Prem Rawat's Eldest Brother Becomes the "Perfect Master"
The young Guru Maharaj Ji had taken the opportunity of getting out from his mother's thumb and living high (boozing) on the hog (meat-eating) with sex (Playboy magazine masturbation) drugs (marijuana), rock 'n roll (very loud on expensive hi-fis) and fast cars and his very own Pinball machine. He had distanced himself from his family and tried to diminish their status in the eyes of his followers but was probably taken by surprise when he was stabbed in the back by his mother and elder brothers who were supposed to be worshipping Him. They outed Him in the press on April Fool's Day and they Betrayed Him, Balyogeshwar Param Sant Shri Satgurudev Ji Maharaj. No more "Ki Jais" for Prem. His money-burning lifestyle kept on as it was bankrolled by his Western premies but his Indian houses and ashrams and land and mahatmas and hundreds of thousands of followers was gone despite a trip to India that failed to recover the family jewels. Poof.
At the death of the previous "Perfect Master", Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, the sensible "worldly" option would have been for a
mature, realised devotee or the eldest son to become the next Perfect Master. Bal Bhagwan Ji, the eldest son, was the most intelligent and handsome, thin and charismatic and he could speak good English. He had earlier been presented as the likely heir ('Bhagwan' does mean 'God' after all). It was later claimed that Hans Rawat had already
decided who would receive the title (published details of the succession are here) but however it was decided there is no doubt that the young "Sant Ji" or Prem Rawat became the new "Perfect Master" and until Prem Rawat's disinheritance and deposing because of his drug abuse, playboy lifestyle and meat eating, Bal Bhagwan appeared to live the role of Number One servant and devotee.
The Rawat's long time bodyguard, Bihari Singh, claimed 30 years afterwards on a Prem Rawat Foundation sponsored website, A Voice For Peace (since
deleted) that at his mother's behest he forgot the words of his father: "You are the older brother. Never try to make yourself anything. Try to help your brother …" Satpal Maharaj, as he is known, became the replacement Perfect Master.
Most of the Indian premies and virtually all of the mahatmas obeyed Mata Ji and Bal Bhagwan Ji who, after a protracted court case, won ownership of the name and property of
Divine Light Mission in India.
As a young boy Prem Rawat or Maharaji had accused the Indian premies of being "lost in illusion" in his"Peace Bomb" Satsang To his loyal young Western followers this now seemed prophetic. Of course, he said this about them over and over as well. The young Western premies either became disllusioned or accepted they were witnessing a Divine Lila. There was a significant fall in numbers of people involved and a small rump who decided that the Divine Mother must know what she's doing.
Prem Rawat's Mother Appoints His Eldest Brother as the Replacement Perfect Master
Mata Ji empowered her eldest son, Bal Bhagwan Ji, as the new Guru Maharaj Ji or "Perfect Master" Satpal Ji. The millions of Indian devotees and thousands of mahatmas seemed quite content with the new Satguru and rejected the "playboy" Prem Rawat. The ex-Guru claimed that his Guru-ship was self-existent and his mother had no authority from God to demote him as He was God. But he ascended to the throne of Divinity when 6 years old and at 16 was not old enough to have legal control of the Indian Divine Light Mission infrastructure. It does raise the question of exactly what sort of Divine Incarnation the overwhelming majority of Indian followers had believed him to be.
Despite this rather embarrassing and sordid start to his career as No. 1 Spiritual Bestower of Knowledge Satpal Maharaj (as he self-titled) has gone on to a very successful career as both a God Man spiritual guru and a State and Federal politican and Grey Eminence. This was displayed with full ostentation with his son's wedding.
Satpal Maharaj: Satguru, Politician, Godman, Administrator, Father of Two Sons
Prem Rawat has tried to become a respected figure in his society by pretence and spending money buying false publicity. Satpal has done it the usual way through inheritance and/or hard work and competence.
A Voice For Peace website, www.avoiceforpeace.net, was paid for by the Prem Rawat Foundation. It was on the net from December 2005 to December 2006 and is partially available on the Wayback Machine. It's mission statement included:
"This initiative is aimed at gathering for posterity the many fond memories that people with an interest in Maharaji and in his message have collected and preserved throughout the years. Of particular interest are stories that would add to the historical documentation of Maharaji's efforts around the world including first visits to countries, media coverage, and eyewitness reports of significant occasions. Personal stories are welcome as well, but may not be published on this site. They will add to the record of people's personal appreciation for Maharaji and the Knowledge he offers."
It did not remain on the internet for very long presumably because Rawat's activities were so unimpressive and the stories posted by his followers so full of magical thinking.
Satpal Maharaj adresses a few devotees at a Baisakhi festival gathering, April 14 2018
