Since 1974 Bal Bhagwan Ji, as he was then known, or Satpal Maharaj as he became has enjoyed a successful career as both an Indian "Godman" (gurus are popularly called "godmen" by speakers of Indian English) and a politician and influential person in Dehra Dun and the Uttaranchal area, a family man with two sons, the head of a large organisation of millions of devotees, Manav Utthan Seva Samiti. He worked closely with his mother until her death in 1991. His political success has been affected by the popularity of the Congress Party led by the Nehru/Ghandi dynasty to which he is attached and the rise of the BJP. His youngest brother, Prem Rawat, has a pretend career as an internationally renowned Master of Peace based upon press releases put out by the Prem Rawat Foundation and is a minor philanthropist using money donated by his followers to try to buy him some positive publicity and respectability. Satpal, on the other hand, has used his power base of followers to leverage into a real career as a big man in the Dehra Dun elite and actually became a Minister of the Indian National Parliament if only for a limited time. This achievement is somewhat similar to Prem Rawat becoming Governor of California.

There is a section discussing his career and organisations in Divine Enterprise by Lisa McKean written in 1988 which includes a section on "Maharaji and the Holy Family", a series of questions and answers which she submitted in writing to Satpal, Mata Ji and Satpal's wife, Amrita Rawat.

The family break-up and some background to the "Knowledge" they both claim to reveal is discussed in The World of Gurus by Vishal Mangalwadi. There is a more indepth discussion in Gurus, Godmen and Good People edited by Kushwant Singh who interviewed the young Guru Maharaj Ji in April, 1973 for the New York Times in which the child god repeated his claims about His incarnation and Singh gave valuable background information on gurus in India.

Various newspaper articles referring to Satpal's political career are collected here.

• 1996 Satpal Maharaj elected to Indian National Parliament
  July 1996-June 97 Union Minister of State, Railways
  June 1997 onwards Union Minister of State, Finance
• 15th May, 1997 Minister rules out divestment of LIC, GIC
  
• November 5, 1997 Press Information Bureau, Government Of India
  Various Ministerial press releases puffing Satpal Maharaj as Minister of Railways
• September 11, 1999 Satpal seeks divine intervention - The Hindustan Times

• Monday, Jan 21, 2002 Congress Party bid to pacify Satpal Maharaj - The Hindu
  
• Tuesday, Jan 22, 2002 Congress revises list to mollify Maharaj - The Tribune Online Edition
  
• 4th February 2002 Appointed as the secretary by the All India Congress Committee on 4 February. - Congress Sandesh
  
• 5th February 2002 Satpal Maharaj AICC secretary. - The Hindu
  
• Sunday, March 23, 2002 CM Tiwari does the balancing act - The Indian Express:; Satpal's wife, Amrita Singh, becomes Minister of State in Uttaranchal
  
• Monday, Feb 25, 2002 Uttaranchal name may be changed. - The Hindu

• Thursday, April 17, 2004 War by democratic means - Deccan Herald
  
• Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Warring generals declare silent truce - Deccan Herald
  
• Tuesday, Nov 09, 2004 Spreading peace, brotherhood. - The Hindu
  
• Sunday, Nov 07, 2004 Sadbhawna Sammelan ends. - The Hindu

• Wednesday, February 9, 2007 Infighting axe hovers over Sonia satraps. - The Telegraph
  
• 14/02/2007 Bironkhal is mirror of feminine mood - The Daily Pioneer: "Satpal Maharaj must be the richest man in Uttarakhand."
  
• Wednesday, February 28, 2007 Sonia's spring of discontent. Hands-off style comes in glare. - The Telegraph
  
• Monday, July 30, 2007 Khanduri gears up for bypoll, as Cong gameplan lies in tatters - The Indian Express
  
• Tuesday, September 18, 2007 Congress leaves leadership question in Uttarakhand wide open. - The Hindustan Times