Life
Sawan Singh Grewal was born into a Grewal Jat Sikh family in his mother's home at the village of Jatana, District Ludhiana, in pre-partition Punjab. Sawan Singhs ancestral village was Mehma Singh Wala, District Ludhiana in Punjab. His father was Subedar Major Sardar Kabal Singh Grewal and his mother was Mata Jiwani Kaur. He was married to Mata Kishan Kaur and together they had three children. He passed engineering at Thomason College of Civil Engineering, Roorkee and later joined the Military Engineering Service.
He studied scriptures of various religions but retained a strong connection with the Gurbani of the Sikh religion. [6]
He had contact with a mystic of Peshawar named Baba Kahan who he hoped to get initiation from but was refused:
- "I associated with him for several months and during that time he showed supernatural powers on several occasions. When I asked him if he would shower grace upon me by initiating me, he answered: 'No, he is somebody else; I do not have your share'. I then asked him to tell me who that person was so that I could contact him. He replied: 'When the time comes, he will himself find you'." [6]
Later when Sawan Singh was stationed at Murree, he met Jaimal Singh, who said to his companion that he had come to initiate Sawan Singh. After much philosophical debate, discussion and several conferences with Jaimal Singh, Sawan Singh became thoroughly convinced and received initiation from Jaimal Singh into the practice of surat shabd yoga on the 15th day of October 1894.
Sawan Singh retired on government pension in 1911 to Dera Baba Jaimal Singh (Beas), the "camp of Baba Jaimal Singh" where Jaimal Singh had settled in 1891. During his ministry the Dera expanded greatly, with houses for both permanent residents and guests, a library and a Satsang Hall. Sawan Singh sheltered victims of the communal holocaust of the Partition of India. His following included Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and for the first time, thousands from abroad. He had initiates from America, England, Switzerland, Germany, most notable of whom being the Americans physician-surgeon Julian Johnson and chiropractic-osteopath Randolph Stone and the Swiss physician-homeopath Pierre Schmidt.
Babaji is an Indian honorific that means "Father", usually with great respect or to a Priest. It may also refer to:
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.
Beas is a riverfront city in the Amritsar district of the Indian state of Punjab. It is located, just 43 km from Amritsar city, the district headquarters. Beas lies on the banks of the Beas River. Beas town is mostly located in revenue boundary of Budha Theh with parts in villages Dholo Nangal and Wazir Bhullar.Beas falls in Amritsar district situated in Punjab state, with a population 55295. The male and female populations are 28921 and 26374 respectively. The size of the area is about 68.75 square kilometer. Beas railway station is the best and cleanest railway station in the india 2018. Radha Swami Beas hospital is the best Charitable Hospital in the punjab . Beas railway station is located on the boundaries of beas. And Budha Theh is a census town in Baba Bakala tehsil of Amritsar district.
Radha Soami is a spiritual tradition or faith founded by Shiv Dayal Singh in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in Agra, India.
Radha Soami Satsang Beas is a spiritual organisation in Radha Soami movement. It is headed by Gurinder Singh. The main centre of Radha Soami Satsang Beas is located on the banks of the Beas River in the northern Indian state of Punjab.
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.
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, its egalitarianism distinguishes it from the caste system, and from Hindus and Muslims. Sant Mat is not to be confused with the 19th-century Radha Soami, also known as contemporary "Sant Mat movement".
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.
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.
Gurinder Singh Dhillon, also known as Baba Ji to his followers, is the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB). He succeeded Charan Singh, his uncle, in 1990. The headquarters of this spiritual community, called Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, are located beside the river Beas near the town of Beas, Punjab, in northern India, and have been a centre for Satsang since 1891. RSSB has centres located worldwide.
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.
Ajaib Singh, also known to his disciples as 'Sant Ji' was born on September 11, 1926, in Maina (Mehna), Bhatinda district, Punjab, India.
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, 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.
Mastana Balochistani (honorifically known as Shah Mastana Balochistani Ji, was an Indian saint and the founder of Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa. He was originally from Balochistan, and later moved to Sirsa.
This is a list of gurus who gave teachings about Shabda, the Path of Sound.
Darshan Singh (1921–1989), also known as Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, was the founder and head of Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission / Science of Spirituality from 1974 until his death in 1989. The spiritual successor of Kirpal Singh, Singh was also widely recognized as one of India's leading poet-saints, writing in the Urdu language. Upon his sudden death on 30 May 1989, he was succeeded by Rajinder Singh.
Ghoman or Ghuman is a village in Tehsil Sri Hargobindpur of Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India.
