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.

Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital Video CDs

In the period 1995 to 1997 Visions International produced a series of 10 short films which were later sold on Video CDs at speeches of Prem Rawat's. While they fit onto one Video CD they were sold as a set of two, presumably to maximise the financial returns. They were not merely recordings of Rawat's speeches, though they included many quotes and his daughter Daya's singing, some historical footage of his career and shots that followers could recognise as darshan lines (ie people lining up and passing before Rawat sitting on a throne and kissing his feet) though this would not be obvious to people who were not Rawat's long time students. They include "Boundless", "He's Here" and "Total embrace"

This video, titled "He's Here", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) release, was released in 1997. It was sold on a Video CD distributed at Elan Vital "events" and was produced in 1997. It is a slideshow of pictures of Prem Rawat aka 'Maharaji' with a soundtrack of his daughter, Dayalata, singing a song "He's Here". This song was orginally recorded on the 1979 cassette "Teach me Devotion" by Holi © Divine Light Mission. The version sung in this film has slightly altered lyrics (changes in italics) that remove the more obvious religious references though the first line is still very significant (see Prem Rawat's Teachings).

He's Here Opening Scene He's Here Closing Scene

This video is basically a slideshow of photos of Rawat and from his career set over a recording of Rawat comparing his organisation to a river that starts as raindrops and finally becomes a mighty thundering river. This is a This is a wishful thinking, unrealistic metaphor for Rawat's followers whose numbers are only a fraction of their 1970's peak. In language and style that his followers probably consider poetic and skeptics find laughable, Rawat impores his followers to tell other people about him and his "Knowledge" so that his unique power to transform lives can find new converts. His magic, he claims, "only happens where the students come together and the Master comes together", a magic "which has been played out on the face of this Earth many, many, many, many times". He has spoken about this concept of the reincarnation of the Perfect Master (Satguru) and His devotees many, … times.

This video, possibly titled "Effort and Grace", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was produced in 1995. It was sold on a Video CD distributed at Elan Vital "events". It includes pictures of flowers unfolding and colorizing as a somewhat obvious metaphor for the effects of Prem Rawat's "Knowledge." There a some black and white clips of Rawat, with moustache, walking, apparently in India by his clothing and some of him, in colour and colourful shirt, at Ivory's Rock Conference Centre in Australia, his cult headquarters there. His daughter, Dayalata, sings a song while Rawat speaks about "the Heart", "the magic", "the Master", "the Truth" etc.

This short video, titled "Like You Always Do", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was released in 1996 and was sold on a Video CD distributed at Elan Vital "events". It contains film clips of Prem Rawat aka 'Maharaji' flying with a soundtrack of a song by One Foundation, "Like You Always Do" which was originally released on a 1997 Visions International CD "Drifting".

This video, titled 'Boundless', a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was released in 1996. It is part of a series that includes "Windows In Time", "I Have This Knowledge" and "Passages" which give a "revisionist" history of Divine Light Mission and Elan Vital and show a highly edited, singular and unrealistic vision of Prem Rawat's history in the West, very upbeat, ignoring the family fiascos, bad publicity about Rawat's ulcers and money grabbing and failure of the 1970's drive to "bring peace to the world".

 Boundless Front Cover Boundless Back Cover

This 10 minute long video, titled "The Connection", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was released in 1998. It contains film clips of Prem Rawat aka 'Maharaji' in West Africa and India and his students filing past him kissing his feet in the darshan ritual. The soundtrack includes a song by his daughter, Dayalata Rawat, "Your Golden Way" (Click to play .mp3) with slightly altered lyrics compared to the original version of the early 1970's - original lyrics in parentheses.

This video, titled "Live This Moment", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was produced in 1996. It was sold on a Video CD distributed at Elan Vital "events". The visuals are of a canoe being paddled down a golden river with many reflections and refractions of light while Prem Rawat emotes over a "reflective" piano and strings soundtrack. Rawat's voice over continues for the whole seven minutes. A transcript cannot do justice to his unique delivery and voice. Rawat must be at least heard to gain some understanding of him and how despite the millions of dollars donated by his 1970's followers and spent on 30 years' efforts in "propagation", the numbers of his followers today are far fewer than they were 40 years ago. Ironically, the flabbily obese Prem Rawat, who doesn't even open his own car doors, could never paddle such a canoe.

This video, titled "Storyteller", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was produced in 1997. It is a slideshow of photos of Prem Rawat, mainly from his childhood when he was still cute before over-eating, lack of exercise and puberty, changed him. The soundtrack contains a haunting, slightly oriental sounding violin tune with Prem Rawat "telling the story" of the Master (he, himself, Maharaji, Guru Maharaj Ji, Balyogeshwar, etc) and the student and the 'thirst' and the 'heart'.

This video, titled "Silent Dreams", a Visions International (a division of Elan Vital Inc) video, was produced in 1996. After Prem Rawat speaks about the eternal silence which apparently is perfect though obviously not eternal if he is speaking, his daughter, Dayalata sings a song (click to hear .mp3 of song), presumably titled "Silent Dreams" The video contains short sections of Rawat in India with a moustache, though not one as impressive as that of his eldest brother, Satpal Maharaj. There is a short clip of Rawat dancing and some footage of a darshan ceremony, also in India.

This Visions International short film, "Total Embrace", was sold on a Video CD distributed at Elan Vital "events" and was produced in 1996. The visuals are of Prem Rawat posing, simpering, sexily closing his yes and looking fom side to side meaningfully as if he was a model in a gay magazine while he talks about the "One Thing" that you can embrace without shame. There are visuals linking his major statements: "that one love", "Is that one thing dear to you?" "Here lies my miracle." & "Admire the glory of existence". Click here for a higher quality video clip (8 megabytes).





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.