Guru Maharaj Ji

(b. 1957) Modern religious teacher and
founder of the Divine Light Mission. In
the early 1970s, Guru Maharaj Ji enjoyed
phenomenal but fleeting success during
a tour of the United States. Maharaj was
the fourth son of Hans Ji Maharaj, a
respected religious figure who founded
the Prem Nagar Ashram in Haridwar, a
sacred city on the Ganges River in the
state of Uttar Pradesh. Maharaj’s father
died when he was eight, after which his
mother announced that Maharaj had
inherited his father’s mantle. As with
many modern Hindu missionary figures, Maharaj’s religious message
stressed the need for devotion to an
enlightened master, which he claimed
to be. At fourteen, he came to the United
States to considerable success. It quickly
dissipated when he and his mother disagreed over his lifestyle and his marriage
to an American woman. He later reconciled with his family, but not before his
mother had named his eldest brother
Satpal as successor to the family line.
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Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty