of Knowledge which, according to Chryssides, afford self-understanding and self-realization in a manner that is independent of culture and not bound to the traditions of India.

In 1983 the Western ashrams were closed and the Divine Light Mission changed its name to Elan Vital. . The video production organization was renamed "Visions International," and it began producing video versions of Rawat's addresses. According to America's Alternative Religions, during the 1980s, Prem Rawat stepped away from the image of himself as a "Perfect Master" and dropped the title "Guru Maharaj Ji" in favor of "Maharaji". 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." 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."

Rawat continued to tour extensively in the 1980s and 1990s, most often at the controls of a series of executive jets leased for his use. He held multi-day events in over 40 countries and in 1990 he spoke at over 50 public events all over the world. In December 1998, Rawat spoke via a live, interactive global satellite broadcast from an event in Pasadena, California, to 86,600 participants in 173 locations in 50 countries. In 1999 his message started being broadcast on a regular basis via satellite to North American cities with similar initiatives in other regions and countries.

Prem Rawat today

Although based in the US, Prem Rawat is active all over the world. 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. According to the Prem Rawat Foundation, his 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.

Prem Rawat reportedly travels about eleven months out of the year on world-wide speaking and training tours. 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 and a half people in a 2005 India tour.

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 . On March 24 2006, Prem Rawat inaugurated a facility in the tribal area Jharkhand, India, called "Food for People", developed and operated in consultation with local village elders, to provide 45,000 free meals to children and adults in need each month. The facility is run by fifty local villagers trained by volunteers of the Raj Vidya Kender. The facility was developed with the financial support of The Prem Rawat Foundation.

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

On May 2006, Rawat made a guest appearance for a half-hour interview with Rajiv Mehrotra on his weekly talk show on Doordarshan TV, one of the national TV stations accessible all across India.

Access to the techniques

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 choose 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 approach to receiving Prem Rawat's techniques of Knowledge has become much less onerous since the year 2000. 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. 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. As of 2005, there is a self-paced process of preparation, called "The Keys," before a person is taught the techniques of Knowledge. Going through the Keys process involves watching video materials in which Maharaji presents the understanding necessary to learn the techniques of Knowledge. 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 sixth Key is the “Knowledge Session”, in which persons ready to learn the techniques are taught by Rawat via a multimedia presentation available in fifty languages. These techniques are taught at no cost.

The Prem Rawat Foundation describes the practice of Knowledge has having no bearing or compatibility problems with peoples' existing religious or spiritual belief system.

Kranenborg writes 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 or Sant Mat is neither denied nor acknowledged in any literature from the organizations that support Pren Rawat's work, or by Prem Rawat himself. According to George D. Chryssides, this Knowledge was based on self-understanding, providing the practicioner with calmness, peace, and contenment, as the inner-self is identical with the divine, and that Maharaji emphasizes that Knowledge is universal, not Indian, in nature.

These techniques are the same as taught by his father, Hans Ji Maharaj, who in turn learned them from Swarupanand, his teacher. Jeffrey K. Hadden cites Maharaji in saying that "Knowledge 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... What you are looking for is inside of you."

Number of practitioners of Knowledge

According to the Prem Rawat Foundation, Prem Rawat has, over the years, engaged over nine million people in 250 cities and fifty countries. They estimate slightly more than half a million have been taught the techniques since he came to the West, about 125,000 of this number between January 2000 and April 2004. In 1997, "Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View" estimated a general membership of appox. 1.2 mil. worldwide, with 50,000 in the US. Volunteers estimate an additional 125,000 are 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. However, since there is no longer any membership component to the organizations, 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 US 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 hundred to hundreds of thousands since 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.

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.

He has engaged a variety of people, including 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:

"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

Amongst the many scholarly articles, books, and encyclopedias that refer to the DLM and to Prem Rawat, there were various critical observations and comments made about him and his students by a number of authors: the DLM had no substantial contents, claimed sociologist 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; and concern about financial exploitation of followers by the psychiatrist Saul V. Levine.

Melton describes that in the mid-1970s several ex-members became vocal critics. Another scholar, James Lewis, wrote that a number of ex-members became critics of the movement, attacking it with charges of brainwashing and mind control. Elan Vital, in an FAQ article about opposition to Prem Rawat and his message, claims that there is a handful of former students that actively engage in opposing Prem Rawat, his students, and their organization. They list a series of complaints against this group related to their activities and motivations, characterizing them as a 'hate group'.

Some of the criticism leveled at Prem Rawat derives from key personnel who, after they parted ways with Prem Rawat in the 1970s and 1980s, began making allegations against him about purported anxiety. These key personnel included Robert Mishler (who died in the late 1970s) and later Michael Dettmers. Bob Mishler, ex-president of the Divine Light Mission, said in a Denver radio interview in February 1979 (a few years after leaving the mission) that Prem Rawat "had tremendous problems of anxiety which he combatted with alcohol." According to Melton in a 1986 article, Mishler's complaints that the ideals of the group had become impossible to fulfill and that money was increasingly diverted to Maharaji's personal use found little support and did not affect the progress of the Mission.

References and footnotes

1. Goring, Rosemary (Ed.). Dictionary of Beliefs & Religions (1997) p.145, Wordsworth Editions, ISBN 1-85326-354-0
2. "Prem Rawat's quotes @ Wikiquote". 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-03. Birthday Celebrations, Prem Nagar (Haridwar), August 21 1962 as published in "Hansadesh" magazine, Issue 1, Mahesh Kare, January 1963
3. 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" pp.428, ABC-CLIO (2002), ISBN 1-57607-223-1
   "The meditation techniques the Maharaji teaches today are the same he learned from his father, Hansji 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... What you are looking for is inside of you.'"
4. 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 empahasizing 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 practicioner to go within.
5. Beit-Hallahami, Benjamin The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults, (1997), ISBN 0-8239-1505-0 p. 85 "Divine Light Mission". "When the founder died in 1966, the eight-year old Pretap stood up at the funeral to announce his ascent to the throne and became the movement's recognized leader. Maharaj Ji was considered satguru, or the Perfect Master."
6. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, (1986), pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission 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."
7. ^ U. S. Department of the Army, Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains (2001) pp.11-5, The Minerva Group, ISBN 0-89875-607-3
   "Following his death, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji, as the next Perfect Master and thereby he assumed head of Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father. Since that time, Guru Maharaj Ji has inspired a world wide movement and the Mission is active in 55 countries."
8. Hinnells, John (Editor) The Penguin Dictionary of ReligionsISBN 0-14-051261-6, 1997 entry Sant Mat page 451
   "Sant Mat concepts and practices include Anukul Thakur, Maharaj-ji -the so-called "boy guru" - who led the Divine Light Mission - and John Roger Hinkins, who led a spiritual movement in Southern California. "
9. "What happened in 1972". 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-14.
10. "About Shri Satpal Ji Maharaj". 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
11. C. L. Tandon v. Prem Pal Singh Rawat, AIR 1978 Delhi 221 - "One valuable touchstone for determining whether the matters in issue are directly and substantially the same is whether the decision in the prior suit will bring the principle of res judicata into operation in the subsequent suit. Because the removal of Prem Pal Singh Rawat by Mataji and the nomination in his place of Satya Pal Singh Rawat and the competence of Mataji to do the same, issues of utmost importance, are alien to the Patna suit, the disposal of the suit at Patna will not stand in the way of the trial of the said issues by the appropriate courts."
12. Lippy, Charles H. Pluralism Comes of Age: American Religious Culture in the Twentieth Century p.114, M. E. Sharpe (2002), ISBN 0-7656-0151-6
    "The Divine Light Mission, for example, in the 1980s became Elan Vital and dropped most of its Asian trappings."
13. Miller, Tim (Ed.) America's Alternative Religions (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies) p.364 (1995) State University of New York Press. p. 474 ISBN 0-7914-2397-2
    "e 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."
14. Prem Rawat on peace. (Retrieved Feb 2006)
15. "Leading Thai University Welcomes Prem Rawat". 2005. Retrieved 2006-03-04.
16. US Patent Office
17. "Guru Maharaj Ji becomes a citizen of the US", Rocky Mountain News, Wednesday, October 19 1977, Denver, Colorado, USA
18. ^ "Maharaj.org". 1999. Retrieved 1999-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
19. Hans Jayanti (2000), pp.24-37. DUO, New Delhi, Book published in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Shri Hans' birth.
20. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America,(1986), pp.141-2 Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5.
21. "Prem Rawat's quotes @ Wikiquote". 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-03. Birthday Celebrations, Prem Nagar (Haridwar), August 21 1962 as published in "Hansadesh" magazine, Issue 1, Mahesh Kare, January 1963, 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."
22. Lee, Raymond L M. Sacred Tensions: Modernity and Religious Transformation in Malaysia (1997) pp.109-110 The University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1-57003-167-3 "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)
23. 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."
24. 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, Prem Rawat 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."
25. Fahlbusch E., Lochman J. M., Mbiti J., Pelikan J., Vischer L, Barret D. (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Christianity (1998). p.861, ISBN 90-04-11316-9<br.>"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."
26. 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."
27. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedia of American religions, (1978) p.370-1, McGrath Publishing Company. ISBN 084346437
    "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"
28. Cameron, Charles (Ed.). Who Is Guru Maharaj Ji? (1973), Bantam Books, Inc.
29. 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."
30. 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 processionits culminated in a public event at India Gate, where Sant Ji Maharaj addressed the large gathering"
31. Hindustan Times, 9 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."
32. Guinness Book of World Records, 1970
33. Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen ("Eastern faith movements in the West") (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1 page 64
    English translation "This prediction comes true very soon. In 1969 Maharaj ji sends the first disciple to the West. In the next year he holds a speech for an audience of thousands of people in Delhi. This speech is known as 'the peace bomb' and is 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."
34. Pryor, William. The Survival of the Coolest: A Darwin's Death Defying Journey Into the Interior of Addiction (2004), p. 148. Clear Press, ISBN 1-904555-13-6
35. Prem Rawat September 30, 1973, published in 'Special Millennium '73 Edition' of the Divine Times, page 2, under the heading 'A Festival for the Whole World'
36. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, (1986), pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
37. Downton, James V. Sacred journeys: The conversion of young Americans to Divine Light Mission,(1979) Columbia University Press. ISBN # 0231041985
38. Ibid. Religious Requirements and Practices p. 1-6
39. Bowker, John (Ed.) The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions Divine Light Mission. p. 287. Oxford University Press, New York (1997) ISBN 0-19-213965-7
40. Leech, Keneth. Soul Friend (2001) Morehouse Group, ISBN 0-8192-1888-X
41. Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, (1986), pp.142 entry Divine Light Mission Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
    "In any case Hans Maharaj Ji claimed a Sant Mat succession which he passed to Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, as do many of the other Sant Mat leaders, claims to be a Perfect Master, an embodiment of God on earth, a fitting object of worship and veneration."
42. Lans, Jan van der and Dr. Frans Derks Premies Versus Sannyasins in “Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements”, X/2 (June 1986)
    "DLM and Rajneeshism are comparable in that in both, the Indian guru is the central object of devotion. While in the Christian tradition the spiritual master is only an intermediate between the individual and God, standing outside their personal relation, in both these new religious movements the devotee’s relation with the guru is considered identical to his relation with God. The guru is accepted as the manifestation and personification of God. His request for total surrender and complete trust is grounded in his claim of ultimate authority derived from his godliness."
43. Lans, Jan van der and Dr. Frans Derks Premies Versus Sannyasins in “Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements”, X/2 (June 1986)
    "According to Maharaj Ji, all evil should be attributed to the mind indicat the same obstacle of freeing oneself from former bonds DLM’s concept of mind refers primarily to a state of consciousness characterized by everything but passive, nonrational confidence and trust.""
44. Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen ("Eastern faith movements in the West") (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1 page 64
    English translation "In the satsangs of Maharaji one can notice a speaking style that resembles a lot what happens in some Christian evangelization campaigns: a pressing request, an emphasis on the last moment before it is too late and a terminology in which one is requested to surrender to the Lord, in this case Maharaj ji himself, but the content of the message is not Christian." Dutch original "In de satsangs van Maharaj ji merken we een stijl van spreken die veel lijkt op wat men in sommige christelijke evangelisatiecampagnes doet: een klemmende oproep, een nadruk op de laatste mogelijkheid voor het te laat is en een terminologie waarin wordt opgeroepen tot overgave aan de Heer in dit geval Maharaj ji zelf. De inhoud van de boodschap is echter niet christelijk."
45. McGuire, Meredith B. "Religion: the Social Context" fifth edition (2002) ISBN 0-534-54126-7 Chapter. 5 "The dynamics of religious collectivities", section “How Religious Collectivities Develop and Change’’, sub-section "Organizational Transformations" page 175
    "As Weber pointed out, the long-term impact of a movement hinges on transformation of bases of authority and leadership from a charismatic mode to either traditional or legal-traditional rational structures. When a movement becomes established, there is a strong tendency for the organization to calcify around the memory of the early dynamism; its own tradition becomes the rationalization for why things should be done in a certain way.
    Early stages of a movement organization involve simple structures such as the charismatic leader and followers or leader, core followers, and other followers. The transition to legal-rational structures is typically accompanied by the elaboration and standardization of procedures, the emergence of specialized statuses and roles, and the formalizing of communication among members. The early years of the Divine Light Mission (DLM) in the United States were characterized by rapidly growing, loosely affiliated local ashrams (i.e., groups of devotees, usually living communally), united mainly by the devotion to the ambiguous charismatic figure of Guru Maharaj Ji. " (Thomas Pilarzyk ‘’The origin, development, and decline of a youth culture religion: An application of the sectarianization theory’’ in Review of Religious Research 20, 1:33-37, 1978) ”
46. DuPertuis, Lucy (Summer 1986), (note: DuPertuis was a follower of the DLM) University of Guam. How people recognize charisma: the case of darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission in Sociological Analysis, Vol 47, No 2, Page 111-124.
    The three aspects of darshan discussed — of Satguru as Absolute, as living master, and within the community off devotees — suggests the imputation of charisma on three interrelated levels. The master in person emerged both theologically and experientially as neither the sole focus, nor the unique generator of charisma. Rather he represented a conceptual link which defined an integrated a diffuse set of experiences.
47. Time Magazine Nov 2. 1972 Junior Guru"
48. Time Magazine April 28 1975TomeOne Lord Too Many
49. Interview by Johnny Young. Miami Beach, Florida, August 4
50. Levi, Richard M,. "Who is your guru" in The Seventies: A Tumultuous Decade Reconsidered", p.104. Rolling Stone magazine. Little, Brown and Company (2000). ISBN 0-316-81547-0
51. Tom Snyder "The Tomorrow Show, 1973
52. Collier, Sophia. Soul rush: The odyssey of a young woman of the '70s, Morrow (1978), ISBN 0-688-03276-1
    "In the Divine Light Mission there are two groups of people. 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. I have always been in this second group of people... as charming and wise as Guru Maharaj Ji has seemed to me on occasion, I have never found any basis on which to nominate him Lord. 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."
53. Barret, David V. The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions (2003) p.325, Cassel, ISBN 1-84403-040-7
54. Gawenda, Michael, Guru Maharaj Ji Puts his Case The Age March 24 1982
55. Price, Maeve (1979): The Divine Light Mission as a social organization. (note 1) Sociological Review, 27, Page 279-296. An earlier draft of this paper was presented to a Sociology of Religion seminar at the London School of Economics.
    "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."
56. Partial list of honors The Prem Rawat Foundation website
57. B/E Aerospace to buy Aircraft Modular Products. The South Florida Business Journal, April 1998 Available online
58. Melton, Gordon, Encyclopedia of American Religions 7th edition. Thomson (2003) p.2328 ISBN 078663840
    "In the early 1980s, Maharar 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." 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.
59. Kranenborg, Reender, Neohindoeïstische bewegingen in Nederland: een encyclopedisch overzicht, Kampen Kok cop. (2002), p.178 ISBN 90-435-0493-9. "Zij onterfde hem spiritueel, in feite werd hij de beweging uitgezet. Maharaji ging zelfstandig verder, zij het met minder pretenties dan voorheen. Zo sprak hij sindsdien niet meer in goddelijke termen over zichzelf, maar noemde zich 'humanitarian leader'" (translation: "She disinherited him spiritually. In fact, he was expelled from the movement. Maharaji continued on independently, with less claims pretensions than in the past, not no longer speaking with divine terms about himself, but calling himself instead as an 'humanitarian leader'."
60. 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)
61. George D. Chryssides Chryssides, George D. Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements pp.115-6, Scarecrow Press (2001) ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
    Maharaji delivers the four meditative techniques known as the Knowledge which featured in DLM and which afford self-understanding and self-realization, but he insists that such Knowledge is independent of culture and is by no means bound to the religious traditions of India.
62. Colorado Secretary of State, Business Center.
63. Elan Vital FAQs - About Elan Vital, Inc. Available online (Retrieved May, 2006)
64. Visions International website. (Retrieved Jan 2006)
65. Miller, Tim (Ed.) America's Alternative Religions (S U N Y Series in Religious Studies) p.364 & p.421 (1995) State University of New York Press. 474pp. ISBN 0-7914-2397-2
66. The Times of India, December 4 1987
67. Conversation with Prem Rawat, Available online. (Retrieved Jan 2006)
68. "Words of Peace" by Maharaji receives TV Award in Brazil" Press release.
69. "More than 1.5 million people seek Prem Rawat’s inspiration and guidance" (Retrieved Feb 2006)
70. Guidestar report for non-profit organizations. Available online
71. Humanitarian Initiatives The Prem Rawat Foundation (Retrieved Jan 2996)
72. Prem Rawat Inaugurates First 'Food for People' Facility in Northeastern India (Retrieved March 25 2006)
73. Elan Vital About (Retrieved Jan 2006)
74. Volunteer-based organizations (Retrieved (Feb 2006)
75. Visions International, Broadcast schedule of Maharaji's addresses (Retrieved Jan 2006)
76. The Keys Retrieved November, 2005
77. [The Prem Rawat Foundation. "About The Keys". Retrieved August 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |accessmonthday= (help)
78. Frequently Asked Questions Available online (Retrieved Jan 2006)
79. Kranenborg, Reender Dr. (1982) Oosterse Geloofsbewegingen in het Westen/Eastern faith movements in the West (Dutch language) ISBN 90-210-4965-1
80. 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 empahasizing 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 practicioner to go within.
81. 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" pp.428, ABC-CLIO (2002), ISBN 1-57607-223-1
    "The meditation techniques the Maharaji teaches today are the same he learned from his father, Hansji 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... What you are looking for is inside of you.'"
82. Annual report TPRF(retrieved Jan 2006)
83. Palmer, Spencer J. P. and Keller R. R. Religions of the World: A Latter-day Saint View, p95. Brigham Young University (1997) ISBN 0-8425-2350-2
84. Maharaji at Griffith University (2004) ISBN 0-9740627-2-3
85. The Prem Rawat Foundation presents: Maharaji at Sanders Theatre, Harvard University (2005) ISBN 0-9740627-3-1
86. A letter from Prem Rawat (Retrieved Jan 2006)
87. Haan, Wim (Dutch language) 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 (Article is based on the Dutch branch of the Divine Light Mission) ISBN 90-242-2341-5. Note: Haan was part of a critical movement within the Catholic church.
88. Schnabel, Paul Dr. (Dutch language) 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, ISBN 90-6001-746-3 (Deventer, Van Loghum Slaterus, 1982), Chapter II, page 33, Chapter IV page 99, page 101-102, Chapter V, page 142
89. Lans, Jan van der Dr. (Dutch language) Volgelingen van de goeroe: Hedendaagse religieuze bewegingen in Nederland page 117, written upon request for the KSGV published by Ambo, Baarn, 1981 ISBN 90-263-0521-4
90. Levine, Saul V. Life in the Cults, article that appeared in the book edited by Marc Galanter M.D., (1989), Cults and new religious movements: a report of the committee on psychiatry and religion of the American Psychiatric Association, ISBN 0-89042-212-5
91. Melton, J. Gordon. Encyclopedia Handbook of Cults in America p.143, Garland Publishing (1986) ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
    "several deprogrammed ex-members became vocal critics of the mission"
92. Lewis, James, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions, p.210, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-57392-888-7
    "a number of ex-members became critics of the movement, attacking it with charges of brainwashing and mind control"
93. [http://www.elanvital.org/faq/faq_opposition_i.htm Opposition to Maharaji and his message – Detractors and the negative message they convey
94. Brown, Chip, Parents Versus Cult: Frustration, Kidnaping, Tears; Who Became Kidnapers to Rescue Daughter From Her Guru, The Washington Post,February 15, 1982
    "Suddenly there were new reports from people who'd actually managed the Divine Light Mission--Robert Mishler, the man who organized the business side of the mission and served for 5 1/2 years as its president, and Robert Hand Jr., who served as a vice president for two years. In the aftermath of Jonestown, Mishler and Hand felt compelled to warn of similarities between Guru Maharaj Ji and Jim Jones. They claimed the potential for another Jonestown existed in the Divine Light Mission because the most fanatic followers of Maharaj Ji would not question even the craziest commands. As Jim Jones convincingly demonstrated, the health of a cult group can depend on the stability of the leader.
    Mishler and Hand revealed aspects of life inside the mission that frightened the Deitzes. In addition to his ulcer, the Perfect Master who held the secret to peace and spiritual happiness 'had tremendous problems of anxiety which he combatted with alcohol,' Mishler said in a Denver radio interview in February 1979."
95. Ibid. Encyclopedic Handbook pp.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 1977. 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."

External links

Official websites of Prem Rawat

• 'Maharaji', Prem Rawat's personal website - Content and design by Prem Rawat. 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

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• Prem Rawat
• 1957 births
• Living people
• Naturalized citizens of the United States