Radha Soami: Difference between revisions

[[File:SethShivDayalSingh.jpg|thumb|Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj founded the Radhasoami movement.<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p12"/>]]

'''Radha Soami''', or RadhaSwami, or Radhasoami Satsang, is a spiritual organization founded by [[Shiv Dayal Singh|Seth Shiv Dayal Singh Ji Maharaj]] in 1861 on Basant Panchami Day in [[Agra]], [[India]].<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p12"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Mark Juergensmeyer|title=Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=slX3eRycszMC|year= 1995|publisher =Princeton University Press|isbn= 0-691-01092-7|page=90 note 5}}, Quote: "The date of Swami Shiv Dayal's first public discourse is Basant Panchami Day, February 15, 1861"</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=David N. Lorenzen|title=Bhakti Religion in North India: Community Identity and Political Action|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rpSxJg_ehnIC |year=1995|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-2025-6|page=67}}, Quote: "The movement traces its origins to Swami Shiv Dayal Singh, who began his public ministry in Agra in 1861."</ref> As per some sects, it derives its name from the word ''[[Radha]]'' meaning soul and ''Soami'' which refers to ''True God or One God'' .<ref>{{cite book|author1= Kristen Haar|author2= Sewa Singh Kali|title=Sikhism|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YOI1nB_zTyAC | year=2009|publisher =Infobase Publishing| isbn=978-1-4381-0647-2|page= 12}}, '''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."</ref><ref name="Juergensmeyer1995p41a">{{cite book|author=Mark Juergensmeyer|title=Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slX3eRycszMC&pg=PA41|year=1995|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-01092-7|pages=41–42 with footnotes}}, 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).</ref>

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.<ref name="Juergensmeyer1995p7" /> 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.<ref name="Juergensmeyer1995p7">{{cite book|author=Mark Juergensmeyer|title= Radhasoami Reality: The Logic of a Modern Faith|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=slX3eRycszMC|year= 1995|publisher =Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-01092-7|pages=7–8, 14–17 with footnote 6, 23, 55–57, 85–86}}</ref>

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<ref name="Lewis2002p590"/> with at most 8 million followers.<ref name="ClarkeClarke2004"/> Radhasoami competing subsects have their own headquarters. There is just one Radhasoami group in the world.<ref name="Lewis2002p590">{{cite book|author=James R. Lewis|title=The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lk8_ARNz-dYC&pg=PA590|year=2002|publisher=Prometheus |isbn=978-1-61592-738-8|pages=590–592}}</ref> The largest group's contemporaneous headquarters are in Beas, with parallel branches found in India and outside India.<ref name="HaarKalsi2009p12"/><ref name="Juergensmeyer1995p7"/><ref name="Lewis2002p590"/> Other subsects and movements influenced by Radhasoami include Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, [[Science of Spirituality]] and others.<ref name="ClarkeClarke2004">{{cite book|author=Pierluigi Zoccatelli|editor=Peter Clarke|title=Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DouBAgAAQBAJ |year= 2004|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 978-1-134-49970-0|pages=508–509}}</ref> Many of these groups have tried to distance themselves, with some stating complete independence from the others.<ref name="Lewis2002p590"/> Succession upon the death of previous guru has been a source of controversies and schism in the Radhasoami movement since the beginning.<ref name="Lewis2002p590"/>[[File:Gate 3 - Radha Soami Satsang Beas - Mohali 2016-08-04 5915.JPG|thumb|[[Radha Soami Satsang Beas]] based out of [[Beas City|Beas]] is the largest group.|263x263px]]