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.

INTERNATIONAL

The following is an extract from a letter by premie Ron Coletta, who is accompanying Guru Maharaj Ji in India.

It was a little like a battle was really happening there were so many completely blissed out premies surrounding the "elephant". It made everything that much more intense. As we started to leave the front steps of the ashram, the van kept stalling and smoking. It finally got rolling for about twenty yards, just enough to make it out of the gate. Then it died, and would no longer run on its own. The crowd of premies surrounding the jeep just started pushing it. We were Just outside the gate on one side, getting ready to go back through the gate on the other side of the driveway, when I felt totally lost. With all the people surrounding us, it was hard to see from which direction we came and where we had to go back to. We were supposed to reenter the gate and go back to the ashram - this was to represent Guru Maharaj Ji and Raja Ji leaving their kingdom and going to the kingdom of their princesses. It was really like being in the middle of some kind of battlefield. By the time we got back to the ashram, it seemed like four hours had passed - sometimes, it seemed that if Guru Maharaj Ji dismounted the elephant, only God knows what would happen, but by His Grace, he dismounted safely and went into the palace of the princesses.

We went upstairs where Durga Ji and Claudia were getting dressed. When Durga Ji came out of her room and met Guru Maharaj Ji, it was like an Indian movie scene. Guru Maharaj Ji asked her if she was ready, and Durga Ji, supercomposed, nodded her head. We all left again and went to the stage outside where the ceremony was to take place. This time, we walked - which was a lot quicker than the elephant, I would say. They were all four, decorated so beautifully. Bob Mishler and I were the fathers of the brides, so we sat next to the two couples, flanking their either side. So, we also participated in the ceremony on stage. There was rice given to all six of us and then thrown into the pile, signifying bargaining for the princesses. This went on for about an hour or two, with mantras being shouted by premies and the whole show. It was really a beautiful ceremony. Princesses attached, we went back to the ashram, or the palace, where we tried to get back to earth - every step of the way was like a divine movie being filmed and every frame of the film seemed like it lasted for ages. About five thousand premies were at the wedding.

That was three days ago and we're still high. The day before the wedding Maharaj Ji gave a beautiful sock-it-to-them satsang in Hindi about how every devotee was now being given the chance to see who is true and who is not. Every day, premies come and have Darshan and satsang by Maharaj Ji and Durga Ji and then leave. There's a continuous flow which is really nice. This way, the ashram doesn't get overloaded and Darshan lines go quickly. We'll be leaving here in a day or two. There's a program in Katmandu, Nepal on the 26th and 27th, so we're getting visas for that - should be far out. I hope it's cooler there, but it doesn't matter except for the comfort of Durga Ji and Maharaj Ji and Premlata. Guru Maharaj Ji is reorganising the offices of the Mission and rewriting the Mission's chapters so we'll probably come back to India after the Katmandu program.

Premlata is really doing well. She's truly the Lord's child. She hardly cries and adjusts instantly wherever she is. For most babies, when they're her age, they stay home all the time, but to Premlata, the whole world is her home. She's really grown, even since the first time I saw her in Miami. To say she's the most beautiful baby in the world is an understatement. Durga Ji is doing fine; she's really happy here and of course, Guru Maharaj Ji is too. When the premies see Durga Ji they just get completely spellbound. It's so beautiful to see how much love they have for her.

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.