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.
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"Guru Maharaj Ji's purpose in this life is to make sure that you hear satsang, get interested in Knowledge, and after you have received Knowledge, to see you through to your destination." " |
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Drums Of Satsang Guru Maharaj Ji's Satsang in Atlantic City, New Jersey, December 19, 1976 So the point is, premies, it's really beautiful that we are here, that this opportunity has been given to us of having this Knowledge, and we all can come together, just really, really dedicate ourselves and really do satsang, service and meditation, and realize the aim of this life, and let other people know. To come together and beat the drums, the drums of this Love, of this devotion, of this dedication, into all beings, so they can once realize the glory of their Lord, the glory of their Master, the glory of Guru Maharaj Ji, and really understand what this Knowledge is. |
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Realize God Guru Maharaj Ji at Hunter College, New York City, October 8, 1971 If this Knowledge is being given by another saint, know this. I don't say, "Come to me." I don't say, "Come to me; I will give you this Knowledge." But if you can't find it outside, if nobody can give you this Knowledge, then come to me. But if you can find this Knowledge outside, it is good; find it out. The main thing is that you must know this Knowledge. Because this is the only thing. … And if you really want the kingdom of heaven, you can have it. |
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Receive That Truth Guru Maharaj Ji, Boulder, Colorado, August 18, 1971, Evening What is the difference between a Satguru and an Avatar?
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An Unreasonable Love Guru Maharaj Ji Guru Puja Festival, Miami Beach, July 31, 1977 And yesterday it was so beautiful when the darshan line happened. And you could feel such an incredible Grace, such a beautiful Grace just completely taking over, you know. Just completely making this whole thing that happened - I mean, it was the longest darshan line yet in West. And of course, this program does break the record, because there are more premies here in this program than there actually were in Millennium (applause and cheering). Because first of all, at that time there weren't that many premies. And it just seemed a lot of other people, nor premies, were there. |
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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.