Editing Divine Light Mission (section)

==History==

===Founding and early years in India===
{{Further|Hans Ji Maharaj#Succession}}
[[Hans Ji Maharaj|Shri Hans Maharaj Ji]], initiated by the [[Sant Mat]] guru Sri [[Swarupanand Ji]], began teaching in the [[Sind province|Sind]] and [[Lahore]] provinces of India in the 1930s. In 1950 he began initiating ''[[Mahatmas]]'', followers who could themselves initiate devotees, and formed a magazine called "Hansadesh" which is still active in 2017.<ref>Melton (1992), pp. 217-218</ref>

In 1960 in the city of [[Patna]], he founded the Divine Light Mission (''Divya Sandesh Parishad'') to organize followers across Northern India. At the time of his death on 19 July 1966, the Divine Light Mission had six million members in India.<ref>"Whatever Happened to Guru Maharaj Ji? ", Hinduism Today Magazine, October 1983 [http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1983/10/1983-10-06.shtml Available Online] (Retrieved March 2008)</ref>

During the customary 13 days of mourning, his mother and senior officials of the organization discussed the succession. Prem Rawat, who was 8 years-old at the time, addressed the crowd and was accepted by them as their teacher and "[[Sant Mat#The Sants|Perfect Master]]" and was named as Bal Bhagwan.<ref>Aagaard (1980)</ref><ref>U. S. Department of the Army (2001), pp.1-5</ref><ref>Fahlbusch et al. (1998), p. 861</ref> Because of his age, effective control of the DLM was shared by the whole family.<ref name="Melton 1986, pp.141-2">Melton (1986), pp.141-2</ref>

===International Footprints===

In 1971, Rawat, then known as Guru Maharaji Ji, travelled to the West against his mother's wish & will.<ref name=autogenerated9>Lewis (1998), p. 301</ref> DLM was established in the U.S. and the UK. The U.S. branch was headquartered in [[Denver, Colorado]]. It was registered there as a non-profit corporation and in 1974 was recognized as a church by the United States [[Internal Revenue Service]] under section 501(c)(3).<ref name="Hunt 2003, pp.116-7">Hunt (2003), pp.116-7</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?partner=amex&ein=23-7174539#rptlink1 |title=American Express Search – ELAN VITAL INC |publisher=GuideStar |access-date=2014-07-17}}</ref>

By 1972 DLM was operating in North and South America, Europe and Australia. By 1973, DLM was operating in 37 countries, tens of thousands of people had been initiated (become premies) and several hundred centers and dozens of ashrams formed in the U.S. and the UK. DLM said it had 8,000 devotees and forty ashrams at that time.<ref name=autogenerated1>Oz in the Astrodome; Middle-class premies find Guru. The guru enthroned by Ted Morgan, New York Times, 9 December 1973, Page 338</ref><ref name="autogenerated5"/><ref name="Price 1979">Price (1979)</ref>

In the United States, the staff at the headquarters grew to 125, and [[Telex]]es connected the headquarters with the ashrams.<ref name=autogenerated6>"Indian Shrewdness Plus American Merchandising Equals Guru", BETTY FLYNN ''Chicago Daily News''</ref> Social service facilities, including a medical clinic in New York City, were opened. A Women's Spiritual Right Organization dedicated to reaching out to persons in prisons, mental institutions and hospitals, was organized.<ref name=autogenerated5>Melton (1986), pp. 141-145</ref><ref>Messer in Glock & Bellah (1976), pp. 52-72</ref> The U.S. DLM published two periodicals: ''And It Is Divine'' (''AIID''), a monthly magazine with a circulation of 90,000; and ''Divine Times'', a biweekly newspaper with a circulation of 60,000.<ref>"Snowballing Movement Centers On Teen-Age Guru From India", AP, ''THE LAWTON CONSTITUTION-MORNING PRESS'', Sunday, 29 July 1973</ref> The cover price of ''AIID'' was $1 but most were given away free, as were the advertisements.<ref>Messer in Glock & Bellah (1976), p. 66</ref> The World Peace Corps (WPC) was established as a security force to provide protection for Rawat. After Bob Mishler, the DLM President, was removed from power he said that Rawat got the idea to start a bodyguard unit after watching ''The Godfather''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=UPI|author-link=United Press International|title=Maharaj Ji has Jones-like traits|periodical=Chronicle-Telegram|location=Elyria|page=A–3|date=25 November 1978}}</ref> The WPC became the organizing agent of meetings and businesses.<ref name="Price 1979"/> A variety of businesses were founded under US DLM auspices including laundromats, used clothing stores, a plane charter agency ("Divine Travel Services"), a repair service, and the "Cleanliness-is-Next-to-Godliness" janitorial service.<ref name=autogenerated6 /><ref>"Guru's 17th birthday observed", KENNETH T. WALSH Associated Press, ''GREELEY (Colo.) TRIBUNE'' 11 December 1974 p.16</ref>

===Detroit incident===
<div id="Pat Halley beating" ></div>On 8 August 1973, while Rawat was at the Detroit City Hall to receive a testimonial resolution praising his work, Pat Halley, who was at the time a reporter from Detroit's underground periodical ''[[Fifth Estate (periodical)|Fifth Estate]]'', slapped him in the face with a shaving cream pie.<ref>"Guru Gets Testimonial And Some Pie in Face", "New York Times", 8 August 1973 Page 43</ref><ref>"15-Year Old Guru Slapped in Face by Shaving Cream Pie", UPI, ''Los Angeles Times'', 8 August 1973; pg. 2</ref> Rawat responded by saying that he did not want his attacker arrested or hurt, but the reporter was attacked by two men a few days later and seriously injured.<ref>A-6 Independent (AM) Press-Telegram (PM) Long Beach, Calif., Wed., 8 August 1973</ref><ref>Melton (1992), p. 222</ref> When local members heard of the incident they notified Rawat in Los Angeles who extended his regrets and condolences to Pat Halley's family, and requested that the DLM conduct a full investigation. The assailants, one of them an Indian, were identified. They admitted their part in the incident and offered to turn themselves in. The Chicago police were immediately notified.<ref>Page 2 – Section B – Sun News – Las Cruces, New Mexico – Wednesday, 22 August 1973</ref> The Detroit police declined to initiate extradition proceedings, variously claiming that they were unable to locate the assailants, or that the cost of extraditing them from Chicago to Detroit made it impractical. The arrest warrant remained outstanding.<ref>I See The Light, by Ken Kelley, Penthouse (July 1974), page 98-100, 137-138, 146, 148, & 150-151.</ref> This lack of action by the Detroit police was attributed by some to Halley's radical politics. A spokesman later stated that the Indian national had been "shipped off to Europe".<ref>"Get Your Red-Hot Panaceas!", Ken Kelley, ''New York Times'', 19 January 1974</ref>

===Festivals===
[[Festival]]s were a regular part of the Divine Light Mission's activities and a source of revenue. Members would pay from $50 to $100 to attend, and [[Darśana|Darshan]] events would generate considerable donations.<ref>"Financing the New Religions: Comparative and Theoretical Considerations" JAMES T. RICHARDSON p.259</ref> The DLM celebrated three main festivals: Holi, which is celebrated in late March or early April; Guru Puja, which was held in July; and Hans Jayanti, which falls in November.<ref>435 A.2d 1368. Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. Mark A. ''DOTTER v. MAINE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY COMMISSION''. Argued 2 March 1981. Decided 19 October 1981. [[s:Dotter v. Maine Employment Sec. Commission 435 A.2d 1368]]</ref> Hans Jayanti marks the birthday of the DLM's founder.<ref>Galanter (1999), p. 20</ref> According to [[Marc Galanter (MD)|Marc Galanter]], the members at a festival in Orlando, Florida "looked as though they had been drawn from the graduate campus of a large university—bright, not too carefully groomed, casually dressed. They were lively, good-tempered, and committed to their mutual effort. There was no idleness, brashness, marijuana, beer, loud music, or flirtation—all hallmarks of a more typical assembly of people in their twenties".<ref>Galanter (1999), pp. 22-28</ref> Other festivals were held nationally and locally, and sometimes organized with little advance notice. Attending as many as ten festivals a year meant many members were unable to hold regular full-time jobs, and required sacrificing leisure and community activities in order to devote time to earning the money needed to attend.<ref>DuPertuis (1986), p. 118</ref>

In 1972, seven [[Boeing 747|jumbo jet]]s were chartered to bring members from the U.S. and other countries to the Hans Jayanti festival held at the main ashram near [[New Delhi]]. 2500 foreign members camped out at the mission's "city of love" for a month.<ref name=autogenerated3>"Some feel the youth is fraud" Long Beach, Calif., Sun., 19 December 1972 ''INDEPENDENT, PRESS-TELEGRAM'' A-27</ref> The event attracted a reported total of 500,000 attendees.<ref>"Guru's Pupil Slates Talk", ''SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD'' 3 February 1973. p. 3</ref> When Rawat flew to India to attend he was accused of attempting to smuggle $65,000 worth of cash and jewelry into the country, but no charges were ever filed,<ref name="CBY1974">Moritz, (1974)</ref> and the Indian government later issued an apology.<ref>Downton (1979), pp. 187-8</ref><ref>"The Mini-Guru: Discourse on Maharaj Ji is scheduled in Wiesbaden" J. KING CRUGER, 3 February 1973 ''THE STARS AND STRIPES'' Page 9</ref> The accusation led to negative coverage in the Indian press and hard feelings between Rawat and his mother, who had persuaded him to return to India for the festival.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

In June 1973, the British DLM, with Prem Rawat's mother acting on behalf of her son, organized the 'Festival of Love' at [[Alexandra Palace]] in London. While it drew thousands of attendees, Rawat began receiving hostile press coverage, partly due to his showing up late, or not at all, at scheduled appearances. The membership had grown very rapidly but the organizers had no clear idea where to lead the following, nor did they have the financial resources to maintain so many full-time workers.<ref name="Price 1979"/>

====Millennium '73====
{{main|Millennium '73}}
The 1973 Hans Jayanti festival was held at the [[Astrodome]] in [[Houston, Texas]], and publicized as "Millennium '73".<ref>"Under the Astrodome: Maharaj Ji – The Selling of a Guru", Gregg Kilday, Los Angeles Times, 13 November 1973</ref> The free three-day event was billed as "the most significant event in human history" that would herald "a thousand years of peace for people who want peace", the idea being that peace would come to the world as individuals experienced inner peace.<ref name = "nytmillennium" /> To promote the event, Prem Rawat's 20-year-old brother, Bhole Ji Rawat toured with a 60-piece band, [[Blue Aquarius]] for two weeks giving free concerts.<ref>"'Round and About" ''The Vidville Messenger''. Valparaiso, Indiana, 25 October 1973</ref> The 500-member tour was dubbed "Soul Rush" and traveled to seven cities on the way to Houston.<ref>Collier (1978), p. 170</ref>

[[Rennie Davis]], well known as one of the defendants in the [[Chicago Seven]] trial, attracted extensive media coverage as a spokesperson for Rawat.<ref name="tvmeditating">"TV: Meditating on a Young Guru and His Followers", by John O'Connor, New York Times, 25 February 1974</ref><ref name="nytoz" /><ref>"Houston's Version of Peace in Our Time" GREGG KILDAY, Los Angeles Times 25 November 1973 p. S18</ref> At the event, Davis declared that "All I can say is, honestly, very soon now, every single human being will know the one who was waited for by every religion of all times has actually come."<ref name="Kent 2001, p. 52">Kent (2001), p. 52</ref> In a [[press conference]] at Millennium, Rawat denied being the Messiah, and when asked by reporters about the contradictions between what he said about himself and what his followers said about him, Rawat replied, "Why don't you do me a favor&nbsp;... why don't you go to the devotees and ask their explanation about it?"<ref>Rolling Stone Magazine Issue N°156 – 14 March 1974 (Page 36-50)</ref> While Rawat's brother Satpal was nominally in charge of the festival, Davis was the "General Coordinator" and handled the details.<ref name="Collier 1978">Collier (1978)</ref>

Expectations for the event were very high, with predictions that it would attract more than 100,000,<ref>"A LOOK BACK AT THE '70S" HENRY ALLEN, Los Angeles Times 16 December 1979; p. K30</ref> or even as many as 400,000 people from Satpal. Davis privately said he thought 22,000 was a more realistic estimate and reserved 22,000 hotel beds.<ref>Collier (1978), p. 159</ref> There was even talk about a space in the parking lot reserved for a flying saucer to land.<ref name=autogenerated7>Kent (2001), p. 156</ref> When Satpal heard about the flying saucer he said, "If you see any, just give them some of our literature".<ref name=autogenerated1 />
The actual attendance was estimated at 35,000, and at 10,000 by police.<ref name = "nytmillennium" /><ref>Foss & Larkin (1978), pp. 157-164 "in fact attended by a maximum of 35,000</ref>

The event featured spectacular staging, a 56-piece rock band and a giant video screen that showed a barrage of shots from the tumultuous 1960s.<ref name="autogenerated5" /><ref name = "nytmillennium">"Guru's Followers Cheer 'Millennium' in Festivities in Astrodome", by Eleanor Blau, New York Times, 12 November 1973</ref><ref>"Maharaji Ji: The Selling of a Guru, 1973", by Gregg Killday, Los Angeles Times, 13 November 1973, p. D1</ref> Though it was not covered by the national television news, it did get extensive coverage in the print media. The premies were reported to be "cheerful, friendly and unruffled, and seemed nourished by their faith". To the 400 premie parents who attended, Rawat "was a rehabilitator of prodigal sons and daughters".<ref>"Oz in the Astrodome" Ted Morgen New York Times</ref> Media people found a "confused jumble of inarticulately expressed ideas."<ref>Collier (1978), p. 176</ref> It was depicted in the award-winning U.S. documentary [[Lord of the Universe (documentary)|"Lord of the Universe"]] broadcast by [[PBS|PBS Television]] in 1974.<ref name="tvmeditating" /><ref>"Videotape Explorers on the Trail of a Guru" by Dick Adler, Los Angeles Times, 23 February 1974 p. B2</ref> The event was called the "youth culture event of the year".<ref name="Foss & Larkin 1978">Foss & Larkin (1978)</ref> Singer-songwriter [[Loudon Wainwright III]] visited the festival and later remarked that while the premies inside were looking happy the ones outside were arguing with [[Jesus Freak]]s and [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishnas]]. Wainwright's song "I am the Way" was partly inspired by Prem Rawat.<ref>"They Won't Boo Loudon Any Longer", Grace Lichtenstein, ''New York Times'', 3 February 1974</ref>

At the festival, Larry Bernstein, a prize-winning, 41-year-old architect described a "Divine City" to be built from the ground up starting the following year. It was to feature translucent hexagonal plastic houses stacked on concrete columns and connected with monorails. Polluting vehicles would be replaced by electric vehicles, and solar power would be used to provide energy. Cards would replace cash. The use of advanced technologies to ensure pollution-free air, Rennie Davis told a journalist, would be a practical demonstration of what it means to have Heaven on Earth.<ref name=autogenerated12>Kopkind (1995), p. 234</ref> Two sites were suggested: either the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]] or somewhere near [[Santa Barbara, California]].<ref name="nytoz">"Oz in the Astrodome", by Ted Morgan, New York Times, 9 December 1973</ref><ref name=autogenerated7 /> The former president and vice president of the DLM later said that Prem Rawat had spoken frequently of building such a city.<ref name=autogenerated11>"Two ex-cult officers see possible Guyana repeat", UPI, ''Newport Rhode Island Daily News'' 25 November 1978. p. 8</ref> Plans for the city were delayed amid the fiscal crisis following the Millennium festival.<ref name = "isbn0-8423-6417-X"/> Incorporation papers for the formation of the "City of Love and Light Unlimited, Inc." were filed in Colorado in 1974, and there was a failed attempt in 1975 to build the community near San Antonio, Texas.<ref>Rudin & Rudin (1980), p. 62</ref>

The DLM incurred a debt estimated between $600,000 and over $1 million, attributed to poor management and low attendance.<ref>Khalsa (1986)</ref><ref name=autogenerated10>Stoner & Parke (1977)</ref><ref name="Pilarzyk 1978">Pilarzyk (1978)</ref> The debt severely damaged the DLM's finances.<ref name="Foss & Larkin 1978"/><ref>Messer in Glock & Bellah (1976), p. 67</ref> Event-related expenses were covered by short-term credit based on the expectation that contributions would pour in following the free festival.<ref>Collier (1978), p. 166</ref> DLM's post-Millennium financial troubles forced it to close ashrams, sell its printing business and real estate, and to drop the lease on its IBM computer. Monthly donations fell from $100,000 to $70,000.<ref name="GuruFollDown">"Guru following down; tactics changing", UPI, ''Waterloo Courier'' 25 November 1976</ref> According to Messer, "to pay the debts remaining from the Houston event, devotees all over the country turned over their own possessions to Divine Sales, which had crash garage sales, attended flea markets, and invented numerous activities to dispose of the goods."<ref name="Messer, 1976">Messer, 1976</ref> By 1976 it was able to reduce the debt to $80,000.<ref>"Growing Pile of Unpaid Bills Beneath Guru's Spiritual Bliss", Deborah Frazier, UPI, 23 March 1975, Lincoln, Neb., Sunday Journal and Star</ref> Consequently, the festival necessitated policy shifts within the movement organization.<ref name="Pilarzyk 1978"/>

===Marriage and rift===
Because of Prem Rawat's age, Jagat janni Mata Ji, his mother, and her eldest son, Satpal Rawat (later known as Satpal Ji Maharaj) had managed the affairs of the worldwide DLM. As Prem Rawat approached sixteen he wanted to take a more active part in guiding the movement. According to Downton, "this meant he had to encroach on his mother's territory and, given the fact that she was accustomed to having control, a fight was inevitable".<ref name=autogenerated2>Downton (1979), ch. 12</ref><ref name="Geaves2006">Geaves (2006)</ref> In December 1973, when he turned 16, Rawat took administrative control of the Mission's U.S. branch and began to assert his independence from his mother who returned to India with Satpal.<ref name="autogenerated5"/>

In May 1974, a judge gave Rawat his consent to marry without parental permission.<ref>"Guru, 16, marries secretary" AP Tues. 21 May 1974 ''Greeley Tribune''</ref> His marriage to his secretary, Marolyn Johnson, a 24-year-old follower from [[San Diego, California]], was celebrated at a non-denominational church in [[Golden, Colorado]].<ref>"The Guru's Wife Is Another Devotee", Robert P. Dalton, AP Staff Writer, ''Oakland Tribune''. 23 May 1974.</ref> Rawat's mother, Mata Ji, had not been invited.<ref>Downton (1979), p. 191.</ref> As a result of his marriage, Rawat became an [[emancipated minor]]. He called his wife "Durga Ji", after the Hindu goddess [[Durga]].<ref>{{Cite magazine| issn=0040-781X| title = One Lord Too Many| magazine = Time| access-date = 2009-05-31| date = 28 April 1975| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917390,00.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080214000406/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917390,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 14 February 2008}}<br/>{{Cite book |publisher = Cornerstone |isbn =978-0-940895-03-4 |last = Mangalwadi |first = Vishal |author-link =  Vishal Mangalwadi |title = The world of gurus |location = Chicago, Ill. |year = 1992}}<br/>{{Cite book|publisher = Garland Pub. |isbn = 978-0-8240-9036-4 |last = Melton |first = J. Gordon. |author-link = J. Gordon Melton |title = The encyclopedic handbook of cults in America |location = New York |series = Garland reference library of social science, v. 213 |year = 1986 |url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopedichand00melt }}<br/>{{Cite book |publisher = ABC-CLIO |isbn = 978-0-585-05843-6 |last = Lewis |first = James |author2=NetLibrary, Inc. |title = Cults in America a reference handbook |url = https://archive.org/details/cultsinamericare0000lewi |url-access = registration |location = Santa Barbara Calif. |date = 1998a}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated5 />

Rawat's decision to marry a Westerner precipitated a struggle for control of DLM.<ref name="Partridge 2004 pp.201-202">Geaves in Partridge (2004), pp.201-202</ref> His mother claimed that Rawat had broken his spiritual discipline by marrying, and had become a "playboy". She appointed Satpal as the new head of DLM India, but the Western premies remained loyal to Rawat.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> The marriage led to a permanent rift between Prem Rawat and his mother, and was also credited with causing a profound disruption in the movement. Many followers left the ashrams to get married, and the base of support inevitably shifted from the ashrams to the wider premie community.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> Others felt "almost betrayed", in part because he had championed celibacy, one of the requirements of ashram life, before getting married himself.<ref name="Price 1979"/><ref name="Pilarzyk 1978"/><ref>Richardson in Swatos (1998), p.141</ref><ref>Olson (2007), p. 345</ref>
The bad press from the festivals and the rift caused by Prem Rawat's marriage in 1974 marked the end of the movement's growth phase.<ref name="Price 1979"/><ref name="autogenerated10"/><ref>Melton (1999)</ref><ref>Melton (2001)</ref>

In 1975, Prem Rawat returned to India in an attempt to gain control of the Indian DLM. A court-ordered settlement resulted in his eldest brother Satpal retaining control of the Indian DLM, while Rawat maintained control of the DLM outside of India.<ref name=autogenerated9 />

===Westernization===
Following the rift with his mother, Rawat announced that he was replacing the predominantly Indian image with a Western one and began to wear business suits instead of his all-white Indian attire.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> The Indian mahatmas were replaced with Westerners, and Indian terminology fell from use. Rawat encouraged premies to leave the ashrams.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> According to one estimate, the worldwide membership had declined from 6 million to 1.2 million by 1976,<ref name="GuruFollDown" /> and in the U.S. the 50,000 claimed initiates had dwindled to 15,000 regular contributors.<ref name="GuruStyle"/> A spokesman for the Mission explained in 1976 that the higher numbers had been inflated due to poor record-keeping.<ref>"Guru Maharaj Ji To Launch World Tour To Aid Mission" UPI, PLAYGROUND DAILY NEWS, 15 April 1976-Page 3E</ref> One estimate had from 500 to 1200 members living in ashrams in the mid-1970s.<ref>Bromley & Shupe (1981), p. 43</ref> By the end of the 1970s, the movement had lost an estimated 80% of its followers in the U.S.<ref name=autogenerated4>Lewis (1998), p. 83</ref> Bromley and Hammond attribute the decline of groups including the Divine Light Mission to internal factors, but also in part to the news media's "discrediting reports about their activities", accounts which created a "wide-spread public perception of 'mind control' and other 'cult' stereotypes."<ref name="isbn0-865-54238-4">Bromley & Hammond (1987), pp. 113-4, 227</ref>

The Divine Light Mission also attracted the attention of the [[anti-cult movement]]. Some members were violently kidnapped and [[deprogramming|deprogrammed]].<ref>"Cult Deprogrammer Patrick Sentenced to Year in Kidnaping", JACK JONES. ''Los Angeles Times'' 27 September 1980, pg. SD_A1</ref> Some former members became outspoken critics of the organization and attacked the group with what Melton calls "standard anti-cult charges of brainwashing and mind control".<ref>Melton (1986), p. 222</ref> In reference to ex-followers, DLM spokesman Joe Anctil said that "A lot of people were just on a trip in the beginning. They felt they had to be 'hyped', and some didn't stay long enough to get beyond that. But we've changed as our understanding has changed."<ref name="GuruStyle">"Guru's cult changing style" GEORGE CORNELL, AP Religion Writer</ref><ref>Melton (1986), p. 219</ref> Bob Mishler, the founding president of the DLM in the U.S., was removed by Rawat in 1977 and gave an interview in 1979, along with the former vice president, in which he said he was concerned that the DLM was becoming a "tax evasion for the guru", and said he feared a repeat of [[Jonestown]]. They also accused Rawat of engaging in inappropriate behavior.<ref name=autogenerated11 /><ref>"FIRM LOYALTY: Guru's Sect: Misgivings in Malibu" MARK FORSTER ''Los Angeles Times'' 12 January 1979; pg. A1.</ref> Mishler's charges found little support and did not affect the progress of the Mission.<ref name=autogenerated5 />

In the 1980s, Prem Rawat removed the Indian trappings from his message, and adopted a more Western style.<ref name="Hunt 2003, pp.116-7"/><ref>Lippy (2002) p. 114</ref> Melton said the mission was disbanded [when] Prem Rawat personally renounced the trappings of Indian culture and religion, to make his teachings independent of culture, beliefs and lifestyles.<ref name="EnAmRe">Melton (2003), p.2328</ref> Prem Rawat was no longer to be venerated as a god or regarded as a Perfect Master.<ref name=autogenerated4 /><ref name="EnAmRe" /><ref>Miller (1995), p. 364</ref> The ashrams were closed along with the Denver headquarters (1979). The Divine Light Mission organization was replaced by [[Elan Vital (organization)|Elan Vital]];<ref>Abgrall (2000), p. 285</ref><ref>Geaves, Ron. "From Guru Maharaj Ji to Prem Rawat: Paradigm Shifts over the Period of 40 Years as a 'Master'". In: {{Cite book | last1 = Gallagher | first1 = Eugene V. | last2 = Ashcraft | first2 = W. Michael (eds.) | title = Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America | place = Westport CT | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 2006 | volume = 4 | pages = 71–73 | isbn = 978-0-275-98712-1}}</ref> the U.S. organization's name was changed to Elan Vital in 1983, by filing an entity name change.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/ViewImage.do;jsessionid=0000x3kyxhvQmIUOPNwkHlTDN7v:10e81ru5k?masterFileId=19871234276&fileId=19871509395 |title=Colorado Secretary of State, Business Center. |access-date=2014-07-17}}</ref><ref>Elan Vital FAQs – About Elan Vital, Inc. [http://www.elanvital.org/faq/faq_EV.htm Available online] (Retrieved May, 2006)</ref> Prem Rawat asked to be referred to as "Maharaji" instead of "Guru Maharaj Ji."

According to [[Ron Geaves]], a religious scholar who has been associated with the teachings of Prem Rawat for the last thirty years:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rongeaves.com/ |title="A Statement from Dr. Ron Geaves" September 27, 2004 |access-date=2014-07-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120235856/http://rongeaves.com/ |archive-date=20 November 2007 }}</ref>
<blockquote>Maharaji has chosen a route of perpetual transformation in which organizational forms are created and utilized and then destroyed, thus providing flexibility to deal with rapidly changing social attitudes, to provide pragmatic solutions to internal problems, and above all to keep his students focused on the core message rather than the peripheral requirements of organizational forms.<ref>Geaves (2004), pp. 45-62</ref></blockquote>
Since then the Elan Vital has been "virtually invisible." Rawat stopped granting interviews and making public announcements of his visits.<ref>Melton (1986), pp. 221, 222</ref> As of 2008, he has continued to write, lecture, and tour with the support of the Elan Vital and the Prem Rawat Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://contactinfo.net/previous_events.cfm|title=Contact Info – Events|publisher=contactinfo.net|access-date=2008-04-19}}</ref>

===DLM in India===

In 1975, Mata Ji took control of the DLM in India as a result of the rift and installed her eldest son, [[Satpal Rawat]], as its head. A lawsuit in India resulted in his brother Satpal gaining control of the Divine Light Mission in India, and Rawat continuing to lead DLM in the rest of the world.<ref>Melton in Partridge (2004), pp.201-202</ref><ref>Downton (1979)</ref><ref name="thomsonwife">''Biography Resource Center''. [[Farmington Hills, Michigan]], [[Thomson Gale]], 2007</ref>

Satpal Rawat, now known as Shri Satpal Ji Maharaj, teaches  "Manav Dharam" (the "Dharam [Religion] of Mankind"). He is also a politician and former [[Union Minister]] in India, and founded Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti, which he describes as "an all-India registered voluntary social welfare and charitable organization", that is also "making freely available the spiritual Knowledge which is the essence of all religions."<ref>{{cite web|year = 2008|url = http://www.manavdharam.org | title= Manav Dharam |access-date = 2008-03-09}}</ref> Satpal Rawat's supporters now assert that he is the rightful successor to his father, [[Hans Ji Maharaj]].<ref>McKean, (1996), p. 54</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manavdharam.org/ssjm/1_brief_into.html |title=Satpal Ji Maharaj |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060217210705/http://www.manavdharam.org/ssjm/1_brief_into.html |archive-date=17 February 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Scholars that have written about the succession report that Satpal and the rest of the family accepted and supported Prem's declaration of succession for eight years.<ref name="Melton 1986, pp.141-2"/><ref>Beit-Hallahami (1997), p.85</ref><ref name=USChaplains>United States (2001), pp. 11-5</ref>

The Divine United Organization (DUO) was an organization registered under the Societies Registration Act 21 of 1860<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/337921744/Sant-Mat-pdf|title=Sant_Mat.pdf {{!}} Bhakti Movement {{!}} Religious Comparison|via=Scribd|language=en|access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref> with the Registrar of [[Delhi]] in 1977, to disseminate the teachings of Prem Rawat in India. According to Geaves, DUO remained in India until it was replaced by '''Raj Vidya Bhavan''' [sic].<ref name="Geaves2006" /> '''Raj Vidya Kender''' (Center for the King of Knowledge) states on its website that it was registered under the societies Registration Act in 1977, with registration No. 8845/77, "by individuals eager to help in the dissemination of Maharaji's message of hope and peace."<ref name="RVKabout">[http://www.rajvidyakender.org/aboutus.html "About Us" page on Raj Vidya Kender website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514022036/http://www.rajvidyakender.org/aboutus.html |date=14 May 2008 }}</ref>