His parents were Vaishnava Hindus,[7] followers of Guru Nanak of Sikhism, and were also followers of a spiritual guru from Hathras named Tulsi Sahib. Shiv Dayal Singh was influenced by the teachings of Tulsi Sahib, who taught Surat Shabd Yog (which is defined by Radha Soami teachers as “union of the soul with the divine, inner sound”); guru bhakti (“devotion to the master”); and high moral living, including a strict lacto-vegetarian diet. Shiv Dayal Singh frequently accompanied Tulsi Saheb, but did not take initiation from him. The movement does not promote celibacy, and most of the masters in its various lineages have been married. The teachings seem to be related to forms of 18th- and 19th-century esoteric mysticism that were circulating at the time in northern India. The founding date of the movement is considered to be 1861 when Shiv Dayal Singh began publicly to give discourses.[8][9]
As per some subtraditions, it derives its name from the word Radha Soami means Lord of the Soul. "Radha Soami" is used to indicate towards Shiv Dayal Singh.[10] The followers of Shiv Dayal Singh used to consider him the Living Master and incarnation of Radhasoami Dayal. After his death, Salig Ram and his other followers started the Radha Soami movement, which later got separated into different branches/denominations, including the Radha Soami Satsang Soami Bagh Agra, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Radha Soami Satsang Dayalbagh, Radhasoami Satsang Pipal Mandi, and Radha Swami Satsang Dinod.
Nomenclature
According to Mark Juergensmeyer, the term Radha Soami literally refers to Radha as the soul and Soami (swami, lord).[11] According to Salig Ram, quotes Juergensmeyer, these terms are symbolic and mean "master of energy", derived from the Vaishnava understanding of "Radha as the power of energy of God" (Shakti). It is a referent to the consciousness in a person and the cosmic energy source, states Juergensmeyer.[11]
The writings of Shiv Dayal Singh, Sar Bachan, use the term Sat Nam, rather than Radha Soami. The gurus and the tradition that followed him used the term Radha Soami during the initiation rites, meditation practices and as mutual greeting. This has led to the fellowship being commonly called Radha Soami.[11] In some subtraditions of Radha Soami, states Lucy DuPertuis, the guru's charisma is considered as the "formless absolute", being in his presence is equivalent to experiencing the incarnation of the Satguru, the guru is identified as the Radha Soami.[12]
Founder
The Radha Soami tradition can be traced back to the spiritual master Shiv Dayal Singh (honorifically titled Soami Ji Maharaj) who was born on August 25, 1818, in the north Indian city of Agra. His parents were followers of Guru Nanak of Sikhism and a spiritual guru Tulsi Saheb from Hathras. After completing his education, Shiv Dayal Singh gained employment as a Persian language translator, left that role and spent increasing amount of his time to religious pursuits. He was influenced by the teachings of Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, who taught Surat Shabd Yoga (which is defined by Radha Soami teachers as “union of the soul with the divine, inner sound”); guru bhakti (“devotion to the master”); and high moral living, including a strict lacto-vegetarian diet. He accompanied Tulsi Saheb a lot. He did not take initiation from him, however. The founding date of the movement is considered to be 1861 when Shiv Dayal Singh began publicly to give discourses.[8][13]
Successors and branches
Radha Soami fellowships and sects have featured gurus from many parts of the world.
After Shiv Dayal Singh 's death in 1878 he was succeeded by several disciples, including his wife Narayan Devi (“Radhaji”); his brother Partap Singh (“Chachaji Saheb”); Sanmukh Das (appointed head of the sadhus); the army havildar/sergeantBaba Jaimal Singh, Gharib Das of Delhi; and the postmaster general of the Northwest provinces, Salig Ram (alias Rai Salig Ram), each of whom started their own distinct centers. According to some scholars, Shiv Dayal Singh passed leadership to Salig Ram.[14] After their deaths, multiple followers were claimed to be the rightful heirs, and this eventually led to a large proliferation of various masters and satsangs (“fellowships”) throughout India that were regarded by their followers to be the true manifestations of Shiv Dayal Singh and his teachings, described as Sant Mat (“the path of the saints”).[15]
In Agra, the birthplace of the movement, there are three main satsang centers of branches. The Radha Soami Satsang Soami Bagh Agra with center at Soami Bagh occupies the original site in Agra, where a large memorial tomb is being built to honor the movement founder, and administered by the Central Administrative Council which established by second successor Maharaj Saheb in 1902.[3][13] The second center is Peepal Mandi, which was founded by Rai Salig Ram who was then succeeded by his son, grandson, and currently his great-grandson, Agam Prasad Mathur. And the largest of the Agra-based branches is Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh with center at Dayalbagh, which is located across the street from Soami Bagh. This branch was founded in 1907 at Ghazipur by Kamta Prasad Sinha and in 1913 the headquarters were moved to Agra,[3] it has flourished under the following leadership of Anand Sarup, Gurcharandas Mehta, Dr. M.B. Lal Sahab, and most recently as of this date Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi.
Other Radha Soami subtraditions and groups that have garnered a significant following include Manavta Mandir, established by Baba Faqir Chand in 1962 at Hoshiarpur in the Punjab; the Tarn Taran satsang founded by Bagga Singh; Radha Swami Satsang Dinod, founded by Param Sant Tarachand Ji Maharaj (Bade Maharaj Ji), current master Param Sant Huzur Kanwar Saheb Ji Maharaj and several others scattered through North and South India.[13]
seva (serve others without expecting anything in return),
kendra (community organization, shrine), and
bhandara (large community gathering).
The Radha Soami Satsang believes that living gurus are necessary for a guided spiritual life.[2] They do not install the Guru Granth Sahib or any other scriptures in their sanctum, as they consider it ritualistic. Instead, the guru sits in the sanctum with the satsang (group of Sikh faithfuls) and they listen to preachings from the Adi Granth and sing hymns together.[2] They believe in social equality, forbid caste distinctions and have also attracted Dalits to their tradition. They are active outside India too.[2]
They are active in charitable work such as providing free medical services and help to the needy. They do not believe in orthodox Sikh ritual practices such as covering one's head inside the temple or removing shoes, nor do they serve karah prasad (offering) at the end of prayers.[2] Their basic practices include Surat Shabd Yoga (meditation on inner light and sound), initiation of disciple into the path by a living guru, obedience to the guru, a moral life that is defined by abstinence from meat, drugs, alcohol and sex outside marriage. They also believe that jivanmukti or inner liberation is possible during one's lifetime with guidance of the living guru.[19] However, some of these practices vary depending on the branches of the Radha Soami sect (Beas, Dayalbagh, Dinod).
Vegetarianism
The Radha Soami are strict lacto-vegetarians for ethical and spiritual reasons.[20] They do not consume eggs, meat, seafood or alcohol.[21] In Radhasoami vegetarianism, all life forms are respected and meat is considered unethical. Meat is also said to produce bad karma from those who slaughter the animal and those who buy and consume the products.[20]
Radha Soami hold the view that eggs are essentially a fetus whether they are fertilized or not; thus are non-vegetarian. Eggs and meat are believed to incite animal instincts and impair spiritual growth.[20]
Kirpal Singh was a spiritual master (satguru) in the tradition of Radha Soami.
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.
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.
Julian P. Johnson (1867–1939) was an American surgeon and author of several books on Eastern spirituality. He spent much of 1932 to 1939 in India, was associated with the Radha Soami Satsang Beas spritual society and Surat Shabd Yoga, and wrote five books as a result of his experiences.
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.
Jaimal Singh (1839–1903) was an Indian spiritual leader. He became an initiate of Shiv Dayal Singh. After his initiation, Jaimal Singh served in the British Indian Army as a sepoy (private) from the age of seventeen and attained the rank of havildar (sergeant). After retirement, he settled in a desolate and isolated spot outside the town of Beas and began to spread the teaching of his guru Shiv Dayal Singh. The place grew into a colony which came to be called the "Dera Baba Jaimal Singh", and which is now the world centre of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas organisation.
Radha Swami Satsang, Dinod (RSSD) is an Indian spiritual organisation with its headquarters in Dinod village in the Bhiwani district of Haryana state. It promotes the Radha Soami sect that was founded by Shiv Dayal Singh on Basant-Panchami day in January 1861. The Radha Swami Satsang at Dinod (RSSD) was founded by Tarachand.
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.
This is a list of gurus who gave teachings about Shabda, the Path of Sound.
Prem Saran Satsangi is the current sant satguru of Radha Soami Sect, Dayalbagh or Radhasoami Satsang Dayalbagh who succeeded Param Guru Lal Sahab, seventh Sant Satguru in 2003. He is also the founder and first president of the System Society of India, a professional body of system scientists. He holds the Emeritus Chair from the East of the Integrated East-West Forum at The Science of Consciousness Conferences since 2012. He is the chairman of Advisory Committee on Education, Dayalbagh Educational Institute.
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.
References
1 2 3 4 5 Zoccarelli, Pierluigi (2006). "Radhasoami movements". In Clarke, Peter B. (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. London; New York: Routledge. pp.507–509. ISBN9-78-0-415-26707-6.
1 2 3 Juergensmeyer 1991, pp.41–42 with footnotes, Quote: "The word Radhasoami literally refers to lord (swami) of his Souls., Radha" (p. 41); "The Beas group translates Radhasoami as 'lord of the soul' (p. 42).
↑ DuPertuis, Lucy (1986). "How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission". Sociological Analysis. 47 (2). Oxford University Press: 111–124. doi:10.2307/3711456. JSTOR3711456., Quote: "Various branches of Radhasoami have argued about the incarnationalism of Radhasoami Dayak (Lane, 1981)”
1 2 Lane, David Christopher (1992). The Radhasoami tradition: a critical history of guru successorship. Sects and cults in America, Bibliographical guides, v. 14; Garland reference library of social science, v. 623. New York: Garland Publishing. ISBN978-0-8240-5247-8. OCLC26013140.
1 2 3 Juergensmeyer, Mark. (1991). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 129-131. ISBN0-691-07378-3
↑ Lewis, James R. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. p. 394. ISBN1-57392-222-6
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radha Soami.
Schomer, Karine; McLeod, William Hewat, eds (1987). The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987. Academic papers from a 1978 Berkeley conference on the Sants organised by the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California Center for South Asia Studies. ISBN81-208-0277-2
Primary sources
Singh Ji Maharaj, Seth Shiv Dayal (1934). Sar Bachan: An abstract of the teachings of Soami Ji Maharaj, the founder of the Radha Soami system of philosophy and spiritual science: The yoga of the Sound Current. Translated by Seva Singh and Julian Johnson from Hindi to English (9thed.). Beas: Radha Soami Satsang Beas.
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