"I agree also that it's interesting to watch Rawat's decline.  It's also pathetic to watch, because it's clear that what he is about is just perserving what he's got.  The sad part is that there are still a bunch of people who are part of his charade."

Some of those people are probably just clinging onto him as a kind of life-raft.

They have devoted so much of their lives and sometimes enormous talent to him.They are left with nothing. Reality has dawned.Their friends and their "network" ( maybe for work etc) are still in the cult.They are getting old.........They may have clawed their way up to a certain position of importance and they perceive that it's too late to be important in the real world.They are now dependent on keeping their position and hoping that some of his wealth and "grace" and a few hand outs trickle their way.

Heck, he's already started to promise retirement homes...who knows how much more of their money he may give back in return for their loyalty in saving his face.The fewer the numbers( of premies) the more the possibility that he can risk giving something away.

Just a thought??