How a Boy from Uttarakhand Became “Lord of the Universe”

A look at Prem Rawat (Guru Maharaj Ji), the Divine Light Mission, Millennium ’73 and the cult-like movement that attracted millions of followers in the 1970s…

I recently watched a documentary called Lord of the Universe. It was about a teenager who, at one point, had millions of followers across the world. He called himself Guru Maharaj Ji, but he was actually Prem Rawat from Uttarakhand. By the time he was 16 he was going on tours globally.

This documentary is about an event called Millennium ’73, which was basically a huge concert/satsang he did in November 1973 where followers from all over the US converged. The whole documentary felt fictional — so bizarre that I immediately fell into a rabbit hole afterwards. I found out all I could about this “guru”.

Here’s what I found.

 

The Boy Guru – Humble Beginnings

Prem Rawat was born in 1957 in Haridwar. His father, Hans Ram Singh Rawat was a religious leader who had traveled all over Sindh, Baluchistan and Punjab to meet holy men. Eventually he met a guru who taught him meditation techniques he called ‘Knowledge’. He also founded the Divine Light Mission or (DLM), which Prem Rawat would eventually inherit.

When Prem Rawat was 4 years old he began participating in his father’s meetings. He was 6 years old when his father taught him the ‘Knowledge’. He was 8 when his father passed away and he took over the organisation. He assumed the title of ‘Guru Maharaj Ji’. He was also called Balyogeshwar — the “child lord of yogis”.

By the time he was 12 years old, he was addressing large gatherings. One of his speeches, delivered at India Gate to a group of foreign followers, came to be known as the “Peace Bomb”. Followers had travelled from across the world to hear him speak — some even chartering planes and paying for less wealthy devotees to attend.

When he was 13 when he travelled to the US for the first time to spread his father’s teachings. Turns out, he liked it so much he decided to stay there.

 

Guru Maharaj Ji Goes Global 

In a way the America of the 1970s was primed to receive a guru. The hippie movement was in full swing. A lot of young people were disillusioned with mainstream religion, consumerism, politics, war and were simply looking for more. They wanted meaning, something deeper. Many looked towards the East – to Yoga, meditation and Eastern spirituality.

What Happened at Millennium ’73?

When he arrived he presented himself as the ‘perfect master’. He claimed to be divine, eventually earning the sobriquet the “Lord of the Universe”. He had the effect of a rock star – followers cried in his presence, touched and kissed his feet. The footage is surreal and comical — flower garlands, giant stages, crowds chanting around a pudgy teenager.

 

Was Guru Maharaj Ji/Prem Rawat a Cult Leader?

The more I read about Guru Maharaj Ji and the DLM, the more obvious it became that this was a cult. There was a big emphasis on secrecy and secret initiation. He also presented ‘Knowledge’ as something exclusive and aspirational that could be received only through him. He was essentially selling  inner peace as a product. What pisses me off the most, was that he was repackaged existing yoga practices as his exclusive revelation, something mystical and exclusive. Today this probably wouldn’t work because information about yoga is so widespread. 

Just like in any cult, here also the exploitation of followers was ‘organised’. Once followers committed to pledging their support, they were asked to “help” the guru in different ways. He wasn’t subtle – openly declaring his love for fast cars (Bikram, anyone?), loud music and playing pinball. He said he was “like a child” who wanted to play with these things. I’m not an expert in psychology, but this sounds like a serious case of arrested development…or something worse.

One of the most common tactics in cults is making followers believe that any doubt or unhappiness is actually a failure on their part — that they simply aren’t devoted enough to the guru. You can see this clearly in statements by his wife, Marolyn:

We’ve lived in this world and we’ve accumulated so much negativity, so much jealousy and pride. Maharaj Ji said it at Hans Jayanti, we’ve built a monster. We’ve built this ego ourselves. And the only thing that’s going to get rid of it is to really practise this meditation, to really completely, completely surrender to Maharaj Ji all the time.

This is how brainwashing works in cults. Followers are taught to distrust themselves and surrender more deeply to the authority figure instead.

It’s probably the only reason nobody around him seemed to cringe when he spoke about himself in the third person and said things like:

“Guru Maharaj Ji is that Supreme Power. Is, was and always will be!”

What Was “Knowledge” According to Prem Rawat?

These were four techniques presented to followers as the secret path to inner peace and enlightenment.

1. The Light – placing the index finger on the centre of the forehead, the thumb on one eye and the middle finger on the other, while focusing on the light that appears behind the eyelids.
2. The Music –  Bhramari pranayama.
3. The Nectar – Curving the tongue back to the soft palate, like in the Sheetali pranayama. One follower in the documentary dramatically claimed that Prem Rawat could roll his tongue back into some internal canal connected to the nose and ears.
4. The Word – Deep breathing while mentally saying ‘sohum’. This is a technique taught by the Art of Living foundation as part of the Sudarshan Kirya. Prem Rawat calls it the ‘unspeakable name of God.”

The Great Rift 

Prem Rawat was 16 when he married his 24 year old secretary Marolyn Johnson, renaming her “Durga ji”. What struck me while watching interviews with her was that her description of being married to him sounded almost identical to being his disciple. In a particularly disturbing statement she describes his “lotus feet”  as the “most beautiful thing in this world”. At their wedding, she fell at his feet, touched them and kissed them, a practice common among his followers.

This was also the beginning of a major rift within the movement. His mother, known as Mata ji, accused him of becoming westernised and a “playboy”. Many followers were disillusioned because the organisation encouraged celibacy. He lost a lot of followers, which made Mata ji livid and she transferred control of the organisation to her older son Satpal. Prem Rawat finally returned to India to try and regain control. But the matter had gone to the courts. Finally it was decided that the Indian branch of the DLM would be managed by Satpal and Prem Rawat could continue leading the international movement.

This is when he decided to give up his “Indian” garb and don suits – ostensibly to appeal to his European followers.

Where is Prem Rawat Today?

The DLM shut down in the early 80s because of legal complaints and growing scrutiny against the organisation. Former ‘premies’ (a term for followers), claimed they had been coerced to give up their material wealth for the guru. Indian authorities also probed these allegations and had played a major role in shutting down many of his ashrams.

Satpal also faced controversy over the years. He eventually rebranded his movement as the Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti where he teaches something called “Manav Dharam”. He’s built a great career for himself as a politician, a godman, and a prominent member of the BJP (surprised anyone?).

Prem Rawat established The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF). The organisation has several initiatives like the Peace Education Program (PEP) which has workshops on inner peace, and Food for People (FF)) which provides nutritious meals, clean water, education in poverty stricken areas. Prem Rawat’s daughter, Premalata Rawat Hudson is the head of this foundation. 

The two sections of the family don’t speak to each other, which is unsurprising. But I do find it interesting that both brothers ultimately built careers around misusing spirituality, cultivating authority and exploiting followers. Maybe it’s in the genes.

Conclusion

You can watch the Lord of the Universe here. If you do, let me know what you think.