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This sect has come to be known as Divya Sandesh Parishad or Divine Light Mission which had originally began as a means of finding enlightenment through knowledge and due to the controversial actions of its propagators there have been many things which have been questionably brought to the light regarding this movement.

Its founder, Guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, supposedly came to enlightenment by means of carrying another ones lamp as being under the influence of the Bhagavad Gita and the Sant Mat tradition as well as Arya Samaj.

Shri Maharaji’s message was that all religions are principally one which is irreconcilable for anyone who has an understanding of comparative religions.

jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2010/01/23/all-paths-lead-to-god/

However if this is true then there should be no further reason for him to make any religious distinctions or statements at all since essentially all religions are unified in their core beliefs and by making such a move to add to the richness of the mix only stirs up animosity and disunity among other religious practitioners who hold to a more exclusive view as being the only right road in life versus a convergent path. Furthermore if that be the case then why attempt to advance spiritual knowledge since the distillation of the process achieves the same reality? Therefore if you accept the guru’s viewpoint then essentially there is no good reason to make religious characterizations since we are all headed down to the same watering hole anyway and yet this sect has an individuated personality that signifies this cults identity contrary to a universalist view.

Nevertheless in defense of Hans Ram Singh Rawat he initially resisted towards identifying his movement as a recognizable organization but in time he eventually yielded to the pressure to do so which is understandable considering that he had a peculiarity of belief which is unique. Also this group has a conglomerated mixture of other religious views as well but still there is a particularism which sets it apart from being incorporated or absorbed under the branch of another religious movement by maintaining specific teachings and practices. Thus his concept of unity regardless of cast, creed or religion is only theoretical not practical.

Moreover this whole matter may appear as a progression to establishing peace but does the “ends” of just trying to find something that works somehow justify the “means” of sacrificing the most critical matters of existence regarding ultimate truth? Do we do obeisance and bow to the god of compliance and compatibility irregardless? Is it our personal right and objective to seek for a common solution or denominator towards achieving our own ultimate reality or is this something which is beyond the role of the creature in establishing a criteria for religious duty in respect to a transcendent or supreme being?

Peace is good and should be pursued to the best of our ability but to do so at all costs such as with the intermingling of all beliefs may be a conflict of interest to the creator who establishes the way of truth. In other words it is really not our place to erect another “Tower of Babel” as unifying all humanity under the common banner of our own personalized religious reality.

Additionally another point of contention is expounded by Guru Maharaji’s son and successor Prem Rawat who holds to the belief that the nature of mankind is generally  good and this position grossly underestimates and denies the realities of evil in our society. We may have progressed technologically but the human race has not achieved advancements in ethical and moral values as this century has been the bloodiest era on human record. If goodness is a natural tendency of mankind then why does our society establish laws and government in order to manage and legislate rules so as to make people accountable instead of just trusting them to uphold a proper code of conduct? Could you imagine a society that just allowed people to do whatever they  wanted to do? What do you think the outcome of such a practice would create?  Furthermore if everyone was left to subjectively express their own idea of goodness then essentially goodness might mean different things for different people which would be catastrophic and chaotic.

The irony of these two philosophies of achieving peace and having goodness is conflicted in Shri Maharaji’s own family due to the fighting and argumentation in contending for power as seen displayed between Jagat Janani Mata Shri Rajeshwari Devi and her son Prem Pal Singh Rawat  or Balyogeshwar. This whole concept of unity was abandoned when Balyogeshwar Param Hans Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj  married a non Indian or Westerner which alienated him from his family. Also this further scandalized the matter as Divine Light Mission which was to be a beacon of light was schismed in that Prem Rawat’s mother Mata Ji disowned him and appointed his older brother Satpal Maharaj (Satpal Singh Rawat, also called Bal Bhagwan Ji as his brothers successor.

To add to this controversy is the fact that Prem Rawat was first accepted and received by his family as the predecessor of his father, Hans ji, and so my question is who is the real guru here if either?

After this split Satpal Singh Rawat took over the Divine Light Mission in India and latter became the guru for the Manav Utthan Seva Samiti which is an off-shoot of the DLM  and now he and his family are worshipped as divinity in living an excessive lifestyle. Thus his family has taken a free ride on the rickshaw of Indian life which in a sense has promoted a form of caste system towards inequality contrary to the egalitarian views of his father.

Anyway after the death of Guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj his son Prem Pal Singh Rawat accepted the title of satguru as being the perfect Master but in reality he was anything but perfect. Initially his followers thought of him as the incarnation of the divine and yet many of them were disillusioned as he was seduced by the influence of western materialism in which he obtained luxury automobiles, multiple residences, etc. and even though these extravagant gifts were given to him by some of his followers it was nevertheless viewed as excessive as living the life of a millionaire.

In all fairness regarding his supposed divine status he is noted as going on record in his earlier years as denying his divinity but according to his groupies he was honored and worshipped without any denunciation from him. His title as  being “The Lord of the Universe” and “Perfect Master” along with his supposed self acclaimed role as “The Savior of the World” appears to be a strong proclamation not merely of a respected and honored man but that of a demigod putting him in association with such characters as Jesus and the Buddha. Also during the Millennium festival in the Houston astrodome in 1973 he allowed 20,000 people to offer him worship as he sat on an elevated throne which shows the duplicity to his response as his behavior depicts him as being the Mahharajo or divine incarnation. Additionally this attitude is consistent with Satpal’s actions of acclaiming divinity which makes me wonder if Hans Ram Singh Rawat initially acted out his divine role only to reject and deny it publicly for the sake of avoiding more bad press or controversy.

Needless to say he failed to inaugurate a messianic millennial peace and this carnival was disastrous as the attendance was low along with being financially crippling. In time his credibility began to decline which required him to change his tactics on several occasions to accommodate his popularity. In response to this downturn he vacillated his actions in adapting to maintain his lifestyle by replacing his divine status to being just a teacher and exchanging his Indian wardrobe for a suit. However once he realized that this universal approach actually was not the right move then he proceeded to change back into his original costume.

So as his followers dwindled he manipulated his marketing strategy which caused him to abandon some of his followers who were a part of the original movement as he transitioned from a religious or spiritual  organization to a more secularized self help program known as Elan Vital and The Prem Rawat Foundation.

In summary even though these brothers are on opposite poles of different continents they still share the common ability to be able to brain wash individuals by making them believe in something they are not. The bible forewarns others about falling into this trap of deception as it refers to false teachers, prophets and messiahs.

 

Mt 7: 15-20

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets(gurus). They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 

 

Anyway this family continues to victimize and dupe their adherents into following after a guru or a teaching which according to their practice is contrary to their intent of bringing about equality, peace, unity and goodness which should lead you to question the efficacy of idealism as preached by their father. So my question to the members of this group is whether or not there is any real hope in trusting these individuals considering that these objectives could not be achieved or obtained by these divinely perfect and enlightened role models? Additionally for this  movement to break down in only two generations is really a commentary in itself on the credibility of this organization or any other subsequent association of which these individuals identify themselves with.

My dear friend I hope that I have no hurt or offended you over this post. Moreover I don’t want you to interpret my content as hate mail or character assassination but I just want you to seriously consider whatever claims these individuals are making in advocating a false sense of security concerning the achievement of a fulfilled and meaningful life. On the positive side of the movement there has been some social benefits towards providing humanitarian aid  but there are other groups who also do a significant work in providing relief or aid. After all this could just be a disguise in order to advocate this whole religious or secular culture and therefore it does not necessitate you taking the bait; hook, line and sinker. These men are mere mortals who can not give you what they themselves do not have as based on their biographical histories.

In conclusion if your mission is to find light I hope that the light within in you is not really  the darkness that is contained within these movements and in turn I would  challenge you to seek out the guiding light of Jesus who lights every mans path.

 

Matthew 6:22-23

 

²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

 

John 8:12

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 

 

 

How to know God

Divine Light Mission Resources

 

 

 

 

Religions of the world: a comprehensive encyclopedia of beliefs and practices/ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, editors; Todd M. Johnson, World Religious Statistics; Donald Wiebe, Introduction-2nd ed., Copyright 2010 by ABC-CLIO, LLC. Reproduced with permission of ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA.