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.

Every satsang is just a discussion on one subject, and that is true Knowledge which brings peace of mind. Many great saints got fantastic experiences from this wonderful Knowledge and just wanted to spread it to all people. In every age a great saint like Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Mohammed and Christ has taken birth on Earth for this purpose; to give this Knowledge to other people because, in their time, the Truth had declined, spiritual understanding had been lost. As far as spiritual matters go, they were ages of darkness.

Now in the same way, an age of darkness is again here and the Perfect One has come on Earth again to plant the seed of Truth. His presence is most necessary because of the strength of the opposite forces which are working in the world, attracting man with his weak and fickle mind. Against truth there is always un-truth. Against love there is hatred. Against peace there is war, and so on. There are also many subtle forces working in a man's mind to make him search for satisfaction in places where it has never existed.

People today are so sophisticated they have become foolish because they cannot believe that the Perfect One is here. Even if they have some religious feeling, some inner understanding of truth, they cannot conceive of the Living Master. In other subjects they will not be satisfied with something that is dead, with something that is past. If in India we abandon the government of Indira Gandhi and start trying to follow Mahatma Gandhi's ideas, the result will be failure. If you only read the scriptures properly you will see that they all talk about a Living Master. No scripture exists which does not talk about true Knowledge, or divine experience, being imparted to a disciple by a Living Master.

We read the scriptures without understanding what they are saying. Indian people read the Bhagavad Gita and in this Lord Krishna, the Living Master of His time, said clearly, "Don't recognize me by my external appearance for this is perishable. My true form has no beginning and no end. And you, Arjuna, cannot meditate with these external eyes. For how can you see the imperishable with that which must die? How can you behold the infinite through the finite? But I can open up your Divine Eye with which you can see my Divine Form."

So how are we going to recognize God if He comes on the Earth? Are you going to ask to see His identity card or passport? See if it says, "Name … God. Occupation … Generator, Operator, Destroyer." That is foolish! Or are you going to recognize Him only if He fits in with your mental picture of Him, what you have picked up from the scriptures and other impressions, what you imagine Jesus or Krishna looked like? But even two Christians will have different impressions of what Jesus will look like. So what will be recognized by one will not be recognized by the other. But the test of the Perfect Master will be that which is undeniable to everybody and that is the experience of Himself which He can give, and this is the true Knowledge.

22 The Golden Age

All over the world people follow the same daily routine. They go to work in the morning and come home in the evening. That's okay. You have to work to support yourself. But many people use their daily routine as an excuse for not realizing anything about spiritual truth. We don't work twenty-four hours every day. We can always spare a few hours for devotion, but people spend their spare time on worldly pleasures and when troubled they complain to God.

Believe it or not, the fact is that God is supreme and pure: The people are lying on a bed of ignorance and dreams and doubts. They expect God Himself to come (they pray for it, they ask for it, they announce about it) but when He comes, they fail to recognize Him. And not recognizing Him in His physical form, they cannot recognize Him within themselves. People have forgotten their Creator. What is the Name of your Father? Does anybody here know what He looks like? There's going to come a time when you are going to be asked, "Who is your Father?" What reply are you going to give? Nil. Born without a Father.

Every Master has said that people should know the Holy Name. They advise everybody to become wise and to recognize how precious their life is. And that's what I am trying to make this world understand. Know how precious life is. Know how precious life is, and then know how precious is that which gives us life. Know that divine language which men did not create but which the soul always speaks. Every soul speaks the same language. Know that language of love which swells within the human temple.

It is said in the Vedas, the Indian scriptures, that when the dark age comes the only thing that can save man is constant meditation on the Holy Name. So we are so lucky to know that holy Word and to have got it at a discount. I am prepared to reveal this Knowledge at any time so it is up to you to take this golden opportunity. If you don't seem to make progress with this Knowledge do not blame Guru Maharaj Ji. You have it in your power to conquer the egos and doubts in the mind. These are the thorns, but the Knowledge is the rose.

I don't mind the difficulties that are being put against me. Whenever he comes to the world the Perfect Master has to tolerate many difficulties. I have come to spread this Knowledge and that is what I am going to do. Understand this and believe it. Are you hesitating to receive this Knowledge? Why? It is very simple Knowledge. It will give you complete peace mind. It will give you infinite bliss. Do not complain later on that you were never told about this Knowledge. Again and again, I do nothing but to tell you all to take this Knowledge.

Thank you very much.

So premies, thank you very much and good night

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.