
Prem Rawat's Mother, Mata Ji
Rajeshwari Devi aka Jagatjanani Shri Mata Ji ('Holy Mother'), was born in Melgaon, Uttarakhand on 6th April, 1930 during the festival of Navratri. This day is now celebrated in her memory as 'Mother's Day.' Morning prayers are held in more than one thousand ashrams, free food is served to the poor and fruit and medicine are distributed to patients in hospitals, It is considered a most pious day which devotees spend remembering and worshipping her.
Her hagiography incudes her father's vision that she would be divinely blessed and Pundit Rameshwar Prasad Bahukhandi, the well-known astrologer from Uttarakhand, predicted she would become a great spiritual power. She was named 'Raj Rajeshwari', and affectionately called 'Rajuli' as she was such a beautiful child and everyone wanted to be near her. She had a sweet voice and was fond of singing the folk songs of Uttarakhand as later on she would hold thousands of people spellbound as she sang bhajans onstage. Even when she became world famous she never forgot her childhood friends and whenever any of them came to visit her she welcomed them with affection and respect.
While still young she saw her intended husband, Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, in a vision. While he was alive, she tended to keep a low profile, to remain in the background, but was nonetheless always busy, looking after her family, mahatmas, ashram residents and a steady stream of visitors.
Mata Ji Guides the Mission And Raises Four Sons After Hans' Rawat's Death
Shri Hans Ji Maharaj died in 1966. Naturally, all his 'premies' were grief-stricken but Shri Mata Ji sustained them and stepped forward to continue where Shri Hans Ji Maharaj had left off. At his funeral ceremony she said:
Come and join me in taking an oath to follow the path laid down by our beloved Master! Let us do our best, to dedicate our all to spread the spiritual knowledge in India and abroad. Our every breath will be spent for the sake of humanity and we will follow in Maharaj Ji's footsteps with faith and humility."
She took the reins of his mission and from 1966 until November 1991 she spent every moment of her life preaching the Knowledge, building ashrams, teaching and encouraging devotees, caring for and inspiring the mahatmas and ashram residents. It was a period of expansion and the movement started by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj spread worldwide under her benign leadership. At the first Hans Jayanti program at Ramlila Ground, Delhi, she said:
Shri Hans Ji Maharaj truly sacrificed himself for the sake of others. He gave everything he had to the devotees, with no thought for himself. It is generally the case however, that when holy masters come into this world we don't hear them and respect them. Rather, we criticize them.
Mata Ji once gave satsang about Arjun:
Arjuna had to go to war, and it was there on the battlefield that Krishna taught him about the secret of life and death. Instead of instructing him in the skills of war, he instructed him in the skills of meditation, and self-realization. Even now, people still try and figure out the lessons he gave. … What Arjuna received from Lord Krishna can never be known by any other way than how Arjuna was given it."
These words must have inspired her when she realized that her baby boy, He who had inherited everything from her adored husband was a despicable, lying cheat with no spiritual realization ando must be squashed like the cockroach he is. She lifted up the hem of her sari, took a deep breath and …
Mata Ji Disowned, Disinherited and Deposed the 16 Year-Old Prem Rawat
Prem Rawat was disparaged, disowned, disinherited and deposed by his mother, brothers and the Indian Divine Light Mission. Prem Rawat has tried to explain this away as his hidebound Hindu mother's anger at his non-traditional marriage. However, Mata Ji made it clear in newspaper interviews that it was caused by Prem Rawat's "playboy" behaviour which included drunkeness, marijuana smoking, overly luxurious living, eating meat and excessive (for a Satguru) lust for sex. These accusations were later confirmed by close followers though they were kept secret from his followers at the time. Rawat attempted to gain control of the Indian organisation through the courts but his father's senior mahatmas and DLM administrators led by the redoubtable Prof. C. L. Tandon won the important court cases to
retain control of his father's property and the hearts of the followers. Rawat's children never met their grandmother, he did not attend her funeral. The brothers' web sites, Satpal's Manav Dharam, Bhole Ji's Hans Lok and any of Prem Rawat's many sites do not mention each other. Rawat's mother announced her deposing of her youngest son on April 1, 1975 (I am unsure if she meant this to coincide with April Fools' Day) but Rawat had had already been announced the downgrading of his Holy Family's divinity to the Divine Light Mission Western premies, sort of, nearly a year before on May 9, 1974 when this letter was published. He was busy creating a new less holy Holy Family.
This was more than a family dispute though, the Head of the Indian "Divine Light Mission", Professor C.L. Tandon, who had been Prem Rawat's father's secretary and devoted follower also travelled to the U.S.A. twice to see the young Maharaji but was appalled to see that "night clubs," "illicit relations," and liquor were routine for the young Prem Rawat and Professor Tandon was instrumental in removing him as the Satguru.
His followers claimed that it was the love between Prem Rawat and his soon-to-be wife, Marolyn Johnson, that infuriated his mother. Mata Ji said that it was caused by his drunkeness, marijuana smoking, overly luxurious living, meat eating and excessive (for a Satguru) lust for sex. This was not just a "family split" as Rawat's followers have tried to present it. His father's senior mahatma, Mahatma Satyanand, and over 99% of the mahatmas rejected the 18 year old Prem Rawat. He refused to publicly rebut his mother's charges that he had started drinking alcoholic beverages, had begun eating meat instead of remaining a vegetarian, and had shown too much interest in sex so at least he didn't perjure himself that time.
Mata Ji Returned to India and Guided Hans Rawat's Mission Until Her Death…
Mata Ji Arranges Successful Marriages For Her Two Eldest Sons
Mata Ji selected two strong, intelligent Indian women for her two eldest sons who have made substantial contributions to the success of their enterprises especially as the second eldest, Bhole Ji was considered to be a simpleton or a cretin by many of Prem Rawat's 1970s premies. Bhole Ji's wife, Mata Shri Mangla Ji, is always at his side during festivals and charity dos pertaining to their spiritual enterprise, Hans Lok, and their charitable foundation the Hans Foundation which on of their 3 daughters, Sweta, administers. The Hans Foundation donations to NPGs and other charities in India dwarfs the Prem Rawat Foundations feeble efforts or Rawat's scam charity PR campaign much like Anthony Robbins (2.01 m) dwarfs Prem Rawat (1.524m) both in height and in success.
Satpal's (formerly Bal Bhagwan Ji) wife, Amrita Rawat aka Mata Shri Amrita Ji, has a long and succesful political career in her own right, they have 2 sons and is active in Satpal's spiritual, commercial and political life.
Prem Rawat Often Made Snide Remarks About His Own Mother In Public Speeches
Rawat never forgave his mother and elder brother and would make sneering remarks about them when in India without however mentioning their names.
The golden opportunity that has been given to you has to be understood fully well. Just see, when we remember the old happenings today, so many things come to our mind. Those old memories are being revived before you in reality. They are living experiences now. There are people who turned manmats (devotee of mind) and went away, though I haven seen myself, but people say that they have now become very thin and feeble, as if they have come directly out of their graves. And that is natural.
I have seen a lot of such "distinguished" persons, the so-called 'devotees' who were regarded as the crest jewel, the ideal ones, 'a model of devotion', 'a living personification of a devotee in this kaliyuga.' And I have seen such devotees disappearing in the manner you will hardly believe: "Oh, has he gone!" It was not merely a disappearance but an amazing phenomenon. Just now they are here before you and in another moment they are nowhere. I mean, sort of a miracle they performed. They were such persons who preached to other people that they should never be confused but they themselves got confused. They pressed people to remain firm and constant devotees of Guru Maharaji, that their devotion should be unceasing and unimpaired, but they themselves vanished altogether. Such so-called epitome of devotion who exhorted loudly by microphones on big loudspeakers that the devotion to Guru Maharaji must be unbreakable, ceaseless, but their own devotion proved to be such a mirage that they themselves became untraceable after sometime. Nobody knows whether they are even alive or not, and if alive where they are at present. Such devotees I have seen myself.


Prem Rawat Claimed His Mother Did Not Accept Her Husband's Spiritual Power
Prem Rawat loved to tell disparaging stories about his mother. He repeated a story about his mother giving charity at temples. He takes the opportunity to pour scorn on Mata Ji (he doesn't say who she is but the premies know and start laughing early in the story) for making small donations at temples and he quotes his father as saying to her "Look, give me all the money, I'll guarantee you salvation" and the premies laugh their knowing in-group heads off (so to speak) as if this dead, minor Indian guru really had been God and really could grant salvation and this was in 1983 not 1783. They're not laughing at his absurd megalomania or boorish patriarchy, they're laughing at this Indian wife and mother giving some charity and observing the religious rituals of her culture but those rituals were going on in their home while his father was still alive. Should we laugh at him also?
Mata Ji in happier days with her pudgy young son, Prem, who she then claimed was the living Perfect Master. He said she was part of "The Holy Family."
Resources & References:
- Guru Maharaj Ji is just a "spiritually imperfect" playboy The New York Times, April 2, 1975
- Guru's mother rejects him as religion chief Long Beach, Calif., Wed., April. 2, 1975 INDEPENDENT (AM)
- In The BEE Today THE MODESTO BEE AND NEWS-HERALD Wednesday, April 2, 1975
- Guru denounced by mother as a playboy THE TIMES Wednesday April 2 1975
- Guru Tries to Take Control of Mission The Ruston Daily Leader - Wednesday, April 9, 1975
- Guru won't confront mother Mon., April 14, 1975 GREELEY (Colo.) TRIBUNE
- Gurus are born and not made The New York Times, April 15, 1975
- Once a Guru, Always … He Thinks The Washington Post, April 15, 1975
- Disowned guru meets press GREELEY (Colo.) TRIBUNE, Tues., April 15, 1975
- Gurus Told to Settle Dispute Out of Court PRESS-TELEGRAM (PM) Long Beach, Calif., Fri., May 23, 1975
- Scolding the 17-year-old Guru Maharaj Ji The New York Times, May 24, 1975
- Rival Gurus Drop Suits, But Continue Feud Sat., May 24, 1975 The CHARLESTON GAZETTE
- Rival gurus scolded by judge THE TIMES Saturday May 24 1975
- Guru won't return to India, aide says Wed., June 18, 1975 GREELEY (Colo.) TRIBUNE
- the Guru Maharaj Ji gave himself a Father's Day party The New York Times, May 22, 1975
- Guru disowned by mother because he liked to live it up UPI: THE VALLEY INDEPENDENT, Saturday Feb 7, 1976
- One Lord Too Many Time magazine, Monday, Apr. 28, 1975
- DLM official letters to ashrams "explaining" the family break-up.