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.
THE NORTH AMERICAN SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM: AN UPDATE
The ongoing financial support for Maharaji's work, is now in its second year. To date, over 1,800 contributors have pledged their support and are sending regular monthly contributions. Elan Vital is now two thirds of the way to its goal of 2,926 contributors. Originally established by a small group of volunteers with a strong desire to participate, the North American Sponsorship Program is increasingly becoming an essential support system for Maharaji's work.
Clearly, the demand for Maharaji to speak worldwide has grown dramatically during the past two years. In 1985, for example, Maharaji was on the road for 229 days. During the period from August 1985 to August 1986, he travelled more than 113,000 nautical miles and was the featured speaker at more than 100 Knowledge presentations around the world. More than 20,000 people received Knowledge in 34 countries, and many more are waiting. In the Ivory Coast and Ghana, for example, thousands of people are waiting to receive Knowledge. Understandably, travel expenses are significant.
The success of Maharaji's tours and the growing demand for Knowledge has also created an increased need for instructors.
In 1985, for example, there were only 16 instructors in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Now there are over 400 worldwide. While some of the costs of organizing instructor conferences are paid for by the candidates themselves, many of the costs are not-still another reason why grassroots support for the North American Sponsorship Program is so essential.
Historically, financial support for Maharaji's work has been sporadic. Although some people have contributed on a regular basis, most have contributed intermittently. The bottom line? The more regular the contributions, the easier it will be to plan Maharaji's yearly calendar. And the more possible it will be for Maharaji to respond to the countless invitations he has received from around the world to speak about Knowledge.
WILLIAM ROSS
In February 1987, there were 281 regular contributors to the National Sponsorship Program. By November 1st, 1,833 people were participating.
Clearly, support for aviation activities is Elan Vital's biggest expense. The NASP goal of 2,926 contributors is well within reach.
With 6,100 people having attended the Rejoice '87 programs, the outlook is promising.
541 1986 donors
1,833 1987 NASP donors
3,200 Airplane Donors
6,100 Rejoice 1987
12,857 Mailing List
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.