Radha Soami

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia


Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj founded the Radhasoami movement.[1]

Radha Soami, or RadhaSwami, or Radhasoami Satsang, is a spiritual organization founded by Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in Agra, India.[1][2][3] As per some sects, it derives its name from the word Radha meaning soul and Soami which refers to True God or One God .[4][5]

The Radhasoamis, states Mark Juergensmeyer, are considered in Punjab as an offshoot of Sikhism, because the teachings of their founder were based, in part, on those of the founder of Sikhism – Guru Nanak and many recite verses from the Adi Granth during their worship.[6] However, they are also different from the Sikhs because they reject the Sikh idea that there are no present day Gurus beyond their first ten, many reject parts or all of the Khalsa Sikh dress code and rituals such as Karah Parshad. The Radhasoamis are a religious fellowship who have accepted saints and living gurus from many places across the world.[6]

In 2018, there were an estimated more than at most 7 million Radhasoami followers worldwide , with many subsects based on the Guru. Of these, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas is the smallest[7] with at most 8 million followers.[8] Radhasoami competing subsects have their own headquarters. There is just one Radhasoami group in the world.[7] The largest group's contemporaneous headquarters are in Beas, with parallel branches found in India and outside India.[1][6][7] Other subsects and movements influenced by Radhasoami include Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, Science of Spirituality and others.[8] Many of these groups have tried to distance themselves, with some stating complete independence from the others.[7] Succession upon the death of previous guru has been a source of controversies and schism in the Radhasoami movement since the beginning.[7]

Radha Soami Satsang Beas based out of Beas is the largest group.

Nomenclature[edit]

According to Mark Juergensmeyer, the term Radhasoami literally refers to Radha as The Soul and Soami (swami, lord).[9] According to Saligram, 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.[9]

The writings of Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji use the term Sat Nam, rather than Radhasoami. The gurus and the tradition that followed him used the term Radhasoami during the initiation rites, meditation practices and as mutual greeting. This has led to the fellowship being commonly called Radha Soami.[9] In some subtraditions of Radhasoami, 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 Radhasoami.[10]

Founder[edit]

Radhasoami movement was founded by Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj in Agra. His parents were followers of Guru Nanak of Sikhism and a local spiritual guru Tulsi Saheb.[11] After completing his education, Singh gained employment as a Persian language translator, left that role and spent increasing amount of his time to religious pursuits. His discourses attracted followers and thus the Radhasoami movement was founded when Swami ji gave initiation to Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj who practised Surat shabad yoga on the bank of river Beas and the Radha soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) or Dera Beas was Created.[12]

The Radhasoami tradition can be traced back to the spiritual master Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj (honorifically titled Soami Ji Maharaj) who was born on August 25, 1818, in the north Indian city of Agra. He was influenced by the teachings of Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, who taught surat shabd yoga (which is defined by Radhasoami 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. The movement does not promote celibacy, however, 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 Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj began publicly to give discourses.[13]

After Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji's death in 1878 he was succeeded by several disciples, including his wife Narayan Dei (“Radhaji”); his brother Partap Singh (“Chachaji”); Sanmukh Das (appointed head of the sadhus); the army soldier Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj, Gharib Das of Delhi; and the postmaster general of the Northwest provinces, Rai Salig Ram, each of whom started their own distinct centers. 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 Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji and his teachings, described as Sant Mat (“the path of the saints”). The largest branch of the movement is the one at Beas, established by one of Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji's disciples, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj, in the North Indian state of Punjab in the 1891s, and which has grown enormously over the decades under the guiding hands of each subsequent successor (from Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj to Sardar Bahadur Maharaj Jagat Singh Ji and Maharaj Charan Singh Ji to the current master, Baba Gurinder Singh Ji). There are estimated to be two million initiates of the Beas masters worldwide. In Agra, the birthplace of the movement, there are three main satsang centers: Soami Bagh, where a large memorial tomb is being built to honor the founder; 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 centers, Dayalbagh, which is located across the street from Soami Bagh, and has flourished under the leadership of Kamta Prasad Sinha, Anand Sarup, Gurcharandas Mehta, Dr. M.B. Lal Sahab, and most recently as of this date Professor Prem Saran Satsangi. Other Radhasoami-related groups that have garnered a significant following include Ruhani Satsang in Delhi, founded by Kirpal Singh (b. 1894–d. 1974), a disciple of the Beas master, Sawan Singh; Manavta Mandir, established by Faqir Chand (b. 1886–d. 1981) in 1962 in 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]

Beliefs and practices[edit]

File:Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi.png
Radha Soami fellowships and sects have featured gurus from many parts of the world.

To the Radhsoamis, six elements form the framework of their faith:[14]

  • a living guru (someone as locus of trust and truth),
  • bhajan (remembering Sat Nam, other practices believed to be transformative),
  • satsang (fellowship, community),
  • 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.[1] 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.[1] They believe in social equality, forbid caste distinctions and have also attracted Dalits to their tradition. They are active outside India too.[1]

Radha Swami Dinod Lineage
Radha Swami Satsang Dinod, Lineage.

The Radhasoami are strict vegetarians. 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.[1] 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.[7] However, some of these practices vary depending on the sect of the Radhasoami faith (Dinod, Beas, Dayalbagh)

See also[edit]

Gurus

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Kristen Haar; Sewa Singh Kalsi (2009). Sikhism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-1-4381-0647-2.
  2. ↑ Mark Juergensmeyer (1995). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. p. 90 note 5. ISBN 0-691-01092-7., Quote: "The date of Swami Shiv Dayal's first public discourse is Basant Panchami Day, February 15, 1861"
  3. ↑ David N. Lorenzen (1995). Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action. State University of New York Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7914-2025-6., Quote: "The movement traces its origins to Swami Shiv Dayal Singh, who began his public ministry in Agra in 1861."
  4. ↑ Kristen Haar; Sewa Singh Kali (2009). Sikhism. Infobase Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4381-0647-2., Quote: "The term Radhasoami is composed of two words: Radha and Soami – Radha was the favorite gopi (cowgirl) of the Hindu god Krishna and Soami literally means Lord. The term Radha symbolizes Lord Krishna's soul."
  5. ↑ Mark Juergensmeyer (1995). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 41–42 with footnotes. ISBN 0-691-01092-7., Quote: "The word Radhasoami literally refers to Krishna as lord (swami) of his consort, Radha" (p. 41); "The Beas group translates Radhasoami as 'lord of the soul' (p. 42).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mark Juergensmeyer (1995). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 7–8, 14–17 with footnote 6, 23, 55–57, 85–86. ISBN 0-691-01092-7.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 James R. Lewis (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus. pp. 590–592. ISBN 978-1-61592-738-8.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pierluigi Zoccatelli (2004). Peter Clarke (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. pp. 508–509. ISBN 978-1-134-49970-0.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Mark Juergensmeyer (1995). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 41–42 with footnotes. ISBN 0-691-01092-7., 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).
  10. ↑ DuPertuis, Lucy (1986). "How People Recognize Charisma: The Case of Darshan in Radhasoami and Divine Light Mission". Sociological Analysis. Oxford University Press. 47 (2): 111–124. doi:10.2307/3711456., Quote: "Various branches of Radhasoami have argued about the incarnationalism of Satguru (Lane, 1981). Guru Maharaj Ji has accepted it and identifies with Krishna and other incarnations of Vishnu."
  11. ↑ Mark Juergensmeyer (1991). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 15–19, 38–42 with footnotes. ISBN 0-691-01092-7.
  12. ↑ Mark Juergensmeyer (1991). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 16–17 with footnotes. ISBN 0-691-01092-7.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195399318/obo-9780195399318-0203.xml
  14. ↑ Mark Juergensmeyer (1995). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith. Princeton University Press. pp. 11–12, 40–42. ISBN 0-691-01092-7.
  • ^ Larson, Gerald J. India's Agony Over Religion (1995). p. 136. SUNY Press (State University of New York) ISBN 0-7914-2411-1

Further reading[edit]

  • Juergensmeyer, Mark (1991). Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07378-3
  • Lane, David C (1992). The Radhasoami Tradition, New York. Garland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8240-5247-8
  • Schomer, Karine & William Hewat McLeod, 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. ISBN 81-208-0277-2
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We kindly request your support in maintaining the independence of Bharatpedia. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on small donations to sustain our operations and provide free access to reliable information to the world. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to consider donating to our cause, as it would greatly aid us in our mission. Your contribution would demonstrate the importance of reliable and trustworthy knowledge to you and the world. Thank you.

Please select an option below or scan the QR code to donate
₹150 ₹500 ₹1,000 ₹2,000 ₹5,000 ₹10,000 Other


Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Radha_Soami&oldid=306915"