When I was in the ashram, a guy named Richard something, a Jewish fellow from Long Island was giving satsang to two older women who where spiritual seekers. They wanted to know who Richard thought the guru was. He squirmed and squirmed and finally 'fessed up that Pimple Rawat was God. Big G. The two ladies packed up and left with a "I thought so, this is a stupid cult."

So you see, whether the mahatmas started it or Rawat himself, premies "in the day" by and large thought rawrat was the "big guy" like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, because that was repeated ad nauseum in satsang.

God made man. The Incarnation, in fact "the greatest Incarnation" of the gawd ever. But I can't imagine Rawat believed it any more than Marjoe believed he was a spiritual healer. Of course Mr Gortner has something Rawat never will--integrity.