Afterward
At
this moment, over thirty years later, guru Maharaj ji is still
active as a spiritual leader. Under his own name Prem Rawat he
now presents himself, according to Wikipedia, as a teacher on the path of life
and no longer as ‘perfect master’. Magazines and other
materials illustrating the claims of Maharaj ji’s divinity,
seem to have been largely destroyed at that transition in the
early eighties. After disputes with his mother and brothers ( the
‘holy family’), mainly about the marriage of Maharaj ji
and Marolyn, the Indian branch of the Divine Light Mission is now
directed by his eldest brother. After this split the branches in
the rest of the world were renamed Elan Vital. The followers of
Prem Rawat today call themselves students instead of premies, but
still talk about him with devotion. The ashrams and the
headquarters in Denver are closed. DVD’s, TV-broadcasts,
printed material, websites and festivals where he speaks are used
for spreading his message and maintaining contact between Prem
Rawat and his followers. Maharaj ji’s lifestyle seems not to
have changed a whole lot. He stills lives at the ‘divine
residence’ in Malibu, among other places. The private jet
has been acquired since then.
Extra: photos of the trip.