A controversial movement focused on the teachings of a young Indian guru, attracting a global following in the 1970s.
History and Establishment
The Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) was established in 1960 by guru Hans Ji Maharaj in northern India. Born in 1900, Hans Ji Maharaj began teaching in India in the 1930s, emphasizing the importance of experiencing God directly through meditation. He founded the Divine Light Mission as a formal organization to propagate his teachings on spirituality and inner light, which he believed were the keys to achieving peace and fulfillment.
The Mission was part of the Sant Mat tradition, a syncretic Hindu-Sikh tradition emphasizing a mystical path to God through meditation. Upon Hans Ji Maharaj’s death in 1966, leadership of the movement passed to his youngest son, Prem Rawat, who was only eight years old at the time. Despite his young age, Prem Rawat was recognized by many followers as the new Perfect Master or Satguru and quickly became the face of the movement.
Global Expansion and Western Influence
In 1971, at the age of thirteen, Prem Rawat traveled to the West, first arriving in London and then moving on to the United States. His arrival sparked significant interest in the Divine Light Mission among young Westerners, particularly those associated with the counterculture movement of the time. The organization experienced rapid growth in the early 1970s, attracting thousands of followers in North America, Europe, and Australia.
The Mission was incorporated in the United States in Denver in 1972, and it organized large festivals in both the United States and India, which attracted thousands of seekers. Prominent figures such as the former student radical Rennie Davis became spokespeople for the mission. The movement’s appeal lay in its promise of inner peace and spiritual enlightenment, resonating with the youth counterculture seeking alternatives to mainstream religious practices.
Core Beliefs and Practices
The central practice of the Divine Light Mission was the imparting of ‘Knowledge’ – four secret meditation techniques taught to devoted followers, known as ‘premies’. These techniques were presented as a direct experience of the divine rather than a set of beliefs or doctrines. The four techniques of Knowledge included:
- Meditation on Divine Light: Focusing closed eyes towards a point in the middle of the eyebrows.
- Listening to the Divine Sound: Closing ears with hands and listening to an inner sound.
- Breath Meditation: A simple meditation technique focused on breathing.
- Tasting the Divine Nectar: A practice involving rolling the tongue backward into the cavity of the cranium.
These techniques were kept secret and only revealed to initiates during a special ceremony. Followers were encouraged to practice these meditation techniques daily and to attend events where Guru Maharaj Ji would give spiritual discourses known as “satsang.”
Community and Organization
During the early to mid-1970s, the Divine Light Mission saw thousands of Westerners receiving ‘Knowledge’ and setting up ashrams, or intentional spiritual communities, in major cities. These ashrams served as hubs for the organization’s activities, including meditation sessions, satsang meetings, and outreach efforts to attract new members.
The organization also emphasized the importance of service or “seva,” with many followers volunteering their time and skills to support the mission’s activities. Dedicated followers lived communally in these ashrams and focused on spiritual practice and service.
Transformation and Evolution
The Mission experienced major upheavals during the 1970s, particularly after Maharaji’s marriage in 1974 to a Californian airline stewardess. This event led to a schism with his mother and significant changes in the organization. The Divine Light Mission also faced some controversy and media scrutiny, particularly regarding the lavish lifestyle of Guru Maharaj Ji and questions about the organization’s finances.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Divine Light Mission began to undergo significant changes. Prem Rawat distanced himself from traditional Indian spiritual terminology and imagery, adopting a more secular approach to presenting his teachings. In 1983, Maharaji closed the Mission’s ashrams, and the Divine Light Mission in the United States was dissolved and replaced by an organization called Elan Vital.
Elan Vital was described as an educational non-profit rather than a religious organization. It focused on organizing Maharaji’s teaching tours and distributing related materials. This rebranding aimed to distance the organization from its past controversies and align it more closely with Western audiences.
Contemporary Developments
Throughout the 1980s and beyond, Prem Rawat continued to travel and speak, but with less emphasis on his role as a guru and more focus on his message as a teacher of inner peace and self-knowledge. The meditation techniques originally taught as “Knowledge” in the Divine Light Mission continued to be offered, but under different names and in a more contemporary context.
Today, Prem Rawat’s teachings and programs are primarily disseminated through organizations such as The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) and Words of Peace Global (WOPG). These organizations focus on humanitarian efforts and promoting Rawat’s message of personal peace, largely separate from the spiritual and religious context of the original Divine Light Mission.
TPRF, established in 2001, engages in various humanitarian projects worldwide, including food aid, disaster relief, and peace education programs. Words of Peace Global, on the other hand, concentrates on distributing Rawat’s message through various media channels, including online platforms, television broadcasts, and live events.
The Evolution of the Message
While the core essence of Rawat’s teachings remains centered on inner peace and self-discovery, the presentation and context have evolved significantly since the days of the Divine Light Mission. The emphasis has shifted from a guru-centric model to a more universally accessible approach to personal development and global peace.
Rawat’s current message focuses on the importance of individual peace as a foundation for world peace. He advocates for personal responsibility in cultivating inner contentment and understanding, rather than relying on external sources or dogmatic beliefs. This evolution reflects a broader trend in spiritual movements towards more inclusive, non-denominational approaches to personal growth and global harmony.
image via prem-rawat-bio
