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	Prem Rawat was a Philosophy and religion good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
Article milestones Date Process Result October 25, 2006 Peer review Reviewed November 14, 2006 Peer review Reviewed March 11, 2007 Good article nominee Not listed
Current status: Former good article nominee

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Two proposals, please choose

Proposal A -

Prem Pal Singh Rawat (Hindi: प्रेम पाल सिंह रावत; born December 10, 1957), also known as Maharaji and formerly known as Guru Maharaj Ji and Balyogeshwar, teaches a meditation practice he calls Knowledge. At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru to millions of Indian followers.

At thirteen Rawat traveled to the West where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine and under his charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time Rawat also attracted controversy and was ridiculed in the US media for his youth, his supposed divine status and the luxurious gifts given to him by his followers. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation. In December 1973, when Rawat turned sixteen, he took administrative control of the American organisation and became more active in guiding the movement.

The following May he married an American against his mother's wishes. His mother disowned him and appointed his eldest brother as head of the Indian DLM. Rawat rretained the support of his followers outside India and began removing the Indian aspects of his teachings to make his message more widely acceptable. In 1983 Rawat disbanded the Divine Light Mission, which was succeeded by a more secular Elan Vital.

Rawat continued to tour almost constantly, piloting himself to speaking engagements in more than 40 countries around the world. In one two year period he spoke at over 100 programs in 37 international cities. By 1990 he had 1.2 million followers worldwide and in 2001 he founded The Prem Rawat Foundation, a public charitable organization, for the production and distribution of materials promoting his message, and for funding worldwide humanitarian efforts. He continues to tour extensively speaking on peace, and according to The Prem Rawat Foundation, his message is today available in 97 countries and 70 languages.

The core of Rawat's teaching is that the human need for fulfillment can be satisfied by turning inward to discover a constant source of joy. He emphasizes a direct experience of transcendence, rather than a body of dogma.

Proposal B -

Prem Pal Singh Rawat (Hindi: प्रेम पाल सिंह रावत; born December 10, 1957), also known as Maharaji and formerly known as Guru Maharaj Ji and Balyogeshwar, teaches a meditation practice he calls Knowledge. At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru to millions of Indian followers.

Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time, Rawat also attracted controversy, being ridiculedmocked in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. His opulent lifestyle, including lLuxury homes and automobiles made available to him by his followers, likewise received media attention. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation.

In December 1973, when Rawat turned sixteen, he took administrative control of the American organisation and became more active in guiding the movement. The following May he married an American against his mother's wishes. His mother disowned him and appointed his eldest brother as head of the Indian DLM. Rawat retained control of the movement outside India and progressively abandonedeventually removed the Indian aspects of his teachings to make his message more widely acceptable. "The Divine Light Mission was disbanded in the West in the early 1980s, succeeded by the organizations Elan Vital (1983), and The Prem Rawat Foundation (2001).

The core of Rawat's teaching is that the human need for fulfillment can be satisfied by turning inward to discover a constant source of joy. He emphasizes a direct experience of transcendence, rather than a body of dogma. ; his public discourses have at times been criticized for a lack of intellectual content.Rawat has been criticized for a lack of intellectual content in his public discourses, and for leading an opulent lifestyle.

Once again Will has made a proposal (B) with obvious errors. Including duplication, glaring omissions, unsourced material, UNDUE WEIGHT and SYN.Momento (talk) 08:30, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

After a careful reading, I can see merit in both. A has some important extra content (the current traveling etc) but I think B is better punctuated. Both say "married an American against his mother's wishes" which strikes a strange note for me. I picture his mother saying, "Oh no, not an American, anything but an American." It reads better with the 2 words "an American" removed. I doubt if she would have approved a New Zealander either. I understand and share editors' fatigue and frustration, but if the choice is between these versions, I would like to do some synthesising. Is that OK? Rumiton (talk) 12:47, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

I rather echo Rumiton's assessment; there is merit in both. Re the question of home/homes, see . It is correct to say that the Malibu purchase drew most attention, but several elegant homes were indeed mentioned in press reports, even before that purchase. The part on luxurious living is clearer in proposal B. I would be prepared to take proposal B as a half-way house step, just so we actually get something into the article, on the understanding that we look at expanding the content on the most recent three decades afterwards. What Momento has written there (after "The following May ...") has potential, but I am uneasy about the 1.2 million/50,000 figures in proposal A. I am not sure that is borne out by other sources. I know it is in the article, but this area may need some more research; I'd rather use some more recent figures in the lead. The "extensive touring" is duplicated in A, and it generally sounds a little too much like a celebratory listing of Rawat's achievements. Rumiton, if you want to have a go at synthesising the first half of B with something based on the second half of A, I'll gladly take a look at what you can make of it. --JN466 13:17, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Thanks Jayen, but events (see below) have rather overtaken me. I'll just watch for a while and see what other points get raised. Rumiton (talk) 12:09, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

The first big problem I see is that both proposals make it seem that Rawat himself gained no wealth from this, both proposals seem to intimate things like "he got gifts", and the homes he stayed in were "made available"? If someone visits me, I might make my home available to them, I certainly don't turn it over to them to do with as they please for the rest of their life, renouncing ownership of it! And lets not forget who told those followers to renounce their worldly goods in the first place! -- Maelefique 17:56, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Can you propose a small change that would capture that view better?

As for myself, I've already expressed a preference for the draft I posted.   Will Beback  talk  18:17, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

As with Will Beback' previous effort it is fascinating to see editors support a proposal that has unsourced material, glaring omissions, SYN and duplication. And how can you avoid mentioning a) Rawat's "following" and b) his extraordinary efforts to speak about peace? Not only does it take up half the section, it is the cause of his notability. Sounds like "I don't like it" because it shows his large following and, as the article says ""Rawat continued to energetically serve his followers". Less bias please and more info for readers.Momento (talk) 19:20, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Regarding that last sentence in Momento's reply, it was added to the article by Momento himself. It's a very incomplete summary of that source. If we regard that as a reliable source, there's quite a bit more we could add from it, much of which gives a very different view than the quoted excerpt.

Regarding the overall proposal, most of it seems based on previous proposals by Momento. No matter how many compromises are accepted by other, Momento seems to keep demanding more and more changes.   Will Beback  talk  20:03, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

You're absolutely right Will. I am almost solely responsible for fixing up the errors in the lead, everything from wrong dates to incorrect claims. Yet whenever I suggest an improvement it is met with a barrage of obstacles and insults. Now I want to fix up to "83-2000" summary for the lead which, despite being an entire section in the article, is not mentioned in the lead. Let me repeat that, the entire 400 word section about Rawat's activities in "1983-2000", nearly 30 years of travels and talks, is not mentioned in the lead. As far as the lead of the Misplaced Pages biography of Prem Rawat is concerned he mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth in the 70s.Momento (talk) 23:24, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

If we're discussing 1983-2000s then why are we discussing the entire lead? I suggest we finish with the 1970s material first and then move on to the later periods.   Will Beback  talk  23:43, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Speak to Jayen, he's the one who hijacked the discussion.Momento (talk) 23:58, 7 August 2010 (UTC)

Do you object to finishing the 1970s material before we go over the 1980s and later material?   Will Beback  talk  00:19, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Leaving aside the glaring omission of any "83'-2000s" summary. I'm happy to work on my last correction to the current proposal for "70-73"-

"...millions of Indian followers.(leave out "further prominence etc" as the following sentence covers it) At thirteen Rawat traveled to the West where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine and under his charismatic leadership the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time Rawat also attracted controversy and was ridiculed in the US media for his youth, his supposed divine status and the luxurious gifts given to him by his followers. DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation. In December 1973, when Rawat turned sixteen... Contrary to Rumiton's opinion about punctuation, the previous version with short sentences sounds like a telegram.Momento (talk) 00:58, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

That's mostly OK, but Jayen's proposed text: "Rawat also attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. Luxury homes and automobiles made available to him by his followers, likewise received media attention." is better for that section.   Will Beback  talk  01:58, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Except, as I explained two days ago, the article doesn't mention luxury "homes". And if the criteria for inclusion is "received media attention" then the appropriate inclusion would be - "Although Rawat did not advise anyone to "abandon the material world" he was criticised for the luxurious gifts given to him by his followers". You can't just present one side of the story.Momento (talk) 02:34, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

• "Although Rawat did not advise anyone to "abandon the material world" that might belong in a section on the subject's teachings, but it doesn't really concern the fact that he received negative attention for his opulent lifestyle. Also, that quote about not abandoning the material world comes from a spokesman named Richard Profumo, and appears in a Newsweek article that lists several luxury residences and many other hallmarks of opulent living. How about this: "Rawat also attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. His luxury homes and automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, likewise received media attention." And then in the section on his teachings we can add that his spokesman said he wasn't telling people to abandon the material world, though perhaps that would be the place to say that his followers lived lives of austerity and gave him their incomes and inheritances.   Will Beback  talk  05:53, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure I can say it any clearer but I'll try. If "His luxury homes" doesn't appear in the article it can't appear in the lead because it is unsourced OR.Momento (talk) 06:17, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

It's not unsourced OR:

• He has a sprawling $80,000 split-level house here, plus homes in Los Angeles and India. There are two Mercedes- Benz automobiles for use in the U.S. and two airplanes. In London, his followers have given him a Rolls-Royce. Queried about this opulence, he asks whether he is supposed lo throw away gifts the mission accepts in his name.
• The guru's "Divine Residence" in London is worth $125,000 and is only one of his many homes around the world.
• Reporter: It's hard for some people to understand how you personally can live so luxuriously in your several homes and your Rolls Royces.
• Sources close to Rajeshwari Devi said she was upset because of her son's materialistic lifestyle, including a fondness for expensive homes and sports cars, and because of his marriage last year to his secretary.
• In his first three years in the United States, new converts were common and their contributions led to the Maharaj Ji's homes in three states, a fleet of cars, a wardrobe of flashy clothes and two airplanes. Followers are encouraged to live in ashrams, communal houses where the virtures of celibacy, poverty and meditation are practiced. "If I gave poor people my Rolls-Royce, they would need more tomorrow and I don't have any more Rolls-Royces to give them," the guru once said in defense of his worldly goods.
• The young holy man owned a green Rolls Royce, a Mercedes 600, a Lotus sportscar, several motorcycles, homes in London, New York, Denver and the palatial Anacapa View Estate (complete with tennis courts and swimming pool) overlooking the sea on 4 acres in Malibu, California.
• Things haven't gone so well for the guru in the last 20 years, though success is relative. He didn't bring the world peace, as he promised, but at last report he was living in a Malibu mansion valued at $15 million, with other homes in England, New Delhi, Rome, Madrid and who knows where else; driving his choice of a Rolls-Royce, a Maserati, a Ferrari or a garageful of other expensive cars; jetting around the planet on a $25 million Lear jet; or sailing on his $3 million yacht.

So there are seven sources that talk about homes in the plural. Not OR at all.   Will Beback  talk  06:36, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Agree with Will here. We are reporting what the media wrote about; this is what they wrote about. The sentence "His luxury homes and automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, likewise received media attention." is an improvement on what's in the proposal now.

I agree with Momento that there should be material on more recent decades in the lead. How about:

The following May he married an American against his mother's wishes. His mother disowned him and appointed his eldest brother as head of the Indian DLM. Rawat retained the support of his followers outside India and began removing the Indian aspects of his teachings to make his message more widely acceptable. In 1983 Rawat disbanded the Divine Light Mission, which was succeeded by a more secular Elan Vital.

Rawat has continued to tour almost constantly, piloting himself to as many as 100 speaking engagements a year, in more than 40 countries around the world. In 2001 he founded The Prem Rawat Foundation, a public charitable organization, for the production and distribution of materials promoting his message, and for funding worldwide humanitarian efforts. According to The Prem Rawat Foundation, his message is today available in 97 countries and 70 languages.

The core of Rawat's teaching is that the human need for fulfillment can be satisfied by turning inward to discover a constant source of joy. He emphasizes a direct experience of transcendence, rather than a body of dogma.

I'll start a section on adherents.com below. --JN466 07:30, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Jayen, is it too much to ask for us to finish the 1970s material first?   Will Beback  talk  07:48, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

No, I'd be quite happy to do that. As far as I am concerned it can go in, and then we can focus on 1980-2010. --JN466 07:56, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

To address Momento's point that there is nothing about multiple homes in the main article right now, I suggest expanding the sentence "Press reports listed expensive automobiles such as Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benz limousines and sports cars, some of them gifts." with "as well as residences in multiple states and countries", citing relevant sources from among those you listed above. --JN466 08:00, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

I know my opinion, as I have little to no knowledge, means very little, but I still think short and sweet is better than long and lengthy, if you understand what I mean. Steven Zhang 08:05, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Is it okay to drop this in?

• I believe we do have consensus on the following:

  Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine, and under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time, Rawat also attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. His luxury automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, likewise received media attention. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation.

• Can we drop that in? (It omits the residences, as these are not covered in the article yet.) --JN466 08:50, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Not OK with me. Why should tabloid trivia like "automobiles" get a sentence of their own when relevant info by Rawat on the subject is ignored e.g. "Rawat did not advise anyone to "abandon the material world". If we've got room for a sentence, how about important info like "By the end of 1973, the DLM was active in 55 countries. Tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and dozens of ashrams formed". This is an article about what Rawat was doing not about the pathetic pre-occupations of journalists.Momento (talk) 10:43, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

We do say that DLM became the fastest-growing NRM in the West. Mention of the cars is due; it was a major factor of his reception at the time. As for not abandoning the material world, the DLM did encourage premies to move into communal ashrams and make donations; premies were not encouraged to keep their money and buy homes and luxury cars from themselves. Many journalists remarked on what they saw as a contradiction between Rawat's lifestyle and that of premies, and it is a valid, very common outsider perspective articulated in our sources. --JN466 10:53, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

We know the US press criticised Rawat in the early 70s, they made fun of his height, his weight, his teachings, his skin, his diet, his voice, his age, his name etc. It is entirely appropriate to say that "Rawat was ridiculed in the US media for his youth, his supposed divine status and the luxurious gifts given to him by his followers". But to stretch this criticism over TWO sentences when we haven't enough space to tell readers how many followers Rawat actually had in this period is pathetic.Momento (talk) 11:46, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't mind inserting figures for his following in 1973. But note that your proposal for the luxury gifts ("and the luxurious gifts given to him by his followers".) runs to 10 words, because you attach it to the same verb, "ridiculed", and mine to 13 ("His luxury automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, likewise received media attention"). There is hardly a difference, and I think it is fair to say that he wasn't "ridiculed" for the luxury cars. All the other ad-hominem stuff you mention (he liked ice cream, his body shape etc.) I am not interested in. So, once more:

• Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. By the end of 1973, the movement was active in 55 countries, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and ashrams formed. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. His luxury automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, also received media attention. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation.

  Better? --JN466 15:18, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

We're getting there. What happened to the homes?   Will Beback  talk  21:19, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Momento said earlier (06:17, 8 August 2010) that the multiple luxury residences were not mentioned in the main article and thus should not appear in the lead. Hence my earlier post suggesting we should mention them in the paragraph on his "affluent lifestyle". Re-checking just now, I see that we do in fact have the sentence, "Travelling almost constantly, he was reported to have residences in London, New York, Colorado, California, India, and Australia." That's not under the angle of affluent living though; it's more like an explanation of the practicalities of his travelling lifestyle – which is also a valid viewpoint. We could add the subclause about homes, as I suggested in my earlier post, and add the homes to the lead, or we could leave them out of the lead. I have no strong feelings either way. --JN466 22:20, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

We can meet Momento's latest complaint by mentioning one home now, and then making it plural once we add the others to the body of the article. There's no question that the media gave attention to his multiple homes. That would give us: His luxury automobiles and Malibu estate, said to be gifts from disciples, also received media attention.   Will Beback  talk  22:38, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

I earlier proposed -... of Indian followers. (leave out "gained further prominence etc. as the next sentence covers it). At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. By the end of 1973, the movement was active in 55 countries, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and ashrams formed. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth, his supposed divine status and for living "more like a king than a messiah". DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation". (END) "More like a king than a messiah" is an excellent phrase, it is in the article, in a few words it tells us how he lived (in palaces with servants) and it gets immediately to why he was criticised by the media (because they felt a "divine" person should live like an ascetic). By contrast the sentence "His luxury automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, also received media attention" is clumsy, suggests there is some doubt as to whether they were gifts and doesn't tell us what the media thought - did they say "well known car fanatic Guru Maharaj ji has restored a 1955 Mercedes. It has green exterior and tan leather interior"? "I can't understand the objections to ""more like a king than a messiah".Momento (talk) 22:43, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Once again, this is text added to the article by Momento that he's now also trying to put into the intro. The sentence in the source just prior is "People were hostile towards the guru." I'm not sure why we quote one line but not the other. In any case, the proposed language (His luxury automobiles and Malibu estate, said to be gifts from disciples, also received media attention) fairly summarizes what's in the article. I suggest that we should minimize the use of quotes in the intro.   Will Beback  talk  23:10, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

The Malibu Estate was not a gift. The DLM bought it, it served as the DLM's headquarters, and Rawat had a first-floor apartment in it. (From memory.) --JN466 23:35, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Momento, I could sign up to "for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences." Deal? --JN466 23:39, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Of course you could Jayen. But I can't because it is mindless redundancy and treats the readers as idiots. So maybe we should follow "Like a Messiah" with "you know like bare feet and robes". As for Will's comment that "this is text added to the article by Momento", who do you think put this badly written tabloid sentence into the article - "Press reports listed expensive automobiles such as Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benz limousines and sports cars, some of them gifts". I especially like "and sports cars" as if "expensive automobiles" excluded "sports cars". Oh, naughty Prem Rawat has "SPORTS CARS". There is no reason to exclude "more like a king than a messiah" but there is a very good reason to avoid describing how a king might live because it treats readers as idiots. And by the way, the multiple residents are NOT the product of living like a king they are the result of "Travelling almost constantly, he was reported to have residences in London, New York, Colorado, California, India, and Australia", as explained in the article.Momento (talk) 00:40, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I think Jayen's text is acceptable. It includes the quote that Momento is supporting and it summarizes the material in the article. It is neutral and factual. It has no errors or policy violations. Can we agree on this so we can complete this long-running discussion?   Will Beback  talk  01:00, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

It may suit you Will to have this article treat readers like idiots but it is unacceptable to me. Apart from being patronising and redundant, the article doesn't suggest Rawat was ridiculed for having "multiple residences". If that the last of your objections Will. I propose we put in - ... of Indian followers. (leave out "gained further prominence etc. as the next sentence covers it). At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. By the end of 1973, the movement was active in 55 countries, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and ashrams formed. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth, his supposed divine status and for living "more like a king than a messiah". DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation". (END)Momento (talk) 01:11, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

We're not treating readers like idiots, and I think that verges on a personal attack on the editorsw who've proposed it. The proposal by Jayen does not say that the subject was ridiculed for homes. It says he was ridiculed "for his youth and his supposed divine status". Please don't misrepresent the proposal. I suggest that, since no mediators are jumping to help, we hold an RFC to get input on whether He also received media attention for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences is an acceptable summary of the text material.   Will Beback  talk  01:25, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

If you care to look at Jayen's proposal he said "I could sign up to "for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences". If you place Jayen's suggestion in the proposal you get "At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth, his supposed divine status and for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences". So you are wrong aren't you. And saying I am "misrepresenting the proposal" when I am not IS a Personal Attack. So once again you are pushing a proposal that is incorrect while refusing to accept my proposal which is correct in every detail and falsely accusing me of "misrepresenting the proposal" when it is you that is "misrepresenting the proposal". Time for Jayen to come back and put the error free proposal into the lead.Momento (talk) 01:51, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

For the purposes of this discussion, the proposal is:

• ''Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine, and under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time, Rawat also attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status. He also received media attention for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation.

That's accurate and neutral.   Will Beback  talk  02:07, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I agree. We should perhaps add "made available to him by his followers". Also, the controversy was not about his being ridiculed. If the "more like a king than a messiah" quote is repetitive, we can drop it:

• Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message.. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine, and under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time, Rawat also attracted media attention, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status, with journalists noting luxury automobiles and multiple residences made available to him by his followers. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organization.

I am fine either with this, or the version Will has posted above. --JN466 03:24, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

What a feast of WIKI:SYN. Nowhere in the article does it mention "multiple residences made available to him by his followers". It does mention that "the movement was active in 55 countries, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and ashrams formed." But let's leave out this important and impeccably verified info which is the reason for Rawat's notability in favour a made up phrase. What's happened to Wiki policies, guidelines and practices? Don't they apply to this article?Momento (talk) 07:59, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

The closest we're going to get to consensus on this issue is - At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. By the end of 1973, the movement was active in 55 countries, tens of thousands had been initiated, and several hundred centers and ashrams formed. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being ridiculed in the US for his youth, his supposed divine status and the luxury automobiles given to him by followers. DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation".Momento (talk) 08:12, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I could live with adding the sentence about the growth of the DLM, but I do not like the wording "ridiculed for ... the luxury automobiles given to him by followers." --JN466 11:15, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Since we have at least seven sources talking about multiple homes I don't think we can call that a violation of WP:SYNTH, which says, "Do not combine material from multiple sources to reach or imply a conclusion not explicitly stated by any of the sources." Since you keep saying that this is a violation of WP:NOR I'll post a request at the noticeboard to get outside input on this point. As for your other point, this article is about Rawat, not the DLM. Rawat didn't form hundreds of ashrams and centers by 1973 because he didn't have managerial control. If anything that information belongs in Satpal Rawat's article, since apparently he was the one running things along with Mata Ji. In any case, we already say that the DLM was the fastest growing movement in the West and that he had millions of followers.   Will Beback  talk  08:26, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

See WP:NORN#Prem Rawat intro.   Will Beback  talk  08:36, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Hilarious, let's take all mention of DLM out of the article until he turns 16. And as we all know the Malibu property wasn't bought until November 74 so it can hardly be "made available to him by his followers" in 1973 and some of your other quotes are obviously from after 1973, one even says "the last 20 years". Rawat and his time machine?Momento (talk) 22:48, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

What was Prem Rawat's involvement in creating those ashrams?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make about the sources. We don't say that these criticisms were made in 1973. They may have started in 1973, and perhaps most of them were made in 1973-1975, after which increasingly little was written about him. The one that refers to the "last 20 years" was written in 1998 as a "Whatever happened to ..." piece.   Will Beback  talk  23:06, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

No but YOU say that in "70-73 Rawat had "multiple residences" and that isn't true is it?Momento (talk) 23:22, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Where did I say that?   Will Beback  talk  23:40, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

We are talking about summarising the "70-73" period and in this period you wish to say "He also received media attention for living "more like a king than a messiah", with luxury automobiles and multiple residences". And provide quotes about Malibu to back it up.Momento (talk) 01:01, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Does that mean you're OK with having this text in a different position within the intro? I should point out that at least two of the excerpted comments (above) are from 1973. Also, the subject had a home in L.A. before getting the Malibu estate.   Will Beback  talk  01:14, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Only one is from 1973 and it says "Guru Maharaj Ji lives comfortably with the other members of the "Holy Family" - his three older brothers ranging up to 22 years of age and his mother".

So now we're back, again, to my proposal. Let's get the houses out of this section first.Momento (talk) 01:47, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

This is getting tendentious. There's no doubt that the subject cars and homes were commented on by observers starting in 1973. We have seven examples of that. The proposed text is an accurate and neutral summary. It is not original research. The matter of who else was living on one of the houses seems irrelevant.   Will Beback  talk  01:53, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

So far the main objection to my proposal has been Will's insistence that "multiple homes" be in the summary. As we've now discovered only one of Will's sources comes from 1973 (post Millennium) and it is clear that the media ridicule didn't include "multiple houses" in 1973. So once again I propose this summary which is factual, well sourced and summarises the "'70-'73 section". So.... "of Indian followers. (leave out "gained further prominence etc. as the next sentence covers it). At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West with tens of thousands of members in 55 countries. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being derided by the US media for his youth, his supposed divine status and for living "more like a king than a messiah". DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organisation". If there are no Wiki based objections in 24 hours I'll put it in. It is far better than the current non-coverage so please do not hold up this good step forward because of little style/punctuation preferences.Momento (talk) 23:47, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

I think there's more support for the draft that Jayen and I were working on.   Will Beback  talk  02:14, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

We've all been working on the same proposal. Jayen's last comment on the version I have just suggested was "I could live with adding the sentence about the growth of the DLM, but I do not like the wording "ridiculed for ... the luxury automobiles given to him by followers". So I have left in "the sentence about the growth of the DLM" and removed the "the luxury automobiles given to him by followers" and replaced it with the more general lifestyle criticism of " living more like a king than a messiah".Momento (talk) 03:39, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

That looks OK to me, apart, of course, from the "little style/punctuation preferences." The substance looks fine. Rumiton (talk) 09:53, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Momento, I think you've misinterpreted Jayen's comment. (He's apparently traveling now which is why he's not commenting here.) The "ridicule" concerned the youth and behavior. The luxurious cars and homes are a separate issue. The growth of the DLM is covered in the DLM article, and if we include the largest figure then we'd have to also include other figures.   Will Beback  talk  17:09, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Jayen added the words "being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status", the "luxurious cars and multiple homes" are out and the the figures are from 1973 in the article, the proposal stands.Momento (talk) 22:23, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

The last version Jayen proposed was this:

• Rawat gained further prominence at thirteen when he traveled to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine, and under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. At the same time, Rawat also attracted media attention, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status, with journalists noting luxury automobiles and multiple residences made available to him by his followers. The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organization

It's not my exact preference, but I'd agree to it. It's neutral and factual.   Will Beback  talk  22:32, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

I've posted a slightly altered version in an RfC below.   Will Beback  talk  23:19, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Adherents.com

There is a discrepancy in the information on adherents.com. In the third column, it lists a following of "15,000" for the USA (published in 1990). In the ninth column, it says: ""General membership numbers appox. 1.2 mil. worldwide, with 50,000 in U.S. There is a core group of 3000 active members and an additional 12,000 who attend functions and contribute regularly". The "50,000" may be a transcription error made by those who generated the table, as it contradicts the 15,000 in column 3, and 3,000 + 12,000 = 15,000. The latter also is more in line with Geaves 2006, who speaks of a "hard core of about 2,000 European and North American followers". Does anyone have access to the Spencer/Keller source cited by adherents.com? --JN466 07:39, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Other sources:

• In 2000, a worldwide estimate of 335,000 was put forward ... 'more than 500,000 to this day have learned the techniques' (the latter is a quote by Elan Vital).
• "Outside of India, at the time of this writing, Elan Vital claims some seventy-five thousand followers in the rest of the world" (2001) --JN466 07:51, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

This article isn't about the DLM or Elan Vital. Detailed estimates of the sized of those movements belong in their respective articles. Anyway, this is another topic that we've already discussed at length. Is there any new information since 2008? Can we wait to discuss this again until we've settled the other pending issues?   Will Beback  talk  08:05, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Momento proposes quoting the 1.2m/50,000 figures, which are currently in the article, in the second part of the lead, and I think these figures may be problematic (i.e. too high). I'm happy to defer this until we have the 70s section of the lead sorted though. --JN466 08:23, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Here are some of the previous discussions:

• Talk:Prem Rawat/Archive 36#Full-time membership of German premies
• Talk:Prem Rawat/Archive 38#"Following", "students" and "former followers" sections

That's for the record. Meantime, let's focus finding a consensus about the 1970s material that we've been discussing for a while already.   Will Beback  talk  08:36, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Hostile press

Some excerpts concerning the attitudes of the press towards Prem Rawat/Guru Maharaj Ji.

• However, during the first two and a half years after the mission had been established, Guru Maharaj Ji's habit of arriving late, or not at all, for public programmes in Britain was doubtless a factor in his receiving an increasingly hostile press coverage which, in turn, may have contributed to the decline in recruitment which took place after the Alexandra Palace festival.
  • Price
• Devotees agree to that and recommend to the skeptic that he "try it." Always the issue is reduced to the question of proof, since this particular movement asserts that evidence is available for the asking and that to demand it is legitimate. That often puts critics on the defensive, which may partly explain the hostile media treatment of this movement.
  • Messer
• When Rennie first talked to me of his conversion, after a hostile, tomato-strewn opening in Berkeley, he was nonplused.
  • Robert Scheer
• Maharaj Ji, who is clearly accustomed to more respectful attention than he has been getting from the press, appears tense and hostile throughout the questioning (one is not surprised to learn from his personal physician that he still takes Tums to soothe his stomach).
  • Richard Levine
• The wild growth of the Divine Light Mission peaked by the end of 1973. Mission officials blamed a bad press.
  • Rudin & Rudin
• A newsman said of the America-based teen-aged Guru Maharaj Ji: "The Americans say, `the guru has come.' The guru says, `The money has come.'" And God is amused. By quoting the answers to questions during a press conference in Hollywood's Divine Light Mission, Greenberg suggested the frustration journalists encounter when they attempt to get straightforward easy-to-understand answers to their questions. After Maharaj Ji said: "The aim and purpose of my life is to spread the true nature of the soul to humanity," he was asked, "Give me that knowledge." The guru replied, "I can't answer materialistic requests." In its issue of April 23 1973 the Times devoted two full pages to letters commenting on the Singh article. Only one letter, from Dr. Edward S. Hanzelik, of the Divine Health Care Services, was sympathetic. A few days later, however, Maharaj Ji made headlines not to his liking.
  • Curtis D. MacDougall
• charged that customs officials had humiliated Maharaj Ji and his entourage and that the Indian press had given his visit the worst possible coverage.
  • UPI 1972
• The guru complained that "the press does not realize it is the work of God that we are doing," and that numerous false stories about him had been circulated.
  • Eleanor Blau, 1973
• A lot of money passes through Divine Light Mission, and every press report about the Guru's appearances mentions his limousines, his airplanes, houses and wardrobe. But these reports have failed to dent the loyalty of his followers.
  • Lewis Clayton, 1973
• To some of the press, he was a ripoff artist, who in one night in the Celestial Suite at the Astroworld Hotel spent far more than the average Indian's annual income.
  • Ted Morgan, 1973

And so on.   Will Beback  talk  14:41, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

Rewrite of intro material covering Prem Rawat#1970–1973

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Editors are engaged in revising the intro of Prem Rawat to make it more inclusive. There is a disagreement over two competing proposals.

Proposals

Proposal A

Rawat gained further prominence when he traveled, at age 13, to the West to spread his message. He created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as the "Perfect Master" by his followers, He was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine, and under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West. Rawat also attracted media attention, being ridiculed in the US for his youth and his supposed divine status, with journalists noting luxury automobiles and multiple residences made available to him by his followers.

Proposal B

At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as a "Perfect Master" by his followers, He was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine. Under Rawat's charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West with tens of thousands of members in 55 countries. At the same time, Rawat attracted controversy, being derided by the US media for his youth, his supposed divine status and for living "more like a king than a messiah".

Note: Both proposals agree that the final line should be:

The DLM's "Millennium" event in November 1973 was billed as the beginning of a new millennium of peace "for people who want peace"; however, attendance fell short of expectations, creating a serious debt for the organization.

Comments from involved editors

• My preference is for A . --JN466 23:36, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

I have to apologize - there have been some many changing proposals that I omitted the "multiple homes" which had been in prior versions. I've added it back.   Will Beback  talk  00:54, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

• Prefer B. Problems with A = A proposal that Includes both "gained further prominence when he traveled, at age 13, to the West to spread his message" and "He created an extraordinary amount of interest (in the west)" is repeating itself. A proposal that omits to mention two of Rawat's major reasons for notability, his "tens of thousands of members in 55 countries" and "living more like a king than a messiah" is seriously deficient. A proposal that includes the uninformative sentence "His luxury automobiles, said to be gifts from disciples, likewise received media attention" is wasting words. In short a Proposal that uses more words to tell less about Rawat is an inferior proposal. But since editors traditionally vote on party lines expect Proposal A to get more votes from involved editors.Momento (talk) 00:16, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

The purpose of this RFC is to get input from uninvolved editors. The comments of involved editors serve mostly to help explain the dispute to them.

In response to your specific issues, I think you're misquoting Proposal A. There were various elements to the subject's fame: his youth, the remarkable claims made about him and his teachings, his lifestyle, and the popularity of his movement. It's better to keep those separate than to merge them. "Living like a king" sounds like a generality or a cliche, while the factual matter is that it was the cars and homes that attracted the attention.

"Tens of thousands of followers" is misleading, since he was said to have millions of followers. The exact size of his following at various stages of his career is a complicated matter, and giving just one number gives an incomplete picture.   Will Beback  talk  04:18, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

• Not sure if I count as involved or uninvolved, since I've been gone for awhile, but I prefer "A", but I would add "more like a king than a messiah." Personally, I find option B to be rather, well, anemic. Ronk01 talk, 05:53, 12 August 2010 (UTC)
• I prefer "A". The king/messiah bit seems irrational to me, tells more about a cultural neurosis than about the subject, should not be in the lead.--Rainer P. (talk) 11:12, 12 August 2010 (UTC)
• I prefer proposal A, and I'm assuming the link that currently exists to will remain in there. In short, it doesn't water down the issues like proposal B does, and I would expect, as tradition dictates, that not everyone will agree with the majority of the other involved editors (apparently, so far, "party lines" means everyone who's not Momento?). -- Maelefique 07:15, 12 August 2010 (UTC)
• I think A is better. Over issues like 'derided' vs 'ridiculed' I would go with the source wording and with reference to cars and..'multiple residences made available to him by his followers' - weren't these described as 'gifts' - again the source wording should be used. PatW (talk) 10:02, 12 August 2010 (UTC)
• I cannot support Proposal A. The first sentence, "when he traveled, at age 13, to the West to spread his message" is staccato and rather clumsy. Then it unproductively repeats the idea of his increasing profile: he "gained further prominence" and "created an extraordinary amount of interest." I find this too much for a lead which should summarize. More problematically, it equates media attention with criticism. The implication is that all media attention was/is hostile, an idea which sources do not support. Also "the" Perfect Master seems to imply that there could only be one. I don't think sources confirm this, either; there always seems to have been a suggestion of a lineage. The number of members included in B is also interesting and relevant. So B is better. Rumiton (talk) 11:18, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

While there may have been a lineage of previous Perfect Masters, there's only one at a time. When the indeterminate article is used it's to refer to perfect masters in general. Here's what a follower said:

• "The guru is a Perfect Master born of a Perfect Master." he said. "Just as Christ and Buddha and Mohammed were masters, the guru is master. There is always one among us. But this is the first time there has been a perfect master born of a perfect master."

Here's what the Current Biography Yearbook reported:

• He has related what happened when his father died: "I went home and everyone was weeping. I was just sitting there not weeping and something began to happen to me. I began to feel that I am not this body.... And this voice came to me saying, `You are he, you are the one to continue."' At the funeral the voice came again: "This is the last I will tell you. You are he. You must take this knowledge to the world." According to the Guru, "the satsang just came" and he found himself telling the mourners: "Dear children of God, why are you weeping? . . . The Perfect Master never dies. Maharaj Ji is here, amongst you now."

Further, in a review of sources I find over 50 that say "the Perfect Master" while fewer than half as many that say "a Perfect Master".   Will Beback  talk  17:57, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

The notion that there is only "one perfect master on earth" is quite often proclaimed by spiritual teachers. I've seen it argued (though not as far as I can recall specifically in reference to Rawat) that this is merely a device to focus the disciple on the teacher in question, who in other circumstances may quite freely acknowledge that there are other teachers quite as capable as himself. Similarly, when Rawat says, "the perfect master never dies", this can also be read as his referring to a quality, rather than a person. But be that as it may, the claim was certainly made by disciples at the time that Guru Maharaj Ji was the one and only perfect master on earth. Here are some examples from the New York Times: , and similar quotes from followers saying the same thing using different words can also be found. I believe it is a historical fact that these things were said. --JN466 03:34, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

It's not a big problem for me, but saying THE Perfect Master seems to assume that the reader will know what a Perfect Master is, if you follow my drift. If they don't, as many will not, it rings strangely. Maybe it is comparable to saying Mr/Mrs XY is THE Poet Laureate. If you know what a poet laureate is, you don't have a problem with the sentence. But because the concept of Perfect Master is little known in the West, and we are not defining it before making this statement, I think this will confuse. (Some semantic points are difficult to explain semantically.) What about my other points? Rumiton (talk) 11:36, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

We're not here to argue over the points again. As for the hostile press, which sources contradict that view?   Will Beback  talk  00:13, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

I think the proper question would be, "Which sources support the view that ALL press reception was negative?" which is what the suggested wording implies. Rumiton (talk) 11:00, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't see that implication. We don't even use the word "hostile". However, I'll find some sources to support the view that the press was hostile. To avoid disrupting this sterile RFC further I'll post them in a fresh section above.   Will Beback  talk  14:05, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

I think the phrase, "Rawat also attracted media attention," followed by some examples of hostility, certainly leave the reader with the impression that all the media attention was negative. I doubt that any source would say that. Rumiton (talk) 14:13, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

That's quite a leap. The citation that addresses that idea most directly, though, is perhaps the Clayton excerpt which is quoted in the section above this RFC.   Will Beback  talk  14:47, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

• I don't like either because the implication is that followers imposed their beliefs about Rawat's divinity upon him, when quite the opposite is true. If someone doesn't know the term "Perfect Master," then that text can easily be linked to the Wiki article Perfect Master. Sylviecyn (talk) 13:01, 13 August 2010 (UTC)

A major point of contention here seems to be "Perfect Master," perhaps a seperate section to discuss this? Ronk01 talk, 22:56, 17 August 2010 (UTC)

Important point there, Cynthia. The article is increasingly portraying the bias that the ‘divinity’ attributed to Rawat was a merely projected onto him by his followers, and that he was simply on the receiving end, powerless to do anything about it. Such revisionism should not be allowed to become the ‘official’ Wiki version.

Here are a few quotes from the man himself, making it perfectly clear that he was heavily involved in promoting himself as the “Perfect Master”, and that his followers were merely repeating the claims he had made about himself:

“I don't mind the difficulties that are being put against me. Whenever he comes to the world the Perfect Master has to tolerate many difficulties. I have come to spread this Knowledge and that is what I am going to do. Understand this and believe it”.

(Johannesburg, 29 April 1972)

“Today, if two people fight, the government is supposed to settle them down. But when governments fight, who is going to settle them down? The only one who can settle the governments down is the Perfect Master, the incarnation of God Himself, who comes to Earth to save mankind”.

Tokyo, October 3, 1972 (published in “And it is Divine” magazine, July 1973)

“And I am just teaching them perfectness, and that’s why they called me Perfect Master. And as a matter of fact, I am Perfect Master because I can reveal them this peace”.

London, 13 July 1973

Maharaj Ji: “People come to me and ask me about this, and they say, “What is your opinion about a Perfect Master? Is there one, is there two?” I tell them my opinion that there is only one Perfect Master. Because perfectness, is one, not two, not three. So there is only one Perfect Master in this world. And because he is perfect, that’s it.. he is perfect. You just can’t divide perfect ...”

Maharaj Ji: “There have always been Perfect Masters coming into this world”.

Wood: “Will there be another one?”

Maharaj Ji: ”Yes. After me”.

(From an Interview with John Wood of the Boston Globe with Guru Maharaj Ji in Newton, Massachusetts, August 3, 1973, published in And It Is Divine ~ Dec. 1973, Volume 2. Issue 2.);

Revera (talk) 08:08, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps we could solve the problem of "a" or "the" Perfect Master by omitting the article at all: "Hailed as "Perfect Master"..." would leave room for everybody's understanding.--Rainer P. (talk) 08:24, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

It's the passive nature of "hailed as" that I'm objecting to. First was his claim to be the so-called Perfect Master (see the speech he gave shortly following his father's death).

Compare the claim of Mohammed Ali, aka Cassius Clay, to be "The Greatest". To say he was "hailed as" the greatest would be very partisan. Some did, some didn't. Likewise Rawat. Revera (talk) 12:37, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

In that case, I share Rumiton's concerns. The concept of "Perfect Master" is not explained yet in the lead, so it sounds a little freaky to say, Rawat claimed to be Perfect Master, and not elaborate any further. Maybe it should not be in the lead, but in the body, where there is space to explain the term. For the lead that might be too long.--Rainer P. (talk) 13:24, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Of course it hasn't been explained in the lead, that's a terrible reason to leave it out. If everything in the lead was already fully explained, it would be the entire article! The lead is a summary, if they want to find out what the Perfect Master is, read the article, that's the whole point! -- Maelefique 15:23, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

I don't find it unfair for the lead to say he was "hailed" as a perfect master. Obviously not by everyone; nobody is universally approved of. I think the problem is that something that was a title in his home culture (a respected title, but still only a title) when translated into English came to be seen as a "claim." We have sources that tell us that his father, as well as Meher Baba and probably other Indian spiritual teachers of the day went by the same title, and that he inherited it as part of his father's position. For some years after arriving in the West he used the term in a fairly descriptive way, referring to his role. He also used the simplified term "master", and I think it is worthy of noting, still does. Perhaps we need to explain the background of the term more fully in the article, then look at whether it is important enough for the lead. Rumiton (talk) 13:58, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

This whole issue touches on the very topical subject of 'people who reinvent themselves'. Prem Rawat is a classic example of someone who has done this with success as Ron Geaves is keen to point out. The negative view is that people reinvent themselves because there was a problem with their career, they embarrassed themselves or they actually are vilified for their past in some way. The positive view is that it is a healthy career move. Prem Rawat's critics argue that it is dishonest for Rawat not to be more forthright about his former claims - claims which cannot be denied and which some say, seduced them into harm. The neutral viewpoint would seem to be to report that Rawat claimed to be 'The Perfect Master' to his followers but was 'sheepish' (as Collier said) about stating that belief to others (the press in particular) who he quickly learned would hold it against him. Hence his seemingly contradictory statements on the matter in the 70's. Prem Rawat has reinvented himself necessarily as a 'master' maybe with a smaller 'm' and his followers are unhappy to have a public biog which accurately reports his former more grandiose claims. They would rather blame themselves. Reinvention is good. Revisionism is bad. It's a sticky one to report about fairly. Above I made a case for the article in some way offering explanation of Rawat's current beliefs about this- which I believe to be relevant and interesting. As I said, Ron Geaves' academic paper is endorsed on Prem Rawat's website and current videos - he does clearly believe that there is a traceable lineage of Masters that at some point stem from a fairly well-known Indian saint called Totapuri. He doesn't want to be billed as a Lord like Jesus or Krishna these days but he will concede that much and he DOES still talk about 'The' Master. I find the way some people are trying to dilute his former claims puzzling and disingenuous. Prem Rawat's former claims of being The Perfect Master were quite clear. There can be no pretence that this was a casually used, common device or 'title' to relate to Indian followers etc. although that is a simplistic prosaic explanation. He meant it to the hilt. He encouraged his followers (and surely still does) to believe that he was The only Perfect Master of the time. He challenged people who doubted, to first search the world for one similar who could supply true Knowledge and to come to him when they were eventually frustrated. At the time we all loved him for it and plenty still do.PatW (talk) 21:41, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Pat, you have said before that Prem Rawat claims to belong to a "lineage." I have seen some speculation on Youtube on home-made videos, but can find nothing official from him. Can you direct me to the URL? Thanks. Rumiton (talk) 10:32, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Rumiton is right, "Perfect Master," while a title of respect in India (where it might be better thought of a "Perfect Guru," or "Supreme Guru"), it has strong diving and liturgical connotations in Western Culture. Perhaps an explaination of this in the lead? Ronk01 talk, 22:45, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

The assertion that it might be confusing is not a good reason to exclude it. The term was used routinely in press and scholarly coverage. The subject often explained its meaning. Right now, we say in the first paragraph:

• At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru to millions of Indian followers.

How about saying:

• ... and as the new Satguru and Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers.

That links the two inherited titles together.   Will Beback  talk  04:42, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Yes, that would reflect somewhat on the origin of those titels.--Rainer P. (talk) 09:35, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

I have no problem with that. Rumiton (talk) 10:34, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

In response to Rumiton. PR's website (www.maharaji.org) had the same information as the WPOG video. I have screenshots of the original page from M's website which you can get here. Ron Geaves states, in his paper entitled From Totapuri to Maharaji Reflections on a Lineage - "Maharaji has referred to this lineage as his own on his website as follows...etc". On the WOPG video at 8 mins 44 it says the same "Even though references to the techniques of Knowledge are made earlier than 1700, this is the traceable history thus far - Sri Totapuri Ji Maharaj (1780-1866), Sri Anandpuri Ji Maharaj (1782-1872), Sri Adwetanand Ji (1840-1919), Sri Swarupanand Ji Maharaji (18844-1936), HRH Yogiraj Paramhans Sadgurudev Sri Hans Ji Maharaj (1900-1966), Maharaji (Prem Rawat). PatW (talk) 12:21, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

You say PR's website HAD this information, but the site you have labelled WPOG video (Words of Peace Global) seems to be a private effort by someone called Ramilbeej, who seems to claim no official affiliation with WOPG or anything else. I think, re Geaves, there may be some circularity. Geaves seems to be the one who raised the whole lineage thing, then he cast doubt on it, which may have been why it was removed from the PR site (speculation). At any rate, it is clearly not something that PR "claims". But more importantly, and this is a point that never seems to quite hit home, these are primary sources. They are excerpts, chosen and edited to support a point of view. Do you not see what a wonderful time I could have if I were allowed to pick and choose amongst the 4600 or so Youtube, Yahoo and privately blogged videos available in praise of the subject? Out of respect for Misplaced Pages, I don't try that on. I look at the most reputable secondary sources to tell me what the primary sources are saying. Rumiton (talk) 14:14, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Any idea when that page with the lineage was live on www.maharaji.org, Pat? I've tried looking for it here:http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.maharaji.org but without a date to narrow the search it's going to take an age!. Revera (talk) 20:48, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Before you lecture me on Primary Sources may I point out that I was responding to your request for evidence that Rawat claimed a specific lineage. I've provided you with screenshots of Rawats 'Offiical' 1990 website and supportive text from Geaves. What more do you want? The video was put on Youtube by Ramilbee but he says it is the property of Dunrite group and Rajvidyakender. Words of Peace Global also offer many of these videos for download and this may have come from there. There are so many there I didn't have time to look. I'm not convinced that Ron Geaves material isn't allowable here where it is not contentious, and we can and should take evidence from Primary evidence into account although it may not necessarily be used. Incidentally, I have here a copy of this paper by Geaves which a scholar friend of mine gave me recently in a book called 'The Spalding Papers in Indic Studies' edited by Anna S.King. The whole thing is there as one of "collected papers presented at the annual Spalding Symposium on Indian Religions" which he attended in 2006. Please could you show where Ron Geaves cast doubt on this lineage? This is news to me. PatW (talk) 16:23, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

I concede that I find Ron Geave's prose almost unreadable, which partly stems from my complete lack of interest in his subject, but partly from his academic weaselisms. In the excerpt you quote I see, "It is clear that the lineage is not proven...", "It is also questionable..." "It is certainly possible..." etc. He seems to back away from statements before he even makes them. You claim that, "Ron Geaves' academic paper is endorsed on Prem Rawat's website and current videos." 1990 is not 2010. You have not shown me where PR's website currently refers to this stuff at all, and I am sure you know that privately made videos acknowledging copyrighted material are not representative of the views of the copyright holder. i.e. Ramilbeej's opinions are not necessarily those of Prem Rawat. Rumiton (talk) 13:33, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

If editors want to complain about primary sources, then there are plenty already in the article that can be removed, including those regarding The Prem Rawat Foundation, etc. Sylviecyn (talk) 17:18, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Primary sources are fine and good for uncontroversial information. They cannot be selectively mined to support someone's point of view. Rumiton (talk) 13:02, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

This is not a controversial issue and those are not "selectively" chosen quotes. The major theme of Rawat's teachings were his claims of being the Perfect Master of this time and the Satguru. These are direct quotes by Prem Rawat made both in his childhood and as an adult, which demonstrate clearly and sufficiently exactly how early followers in the 1970s got the idea, or concept, if you will, that he is the Perfect Master/Satguru. That is why the phrase "Hailed as the "Perfect Master" by his followers, he was seen by many of them as an incarnation of the divine..." is a canard because it misleads readers by implying that it was his followers who came up with the idea of Rawat's divinity as Perfect Master/Satguru, instead of the fact it was a huge, important, and major focus of Rawat's teachings. This isn't controversial because these were the words that constantly came out of Rawat's own mouth about himself throughout the 1970s up until at least 1981, including 1976, when premies for a short time period had toned down the use of the terms "Lord of the Universe," "Satguru," and the like, in favor of using the less controversial term of "Perfect Master" in introductory programs. As PatW said, it's fine if someone wants to reinvent himself, because that's their right to do, but when it comes to writing a biography of someone, one cannot indulge a person by attempting to revise his entire life history in order to create the appearance that he was always the way he is in the present day. That's what I see adherents here trying to do and it's unacceptable by Misplaced Pages standards of NPOV writing. Sylviecyn (talk) 14:58, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

Sylviecyn and PatW- would this be acceptable?

• At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru and Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers.

That avoids the contentious article ("a" vs "the") and also avoids the "hailed" verb.   Will Beback  talk  19:13, 21 August 2010 (UTC)

That is definitely an improvement, Will. With links to both Perfect Master and Satguru. Sylviecyn (talk) 13:58, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Remove "Satguru" altogether as is not mentioned in the article - "At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers". Which changes this - "At thirteen he traveled to the west where he created an extraordinary amount of interest among young adults for his claimed ability to give a direct experience of God. Hailed as the "Perfect Master" by his followers, Rawat was seen by many of his followers as an incarnation of the divine and under his charismatic leadership, the DLM became the fastest growing new religious movement in the West with tens of thousands of members in 55 countries."Momento (talk) 00:47, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Momento is right. When the term "Satguru" is not mentioned in the article, it should not be in the lead. It stands for a largely unfamiliar concept in the West. Perhaps after the teachings section has been accordingly complemented, it could be added to the lead.--Rainer P. (talk) 08:44, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Would Wikilinking Satguru help solve the problem? Rumiton (talk) 11:46, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Satguru is mentioned in the article and can be expanded upon. It should remain in the lead. I'm puzzled by the worries expressed by editors about terms "westerners are not familiar with." This is an encyclopedia for goodness sake, people come to Misplaced Pages to learn things. Besides, both of the terms "perfect master" and "Satguru" are not obscure words. This isn't a contentious issue at all. It's how Prem Rawat described himself during his first years in the west, were widely written about, and they are the years for which Rawat is notable to even warrant a biographical article. It's not acceptable to gloss over those years in order to further his agenda of self-reinvention. Sylviecyn (talk) 14:07, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, Sylviecyn, but where in the article is Satguru mentioned? And what makes you think Satguru is an understandable word even for a fairly educated reader? And why do you think explaining the term Satguru means to gloss over those years in order to further his agenda of self-reinvention? I don't object against the term, only it should not be used in the lead, when it is not in the body. No need for prancing. And Rumiton, I think textlinking Satguru would not solve the problem, as long as it is not in the article's body. Or have I missed it?--Rainer P. (talk) 18:44, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

I wasn't prancing because I'm too old to prance. :):) Satguru is mentioned in the article and I think it ought to be expanded upon in this article in the appropriate section, at least a bit. I didn't say that using the term Satguru is glossing over anything, but I apologize if I was unclear. What I meant to say is that to not use the term would be glossing over a very important piece of Rawat's history in the west. Btw, in the age of the internet, people can Google terms like Satguru and Perfect Master, but the work is already done for us as there are the two Wiki articles by those names. I hope you're well. Sylviecyn (talk) 20:12, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

Satguru appears a couple of times in the article, just search. Even if it weren't that would be a bad reason to delete it from the lead, since it's a key aspect of the subject's life. The term is already linked in the intro. I don't see why this is suddenly controversial. Is there any objection to the sentence:

• At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru and Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers.

It'd be nice to find something we can agree on.   Will Beback  talk  19:37, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

I can't find "Satguru" in the article. Unless you mean this misplaced title "He was given the title "Balyogeshwar Param Hans Satgurudev Shri Sant Ji Maharaj", or just "Balyogeshwar".Momento (talk) 22:00, 22 August 2010 (UTC)

• Lucy DuPertuis, a sociologist and one-time follower who assisted James V. Downton with his book about the Divine Light Mission, described Rawat's role as a Master as emerging from three interrelated phenomena: traditional or theological definitions of Satguru, adherents' first-hand experiences of the Master, and communal accounts and discussions of the Master among devotees.

But the argument over whether it's in the body text already or not is beside the point. Nobody denies that it was one of his roles or titles, and so it should be included. Getting back to the "Perfect Master", does anyone object to the proposal above?   Will Beback  talk  01:06, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I'm afraid that is exactly the point. If we allow an editor to insert something into the lead that isn't in the article, where will it end? It is a very simple and useful restriction that avoids the endless POV arguments. Which is why I am happy to alter the lead the reflect the article with - "At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers".Momento (talk) 03:42, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Since no one objects to adding "Perfect Master", and several people have agreed to it, I'll go ahead and add it. That will simplify the main proposals we still have pending above.   Will Beback  talk  04:12, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Both Rainer and I objected to Satguru so I'll take that out.Momento (talk) 04:48, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

That's controversial - please get consensus before making changes like that.   Will Beback  talk  05:02, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I've added a few excerpts from sources at hand on the use of the term "satguru" to a section above: #Satguru.   Will Beback  talk  05:52, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

There was no consensus to add "Perfect Master" to "Satguru" as my proposal clearly states. It was still being discussed because a) DuPertius doesn't say Rawat was a "Satguru", she "described Rawat's role as a Master" and b) it should be one or the other. It's like saying "a woman had a baby and became a mom and a mother to a baby girl."Momento (talk) 06:36, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I didn't see anyone objecting to adding "Perfect Master", and editors from both sides agreed to it, including you. Deleting "Satguru" is a separate issue. I've started a fresh thread below since this has gotten so long and off-topic.   Will Beback  talk  06:44, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Wrong as usual Will. I didn't agree to adding "Perfect Master" to "Satguru". I proposed replacing "Satguru" with "Perfect Master" as is clear in my proposal.

Why did you delete "perfect master"? What is your objection to that term in the intro?   Will Beback  talk  07:16, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

If there's no objection, I'll add it again.   Will Beback  talk  09:44, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Comments from uninvolved editors

• Response to RfC I prefer (a), as it is marginally more balanced and less puffy. I object to the adjective "charismatic" in both versions. Figureofnine (talk) 14:34, 15 August 2010 (UTC)

Satguru

Sources

Some excerpts concerning the subject's role or title: "satguru":

• DLM was founded in India in the 1930s by the father of the present leader, who became the Satguru, or Perfect Master, at the age of eight, 1966 when his father died. At this point it is sufficient to state that Maharaj Ji emerged as the acknowledged leader and satguru with, ostensibly, complete control over the mission in Britain and elsewhere outside India. Whatever the decisive factors in the struggle for power, it is apparent that the break came soon after Maharaj Ji's marriage and though Mata Ji attempted to appoint the eldest brother, Bhagwan Ji, as the new Perfect Master, or Satguru, the western premies never wi thdrew their loyalty from Maharaj Ji.
  • Price
• In his many appearances, Maharaji taught a simple message of universal love, peace, and devotion to himself as “Satguru” (literally, teacher of truth), this era’s divine incarnation.
  • Contemporary American Religion, Lucas
• Stretched out behind him in two long lines were more than 100 fellow devotees of Satguru Maharaj Ji, the 15-year-old guru who is said to be the incarnation for this generation of the primordial vibrations of the universe.
  • Rawson
• Once viewed by followers as Satguru or Perfect Master, he also appears to have surrendered his almost divine status as a guru.
  • Hunt 2003
• Devotees, or premies (from prem, the Hindu word for love), of Guru Maharaj ji believe that their teen-aged "Perfect Master" is that child, the Satguru, or Messiah, of our time. The Guru's full name, with title, is Pratap Singh Rawat-Balyogeshwar, Satguru Shri Maharaj Ji. The father of the family was Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, the anointed protégé of Perfect Master Shri Sarapanand Ji and the Perfect Master of his time. hri Hans Ji Maharaj was a controversial figure among Brahmins, because he challenged the caste system by preaching to the lowest and poorest group in Indian society, the untouchables. He built up a large following, becoming recognized by thousands of Indian devotees as Satguru, the one living Perfect Master who reveals the ancient Knowledge of the inner self. "I didn't want to be Satguru," Maharaj Ji has said. "I didn't understand why it is me. I would have been satisfied to be the humblest servant of the Satguru." Approximately 200 people (some of whom became converts) gathered at the airport as the disciples greeted their Lord, shouting "Bolie Shri Satgurudev Maharaj ki jai!" (Sing the praises of the Lord True-Revealer of Light, inexpressibly all-powerful majesty), pranaming, and strewing blossoms in his path.
  • CBY
• The Mission launched a popular paper called The Divine Times and a magazine And it is Divine. Their movies, "Lord of the Universe" and "Satguru has come" attracted many viewers.
  • Mangalwadi
• Satguru Maharaji Ji, the 15-year-old "perfect master," climbed to the top of a dais shimmering with silver foil and took his solemn seat in a red-velvet and mahogany throne as several thousand devotees shouted his praises. Again and again they chanted a Hindi phrase that means, "All glory to the most holy perfect master, lord, king of kings." After a hush they sang.; "I love you, my lord, your grace is -overflowing; I love you, my Lord, you are all-knowing.
  • Thousands Bow At Guru Throne By ANDREW WALLACE 1973
• DLM was founded in India by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj who, despite the usual successional disputes, assumed leadership of his particular Radhasoami lineage upon his guru's death and became Satguru ("true guru") (Mangalwadi, 1977:192).
  • Dupertuis
• Maharaji and his predecessors in India had always been known as Satguru (divine guru) in the sant idiom, and both the nirguna (formless aspect of the divine) and saguna (the divine in personal form) versions of the bhakti tradition had historically debated the divinity and the humanity of the guru.
  • Geaves 2004
• Among the most common titles given to the leader of the Divine Light Mission are those of guru, satguru, and Perfect Master. The satguru, the giver of truth, or the Perfect Master, removes this ignorance forever. There have been many perfect masters throughout the ages and they have all taught in parables, revealing the inner light. They have bestowed on their disciples the same kind of experience. All perfect masters came on earth to remind human beings of the truth, to point out where the main problem obstructing enlightenment lies, and to delineate a solution. The way one recognizes the Perfect Master is by his fruit. The test of this satguru is whether he can give peace through his knowledge. Guru Maharaj Ji himself talks about a succession of perfect masters preceding and following him. Since there can be only one Perfect Master living at one particular time, it follows that Maharaj Ji is the satguru of our times. He fulfills the requirements of the perfect master and his devotees have no difficulty ascribing to him the attributes of the godhead. Thus he reluctantly followed the call to be satguru. Age and maturity are, however, traditional values rejected by the fact that Guru Maharaj Ji became satguru before he could have possibly achieved either of them and without going through some lengthy, purifying and initiatory experience or trial.
  • Saliba 1988

And so on.   Will Beback  talk  05:49, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

"Satguru" deleted

I don't see any legitimate reason for deleting "satguru" from the lead. Two editors commented that it wasn't in the text of the article, but in fact it's there twice. Even if it were not, it is a well-known and amply sourced fact that is key to the notability of the subject. The peremptory deletion of it seems disruptive.   Will Beback  talk  06:39, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

You don't seem to have any idea of what consensus means. We were discussing whether "Satguru" or "Perfect Master" or both should be in the lead. And then with 3 minutes notice you ignore the discussion and objections from Rainer and me and put "Perfect Master" in.Momento (talk) 07:03, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Let's keep the "perfect master" discussion above, where it's already in progress. The "satguru" objection is new, so let's discus that here. They aren't related. What is your objection to "satuguru"? Do you believe that it is not in the article, not in sources, or not important?   Will Beback  talk  07:09, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

It's redundant, not in the article, and as your non-article sources say, synonymous with "Perfect Master". As I said above, using both is as logical as saying "Rawat became a father and a dad in 1975".Momento (talk) 07:17, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

We have sources that say all kinds of things about the two terms, and not all agree that the terms are synonyms. Some include the word "or", as in "Satguru or Perfect Master". Would there be a problem with repeating that usage?   Will Beback  talk  07:24, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Also, note that Satguru and Perfect Master are different articles on Misplaced Pages, so it isn't quite like father/dad.   Will Beback  talk  07:28, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

"Satguru" is a generic term and all "gurus" and their followers consider them to be "satgurus" since if they're not they must be "false gurus". Rawat was known as "Guru Maharaj i" not "Satguru Maharaj Ji" and when described it was as "Guru Maharaj Ji, 16 year old Perfect Master". "Google "Satguru" and you'll 2.5 million hits. Google "Perfect Master" and you'll get 133,000 with "Maharaji" or "Maharaj Ji" making up half the hits. "Perfect Master" is a lot more specific. Rawat is mentioned in the Wiki "Perfect Master" article. He is not mentioned in the "Satguru" article. Perfect Master is closely tied to Rawat in the west, Satguru is a generic title in India. "Perfect Master" describes who and what Rawat was and it includes being a "guru", a "satguru", a "teacher" etc. There is no need to say "Rawat was a satguru to millions" once you have said he was "Perfect Master to millions".Momento (talk) 07:59, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Above you argued that satguru="perfect master", and you also seem to be arguing that satguru="non-false guru". I don't know about those claims; I just know what I read. Various source give various interpretations, and to accept just one would be a violation of NPOV. Is there a source saying that satguru is a generic title? We have plenty of sources saying that it was a title used by the subject.   Will Beback  talk  08:54, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Also, there are two sources excerpted above which refer to "Satguru Maharaji Ji".   Will Beback  talk  08:56, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

"sat" means "true", so "Satguru" is "true guru". The point is that Rawat was more often described as a "Perfect Master". Calling a "Perfect Master" a "Sat Guru", is like calling a "Professor", a "teacher". One title includes the other, one title does not include the other. I guess we'll have to stick with what we've got.Momento (talk) 09:33, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Geaves writes that satguru means "divine guru". Lucas says it means "teacher of truth". Dupertuis says it means "true guru". I'm sure there are more interpretations. It does not appear that satguru is unanimously considered synonymous with "perfect master".   Will Beback  talk  09:43, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I can find a source saying Rawat was named "Pretap". But that's not the point. Rawat's been called "Satguru", "Maharaj Ji", "Guru Maharaj Ji" Guru Ji", "Satgurudev", "Ji", "Sant Ji" etc etc etc. If you want to describe what happened when his father died, Rawat was accepted as the "Perfect Master", that was the common phrase. And that is what he said ""Dear children of God, why are you weeping? The Perfect Master never dies. Maharaj Ji is here among you now. Recognize him, obey him, and worship him."Momento (talk) 10:13, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps we could simply add a statement about 'Satguru' in the teachings-section, as the terms seems to have some relation to Sant Mat. Also 'Perfect Master' could be defined there. Would that help to solve the logical problem?--Rainer P. (talk) 09:52, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

"Satguru" has been in the lead since about April 2009, and probably earlier as well. It's been removed repeatedly by Momento over the years. It's not a bad word. "Satguru" and "Perfect Master" are not the exact same thing. The subject went by both titles. They have roughly the same weight, and some sources even use the exact phrase, "Satguru or Perfect Master". Using that formula seems accurate and verifiable, even if it's redundant in the eyes of some editors.   Will Beback  talk  12:03, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I think Satguru is a fine word, I have always liked it. But now I wonder...could the English term "Perfect Master" originally have been an attempt to translate the word Satguru? I can't think of any other Hindi word that means master. Rumiton (talk) 12:28, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

I continue to be extremely puzzled by any objections to using the terms Satguru and Perfect Master. These are two common terms that were used frequently and interchangeably to describe Rawat from the earliest days when he succeeded his father as, well, the Satguru and Perfect Master. That they are synonymous is irrelevant because both were used frequently and the fact is that some of the first words Rawat spoke after his father died on July 19, 1966:

"I didn't want to be Satguru. I didn't understand why it is me. I would have been satisfied to be the humblest servant of the Satguru and not to be one myself. It was not my desire. But my father sent his love to his oldest three sons and complete prostrations to his youngest. So they crowned me with the crown of Rama and Krishna and put the tilak on my forehead, and again the voice came: '& You are he. You must take this Knowledge out to the world." Bold text

There was a movie put out by DLM titled "Satguru Has Come" In the devotional song Arti the term Satgurudev and Satguru are used 20 times. Momento has (once again) brought up the use of "Pretap" in article "The Guru Business" by Kushwant Singh, but that is not a logical argument for not using Satguru and Perfect Master in the lede as well as the article. It is an obvious mistake on the part of Kushwant Singh when he was referring to Prem Rawat's given name and has nothing to do with the discussion here. To keep bringing that up is a red herring and nothing more than a distraction from the pertinent discussion. Also, continuously repetition and insistence by Momento that Satguru is not in the article is unhelpful to the extreme because it definitely is in the article. Engaging in edit warring is extemely ill-advised. Tthis is a non-controversial issue because the use of both terms are well-sourced by reliable sources, including primary ones. Sylviecyn (talk) 12:33, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

It couldn't be any clearer, "Perfect Master" is what Rawat said at the time. And where again is the claim "Rawat became a 'satguru'" in the article? My eyes see "Prem addressed the crowd of mourners, reminding them that their master was immortal and was still among them. In response, his mother, brother and the senior disciples accepted Prem as their "Perfect Master", bowed to his feet and received his blessing". But if enough of you want to ignore Wiki policies, guidelines and practices and revise history to suit your POV, how can I stop you?Momento (talk) 17:53, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

The excerpted sources above make it clear that "satguru" was used commonly to refer to the subject's role. Sometimes it's paired with "Perfect Master", but other times it's used alone. We're not ignoring policies, guidelines, practices, or history if we say At the age of eight, he succeeded his father Hans Ji Maharaj as leader of the Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad) and as the new Satguru and Perfect Master to millions of Indian followers.   Will Beback  talk  21:06, 23 August 2010 (UTC)

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