Notes on People

Gurus are born and not made, said 17-year-old Maharaj Ji in New Delhi, describing as "funny and ridiculous" his mother's expulsion of him as head of the Divine Light Mission. The mother, Shri Mataji, had said she would install her oldest son, Bal Bhagwan Ji, 24, to replace the one she considers a "playboy" since he established headquarters in Denver and his home in California.

He was back in India after 22 months but his planned spiritual gathering on Sunday was postponed by Lucknow officials in deference to his mother. "I am not God," the guru acknowledged, but he added, "I cannot be thrown away for any reason whatsoever."