Prem Rawat (Prem Pal Singh Rawat) whose devotees call him Maharaji (meaning Ultimate Ruler) first came to attention in the West as Guru Maharaj Ji - the self-proclaimed Perfect Master and Lord of the Universe ridiculed in the media as a fat, squeaky-voiced God boy. He had inherited his titles and position as the Satguru, The True Revealer of Light and Spiritual Master of the Divine Light Mission, India (Divya Sandesh Parishad) when his father died in 1966. His father, Hans Rawat, was a successful Indian guru, self titled HRH (His Royal Highness) Yogiraj Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. As a child the youngest Rawat son was informally called Sant Ji, more formally Balyogeshwar ("Born King of the Yogis") and even more formally Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj. In the West Rawat dropped these more verbose titles in the early 1980's and instructed his followers to call him Maharaji. He has also changed the names of his organisations many times: Divine Light Mission (DLM), World Welfare Association (WWA), World Peace Corps (WPC) and Divine United Organisation (DUO) became Elan Vital in the early 1980's and in 2001 The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) was created and from 2010 his major orgs are Words Of Peace Global (WOPG) registered in Holland, Words of Peace International (WOPI) in the USA, HDSK (Human Development through Self Knowledge) in Great Britain and Raj Vidya Kender (Royal Knowledge Society) in India. He no longer claims to be an Incarnation of God but an internationally famous humanitarian leader and teacher of peace. He's neither.

Thank You 2002 CD

This CD was sent out to followers of Prem Rawat whose financial contributions during the previous year met a minimum standard. It was a combination of songs recorded by four followers and two sections of Rawat's speeches with background music that attempts to enhance Rawat's impact. There is one song sung by Rawat's daughter and possible successor, Dayalata Rawat, and one of the songs is memorable enough to warrant comment. On the evidence of the first song "As You Are" Cara Tower, writer and singer is in a different and higher class that the other musical contributors to these CDs given annually to financial contributors to Elan Vital. The CD included an inset containing a very upbeat assessment of Rawat's work in 2002 which gives some statistical information.

Transcripts of Rawat's speeches cannot do justice to Rawat's astonishing delivery, they have to be heard to be appreciated. Mp3 copies of these excerpts are recorded at high quality (256Kbps) to ensure no whispered nuance or frenzied climax is missed. There are some snapshots below taken from the video that show how Rawat looks while delivering his speech in Lisbon.

• Track 2, Remember: "This is the best relationship ever, this is the friendship you need, you should have.
  This life, this existence, here it is, here it is, take care of that which you have. Everyday, renew that relationship. Put at bay that person who robs you and welcome the friend that will give you the joy, the delight and true friendship. Enjoy the feeling within. Make effort to enjoy it more. Enjoy. Shape your existence by what you know, shape it so it benefits you. Be touched by the divinity within.
  You want to be inspired then remember the words of the Master. Remember how important it is, how important this life is. How important you, you are. So important., so important. And maybe not to the world but to you, you should be so important.
  Somebody gave me this gift of understanding and I understood. Somebody gave me this gift of wisdom and I became wise. Somebody gave me the gift of kindness and I became kind. Save gave me this gift of love and I became a love and somebody gave me this beautiful gift of Knowledge and then I could see, then I could hear, then I could feel, then I began to live. And it feels like a gift every day it comes and it comes freely and it is the only thing that really feels like a gift. Cause it has been given with no strings attached. It has simply been given for me to accept. "
  
  
• Track 5, The Perfect Instrument: "For me, it gets fuller and fuller. Do not measure the tree, instead admire its glory. Stand back, come close, sit in the shade, love it because it is a miracle. This life, this existence, I can't say enough. Don't you realise there are no divisions, no separations? Don't you realise it is the same thing? Don't you realise how simple it is to be given an opportunity to appreciate? Don't you realise how simple it is to have a human body? The perfect instrument to play the perfect notes of gratitude, of glory, of contentment, of satisfaction. There is no other instrument that can do this. Other instruments don't have the right keys. This one does. You know you have been given the most incredible, most amazing gift of this one instrument and if you want, play, play it. No sheet of music but a pick called time. Strum, play. As much as you want to play, play it. Don't look for the keys to tune the instrument, it is in perfect tune. Play, play it. Listen and enjoy. Enjoy, enjoy the beauty, enjoy the rhythm that's there. Where does this rhythm come from? It comes from you. The sound is inside of you. The feeling is inside of you, it is the perfect instrument. Yes, there is music, and this music, these notes are within me as they are within you and they sound so sweet, so appealing. Here I am with my life as you are with yours trying to look for the note that doesn't exist. Where is it we wonder? Stop wondering. Do not miss all the other beautiful notes that are there. Do not miss the incredible composition of life. Why look for the elusive when it is so clear? Why look for the complicated when it is so simple? Why look for the explanation when the life is explaining itself to you? Why look for the explanation of birth when you're already born? Why look for the explanation of death when inevitably with or without the explanation, you and I will go? Something has the possibility of going over, through and past all the little dilemmas that you and I have created. Sigh, the sigh of relief for the joy is yours to behold. Let life take you, be ready to be taken. Let the feeling engulf you and be ready to be engulfed. Let the beauty take you and be ready to be bathed in it. Sail, sail the winds of grace, fill your sails and be ready to cross the oceans. Be there for your life as it is there for you. Hear what you heart has to say and be silent as it speaks. Be the companion of the dearest friend within. Be ready for the never-ending friendship. Be the father of joy in your life, as be the mother, the son, the brother and the sister. Be all that you are and be the beggar and the giver of this joy. Be that, be now, be all, be all. "
  
  
• Video Clip, Lisbon, Public Program excerpt. Rawat speaks about a personal promise: "That is the promise that we made to ourselves that one day, one day I will have peace in my life. This is not a prayer, this was a promise. Prayer is different. I want it and I'm asking somebody and if that somebody doesn't give it to me ugh, what can I do? But this was a promise we made to ourselves. Some day I will have peace in this life. Some day I will have tranquillity in this life, Some day I will have happiness in this life and the ten year old thought that when he would be 16 maybe he would be able to do it. Maybe 18 I'd be able to do it. 18 to 21 to 25 to 30 to 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 years have rolled by promise remains unfulfilled. Well something, something that caused the promise to be made is still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. Something that the promise was made to, promised to, is still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. And not a day go by, not a single day goes by, where the pang, where the pain, where the want, where the thirst, where the wish to be happy doesn't knock. Knock. Open up. Fulfil, fulfil this life, fulfil this time, fulfil this destiny fulfil this chance and that is why we're here. That's what it's all about, to fulfil that promise, that's why we're here. Do it, do it, fulfil it, it's your obligation, it's your responsibility, cause there is the heart and I know and I have seen it again and again and again. It doesn't matter how old you get or how young you are. Unless that promise has been fulfilled, it doesn't matter how content you get on the outside, the contentment on the inside will not be there. This is not about pushing buttons, this is not about ringing bells. This is not about chanting some chant, this is about drinking from the fountain of life till the thirst is quenched. That's the promise. This is not about hanging a picture on the wall of a glass of water and saying "That's what I promised." No, that was not the promise. This is not about going somewhere and saying, "Well, I went to this place and there was water, water everywhere and so it's done." No. This is about drinking, drinking and drinking of that water till the thirst is quenched. Very important. Very, very important. Not just holding a glass of water in your hand. That's not what it's about. Not having been close to water, that's not what it's about. This is what I talk about because that's how it should be that each human being on the face of this earth gets to quench that thirst. I like when I see peace in this vessel, it looks beautiful. How beautiful does it look? Well, you may not agree with me but it looks more beautiful than the most beautiful sunset. It looks more beautiful than the most beautiful sunrise. It looks more beautiful than the most beautiful moon shining above. Nature is incredibly beautiful but more beautiful is peace in this vessel, more beautiful is Knowledge, the little drops of Knowledge as they streak on this vessel. The beauty becomes amazing. That is beautiful, then there isn't the dust of questions, it's gone, it's washed away. It isn't the dust of doubts, it's washed away and there shines clarity and joy and that innocent smile and that innocent laughter that should dance on the lips of every human being. It's befitting. Tell me, have you not seen innocence dance on lips of a child? I have and it looks beautiful.

Prem Rawat's "Knowledge" has three parts: regularly listening to his speeches, doing voluntary work for organisations serving him or donating money and daily meditation correctly practicing the four techniques he recommends. The techniques are so simple it's hard to see how they could be practiced incorrectly. First technique ("Divine Light") involves sticking your thumb and middle finger on your eyeballs (NB: with eyes closed) and your index finger between your eyebrows. Second technique: ("Heavenly Music") poking your thumbs into your ears and listening. Third technique: ("Holy Name") thinking about your breathing (NB: continue to breathe). Fourth technique: ("Nectar") curling your tongue backwards and tasting. Rawat's father taught slightly different techniques but either way it's difficult to see how these could produce the benefits claimed for them especially as Rawat claims His Knowledge is the only method of attaining real happiness and love in this life.