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.
Sunday Mail, The (Brisbane, Australia) - September 25, 2005
Author: Kay Dibben
DISCIPLES of a globe-trotting spiritual leader will pay up to $2610 just to camp out and hear his message at a conference near Ipswich.
That's the cost of the deluxe tent package at Ivory's Rock conference centre at Peak Crossing, where all eyes will be on Indian-born peace guru Maharaji Prem Rawat on Tuesday.
About 2500 followers from all over the world are expected to turn out, with 1500 of them camping on site.
Those paying for the top-price package will get a double bed with linen, blanket and duvet, electric blanket, bedside table and lamp, two chairs, shelves, hangers, a powerboard and four towels each.
Lower levels of tent accommodation, which include pioneer single tents with beds, blanket and sleeping bag, are available for $895 to $1295 per person.
A French executive chef, heading a team of 20 chefs, and 140 casual catering staff will provide food at the event.
Cath Carroll, the conference centre's chief executive officer and a student of the Maharaji , said people were coming from as far away as the United States, Europe, Chile, China, Malaysia and the Philippines.
She said Maharaji, who lives in the US, was not being paid.
He has spoken at Ivory's Rock each year for the past 10 years and spends 11 months a year travelling the world in a jet leased by organisations that sponsor his events, spreading his message of peace.
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.