Contemporary Sant Mat Movements, mostly among the Radha Soami tradition, are esoteric philosophy movements active in the United States, Europe, Australia, Latin America, and especially India. These movements assert that Sant Mat shares a lineage with Sikhism and contains elements of thought found in Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation. They further assert that Sant Mat also contains elements found in Sufism and has inspired and influenced a number of religious groups and organizations. They refer to this spiritual path as the "Science of the Soul" or 'Sant Mat', meaning 'teachings of the saints'. More recently it has been described as "The Way of Life" or "Living the Life of Soul". It incorporates a practical yoga system known as Surat Shabd Yoga.
Surat Shabd Simran is a type of spiritual meditation in the Sant Mat tradition.
Radha Soami is a spiritual tradition or faith founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in Agra, India.
Shiv Dayal Singh, known by the honorific "Param Purush Puran Dhani Huzur Soami Ji Maharaj" by his disciples and devotees, was an Indian spiritual guru and founder of Radha Soami, a 19th-century spiritual sect.
Sawan Singh, also known as The Great Master or Bade Maharaj ji, was an Indian Saint or Sant. He was the second spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) from the death of Jaimal Singh in 1903 until his own death on 2 April 1948.
Sir Anand Swarup, also known as Param Guru Huzur Sahabji Maharaj, was the founder of Dayalbagh. He was the fifth revered leader, or Sant Satguru, of the Dayalbagh branch of the Radha Soami sect, who succeeded Sarkar Sahab in 1913. He also laid the foundation of Radha Soami Educational Institute, a co-educational middle school which opened in 1917 and later expanded and developed as Dayalbagh Educational Institute. He wrote many holy books on the Radha Soami sect, explaining the concepts of Surat Shabd Yoga and objectives of Radha Soami in general.
Sant Mat was a spiritual movement on the Indian subcontinent during the 13th–17th centuries CE. The name literally means "teachings of sants", i.e. mystic Hindu saints. Through association and seeking truth by following sants and their teachings, a movement was formed. Theologically, the teachings are distinguished by inward, loving devotion by the individual soul (atma) to the Divine Principal God (Parmatma). Socially, they are mostly ascetics except few householders. Sant Mat is not to be confused with the 19th-century Radha Soami, also known as contemporary "Sant Mat movement".
Charan Singh, was the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, after he was named successor by the preceding Beas guru Jagat Singh, in 1951. Charan Singh served as the guru for the Beas Dera for almost four decades, until his death from heart failure in 1990 at the age of 73. Before his appointment in 1951, he had practiced law in Hisar and Sirsa, India. He was an initiate of Sawan Singh's, who was his paternal grandfather and the predecessor of Jagat Singh. Charan Singh assigned the duties of his successor and Guru to his initiate and nephew Gurinder Singh.
Dayalbagh or Dayal Bagh means 'Garden' (bagh) of 'Merciful' (dayal), inferring "Garden of the Merciful", is a locality in metropolitan Agra in western Uttar Pradesh, India was founded by fifth revered sant satguru of the Radhasoami faith, Param Guru Sahab Ji Maharaj on Basant Panchami Day in 1915. It is the headquarters of the Dayalbagh subsect of the Radha Soami sect or Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh where the 8th revered leader lives and presides over the satsang.
Jagat Singh (1884–1951) was an Indian spiritual leader and the head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. He served as the guru for Beas Dera for three years, until his death in 1951 at the age of 67. He worked as a college chemistry professor at an Agricultural College and was honoured for his service by the British as Sardar Bahadur. After retirement he was chosen by his spiritual master to be his successor, becoming the third spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Jagat Singh assigned the duties of his successor and guru to his initiate Charan Singh.
Salig Ram, successor of Shiv Dayal Singh second Sant Satguru of the Radhasoami Satsang popularly known by the honorific "Huzur Maharaj" and by the government-conferred title "Rai Bahadur," was born in Peepal Mandi, Agra, on 14 March 1829. He served as chief inspector of post offices in British India, and, in 1881, was Postmaster-General of the North-Western Provinces, based in Allahabad. He was the first Indian to hold the position.
Baba Faqir Chand, was an Indian master of Surat Shabd Yoga, or consciously controlled near death experience. He was one of the first saints or gurus of Sant Mat tradition to openly speak and write against the deceptive and harmful practices of modern guruism and religious intolerance. As a highly pragmatic individual, Faqir also strove to explain the various practices and principles of Sant Mat based on his own experiences and in the context of modern science and psychology. He was also the first Sant Mat guru to talk about the phenomena consisting of a believer experiencing a subjective projection of a sacred or holy form of a guru or idol without the conscious knowledge of the person at the center of the experience, i.e., the guru. This was termed the 'Chandian Effect', and described by researcher David C. Lane. Faqir Chand claimed that he had no knowledge of his form manifesting before a person and helping them with their worldly or spiritual problems. He fervently expressed that in his experience, the real helper is one's own true self and faith. Mark Juergensmeyer, another researcher on new religious movements, intrigued by the uniqueness of Faqir Chand's experiences, also interviewed him. This insightful interview was included in Faqir's autobiography.
This is a list of gurus who gave teachings about Shabda, the Path of Sound.
Radhasoami Satsang Sabha(RSS) also written as RaDhaSvaAaMi Satsang Sabha is the Chief Working Committee of Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh. Sabha was founded in 1910 and came to be registered under the Charitable Societies Registration Act .The teachings of Radha Soami sect are based on the spiritual teachings of Shiv Dayal Singh. The Present spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Sabha is Param Guru Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi Sahab who is also Eighth and present sant satguru of Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh and a System Scientist and Physicist.
Gurcharan Das Mehta, also known as Param Guru Mehta Ji Maharaj, was the Sixth Revered Sant Satguru of the Radhasoami Faith or Radha Soami Satsang Dayalbagh. He was born on 20 December 1885 in Batala, to a respectable Punjabi family. His father was Shri Atma Ram Sahab Mehta. He studied from Thomason College of Civil Engineering, Roorkee and served in Punjab Government.
Makund Bihari Lal Sahab popularly known as "Param Guru Huzur Dr. M.B. Lal Sahab" was the Seventh Revered Sant Satguru of the Radha Soami sect or Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh, living at and presiding over Dayalbagh in Agra. He was also a zoologist who served as a professor in the Department of Zoology and subsequently as the Vice-Chancellor of University of Lucknow from 1968 to 1971. He was also the Founder Director of DEI and the master architect of its education policy ,1975.
Satsang is an audience with a Satguru for religious instruction.
Kamta Prasad Sinha, also known as Param Guru Sarkar Sahab, was the fourth revered sant satguru of the Radhasoami faith. He was the Spiritual Guru and Head of Radhasoami Satsang, from 1907 to 1913. He succeeded Maharaj Sahab in 1907. He was succeeded by Anand Swarup. His discourses composed in form of Prose and Poetry in holy book known as "Prem Samachar" and "Four Letters".
Maharaj Sahab commonly known as Param Guru Maharaj Sahab, was the third revered Sant Satguru of the Radhasoami faith. He was the spiritual Guru and head of Radhasoami Satsang from 1898 to 1907.
Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh is century old spiritual organization considered as one of the main sect of Radhasoami spiritual tradition with its Headquarter in Agra. Radhasoami Satsang was founded by the first sant satguru, Param Purush Puran Dhani Soami Ji Mahraj on Basant Panchami Day in 1861 in Agra. The permanent satsang headquarter " Dayalbagh" were established on Basant Panchami Day in 1915 by Fifth Sant Satguru Param Guru Sahab Ji Mahraj. Radhasoami Satsang Sabha is its the Chief Working Committee since 1910.
