Editing Divine Light Mission (section)

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

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

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

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