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.
Prem Rawat's father was part of what is known as the "Sant Mat" tradition. This is a loosely related northern Indian religious revival that began in medieval times in opposition to the strict Brahman Vedic religious system characterised by caste and ritual. It was also heavily influenced by Islam and it's most prestigious and seminal voice, the weaver-poet Kabir is considered by both religions to be one of them. For a reasonable and accurate description see the Wikipedia Sant Mat page.
In its modern forms Sant Mat religions rely most centrally on the doctrine of bhakti (devotion) to a living human master, the Satguru or Perfect Master, who is considered divine. Both Prem Rawat and his father, Satgurudev Param Sant Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, have taken this doctrine to it's extreme though the living Rawat no longer publicly proclaims it as he did earlier in his career. This position of a divine guru is obviously a desirable one and modern Sant Mat religions have nearly always have considerable dissension and controversy on the succession of the Satguru after the death of the living incumbent. (see "Radhasoami Reality" by Professor Mark Jurgensmeyer) This happened when Rawat's father declared himself the Satguru on the death of his master, Swarupanand, and occurred in Rawat's career when his mother and elder brothers and the Indian Divine Light Mission organisation decided he was no longer fit to be Satguru and deposed him in favour of his eldest brother.
Prem Rawat has modified his doctrines over the decades and no longer has any "students" considered spiritually advanced enough to be mahatmas ("great souls"), initiators or even instructors. There have been some ex-followers of Rawat's who have proclaimed themselves teachers and even Satgurus but these are considered wildly heretical if not mad by Rawat's followers and vice-versa. Since the late 1990's the only follower of his who appears to be "special" is his daughter Dayalata who is the main singer at his functions and she would appear to be the next Perfect Master in waiting. She practises regularly to ensure her fitness for this role and often spends time with her father's most senior devotee, the former Mahatma Gurucharanand. Ladbrokes are not offering odds on the succession.
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The incredible struggle of Prem Rawat to overcome his inferiority complex by stuffing himself with food and booze and drugs is obvious in his bloated appearance and enormous jowls. His eyes are nearly covered with fatty pouches.
With his health in tatters and an early death looming there is one great hope to bring an avalanche of World Peace! To hear the two sing in the new Millenium in Click below: |
Daya Rawat practises regularly so she can be fit to take over her father's onerous duties when he dies and she is always ready to learn at the feet of the Mahatma where you can really let it go.
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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.
