THE DIVINE LIGHT MISSION
The origins, history and controversies of a religious cult, the Divine Light
Mission (AKA Elan Vital, aka The Prem Rawat Foundation) of Guru Maharaj Ji,
(AKA, Goomradgie, Satguru, Maharaji, Prem Pal Rawat Sing, etc)
This is the cult I myself became a member of between 1981 and 1985. My own
story is told in detail at BRAINWASHED
- A CULT SURVIVOR'S TALE but is in truth a minor part of the cult’s overall history. It is unlikely that
my name was ever known to the Guru, Maharaj Ji before I defected and became a
more outspoken critic of the cult.
The cult’s own history deserves to be told, from its Indian origins, to the
migration to Europe and the States, to the Guru’s public rejection by his own
mother, Mata Ji, to its gradual transformation into the Elan Vital movement and
beyond in an attempt to shake off an endless catalogue of often farcical, and
occasionally tragic controversies.
ORIGINS
The cult, Divine Light Mission was founded in India in 1960 by Shri Hans
Maharaj Ji, a Hindu Brahmin, who had served in many sects and who claimed to
have met Gandhi. Shri Hans claimed that he was on his way to meet his own Guru,
when he fell into a river, almost drowning, and was rescued by the very man he
went to meet, realizing at that point that his doubts about his spiritual
mentor were ungrounded.
Shri Hans became an active Guru in Delhi, who taught four basic meditation
techniques, known as the Krijas, which many believe were created by the cult,
even though they were borrowed from many shared teachings, and may well be the
meditation techniques referred to in the Bagavad Gita. Shri Hans was willing to
teach these techniques to low paid workers, and even taught that at least two
of the Krijas, being breathing techniques, could be practiced even while
working or performing other duties. This made him a popular Guru among low paid
workers. Shri Hans also disregarded the Hindu caste system.
Shri Hans liked to address his followers at his ashram where he also
frequently allowed them to queue up to kiss his feet at ceremonies known as
Darshan, (The presence of the Master). If he felt like it, Shri Hans would
attack inattentive or disobedient followers with his walking stick, belting
them cruelly across the back and shoulders as they knelt to kiss the feet. Many
regarded this in itself as a blessing. I have seen video film footage that
shows such quite sadistic attacks taking place.
Shri Hans caused controversy by marriage whilst calling on followers not
already married on joining his sect to practice celibacy. Before long, his own
second wife, Mata Ji, had given birth to four sons, the most important of whom
would prove to be the youngest, Prem Pal Rawat Sing.
The increasing success in the West of the guru, Maharishi Maheshi Yogi after
his successful but short-lived recruitment of the Beatles lead many Indian
Gurus to consider similar ventures to the West, and in fact many
Anglo-Europeans were coming to India, to get drugs directly from a country that
grew them, and to look into the Eastern Mysticism directly at source. Shri
Hans's earliest followers found him, rather than the other way round. The Divine
Light Mission was established as a means to export the teachings of Shri Hans
back to the West.
But Shri Hans was getting old, and his health was not up to the journey. He
watched helplessly as Transcendental Meditation and The Hare Krishna sect
developed strong followings in Europe and America. He and his sons listened
enthralled to talk of luxuries available in England, the rest of Europe and
America, from the Western followers who joined his ashram community. In many
ways these early pioneers would manipulate the whole way DLM was to present
itself to the Western Guru market. Young Prem Pal Rawat Sing was particularly
attentive to their stories of the opportunities and wealth that awaited
overseas.
There was little doubt that the sons would get to inherit the Divine Light
Mission when it finally embarked on its evangelical expedition. Shri Hans had
his boys educated in a Catholic Convent school to ensure that they had some
knowledge of Biblical teachings and the English language. He was keen to show
the cult had some affinity with Biblical scriptural teachings.
As Shri Hans's health faded it seemed certain that his oldest son would
become his immediate successor as the new Avatar and leader of Divine Light
Mission. It was taught that the Guru, interpreted by DLM as a literal
incarnation of God, would take immediate residence in the heart and soul of his
successor, and at Shri Hans's well attended funeral, this happened in a very
unexpected way, when Prem Pal Rawat Sing, the youngest, rather than the eldest
boy, leapt up and proclaimed that he was the successor, in effect, the new Guru
Maharaj Ji. Prem Pal was only believed to be only eight years old, though he
himself said later that he has no true knowledge of his age, as he never had a
birth certificate, and now, in his forties (at the time of my writing this in
2003) he looks so much older than he actually is.
That the eldest son didn't object from the outset to this virtual revolution
suggests it was actually more planned than spontaneous.
The boy-God's family immediately rallied round him, and may well have
actually been responsible for many of the edicts and assertions he would now
present. To what extent Maharaj Ji called the shots and to which point he was
influenced by his close advisors and even closer family, is unclear.
THE EARLY 70's. CONQUEST OF THE WEST
Maharaj Ji Junior maintained the tradition of Darshan and Satsang Discourse,
though seems to have abandoned his Father's violent beatings notions from the
outset. He also began to speak more openly in English, although initially of a
very broken pidgin variety.
One of his closest Indian advisors, Gurucharanand, the first Initiator to
head to England, began actively rallying support in the UK. He even started a
newspaper, a weekly one called Divine Times that was a superbly presented
parody of The Times Newspaper, and in 1971, the then thirteen year old living
incarnation of God flew in to Luton Airport.
Followers already recruited by Gurucharanand were there to greet him. Many
claimed in later years, (including some to me personally) that they were simply
drawn to go to the airport without knowing why, but there was certainly a
highly active recruitment and conversion drive prior to Maharaj Ji's triumphal
arrival.
The appearance of early Divine Light Mission followers was a very striking
contrast to the bearded hippie converts to TM or the shaven headed saffron
robed members of the Krishna Consciousness sects. Premies (Lovers of God and
Guru Maharaj Ji) were clean shaven and at that time wore immaculate white
robes. Drugs of all kinds were forbidden, and much was made of the promise that
meditation was a 'high' that needed no artificial stimulants at all. Followers
were however expected to be celibate unless already married couple, and to
practice vegetarianism.
Many members opened their own vegetarian food shops and cafeterias, some of
which the cult still owns to this day.
Much use was made of the Biblical prophesy that the new Messiah would come
from the sky in a bright white light, to proclaim Maharaj Ji's arrival in Luton
on a gleaming passenger jet plane.
After arrival, Maharaj Ji was next to seek publicity and followers at the
first Glastonbury Rock Festival in 1971. This was England's answer to the
Woodstock festival of 1969. Bands performing included The Crazy World Of Arthur
Brown, and there was also a scheduled talk by The Maharishi who had also been
at Woodstock. Maharaj Ji was not on the bill, but the teenage messiah jumped up
anyway, grabbing a stage mic to pronounce his services to mankind, before
someone cut the electricity off while he was ordered down. The stunt seems to
have had some modest success however.
Now he was in Britain, he was able to personally give people the meditation
techniques rather than have Gurucharanand initiate them on his behalf. In those
early days his contact with the followers was much more immediate and
personalized. Gurucharanand was also immensely respected, and many regarded him
as an external incarnation of Maharaj Ji's godhead himself, believing their God
had come both as father, and son, in the form of a perfect example of devotion
to himself.
Gurucharanand also established himself as a musician, translated Hindu
Sanskrit hymns in honour of Maharaj Ji, especially the epic hymn Arti.
In the first few years, the boy guru did well, attracting thousands of
followers, though certainly not the six million he absurdly claimed.
Maharaj Ji also had his followers in the rest of Europe and in America.
Again, evangelical Mahatmas like Guruchanand were busy rallying the faithful to
be ready for him before he ventured to new territory.
Early success credit really belongs with Gurucharanand who's tireless drive
to sell his Master was without boundaries. Maharaj Ji was also quick to exploit
the audio cassette recorder, knocking out many tapes of his speeches to have
sold to followers and Ashrams world-wide, possibly the first religion to
exploit this medium of expression, as they would later do again with video
tapes.
Merchandising, tapes, books and photographs connected with the movement
would soon begin fetching ludicrously high prices among followers.
Maharaj Ji seemed also to be quite happy to talk to followers who dropped
by, and to write personal letters to anyone who corresponded with him. He even
personally chose Hindi names for those married followers who asked him to pick
a name for their pending son or daughter.
Maharaj Ji's family also did all they could to share his limelight,
promoting themselves as the Holy perfect family. All looked well, but the
bubble was about to burst, and the honeymoon was over.
DECLINE AND FALL
Growing membership took up more and more of Maharaj Ji's time, and he
quickly gave more power to the Mahatmas to give out the meditation techniques,
or as it was now known, The Knowledge (always spelt with a capital K to
emphasize its importance) and many new recruits resented not being able to get
theirs directly from the source.
Maharaj Ji quickly migrated to the States and established his new main
homestead there, in Florida. Officially all Ashram communities were regarded as
his home, and were kept in permanent state of readiness in case he dropped by,
whether they were in a capital city or a quiet village in the middle of
nowhere, and certainly on his increasingly gruelling world tour that would go
on for many years to come, Maharaj Ji would initially use the Ashrams as a base
of operations, though he preferred staying in posh hotels to the company of his
immediate followers.
Maharaj Ji's Americanisation became almost total from the moment he moved
there. He was rapidly acquiring a lavish spoilt rich playboy of the western
world lifestyle, and he was constantly photographed with young, beautiful
looking people, often wearing Hawaiian style flower garlands, and receiving
expensive jewellery. He was also seen with ice-cream so often that many believe
he was addicted to it. He was now visibly putting weight on, and rapidly losing
his boy-God innocent charm.
Then the real scandals kicked in. Increasingly reclusive and unapproachable
by rank and file members, Maharaj Ji was seen womanising, and even photographed
passionately French-kissing a female follower. Reports that he was hitting the
night-clubs and even hamburger joints and wine bars were rife.
Maharaj Ji was very careless what he told the press and followers at
question and answer sessions. He even boasted that he had the date of the end
of the world in his pocket, though he never bothered to actually reveal the
date to those who might have wished to know. This was beginning to provoke
cynicism and scorn from the media.
There was growing conflict with rival cults now too. Members of the Krishna
cult would often get into pitched battles with Premies.
Maharaj Ji was also being seen surrounded by hired black suited Mafiosi-like
bodyguards, who were clearly not members of the cult. So far every job was done
by dedicated followers, but suddenly there were well paid strangers in the
fold.
Much money and over-hyped publicity was pushed into promotion of the
Millennium '73 festival, which was to be (In Maharaji Ji's dreams) the biggest
New Age event ever envisaged, with hints that even UFO's would land there at
the official launch of the Age Of Aquarius. It was at a promotion for this
event that DLM first revealed its uglier side. A reporter, Pat Halley attacked
Maharaj Ji with a custard Pie, to assess his sense of humour, an event which
everyone laughed off, at least superficially, though Maharaj Ji seemed
frighteningly livid, storming off back to the Ashram, to clean up. Later, some
supporters got the reporter and beat him to a pulp so savagely that he would
have a metal plate in his skull for life thereafter. Maharaj Ji seems to have
known that this attack was planned, and also made no effort to have the
attackers kicked out of the movement for their behaviour.
The meditation Kryjas techniques themselves were causing some controversy.
Many followers having practiced them for two years or more at an hour each
morning and an hour each evening were complaining that they were losing any
interest in reading and that they now struggled with basic arithmetic that they
coped with perfectly well before. Constant meditation was actually weakening
their thinking power. It was also noticed that many Initiators and high ranking
Ashram co-coordinators were being excused from having to practice too much
meditation, in order to keep their wits about them for more analytical duties.
In fact, around this time, the meditation techniques were modified and
changed slightly, which some claimed ruined their effectiveness and worth
completely. Many Premies surviving from the early days believe that the
followers receiving initiation after 1973-4 were not given the true Knowledge
Kryjas at all. The techniques as now practiced, or as practiced during my
involvement are given at MEDITATIONS
Getting the Knowledge was proving more and more difficult too. At one time
it had been possible to be initiated to Premie-dom within days of expressing an
interest, but now Initiators kept recruits on hold for long periods. Weeks,
months and in some cases, years could go by without full initiation being
given. I would eventually be kept on hold for six months which was regarded as
'rapid'.
The Millennium '73 event itself proved to be a commercial and promotional
disaster, with only a fraction of the expected audience showing up at The
Houston Astrodome. For the first time, Maharaj Ji was losing support and
respect faster than he was gaining.
Maharaj Ji was developing an increasingly lavish lifestyle, and a rabid
passion for fast expensive cars. He soon had his own Rolls-Royce, and then
decided to buy his own aeroplane too.
At one talk, which many followers had travelled from far and wide to see,
Maharaj Ji arrived late, simply told the audience that he felt that we had all
come to eat jelly and ice cream, and then left. He'd been there less than a few
minutes. The audience was stunned. Many took it for great fun and minimalist
wisdom. Others felt understandably cheated.
On a flight out of India, following a successful major appearance Maharaj Ji
was pulled up at Customs and was discovered to be smuggling out a considerable
amount of undeclared jewellery and money, for which he was allegedly heavily
fined.
Maharaj Ji had many regular annual festival
events. Shri Hans day commemorated the life of his father, and he always
celebrated the major Hindi festival of Holi, a fertility festival in which it
is customary for Hindus to spray and cover one another in painted water and mud
affectionately. This is an image often conjured up today in Bollywood musicals.
Rain and water representing abundance and pleasure and passion. Generally, the
more messed up and soaked you got on Holi day, the more the Gods were believed
to adore you. Maharaj Ji didn't simply do these festivals with hose-pipes and
buckets of water, he bought a giant airport fire-hydrant, of the kind used to
extinguish the flames of a crashed Jumbo jet, and turned that on his followers.
He took some sadistic delight in blasting the forward-most rows so thoroughly
that people fell over as if hit with riot cannons. Many were equally injured by
showers of stones and debris torn up by the blast from the jets which rained
down on the audience too. Health and safety regulations would gradually curb
such excesses on him.
Matters worsened in 1974 when Maharaj Ji met a young vivacious American air
hostess called Marolyn Johnson. The legend has it that she went to a cave to
explore it and stumbled on Maharaj Ji meditating there, and they immediately
fell in love. In reality, she had been seduced by the fifteen year old boy -
she was twenty-three - when he flew on one of her planes. He hired her to serve
on his earliest of many private jets. The couple kept their affair a secret
from all but their closest allies.
At the wedding of one of his brothers, Maharaj Ji announced his own marriage
plans, clearly intent on following in his Father's footsteps by founding a
family dynasty of his own. The boy Guru, advised by his Mother, and to some
extent a pawn of family manipulation, had grown up to make a decision of his
own, and it backfired horribly for him. It wasn't so much the woman he chose,
but his assertion of intent to rechristen her, Durga Ji, after a major Hindu
warrior Goddess. Such a name bestowed on someone of non-Hindu parentage is a
grave insult to many Hindus. After much fierce division, Maharaj Ji's perfect
devotional Mother decided to publicly disown him, even claiming now for the
first time that her older son, Bal Bhagwan Ji was the true Guru, and that
Maharaj Ji was a charlatan. Of his other brothers, only Raja Ji remains loyal
to Maharaj Ji, while Bole Ji, who founded and led the DLM band Blue Aquarius,
stayed in the Bal Bhagwan Ji team for a while before becoming a successful New
York Cab driver.
Followers of the Divine Light Mission eager to get the truth out of the
devastating number of rumours, accusations and counter-accusations going on
went to their regional ashram meetings to find that in fact there were now
several, as supporters of the two camps had set up rival meetings for the
Divine Light Mission, often in the same hired buildings, in direct competition
with one another. For many followers the whole thing had degenerated into a
farce, and a laughing stock. They left the cult in droves. Maharaj Ji found
himself banned from entering India again for several years. India was where his
Mother's influence proved very strong, and even once permission was granted, he
arrived there to find many people waiting to throw shoes at him, a grave insult
in a culture where shoes are removed at the entrance to houses to encourage
strangers to feel welcome to the hospitality of a house, and closer to
communion with the ground and foundation of the Earth itself. The symbol of the
lotus as a flower that grows in mangrove mud without its petals touching the
mire is that of a perfect life form in an imperfect world, so Maharaj Ji always
regarded his feet as being on our world, but not of our world. An angry mob
waving boots and shouting "put your shoes on" was a clear signal that
he was not wanted in his homeland any more. It would be many years before this
rift was healed and many there will never forgive him. Bal Bhagwan Ji went into
Indian politics and became their transport minister.
That the sect survived this degree of schism and infighting at all is
astonishing.
Again it was Gurucharanand who probably lead the way forward. He was a
principle spearhead in the revival after some period in the wilderness that
lead many to assume the cult was dead and gone. Media promotion was no longer
practiced, and in fact talking to the press about the cult was strictly
forbidden. Meetings and activities were to be conducted purely by word of
mouth.
The revival mission was dealt a severe blow through events actually outside
Maharaj Ji's own control when in 1978 a cult leader called Jim Jones lead over
900 followers to what became one of the most famous cult mass-suicides of all
time - It took place in Guyana. Much of Jones's power came through
regularly repeated 'loyalty tests' in which followers were drilled in showing
their trust by being invited to drink Kool Aid laced with cyanide. In the
drills and tests it had been just harmless Kool aid, but the suicides had
involved the addition of the actual cyanide.
Many noticed that Maharaj Ji had practiced minor one-to-one 'loyalty' tests
of his own. On one occasion he had a Premie promise he would die for him, and
then blindfolded him and lead him to what he claimed was a cliff-edge and
invited him to step off. The Premie stepped out to find that he was just a few
feet above a small pool of water.
On another occasion, one I have heard Maharaji speak of directly, he had
London followers completely dismantle and reassemble one of his cars, but
instructed them not to re-attach the steering wheel, which he planed to take
care of personally. Once the car was back intact, he took the team of would-be
mechanics for a drive, and then in full flow of London Traffic, he left the car
running forward as he pulled the as yet un-attached wheel off his steering
column. When his passengers panicked, Maharaj Ji asked them why they had no
faith in him, put the wheel back on and drove them back to their ashram.
Fears that Maharaj Ji might be irresponsible or crazy enough to cause deaths
among his followers lead to a few more defections.
The Jonestown tragedy also lead to a huge increase in the size of the
general anti-cult movement. Many parents were starting to express concerns
about what the cults were doing to their sons and daughters. Ex-Moonie, Ted
Patrick began the Deprogramming movement which virtually kidnapped cult members
to force them to listen to a catalogue of their cult's failings. Many Premies
were to be deprogrammed in the coming years.
THE
EARLY 1980'S COMEBACK
By the early 1980's however, Divine Light Mission was starting to pick up
new members again, though they hired rooms in the guise of the Divine
Understanding Order, and occasionally as The World Welfare Society. I myself
was recruited in Manchester in 1981 at the height of the revival, though my
story has no bearing on the major events affecting the cult. Much of the
negative history given here was in fact kept from me completely.
Maharaj Ji was doing quite well in the early 1980's when the media largely
lost interest in him, but problems continued to amass. A follower died in
Africa, losing control of a motorbike travelling at high speed and dying of
hypothermia, too blissed out on meditation to realize he should slow down.
Another, at a Maharaj Ji meeting, walked out in a trance straight into oncoming
traffic and died, sending shock waves of disbelief among his many friends in
the cult.
In Rome in 1982, a three day festival erupted in violence when the crowd
waiting to get in lost patience with a particularly hostile series of security
checks, and endless red tape, and someone allegedly punched a child in the
face.
Many people were marooned and left without the means to get home after this
event too. Maharaj Ji had called on everyone to get to see him whenever they
could so people would pay the air fare to get to wherever he was in the world,
and then be left with no money for food or air-fare back home. One man in Rome
had no means of getting home to Mexico. Embassies and consulates tend to get
busy when Maharaj Ji comes to town.
Inside, Maharaj Ji seemed in good humour and even waved Durga Ji's third
child to the delighted crowd, but when the baby emptied his bladder on him, the
Satguru, stormed off the stage in a huff, and the show was over.
Much fuss was made over the fact that Maharaj Ji's fourth child was born on
Christmas Day.
One of the most tragic events in the cult's history slipped by very quietly.
Even though i was still a member then, I heard nothing of this until I left and
started researching the movement from the point of view of an outsider. Maharaj
Ji, visiting India, where he was now more accepted, drove his car accidentally
into a cyclist, killing him. Unrepentant, Maharaj Ji fled the scene of the
accident and left the blame in the hands of one of his followers who falsely
claimed to have driven the vehicle as Maharaj Ji left on a plane.
In the Mid-1980's big changes were taking place. Many Initiators found
themselves demoted or sacked overnight. Much of the language of Hinduism was
vanishing from use. Maharaj Ji steadily stopped calling himself Guru. Words
like Jaisatchitanand (I wish you truth, consciousness and Bliss), Satguru -
(The living Perfect Master) etc were vanishing. Arti, the epic hymn to Maharaj
Ji was no longer performed, and even the name Divine Light Mission was
vanishing. Many documents now called the sect Elan Vital, (French for The Vital
Spirit) a possible borrowing from French Philosopher, Henri Bergson). This was
shortly to become the cult's only official title.
Maharaj Ji even changed the spelling of his name now. At first he changed it
to Maharaji, and then abandoned the 'Great King' title entirely for his
original true name, Prem Pal Rawat Sing.
The 1980's saw fierce criticism of ticket sales among the elite leading to
front row seats going to the highest bidders. This lead to a brief and short
lived revolution in which tickets were allocated on a strictly random basis,
and even I got a seat three rows from the front at a talk in Birmingham in
1984, my own penultimate attendance at one of Maharaji's events. It was at this
event that I was also assigned the task of 'shadowing' i.e., following and
spying on a man alleged or believed to pose a security risk to Maharaj Ji. I
followed someone who seemed perfectly harmless and wondered who might then or
ever have been following me at similar events. I began to suspect that this was
paranoia rather than just cause for such dubious behaviour.
Beragons, wooden sticks to balance your arms on for meditation (essential,
at least for the elderly and infirm) involving the eyes and ears techniques
were now largely banned too. Asked about this Maharaji said that they were
nothing but toys which his children treated like helicopters. Many people who
had bought them were deeply insulted.
It was becoming clear that speakers even at local meetings were carefully
selected from short-lists and many long serving followers were never invited up
even at supposedly random choice meetings. Worse, Maharaj Ji ordered that
private house meetings, not authorized by Elan Vital were not allowed under any
circumstances. In fact more recruits had been made at these informal unofficial
meetings than any formal EV event. Maharaji was after a quality of members, nit
a quantity full.
The result of this announcement was for many Premies to walk out for the
last time. It was amidst this dissent that I was also able to leave relatively
unchallenged. My own Premiedom was at an end.
My own media criticism of the cult was modest compared to much that went on.
Maharaji invited many Premies to become Initiators, or as they were now called
Instructors, and sacked them all within a year. He then declared that only he
personally could now give out the Knowledge and that no one could receive it
without a six month membership trial period. Given Maharaj Ji's increasingly
reduced tour schedule, getting the Knowledge was harder than ever.
Marolyn, no longer called Durga Ji, was no longer giving discourse of her
own, and rumours that Maharaji had been seen womanizing with other female
followers were rife. Maharaji was also believed to have problems with alcohol,
cigarettes and other drugs that were being kept under tight wraps by those
closest to him.
Vegetarianism was no longer a necessity for newcomers to the cult, and
indeed hadn't been even for me in 1981, as while my unconcealed meat eating was
frowned upon by many, it was never used directly to stop me from being a
member.
In the early 1990's Maharaji made illegal entry to Israel where sects and
cults with such notorious reputations are outlawed.
Now as we enter the new century and Millennium the ashrams have all
effectively been closed down too, robbing many followers of a communal
existence.
The biggest scandal nowadays remains the sexual perversion charges levelled
against Initiator, Mahatma Jalepo, a friend of Maharaji's from his own
childhood who has been convicted of child sex offences, but with whom Elan
Vital denied any contact, until obliged to come clean in a court of US law
during a major lawsuit battle by one of Jagdeo's victims. Jalepo is believed to
be still actively running a Delhi based Elan Vital operations centre.
Currently, Maharaji, or Prem pal Rawat Sing is still on tour, and has his
lawyers shutting down many websites that have dared to make use of DLM
copyright materials and proved too critical of the one time child guru who once
claimed to have no ego, for his comfort. He s doing his best to ingratiate
himself into a number of famine relief groups, using his wealth to buy a
reputation as a great humanitarian and philanthropist.
The Knowledge is no longer presented by Instructors or initiators but
through a course of DVD films about and by Maharaji which last up to 70 hours.
Many people do not commit to the time required to watch such material, - the
last film in the Keys, to be watched under strict supervision, finally reveals
the Knowledge.
Maharaji continues to amass an obscene amount of personal wealth, real
estate and power. He owns a major house in Malibu, a house in Surrey, a similar
property in Australia, a $7 million Yacht, a helicopter, helicopter pad, and
recently traded in (a Gulfstream Five jet plane previously owned by King
Hussein of Jordan for a bigger version of the same aircraft for himself.
The Internet has drawn ex-followers of Maharaji together and the active
Premies have begun fighting back against their outspoken critics rather than
just hiding away. The counter-attacks began in Australia when a
journalist, John Macgregor published strong criticisms of a real estate
facility called Amaroo in Queensland. Maharaji had bought the Aborigini land in
1991 to build a modern state of the art conference facility. Money was
drawn from Premies around the world, but many questions were being asked
about what people believed it was that they were buying. many investers called
back their undisclosed loans and a few were successful in recovering their
monies. The Amaroo facility proved to be a decent enough lecture theatre,
and a large luxury apartment for Maharaji. Other, rather more limited
facilities were accessible only by use of electronic swipe cards by a
privileged few. Most Premies visiting Australia were expected to camp
outside the Amaroo complex in tents. Questions of financial
malpractice led to tax investigations and some high ranking staff members
resigned rather than risk being caught up in legal battles over the real
estate. Another mutiny occurred when a group of forty Premies working at
Amaroo rejected Maharaji's autocratic regime system in favour of a more democratic
work ethic. The rebellion was quickly suppressed when staff were obliged
to fill in personality and integrity questionnaires by Maharaji's leading
troubleshooters. Macgregor's release of the damaging stories from Amaroo to the
media led to bitter court conflict as the Amaroo Premies accused him of theft
of their files from their computers. He was found guilty of unethical
journalism in copying (not stealing) data, which the cult quickly
exploited as a basis for seeing Macgregor as a key player in a 'hate-cult'
conspiracy of evil-doers out to destroy Maharaji for no good reason. The
'hate-cult' charge has been thrown in the face of every opponent to Maharaji
(including myself) ever since.
The future for Elan Vital does not look too rosy but they have proved a
remarkably flexible survivor. Few gurus could survive the embarrassment of
being so publicly ridiculed and denounced by their own Mother as Maharaji has.
Her action, before her recent death by Diabetes, reminds me of the mother of
the eponymous hero of The Life Of Brian who says "He's not the Messiah,
he's just a very naughty boy." .
GURU MAHARAJI BIOGRAPHY -
/book.review-andrea.cagan-peace.is.possible.htm
Appalling biased pro-cult biography of the dubious Guru Maharaji, leader of
Divine Light Mission.
CULTS
HATE CULT ACCUSATIONS The cult accuses me of being a man of 'hate' and 'intolerance' for
daring to speak out about the problems they caused for me. Here I ask myself if
they have a point.
CULTS - DIVINE LIGHT MISSION GLOSSARY- A to Z list of terms and expressions associated with the cult.
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