Divine Light Mission

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The Divine Light Mission (DLM) was founded by the Shri Hans Ji Maharaji in Northern India in 1960 and registered in Patna. The name of the DLM in Hindi was Divya Sandesh Parishad. When Hans Maharaji passed away in 1966, his fourth son, Prem Rawat (Maharaji, formerly known as Guru Maharaj Ji) succeeded him. The DLM came to the United States with the 13-year old Prem Rawat in the 1970s.

The DLM was formed in 1971 as a non-profit organization and in 1974 was recognized as a church by the United States IRS under section 501(C)(B). In the 1970s the DLM was scrutinized by the press and the anti-cult movement. See also Criticism of Prem Rawat. Students of Maharaji were called premies until the early 1990s. Some of them lived in ashrams that were closed in 1983. The DLM in the West was disbanded in 1983 and was superseded by Elan Vital.

Contents

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Mission's succession rift and the 1970s

Prem Rawat succeeded to the leadership of the DLM upon his father's death in 1966<ref> Lee, Raymond L M. Sacred Tensions: Modernity and Religious Transformation in Malaysia (1997) pp.109-110 The University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 1570031673 "Upon the death of his founder in 1966, one of his sons, Guru Maharaj ji, assumed leadership of the movement and won the hearts of many young Westerners." (p.109)</ref> <ref>Aagaard, Johannes. Who Is Who In Guruism? (1980) "During the first 6 years of the new movement [DLM] its head was Shri Hans, the father of the young Maharaj Ji, who, at the age of 8 years, succeeded his father in 1966."</ref>, which, as he noted, was unusual since he was not the eldest child and not in accordance with Hindu tradition of primogeniture<ref>U. S. Department of the Army, Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains (2001) pp.1-5 , The Minerva Group, ISBN 0898756073
Following his death, Shri Hans Ji appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji as the next Perfect Master and therefore he assumed the head of the Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father."</ref>. His family told American reporters during the early 1970s that Shri Hans was away from home at the time of his death and wrote a letter home to the family essentially naming Prem as his successor. A witness account by Shri Hans' personal driver confirmes that Shri Hans publicly requested that Rawat would continue his work and that some disregarded this request and discussions were held during the customary 12 days of mourning about the succession. This culminated in Prem Rawat addressing the crowd and being accepted by them as their teacher.<ref> Singh, Bihari. Maharaji accepted by his father's students, Retrieved Jan 2006.
"Right after Shri Maharaj Ji’s death, the family and several mahatmas were discussing who would become Master after the 13 days of mourning were over. They were thinking about Bal Bhagwan Ji, who was the eldest son. When they asked me what I thought, I said, “Shri Maharaj Ji told us when Maharaji was born, ‘He’s going to take my message all over the world.’ [...]Some were suggesting that there be several gurus (all four brothers or some group of 5 or 7 gurus), and others were still in the Bal Bhagwan Ji camp. Particularly in India, when a father dies, the older son steps into his place. [...] Twelve days after Shri Maharaj Ji’s death, Maharaji went on stage with a handkerchief on his head and spoke for about 45 minutes to the people who had gathered. After listening to him, everybody accepted him as their Master." </ref><ref> Fahlbusch E., Lochman J. M., Mbiti J., Pelikan J., Vischer L, Barret D. (Eds.) The Encyclopedia of Christianity (1998). p.861, ISBN 9004113169
"At the funeral of Shree Hans, his son Prem Pal Singh Rawat [...] comforted those who mourned his father's death with the thought that they still had perfect knowledge with them. The son himself had become the subject of this knowledge, the perfect master, in the place of his father, and took the title of "guru" and the name of Maharaj Ji, or great king, a title of respect of which other titular names were added. The honors paid him by his followers gave him the characteristic of a messianic child. These were supposedly his by nature and they helped him to eliminate rival claims from his own family." </ref>

The young Prem reportedly spoke in the same terms as his father had done, comforted grieving devotees and declared his intention to continue his father's work. <ref> Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America,(1986), pp.141-2 Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
"Just six years after the founding of the Mission, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj was succeeded by his younger son Prem Pal Singh Rawat, who was eight when he was recognized as the new Perfect Master and assumed the title, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji had been recognized as spiritually adept, even within the circle of the Holy Family as Shri Hans family was called. He had been initiated at the age of six [...] He assumed the role of Perfect Master at his father's funeral by telling the disciples who had gathered. [...] Though officially the autocratic leader of the Mission, because of Maharaji's age authority was shared by the whole family." </ref><ref> Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedia of American religions, (1978) p.370-1, McGrath Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8434-643-7
"As they bewailed their loss at his [Shri hans Ji Maharaj] funeral, one of the four sons, then only eight-years old arose and addressed the crowd. [...] Thus Maharaj Ji proclaimed his lordship and established himself as the new head if his father's mission" </ref> His family's support as the rightful successor to his father lasted for another eight years. . In 1974, after a rift in the family due to Prem Rawat's marriage to a westerner and other Westernizing tendencies7, his mother publicly retracted her support and endorsed instead her oldest son, Satpal, as the legitimate guru of the DLM. Prem Rawat continued the work of the DLM in the West, while Satpal, acquired the DLM in India. Satpal now claims that his father, Hans Ji Maharaj, "bequeath[ed] his mission and unfinished work" to Satpal, not to Prem, and so he, and not Prem, is the sole legitimate heir of their father's guru lineage[1]. All scholars that write about the succession report the contrary. <ref> Beit-Hallahami, Benjamin The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults, (1997), ISBN 0823915050 p. 85 "Divine Light Mission". "When the founder died in 1966, the eight-year old Pretap stood up at the funeral to announce his ascent to the throne and became the movement's recognized leader. [..] Maharaj Ji was considered satguru, or the Perfect Master" </ref> <ref> Melton, Gordon J. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, (1986), pp.141-2 entry Divine Light Mission Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8240-9036-5
"Just six years after the founding of the Mission, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj was succeeded by his younger son Prem Pal Singh Rawat, who was eight when he was recognized as the new Perfect Master and assumed the title, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji had been recognized as spiritually adept, even within the circle of the Holy Family as Shri Hans family was called. He had been initiated at the age of six [...] He assumed the role of Perfect Master at his father's funeral by telling the disciples who had gathered. [...] Though officially the autocratic leader of the Mission, because of Maharaji's age authority was shared by the whole family." </ref> <ref name=USChaplains> U. S. Department of the Army, Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains (2001) pp.11-5 , The Minerva Group, ISBN 0898756073
"Following his death, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj appointed the youngest of his four sons, Sant Ji, as the next Perfect Master and thereby he assumed head of Divine Light Mission as decreed by his father. Since that time, Guru Maharaj Ji has inspired a world wide movement and the Mission is active in 55 countries" </ref> and it is clear that Satpal and the rest of the family accepted and supported Prem's declaration of succession for eight years. The websites and publications related to Prem Rawat and his work do not use succession claims to substantiate Maharaji's teachnings as they see Rawat simply as an individual gifted with the ability to speak about inner peace. [2].

In 1973 after a reporter at a public event in Detroit hit Rawat in the face with a shaving cream pie, the reporter was attacked with a hammer and severely injured by an Indian Mahatma and a western student. In an article published in Penthouse magazine in July 1974, it was reported that the DLM issued a press release informing that the pair were in fact students, and that they were held in custody at the Chicago ashram. They also promised a full investigation. The Detroit police did not pursue the matter.

See also:

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Beliefs, practices and behavioral standards outside India

Note: this section and all other following sections apply to the DLM outside India only.

Professor Eileen Barker refers for more information about the DLM to an article by the student Wim Haan in the Dutch version of her book Introduction new religious movements. In that article that appeared in the official magazine of the Vrije Universiteit about religious movements, Haan writes that the DLM hardly had a philosophical background and that its central items of faith were summarized in the song associated with the Hindu devotional ritual called aarti. 5 text of the song. Haan wrote this article while he was a student of theology at a Pastoral and Theology school in a small town in the Netherlands and while he was part of a critical movement within the Catholic church. See also Students early devotion and Alleged claims of personal divinity.

The Hindu trappings associated with the DLM, including the singing of arti where dropped in the 1980s. See Indian customs around Prem Rawat

Although no beliefs or ethical practices in terms of rules and regulations were taught, the fundamental practices of inner peace were embodied and experienced through satsang, service and meditation, the sum of which is an experience Prem Rawat, or Maharaji, called "Knowledge." Maharaji's perspectives delivered during his satsang talks brought great pleasure and meaning to many listeners. The practice of satsang, service and meditation also resulted for many in an inner calm and contentment which guided their behavior in the place of a belief system. Members of the DLM meditated formally twice daily and attended discourse on the Knowledge (satsang) when possible. Vegetarianism was encouraged but not enforced.4.

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Millennium festival in the Houston Astrodome

In 1973, the DLM booked the Houston Astrodome for a three-day gathering of Rawat and several thousand of his students in November 1973, coinciding with Shri Hans's birthday and called "Millennium '73". The event lost money for the organization, but Rawat expressed his satisfaction with it. After a press conference with Prem Rawat, one of the journalists expressed his dissatisfaction with Rawat's answers to questions. See also Millennium festival. Around the time of this festival the anti-cult movement had reached its peak, resulting in several deprogrammed ex-members becoming vocal critics of the mission5.

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Psychological changes in students outside India

  • According to a study performed by Jeanne Messer in 1976 the adherents of the Divine Light Mission underwent several psychological changes after they learned and began practicing the techniques of Knowledge, or inner peace, including experiencing benefits from meditation such as increased energy levels, an increased awareness of serendipity and coincidences and a tendency to see them as divine interventions, as well as improvements in their marriage and work life. Professor Eileen Barker believes, without supplying proof, that the above mentioned changes can be generalized for conversion to other new religious movements. However, this study did not summarize the experience of many practitioners of Knowledge who did not view themselves as having joined a group. It also did not take into account the experiences of those practitioners who, as Rawat advised, did not read religious or serendipitous meanings into their contact with inner peace, but rather enjoyed it for its stand-alone benefit.
  • In a study by Dr. Marc Galanter in 2002 about the healing effects of spiritual affiliation6, he found that social and spiritual recovery occurred naturally in certain groups. In the study, Galanter presents as an example the fact that members of the DLM experienced a reduction of symptoms of psychological distress after they joined the group.
  • In another study by Galanter, in cooperation with P Buckley, R and J Rabkin, on group influence for decreased drug use, it is presented that members of the DLM, many of whom had been involved in the counterculture of the early 1970s, reported incidence of drug use prior to joining which was much above that of a non-member comparison group. Reported levels were considerably lower after joining, and the decline was maintained over an average membership of 2 years.
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References

<references />

  1. Haan, page 55
  2. Barker, page 32 in the Dutch version of the book. The quotes are based on the Dutch version and have been translated back into English.
  3. Messer, in Glock & Bellah (1976) (note: The child guru refers to Prem Rawat.)
  4. Melton, Religious Requirements and practices. A Handbook for Chaplains.
  5. Melton & Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, & New Religions, p. 210
  6. Galanter, Charismatics groups, p. 1
  7. Chryssides, Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, p.109
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Bibliography

  • Chryssides, George D. (2001). Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, pp. 108-109. The Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland and London, 2001. ISBN 0-8108-4095-2
  • Barker, E. (1989), New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction, London, HMSO
  • Galanter, Marc M. D. (2002) Alcohol & Drug Abuse: Healing Through Social and Spiritual Affiliation, Psychiatric Services 53:1072-1074, September 2002. American Psychiatric Association
  • Galanter M, Buckley P, Deutsch A, Rabkin R, Rabkin J (1980) Large group influence for decreased drug use: findings from two contemporary religious sects Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1980;7(3-4):291-304.
  • Haan, Wim (Dutch language) De missie van het Goddelijk licht van goeroe Maharaj Ji: een subjektieve duiding from the series Religieuze bewegingen in Nederland: Feiten en Visies nr. 3, autumn 1981 (The study is mainly based on the Dutch branch of the Divine Light Mission) ISBN 90-242-2341-5
  • Melton, J. Gordon and Lewis, R. James. Department of the USA Army, Office of the Chief of Chaplains Religious Requirements and practices. A Handbook for Chaplains
  • Melton, J. Gordon and Lewis, R. James.The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, & New Religions.
  • Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj: Eternal is He, Eternal is His Knowledge, Originally published by Divine Light Mission, (1970) India
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External links

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