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.

by Sheldon Jaffe

The mala is a simple thing: a vest-like garland made of red roses and flowers called "white pikakes" and "gold bachelor buttons". But when it is worn by Guru Maharal Ji, it quickly goes beyond the Divine.

Maharaj Ji had worn the mala when younger, in India. But no one in the West ever thought, ever hoped, ever wished, to see him manifest so beautifully so openly, so lovingly to his premies.

And yet he wore the mala on the last night of the Philadelphia festival. Behind the stage he paused, just briefly before presenting himself to the stunned audience. "Oh my God," shouted one premie into the international phone hook-up. "Oh my God! He doesn't have a shirt on!" (In Denver two premies listening to this passed out and disconnected the line. "Oh my God …")

On the floor of the convention center the premies screamed, and screamed, and screamed with ecstasy - "Bhole Shri Satgurudev Maharaj Ki Jai! BHOLE SHRI SATGURUDEV MAHARAJ KI JAI!" - as the Perfect Master sat there, his hands out in front of him, glancing occasionally over his shoulder as if trying to see what all the excitement was about. It is said that the only thing that surprises the Lord is Love, and Guru Maharal Ji looked surprised.

"I personally think it 's cuckoo," he began, when the noise died down, "but that doesn't make much of a difference. Dear premies, in a combination of 'hi' and 'bye' I'll see you at Hans Jayanti and by Guru Maharal Ji's Grace, if possible, even sooner.

And then, as One Foundation played the Lord of the Universe, the premies singing with full force, Maharal Ji departed. Around the hall premies stared at the now empty chair, still not believing what they had seen. Some cried, some laughed and others fainted at this miracle of Maharal Ji's.

At the Geneva festival the European premies just barely hoped that they too would be given a chance to see this "new Krishna costume," as they called it. But on the last night of the festival, after his satsang, Maharaj Ji got on his radio microphone and spoke to all the premies from behind the stage, telling them he would see them in Dortmund (the next festival). It seemed so sure he would leave that the ushers sealed the doors to the hall, as premies did their best to surrender.

But then he came back and Graced his devotees with an entire Arti in this wonderful new form - the most subdued Arti many have ever heard.

By the last night of the Dortmund Guru Puja, just about every premie in the hall had seen Maharaj Ji in the mala at least once. But when he manifested on the stage that night for Arti, his bright orange pants, his bare lotus feet and the mala on his chest: when Durga Ji placed the crown of Krishna on his head, the light reflecting off of the jewels, when he sat there for nearly an hour through Arti and then devotional song after devotional song, when all of this was done and Maharaj Ji left the stage, seeming so God-intoxicated, so full of love, that he could barely walk, moving so slowly, his bronze shoulders and bare back there for all to see, the premies in the audience could only sit back, stunned, full of the love of Maharal Ji.

There are no words that can describe Guru Maharal Ji. For the premies there are just three 'thank you' and pranam'.

Thank you, Maharal Ji. Pranam

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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.