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.
This planet was made for peace. It contains enough food, enough land, enough sky and enough fresh air to inspire anybody. It is incredibly well designed. It supports a variety of life forms with amazing flexibility and grace. All the little details are perfect. Even the ears of corn are perfect. And from a distance the earth looks perfect too, like a jewel in deep space. It is a marvelous planet, and it is our home.
Yet we have not behaved too well on our planet. We hardly ever stop fighting wars. People are always robbing the poor to give to the rich. We have encouraged personal ambition at the expense of common decency. Even our religions have often been the cause of more misery than relief. We have fought crusades. We have held inquisitions. We have lost our sense of proportion, our common sense. We have set Nature off-balance. We have polluted earth, sea and sky in an attempt to improve our circumstances. And none of this has helped in the slightest. It is time for the pattern to change.
We all share a dream, a dream that one day peace will come on earth. The religions of every people speak of this time, a time when "nation shall not lift up sword against nation," a time when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together. Christ was speaking of this time when he said that the meek would inherit the earth. It is becoming more and more obvious that if they don't come into their inheritance soon, there will be very little left for them to inherit.
On November 8, 1970, a 12-year-old boy addressed a crowd of more than one million people gathered at Delhi's India Gate. He told them, "I declare I will establish peace in this world."
In the three years since he spoke those words, Guru Maharaj Ji has been around the world. He has visited Japan and Europe, South Africa and the United States. And wherever he has traveled, he has left a gift with those who heard him. At the age of 15, Guru Maharaj Ji has already brought peace of mind to six million people worldwide.
We have received the "Knowledge" - the gift which Maharaj Ji brings to this world. We are doctors and schoolchildren, grandmothers and construction workers, and we have shared an experience which has transformed our lives. Guru Maharaj Ji has proved to us that an age of peace is possible, now.
We proclaim to America and the world that Guru Maharaj Ji has shown us a practical way to bring peace to the whole world. The "Knowledge" which he gives is a direct and concrete experience of inner peace and joy. It connects us directly to the sources of love, growth and creativity within us, with our soul itself. It eradicates hatred, greed and fear. It eases the pressures of daily life, and leaves us free to act unselfishly and effectively at all times. Medically speaking, it is an evolution of the human species. It contains a solution to every problem at present facing humanity. And it is practical. One hundred per cent. It works.
Peace is needed. And peace shall be obtained. This November 8, 9, and 10, Guru Maharaj Ji will attend the Millennium '73 festival in the Houston Astrodome and present to the world a plan for putting peace into effect. He will announce the founding of an international agency to feed and shelter the world's hungry. He will initiate the building of a Divine City that shall demonstrate to the world a way for people of all sorts to live together in harmony. And he will start a campaign to spread the Knowledge of soul to all mankind.
Humanity is invited. The peoples of all nations are invited. The leaders of all nations are invited. Inner peace and world peace are both at stake. This festival will be a world assemblage to save humanity. Great prophets have come into the world before now, and we have ignored their teachings. We invite you to come to Houston to hear Guru Maharaj Ji. The Knowledge he brings can bring peace to the world.
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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.