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.
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); Jun 23, 1972; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1985) pg. A3
BY JOHN DART
Times Religion Writer
An eastern guru arriving at a U.S. airport years ago would turn a few heads because of his turban, beard, robes and mystical manner.
But the guru looks rather ordinary today compared with the euphoric flower children who greet him.
The unusual sight at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday was not Shri Sant Ji Maharaj, who arrived on another leg of his world tour dressed in white boots, white pants and white Nehru jacket.
Most eyes were on the long-haired, often barefoot devotees (about 100) who sang hymns or chanted greetings to "The Lord of the Universe," scattered rose petals, carried posters and oversized balloons, then kneeled or prostrated themselves on the cold airport terminal hallway as the guru walked through.
"Pretty good," reacted the Maharaj when asked by reporters what he thought of his reception.
Worldwide Following
The master, also known as Guru Maharaj J, is only 14 years old and claims to have a worldwide following of millions. (When he was in Los Angeles last July on a less trumpeted visit he claimed to have 3 million followers; he claimed Thursday to have 5 million.)
But his devotees, who are said to have jumped from 5 last summer to 500 now in Los Angeles, make a fuss over him because he is said to impart "the knowledge of God" to believers, thus making him the "savior of mankind."
The youngest of four sons, he is said to have received "the divine light" when he was 8 years old at the death of his teacher-father, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. He is a student at St. Joseph School in Dehra Dun, India.
Gary Girard, 21, one of the original five Los Angeles devotees of the "teen guru," said the Maharaj has attracted so many followers because "he began revealing peace within every human being."
Now a full-time worker for the guru's worldwide Divine Light Missions, Girard said, "I was born in the Jewish faith, and I'm still Jewish, but at the same time I'm a devotee."
Rich Profumo, 25, another early disciple in Los Angeles, said he went from a conventional Christian background to different spiritual gurus before becoming a devotee of one 11 years his junior.
"Maharaj Ji was the only one who could give the experience that the other gurus are talking about," Profumo said.
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.