NEW DELHI, India (AP) - An Indian judge scolded rival gurus Maharaj Ji and his oldest brother today and told them to settle their dispute over who is "perfect master" of their sect outside of court.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.
A-2 INDEPENDENT (AM) *** PRESS-TELEGRAM (PM) Long Beach, Calif., Fri., May 23, 1975
By MYRON BELKIND
NEW DELHI, India (AP) - An Indian judge scolded rival gurus Maharaj Ji and his oldest brother today and told them to settle their dispute over who is "perfect master" of their sect outside of court.
The gurus accepted the judge's suggestion although there was no immediate indication that they would sit down and discuss their competing claims to leadership of the Divine Light Mission, founded by their late father in 1961.
"Courts should not be utilized for washing this dirty linen," Judge Prithan Singh Safeer declared in a small courtroom jammed with more than 100 spectators.
Maharaj Ji, 17, and Bal Bhagwan Ji, 24, stood before the red-turbaned judge without looking at each other. Instead of a verdict, the judge told them:
"You say you are men of religion. Well, there is going to be bloodshed in your family unless you settle your disputes."
"If you want bloodshed, continue with this litigation. But why not come to terms? There is the same blood in both of you. And if you are injured, the whole of Mother India is injured and maligned abroad."
"Both of you say you are interested in maintaining the dignity of your late father and in propagating his ideals for the benefit of mankind. Then why shouldn't you settle your dispute?"
When the judge concluded, Maharaj Ji stepped forward and announced he was unconditionally withdrawing his defamation suit against his brother.
The judge complimented him. Bhagwan Ji then withdrew his defamation suit after some coaxing from the Judge.
"There are certain people around Maharaj Ji who wouldn't let us see him," said Bhagwan Ji, pointing to some of the guru's American disciples, including Robert Mishler, the president of the mission in the United States.
Maharaj Ji said: "We'll do our best. We thank the court for its decision."
Both sides claimed victory, although it appeared that the outcome of the hour-long hearing was more favorable to Maharaj Ji.
His lawyers said he filed his suit against his brother only as a counter measure after Bhagwan Ji and their mother brought a series of suits against Maharaj Ji.
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.