Radhasoami, Beas Secret History, radhasoami, shabd *Note ; Spiritual Gems, 1980, p. 118-9 Sawan Singh says "Tulsi Sahib used to visit Swami Ji at Agra and used to stay with Him, and both were on very affectionate terms with each other". See Truth Unveiled, R.K. Khanna, p.1. Professor Puri's book also notes 'Tulsi did not die before he gave a glance to Swami Ji.' RS Agra confirms Tulsi and Girdhari relationship to Swami Ji. Legend has it Swami Ji immediately began his mission upon the death of Girdhari Das. That would be the 1861 date Swami Ji opened his satsang. Tulsi's groups from Hathras, always considered Swami Ji a breakoff lineage from the beginning. But, Tulsi was quoted as saying the 5 names were of Kal and there was a secret 6th name for the true lord. ......... Souvenir,1961,RS Dayalbagh,p.22, " Soami Ji once went to Tulsi Sahab at Hathras....and to Lucknow also to see Girdhari Das, chief disciple of Tulsi Sahab, when he was very ill before his death". Chachaji in his 1902 book called Girdhari "chief disciple", also. .............. 'Babuji' Madhav Prasad Sinha said, "Soamiji Maharaj had no guru. In conformity with the established convention, He used to treat Baba Girdhari Das Ji who was one of the chief disciples of Sahebji or Tulsi Saheb of Hathras, and who used to reside in Agra, as a guru, more or less in the same way as Kabir Saheb had treated Ramananand Ji." Biography of Babuji Maharaj,Agra,p.377,1971 Pre Swami Ji possible lineage : Tulsi Sahib d.1843 Girdhari Das d. 1861? unknown ______________________________________ Agra lineage : 'Swami Ji' Shiv Dayal Singh 1861-1878, 'Hazur' Rai Saligram 1878-1898, Brahm Sankar Misra 1898-1907, 'Bauji' Mahewari Devi 1907-1913, 'Babuji' Madhav Sinha 1909-1949(overlap woman guru) end Agra gurus ________________________________ Beas lineage appx. : 1861-1878 Swami Ji, 1878-1884 Salig Ram, 1884-1903 Jaimal Singh, 1903-1907 Sankar Misra, 1907-1913 'Buaji' Maheswari Devi, 1909-1918 'Babuji' Madhav Sinha(overlap), 1918-1948 Sawan Singh, 1948-1951 Jagat Singh, 1951-1990 Charan Singh, 1990-current Gurinder Singh end Beas gurus ............. Note** Jaimal may have been initiated by Girdhari Das (a Tulsi Sahib disciple), not Swami Ji. ______________________________________ 1878-1894 Radhaji, Swami Ji's wife, was guru at Radhasoami Gardens. Chachaji, Swami Ji's brother, initiated for her. Chachaji died in 1911. Sudarshan Singh lived till 1935 and Babuji was his master when he died. When both Bauji and Chachaji died near the same time period, Sawan self proclaimed himself as master at Beas, as Agra had their hands full with the Dayal Bagh breakaway. Truth Unvarnished, S. D. Maheswari part 2,1970, p.193, states "Sawan Singh continued to owe allegiance to the Council during the time of Chachaji Saheb. Afterwards, under the influence of some of his hot headed and ill advised companions, he gradually became independent." .................................. Remember, Beas claims Sawan was powerless and inept when Jaimal died. Jaimal said to go to Chachaji when he died according to Beas; and for the secrets of the sound currents in Sat Nam, not Sawan. Hence, Sawan goes from powerless and inept in 1904, to self proclaimed sat guru around 1918. .................. The beginning date for Jaimal as self proclaimed master, starts when Beas said he began initiations in 1884. From Dec.25, 1902, Jaimal and Sawan were only initiators for Agra Sat Gurus Misra, Bauji and Babuji Sinha. Jaimal appears as a wildcat in history, whom Chachaji tries to control. Jaimal died in Dec. 1903. Remember Jaimal told Misra he was 'not a sant'. Chachaji and Sudarshan were both under Council gurus from 1902 onward. It should be noted Jaimal had his house next to Salig Ram's ashram in Peepal Mundi and attended his satsangs. He accepted Salig Ram as successor to Swami Ji obviously, as he set up Radhasoami Satsang Beas and initiated with Radhaswami nam. He did not set up Sant Mat (T.M.) Satsang Beas. Dr. Agam Mathur in his book Radhasoami Faith says Beas attributes this Radhasoami name to Saligram. ............. Since Salig Ram was the founder of the Radhasoami faith as Swami Ji stated in his last will, it's quite obvious you can't leave him out of the lineage. Hence most Beas satsangi's don't even know who started their own faith. Salig Ram did not give permission to Jaimal to initiate. Hence the break occured in 1884, when Jaimal first initiated without historical authority. ................. Jaimal and Sawan may have had a room at Chachaji's satsangs after Swami Ji died, but remember, both Chachaji and Radhaji accepted Salig Ram as founder of RS Faith. Chachaji stated Salig Ram was the true Gurmukh and successor of Swami Ji. Salig Ram and Radhaji both accepted each other as successors to Swami Ji and had a close relationship. .............. No mention is being made of Rai Bindraban, whom used 'satgur ram' as mantra when he acted as a full fledged guru. Brindraban was Swami Ji's younger brother whom acted as a guru in Oudh until his death in 1872. He had a substantial following and wrote a few books. He was initiated by Swami Ji whom endorsed his seperate satsang and activity. The group was somewhat different in philosophy from Swami Ji's. Basically a Guru Nanuk-shabd type religion. Brindraban's wife was mentioned in Swami Ji's will as one to have respect for and her arti was performed. ................ Salig Ram, founder of RS Faith, was Postmaster General of Uttar Pradesh. He wrote the massive RS philosophy in numerous volumes. When Sawan broke from Salig Ram's lineage he evidently lost rights to publish these books for Beas group. Sawan retired in 1911. In March 1910 Dayal Bagh group started its break away from the main lineage and in 1915 did so(Souvenir,1961,RS Dayalbagh,p.287). It appears the Council would not allocate enough money to Dayal Bagh and this caused a rift. It began one of the longest court cases in Indian history and went to the Supreme Court under the British. Sudarshan made it crystal clear the above Agra lineage was true and correct in his mind. .................. 'Babuji' Madhav Sinha acted as Sat Guru for the woman master 'Bauji' Devi from 1909 onwards till her death May 21, 1913....and then till 1949 his death (Biog. of Bauji(Devi),Agra,1983,p.15). Babuji Sinha acted for Bauji Devi till her death, as women couldn't function fully in the old days as guru. Babuji Madhav Sinha had been initiated by Swami Ji and he was blood relationship to Swami Ji's family. Bauji Devi was the sister of Sankar Misra. Hence, Beas lineage may actually have 4 sat gurus missing from their lineage, since we know Sawan considered Babuji Madhav Sinha as genuine and broke after Babuji Sinha had started to act as Sat Guru for Bauji Devi in 1909. ........................... Babuji Madhav Sinha did not recognize Sawan's initiations as valid, nor did he consider Sawan a sant, according to court testimony. Sudarshan was sort of a popular friendly ambassador to the various groups. But, he stated in court Babuji Sinha was the sat guru of the time and his master as the prior Agra lineage gurus had been. Sudarshan also confirmed the excommunication of Jaimal in court, which he himself had signed as a member of the council and had introduced the resolution with a second from Babu Shyam Lal. .................... S. D. Maheswari(personal secretary to Babuji)Correspondence Vol.2, 1962,p.257 says "Sudarshan Singh...offered all his earnings and belongings (cash, jewlery, house property...valued at several lakhs of rupees) as bhet to Babuji Sinha Maharaj and his Council and the Trust." Same page, " Pratrap Singh (Chachaji) handed over the Soami Bagh Garden to Hazur Maharaj ( Salig Ram) and Maharaj Saheb (Misra). Page 276, same book, Deposition of Lala Ajodhia Prasad, (Salig Ram's son) June 13, 1926, his deposition in Dayal Bagh suit stated, " I am president of RS Central Administrative Council...at Allahabad. .... The 28 names selected for the formation of the Council (in 1902) included the name of Baba Jaimal Singh. The name of Jaimal Singh was included because he had agreed that he would give up acting as a guru. ... He was given general power of initiation in the very first meeting of the Council. But, he did not stick to his undertaking and the said general power of initiation was cancelled." (Above quote also referenced pp.267-268, Privy Council Paper Book.) Adjohia became president of Council at Chachaji's death. ............... Page 280 Correspondence Vol. 2 results of Council elections (those whom lost in balloting):#21 Kama Prashad Sinha,53 votes (he became master at Dayal Bagh in March 1910 breakaway and died 1913, don't confuse with Babuji Madhav Sinha); (Anand Swarup followed Kama in 1913 till d. 1937) ; #22 Baba Jaimal Singh, sadhu, Punjab, 36 votes; #25 Sadhu Garib Das, blind sadhu mentioned in Beas books at Serai Rohilla Delhi, (group faded out, became strange) 23 votes ; #26 Babu Shyam Lal of Gwalior, 16 votes (founder Dhara Sindh Pratap group). Page 281, same book, Chachaji's letters to Jaimal carried common salutation on top common for day and do not carry significance. .......................... Beas records Sawan's first initiation July 24, 1904, 7 months after Jaimal died. Sawan stated it was necessary to have a living master, so that fake negative inner radiant forms of the master could be found out by their fake 'eyes' that could deceive the disciple. But, Sawan made it blantantly clear he was not a master when Jaimal died. Hence, he could have only initiated for the Council gurus until he magically turned into a Guru himself. Sawan changed Bachan 250 in Sar Bachan prose to say the initiate could visualize the form of the initiator, instead of the master in Beas versions. It is obvious why he did so. .................... It should be noted there are hundreds of thousands of people in India that know Salig Ram was the founder of their faith, coming off that lineage, but Beas people seem to be completely in the dark, despite the fact their Sar Bachan book clearly states this in Swami Ji's last commandments shown as 19 paragraphs. (Sar Bachan, Beas, 1971, pages 20-23)Swami Ji says "My Mat were of Sat Nam and Anami, and Radha Swami Mat has been started by Saligram. Let this also go on." ........................ Maheswari also notes a few times Salig Ram had wished to create a body under the guidance of the sat guru and had a "rough scheme drawn out for the purpose" to keep certain persons from taking possession of satsang properties between guruships and "to administer for all time the properties of the Satsang" (under orders of Sat Guru if living), Correspondence Vol.2,p533, also Biography of Babuji, 1971,Agra,p.468. It appears Chachaji was fulfilling Salig Ram's desires in starting the Council. ..................... S.D. Maheswari Correspondence,1962 vol.2,p.310 states Chachaji and family were unhappy guruship had left their family. But, Chachaji (and friends) "reconciled himself to the inevitable. On such ocassions it was Radhaji who pacified them and curbed these tendencies. Chachaji had so much attached himself to Hazur Maharaj (Salig Ram) that he was once or twice seen cleaning the drain of Salig Ram's house with a broom and a bucket of water." ........................... Page 309 same book "after Swami Ji had departed some self seekers gathered round Chachaji and wanted to drag him into the vortex of gurudoom." Books by Dhara Sindh Pratrap group of Gawilor, which considered Chachaji as successor to Swami Ji, stated Chachaji replied to Swami Ji's approval of gurudoom if he so desired with the statement, "No, I do not want to be a master. I wish to remain a servant. I shall perform whatever service I can, while remaining as an humble servant." Other groups have similar quotes of Chachaji not wishing to be a guru. .............................. It should be noted there are dates called 'manifested' dates. Such as 1885 for Salig Ram, 1902 Misra, 1909 Bauji Devi and 1858-1861 for Swami Ji. What this means is unclear, as these masters may have initiated in mass before these dates. It is best to think of manifestation as meaning full manifestation. Such as believers in Beas lineage might say Sawan manifested around 1918, even though he may have initiated since 1904 for Agra. Some books not of Agra origin show 1907 as beginning of Dayal Bagh breakaway. .................... Charan Singh stated upon his new guruship, "My love for (Sawan), and the commands of (Jagat Singh ) ... compel me to carry out the wishes of Sardar Bahadur Ji to serve the sangat and the Dera. I wish to tell the sangat quite frankly that I do not make any claims whatsoever to spiritual attainments. I do not find in myself even those excellences that a good satsangi should possess. These orders were communicated to me . . and I have no choice but to serve the Dera and the sangat according to his orders." Heaven on Earth, Daryai Lal Kapur,1986, Beas. ................ In Dec. 1932 Sawan signed an agreement with Dayal Bagh master Sahabji Maharaj to initiate his disciples with 'Radhasoami' instead of 'Sat Nam' and that Beas satsangis would accept Radhasoami as name of Supreme Creator. This was issued in Dayal Bagh Satsang newspapers. Sawan did not do so after agreement, Souvenir,1961,RS Dayalbagh,p.14. .................. Soami Divyanand was initiated on orders of Swami Ji by Sanmukh Das and this is confirmed by an existent Sudarshan letter. ........... Regarding Shiv Brat Lal; guru of Faqir Chand, he was not much accepted as a successor to Salig Ram because he had only met him 3 times, for a few days each time and did not start his satsang at Manavta Mandir until 7 years after Salig Ram died. Yet, Faqir Chand has become a great legacy as an honest Guru, whom no doubt was advanced beyond his contemporaries. ........After Swami Ji's Death........ Radhaji was at Soami Bagh and Salig Ram was centered in Peepal Mandi after the death of Swami Ji, although Salig Ram continued giving satsangs at Soami Bagh as he had been before. Actually Salig Ram and Swami Ji were overlap Gurus. Radhaji called Salig Ram the Gurmukh of Swami Ji and Salig Ram called Radhaji the Supreme Mother. All of Swami Ji's family accepted Salig Ram. Salig Ram's boss stationed Salig Ram on the edge of Agra city when Swami Ji died so he could be close to his ashram. But, a problem developed. Radha Ji's people started running down the road the Salig Ram's ashram. A natual development that people want to be around the Gurmukh Salig Ram. And, Swami ji stated in his last will if any one had questions, they "must ask Salig Ram." Salig Ram threatened that he would close his ashram if Radhaji's people didn't stop running to him. Salig Ram told people in letters to stop by Soami Bagh on the way to his ashram to show her respect. Chachaji was known to hit people with a stick if they wanted to leave Radha Ji for Salig Ram. Radha Ji left no successor and the group essentially merged with Salig Ram's. Certain propogandists such as David Lane will tell you it was unclear who Swami Ji's successor was because of this incident. That some friction existed over who was master. This is a made up fabrication. It is rediculous. They state this so Jaimal Singh is seen as a possibility, which he wasn't. There was never any question Salig Ram and Radhaji were successors at any time. Swami Ji had left them in his last will statement, also. Since Salig Ram bought back Soami Bagh for Radhaji and Chachaji after it was stolen from them after Swami ji's death, they had to be tickled to death with him. These were extremely close knit people. ------------------------------------ ----------------- Julian Johnson's death Elizabeth Bruce, wife of Dr. Julian Johnson, author of Path of the Masters, grabbed an unloaded shotgun, according to her court deposition at the murder trial of famous Mountaineer Paul Petzoldt. Elizabeth said Paul hit her husband Johnson on the head after taking the shotgun from her. Beas lawyer for the Dera Bhagat Singh agreed. Bhagat had asked Paul to plead to manslaughter and he did, but Paul obtained another Western lawyer instead whom got him off the hook and he left India. The lawyers state in letters Mrs. Bruce was a crazy person. After Paul pleaded guilty, they were all afraid of pergury for lying about the event and letters show all parties were conflicted and had admittedly not told the truth. Paul said Johnson fell and hit his head on a rock, or cornice, when Paul pushed him down. Paul and his wife made a hasty exit from India. Paul suppossedly owed Johnson money according to letters. One party accused the other of trying to poison the food. (There are a few books on this subject all contradicting.) Pages 126-136 of Ringholz's book and several letters with satsangis and legal persons. There may be evidence of sexual conotations not mentioned by any of the parties for obvious reasons. -------------------------------- The British agreed to transfer the Beas land in the name of Guru Granth Sahab ji, Registry no. 254, dated 14 June 1897.( Measures 11 Kanal, 16 Marla) The land was given to Baba Jaimal singh to build the Gurudwara in villaege. It is mentioned in the registry. "Guru Granth Sahab wakiyaa dharamsala muntjim baa-eh-tamaam Jaimal Simgh saadh jatt. The land could never be transferred to any living person and still this land which is in use by the sect is the property of Guru Granth Sahib ji (the Sikh religion). The remark in verification of 'INTKAAL' is---Baba Jaimal Singh shall have no right to sell, or mortgage, this will always be used as Dharmsala (Gurudwara). Accusations Radha Soami Dera usurped land in Beas, Punjab Could this be the reason Sawan could not use Radhasoami Nam after signing an agreement with Dayal Bagh he would ? SOURCE : http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=185637 The land was gifted by a devout Sikh to Guru Granth Sahib: ex-SGPC member Express News Service CHANDIGARH, JUNE 1: FORMER SGPC member Amarinder Singh today alleged that the Radha Soami satsang had usurped land in Beas which was originally donated to Sri Guru Granth Sahib by name. Releasing documents to attest his claim, Amarinder Singh stated that land worth nine kanals was gifted by a devout Sikh to Guru Granth Sahib in 1932. ‘‘Under the revenue records, it continued to be in the name of Guru Granth Sahib till 1985, when the name of Guru Granth Sahib was removed from the column of ownership in the Punjab Government revenue records,’’ he alleged. The process began in 1983, when the Punjab Government suddenly issued a notification for consolidation of land. In 1985, the Radha Soami dera had effectively usurped the land. Producing copies of the gift of land, Amarinder stated that the gift was made by Santa Singh of village Wraich, district Amritsar. It was during the tenure of A C Sen as Commissioner Jalandhar Dibvision, Patwari Teja Singh and Qanungo Hans Raj that the notification for consolidation was made. Amarinder Singh demanded an inquiry by the Punjab Government into the transfer of land, and sought the immediate intervention of the Punjab DGP into the affair. ‘‘Government should appoint an inquiry into the embezzlement of the property of Guru Granth Sahib, which enjoys the status of Guru,’’ he said. He further sought a rectification of record and restoration of land to Guru Granth Sahib. The place, Jaimal Singh has historical importance for the Sikh community, since the last rites of Mata Ganga, the mother of the fifth Sikh Guru were performed at this place. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru also participated in the ceremony, Amarinder added. Harjinder S Kukreja http://fateh.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/SearchView/ 746AF0619DB18B6887257181003C4A55!OpenDocument --------------------------------- (Kirpal's Godman Meher Baba), as Paul Brunton (1935) related: I have taken the trouble to investigate during my travels the few so-called miracles of healing which [Meher Baba] is alleged to have performed. One is a case of appendicitis, and the sufferer's simple faith in Meher is said to have completely cured him. But strict enquiry shows that the doctor who has attended this man could discover nothing worse than severe indigestion! In another case a nice old gentleman, who has been reported cured overnight of a whole catalog of ailments, seems to have had little more than a swollen ankle! As further detailed by Brunton, Meher's numerous prophecies concerning upcoming calamitous events fared no more impressively, consistently failing to materialize on time. (Brunton then came to a conclusion:) "Meher Baba, though a good man and one living an ascetic life, is unfortunately suffering from colossal delusions about his own greatness ... a fallible authority, a man subject to constantly changing moods, and an egotist who demands complete enslavement on the part of his brain-stupefied followers. " http://www.strippingthegurus.com/stgsamplechapters/spiritua lchoices.asp --------------------------------------- --------------------------------- 4002 SIKH SAINT KIRPAL SINGH (Meyer Baba incident) After the messages were read, Baba conveyed to the students: "I feel one with you as well as one of you. The purpose of my coming here will be served if you try to follow the two messages that have been read out to you." IT WAS in Delhi at this time that the Sikh saint Kirpal Singh, age fifty-nine, met Baba for the first time. Harjiwan Lal knew him and had scheduled one of the darshan functions at the saint's place, where a large number of people assembled on the afternoon of Sunday, November 30th. But when informed, Baba objected that perhaps people would be confused, thinking they were coming for Kirpal Singh's and not for his darshan. Kishan Singh and Dr. Deshmukh were then appointed to inform the saint that Baba preferred giving darshan that evening in a more central location on Minto Road, and that the saint with his followers was invited to come there. Kirpal Singh came, and in the absence of a chair, Baba bade him sit on a suitcase on which Baba had spread a carpet. Baba remarked to him, "You have come; you are so humble. You have won and I have lost." Baba embraced him lovingly as he left the place, and while Baba was getting into his car, Kirpal Singh once again asked Kishan Singh to request Baba to visit his ashram. Baba agreed, saying he would meet the saint and only his family members for fifteen minutes, and fixed the date and time for it. A group of women who had gone for Baba's darshan on Minto Road offered their residence at Rajinder Nagar in New Delhi for one of Baba's programs, agreeing to make all the arrangements. Baba went there on the morning of December 3rd, but shortly before his arrival it was learned that the women were disciples of Kirpal Singh who were holding regular meetings at their house, and that the saint had also been invited by them. To ensure that Kirpal Singh was accorded an equal position with Baba, they had placed two chairs side by side on the dais in the tent, one for Baba and the other for the saint. Kishan Singh and his mistress, Prakashwati, prevailed upon them to remove the second chair, but the women objected. Harjiwan Lal approached the saint directly, who agreed at once and on entering the pandal had the chair placed at a lower level. Baba arrived immediately afterwards. Darshan was given and Baba spelled on the alphabet board, "The worst scoundrel is better than a hypocritical saint." http://www.lordmeher.org/index.jsp?pageBase=page.jsp&nextPa ge=4002 --------------------- Church of the Churchless Message List Reply Message #173768 of 173774 < Prev | Next > church_of_the_churchless/ April 09, 2010 Religare's money connections with the Radha Soami guru Religious institutions often have an intimate relationship with money. The hugely rich Catholic Church comes to mind, naturally. There's nothing inherently wrong with this. People simply should be aware when spirituality gets tangled up with financial dealings, and make up their own minds about what, if anything, it means to them. In that spirit, someone forwarded me an email message regarding Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) that reportedly has been circulating among members of this India-based organization. RSSB, as a branch of the Sant Mat ("Path of Saints") religious philosophy, is led by a guru who is considered by the faithful to be God in human form. Or at least, as divinely realized as any human being can be. The current RSSB guru is Gurinder Singh Dhillon. The email says that he has two sons, Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (age 26) and Gurkirat Singh Dhillon (age 20). I wasn't able to confirm this by any online information, but I checked with the sender of the email and it seems like the information is correct. (Note: in this blog post I'm sticking to Internet-accessible facts as much as possible. In another post on this subject, I'll be more subjective and share how I feel about those facts, perhaps along with some thoughts from others about the financial dealings related below.) Gurpreet and Gurkirat are substantial shareholders in a company called Religare. Religare and Fortis, another large Indian company, are part of a family conglomerate headed by Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh. As this story says: Malvinder Singh, who will earn some Rs.100 billion ($2.4 billion) from selling his family's stake in the pharmaceutical firm to Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, is now planning to make huge investments in Religare and Fortis, the family's financial service and healthcare companies. "Healthcare and financial services are two areas where we have existing businesses, where we will make investments," Ranbaxy CEO and managing director Malvinder Singh said Sunday. For some perspective, the average per capita income in India is about $1,000 (U.S.), while in the United States it is about $39,000. So millions and billions that seem like a lot of money here are considerably farther out of the ordinary for most Indians. Malvinder Singh, an initiate of RSSB, is deeply involved in the Radha Soami Satsang Beas organization, as is the rest of his family. This helps explain why the RSSB guru's sons, Gurpreet and Gurkirat, each ended up with about 10% of the shares in Religare according to a 2007 prospectus. On page 25 it says that Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh were allotted 49,575,000 equity shares in Religare at 10 rupees (about 23 cents) a share. Malvinder then transferred 6,250,000 shares to Gurpreet Singh, and Shivinder transferred 6,250,000 shares to Gurkirat Singh under guardianship of Ms. Shabnam Dhillon -- almost certainly because Gurkirat is only twenty years old. The cost also was 10 rupees a share. So the guru's sons each got 6,250,000 shares of Religare for $1,437,500 or thereabouts through an insider deal. The share price on April 6, 2010 was 395.80. Thus, converting into dollars, 6,250,000 shares of Religare currently are worth $55,716,271 (today's exchange rate shows 1 rupee = .022523 US$). This explains how Gurpreet and Gurkirat appear on a 2009 "Billionaire Club" list of wealthy Indians. They're ranked near the bottom at 364 and 365. (A billion rupees is only $22,523,000, so it's a lot easier to be a billionaire in India. Interestingly, though, the rupee is worth about 1/44 of a dollar, and the per capita income in India is about 1/39 of the United States per capita income. So seemingly Gurpreet and Gurkirat's net worth makes them the Indian equivalent of an American billionaire.) The guru's sons seemingly acquired even more Religare shares recently, according to this insider trading report. It appears that each son got 6,183,000 additional shares (for a total of about 12,400,000 shares). And the RSSB guru himself -- Gurinder Singh Dhillon -- got 26,333, leaving him with a total of 65,833 (or about $587,000 worth). So the question is... so what? Well, as I said above, that's a subject for a follow-up post. What I've shared here simply are publicly available facts, accessible to anyone with a web browser via some Google'ing. As this Indian blogger notes, "Gods and Godmen have always had their role to play in the world of business." For instance, the patriarch of the Radha Soami sect headquartered at Beas (he is also called the Beas Sant or the saint of Beas) is reported to have played his role in the succession drama at Ranbaxy after the death of then CEO and promoter Parvinder Singh in 1999. The use of gurus isn't an oddity in the global business environment. After all they fall in the same category as mentors, executive coaches, and consultants. Hmmmm. I can't agree with that last statement. But maybe I have an old-fashioned view of what the role of a spiritual guru is supposed to be. I'll have more to say on this subject in my next post. April 09, 2010 in Radha Soami Satsang Beas | Permalink ............................................... Biography of Salig Ram: "255. Radhasoami Faith is entirely a new religion, not known before. This is the true, highest and most exalted spiritual religion." Swami Ji did use Radhasoami nam at the end of his Guruship Sar Bachan Poetry Part 1 http://rsfaith.org/images/stories/RSFBooks/English/Sar_Bachan_Poetry_Part_1/sarb\ achanpoetrypart1_1c.html ) Lines from Sar Bachan Poetry where it says that RADHÁSOÁMÍ is a Nam (Initiation Mantra) or Nij Nam (topmost nam) and this is what we should do the Sumiran (repetition)- MANGLACHARAN- (1) RADHÁSOÁMÍ Nam whoever recites, gets across the ocean of life; troubles vanish, bliss abides, and gone's complete all strife. (3) By reciting RADHÁSOÁMÍ Nam let thy life most fruitful be; this is the true and real (Nij) Nam keep IT innermost within thee. (5) In form and state not manifest is RADHASOAMI Nam in that place; there none can reach and rest without His mercy and grace. BACHAN 2 (ATTRIBUTES OF RADHASOAMI NAM) - Listen to me. I give out the attributes of RADHASOAMI NAM. I describe each attribute separately. SHABD 3 - Radhasoami has composed the STTCA Arti song of Radhasoami. Radhasoami has lighted the flame of RADHASOAMI Nam.(7) SHABD 4 - I adopt RADHASOAMI Nam with my life and breath. I accept RADHASOAMI Nam with all my senses.(5) I utter Radhasoami Name with every breath. My remembrance of Radhasoami is increasing every moment.(9) Radhasoami has enabled me to perceive Shabd by means of the practices taught by Him. I have attained Radhasoami Nam by devout devotion.(26) I am the earth, Radhasoami is the rain falling on it. I am a warrior, RADHASOAMI Name is my sword. (33) SHABD 5 - I keep my love for Radhasoami alive and fresh. I always recite Radhasoami Nam. (42) SHABAD 2 - My most profound and sublime luck has awakened. My mind now feels elated on uttering RADHASOAMI Nam. (6) SHABD 3 - What a rare Arti (prayer) am I singing ! The reverberations of Radhasoami Nam have now become dear to me. (5) Jagat's wife was said to attempt suicide off a tower at Beas because she could not have another child (this is unverified). Jagat's son committed suicide related to a financial scandal he was allegedly involved in. ......... From Brief Life Sketch of Baba Jaimal Singh by Sant Kirpal Singh: the Agra Saint (Swami Ji), Baba Ji (Jaimal) pointed out, had always initiated his disciples into the Simran of the Panch Shabd five names). Indeed, this was the primary ground of difference on account of which Baba Ji was unwilling to join the central Administrative council at Soamibagh in 1902.... ...................... Of course this is nonsense. Swami Ji had also swithced to Radhasoami after Salig Ram began the new religion, which was 3 planes higher than the old Sant Mat faith. Why use 5 names that only go to Sat Nam, when Radhasoami Pad is the end destination ? Was Jaimal so arrogant he would question the veracity of the founder of Radhasoami Faith, Rai Salig Ram ? The Param Sant he had attended satsangs of to learn the faith. Why did Jaimal call his satsang Radhasoami, why not Sikh ? Why did Salig Ram have to write massive books explaining the new faith if it was the same ? Why was Sawan Singh sending the books of Salig Ram and Misra to his earliest disciples in the West ? Bogus historians have manufactured the most insane reasons why Jaimal did what he did. If in fact Salig Ram was not who he said he was, every Radhasoami should quite the faith. He created it. It was sanctioned and endorsed by Swami Ji and everyone in Swami Ji's family. --------------------- ...................... Since Radhasoami Beas Secret History was orginally written over a decade ago, complaints have come in about the use of quotes used in this book by Dr. Professor David Christoper Lane from most groups. Myself, Mike Williams, am aware of his backround. And, am aware since S. D. Maheswari's books from Agra have come online, he has been discredited as a historian in regards to Beas and Agra history. ...................... He has made no effort to correct some of his websites that contain what may be his old debunked propoganda, which so many take offense to. Complaints about his character and ethics have been noted. Recently he has gone so far as to allow the printing of private names and addresses, not public persons, but private persons, whom disagree with him, so they may be possibly be harassed. It seems he may have lost touch with reality. This behaviour may be truly disgraceful. But, remember he is a surfer. Surfers may be known for their arrogance. ...................... It is a fact, that most people writing Beas lineage groups history and attempting to give their version of Agra history from the vantage of other groups, don't have a clue what they are talking about. They are usually shills for their own groups and think they are doing good for their Guru. But, the truth always comes out in the end. If you knew who these people in the past and present are writing these things, you would be shocked. They are the strangest people. Most of what you read is meant to deceive. There are many things Mike Williams cannot tell you about these many Gurus. But, Faquir Chand did not call them criminals for no reason. If you people knew what Mike Willaims knows, you would be stunned. Mike Williams believes in no Gurus and belongs to no groups of any kind. It is best to stay off clubs, even if they are exsatsangi. Because the clubs may be run by people even worse than the Gurus and you would not know what goes on behind the scenes with club owners, or their own ethics. Both satsangis and exsatsangis should stay off Radhasoami clubs. Opposing persons can track your name and addresses and harass you, or your family, at work and at home. Usually good decent people are harassed off clubs and only the mentally unstable remain. ................................. Param Sant Tulsi Sahib (1763 - 1843) Tulsi's earlier name was Dakhani Baba, meaning, "Saint from the South." It occurs to me that the whole archetypal Prince Siddhartha-like story of Tulsi Sahib belonging to the royal lineage of the Peshwas, running away the day before what would have been his coronation, etc.... might simply be viewed as apocryphal accounts composed and believed by others decades or even centuries after-the-fact without necessarily there being any actual historically verifiable basis for such beliefs. In my view, the internal evidence, the clues directly provided by Tulsi in the books he authored, suggests the following: Tulsi Sahib thought of himself as the reincarnation of Tulsi DAS, author of an earlier version of the Ramayana. Tulsi Sahib said in a past life he wrote the Ramayana and that the purpose of his book Ghat Ramayana in his new incarnation was to openly reveal the esoteric secrets hidden in the earlier Ramayana. If Tulsi Sahib was Tulsi Das in a past life, I suppose then we could say that according to Tulsi Sahib, the initiating guru of Tulsi Sahib was the initiating guru of Tulsi DAS. Mystery solved. Whatever we might make of this past life claim however, I believe there is internal evidence supplied in his writings suggesting Tulsi's SAHIB had very real Sant Mat influences and guru associations during his incarnation as Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. Tulsi's spiritual path was classic Sant Mat -- the Sant tradition of India, and its spiritual practice known as Surat Shabd Yoga. Tulsi Sahib: "Nanak, Dadu, Dariya Saheb, Mira Bai, Soor Das, Kabir and Nabbaji have all reached the Mystic Sky and have given out the secrets. Their souls have got across and merged there. "Though their teachings are one and the same, their ways of teaching are different. Indeed, all Sants have proceeded along the same path. All of them ascended along the same Current of Shabd (inner Sound), and got across...... "What Sants have said about Sant Mat is what they saw with their own eyes. They have sung of it in the form of couplets and hymns.....Sants have spoken of the secrets of Shabd and the path on which Surat has to proceed......" ("Param Sant Tulsi Sahib", translated into English by S.D. Maheshwari, Agra, India) Maheshwari: "Tulsi Sahib's works consist of Shabdavali; Ratan Sagar, Ghat Ramayan and a small unfinished book called Padma Sagar. Shabdavali is a collection of miscellaneous compositions set to different ragas (scales) of Indian classical music, and deals with various aspects of Sant Mat. Ghat Ramayan and Ratan Sagar have been written in the form of dialogues with disciples and seekers. Ghat Ramayan deals with the various religious doctrines prevalent at that time, and explains their meaning in the light of Sant Mat. Ratan Sagar deals with the mystery of creation, heaven and hell, Kal or the Negative Power, karmas, mind and death. It also sings the glory of perfect Saints and extols the value of their company and satsang. Lastly, it explains how Saints take care of the soul of the disciple when it leaves the body. Tulsi said that he had "sat at the feet of Sants". He also said he had a guru, was initiated by a living Master into Shabd Yoga. This is an interesting quote found in the book, Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, RS Book Department: "Although there is no direct indication on whom Tulsi Sahib's master may have been, there has been some pointed discussion on the question. Pandit Pandurang Sharma, a Marathi scholar, in the June 1931 issue of Vividh Gyan Vistar writes, "[Tulsi Sahib] was initiated by a guru in the town of Hathras, and under the instructions of his guru in the town of Hathras did intensive meditation." One wonders who the Unknown Guru might have been. Tulsi quoted from the book Anurag Sagar, a Dharamdasi Kabir panthi text, a book ONLY used, ONLY recognised by the Dharamdasis, but rejected by all the other Kabir Panth groups. Tulsi referred to Sant Dharamdas as being "The Spiritual Successor" of Guru Kabir, also suggesting a Dharamdasi influence since the other Kabir Panth branches do not teach that Dharam Das was the primary successor or even a successor of Guru Kabir. In one of Tulsi's books there is a major dialogue between Tulsi and someone by the name of Pool Das of the "Kabir Panth" (Dharamdasis) about the real esoteric meaning of Kabir's teachings. From the book, Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, RS Books: "Tulsi Sahib's works include words and expressions of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian, the last being the court language. of the time in most of the royal courts in the South. These languages, along with Marathi, must have constituted a part of his education. But, besides these, he has freely used words of Braj, Avadhi, Rajasthani (Marwari), Gujrati, Punjabi and Maithili, which leads one to conclude that, like many other Saints, he must have traveled widely in V.P., Rajasthan, Gujrat, Punjab and Bihar. But his permanent abode was a hut in the small village of Jogia, situated on the outskirts of Hathras. He lived here until he passed away in 1843 at the age of 80." Tulsi liked Sufi mystics. Sufi themes can be found in his writings, what I call the tradition of 'the lover and the Beloved'. He probably did hang out in Rajasthan for a time, home of the Dadu Panthis. In any case, he was rather fond of quoting Sant Dadu Dayal's mystic poetry. And Bihar was home to a very influential and towering figure in Sant Mat history by the name of Sant Dariya Sahib. According to Maheshwari, Tulsi mentions the name Dariya Sahib NINE TIMES in his work known as the Ghat Ramayana. For a number of years, both Tulsi and Dariya were alive at the same time. Tulsi Sahib and Sant Dariya's spiritual successors in Bihar were also contemporaries, which has caused me to seriously speculate that perhaps one of those gurus was the initiating guru of Tulsi Sahib. For the record, the names of Sant Dariya Sahib's sucessor-gurus were Guna Das and Teka Das. There are many parallels between Tulsi and Dariya. Both believed they were Sant Mat gurus in their past lives, Daria as the reincarnation of Kabir; Tulsi Sahib as the reincarnation of Tulsi Das. Both seemed to be reformist voices speaking out against corruption and the growing ritualism of the older Kabir Panth and other Panths, seeking to reaffirm the esoteric teachings, mystical experiences of inner Light and Sound, and the spirituality of the Sant Tradition. Both liked quoting the Anurag Sagar, a holy book composed and used by the Dharamdasi branch of Kabir Panth, and shared much of the same vocabulary, imagery, and specific understanding of the inner regions. Both in fact seemed to represent the same Sant Mat "School of Thought", what Professor Mark Juergensmeyer called "Esoteric Santism." Juergensmeyer was actually the first one to connect Tulsi Sahib to the Dharamdasis (the People of the Anurag Sagar), an earlier generation of Esoteric Kabirian Santism, though apparently on a spiritual decline during those days, at least according to both Dariya Sahib and Tulsi Sahib. I still find little direct resemblance between Tulsi Sahib's teachings and style with those of Guru Gobind Singh. As with my earlier posts, I continue to find the TEACHNGS or "Mat" of Sant Tulsi Sahib to MOST RESEMBLE that of Dariya Sahib of Bihar, also with a heavy influence of the esoteric teachings to be found in the Anurag Sagar and similar works studied in the branch of Kabir Panth known as the Dharamdasis (the followers of Kabir and Sant Dharamdas). I continue to suspect that Dariya's guru lineage interfaces with the Dharamdasis somewhere along the way, and that either Tulsi has a connection to Dariya's group, or that both independently have a similar parallel relationship or history that ultimately goes back to Dharamdasi gurus in the Kabir line of Masters. This conclusion is mostly based on reading the writings of all three that have appeared in English thus far: the works of Dariya, works of Tulsi, and Dharamdasi books. Maheshari in Param Sant Tulsi Sahib: "Tulsi Saheb used to go often to places quite far from Hathras wrapping his body in a blanket and with a stick in hand. He usually used to remain in a state of withdrawal, and in that very state, an incessant flow of utterances concerning the secrets of higher regions used to emanate from his mouth like a babbling stream. Ghat Ramayan, Shabdavali (collection of hymns) and Ratan Sagar are well known works of Tulsi Saheb. Another book which he wrote but remained unfinished is Padam Sagar. All these books were written after Tulsi Sahib's coming to Hathras....... "Near the above mentioned banyan tree, a stupendous two-storeyed building had been constructed later on by Tulsi Saheb's devotees, which is still there and in which he stayed till he left his mortal coil. In this very building there is a place marked, where Tulsi Saheb used to sit whilst initiating people in Sant Mat. There is also a hemispherical cave where he used to practise Bhajan." ("Param Sant Tulsi Saheb", S.D. Maheshwari, Agra) Cool that Tulsi Sahab was once known as Dakhani Baba and meditated in a cave. I know of some Babas who are alive in 2009 and that, like Tulsi Sahib, also meditate in caves. :) In the Love, Light and Sound of the Beloved, Written by James Bean ...................... FAIR USE NOTICE: This book may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Maheswari's massive books usually only were produced in editions of 1000 copies. It is because of this few Westerners know the history of Beas. Dr. Agam Mathur's History of RS was scarcely circulated also and he was Vice Chancellor at Agra college. He is current master of Peepal Mandi group (called Dadaji) and rated a world class historian in his own right, having been a professor of history and the best living Radhasoami historian at this time. Maheswari wrote about many books on RS before his death. He often printed material and letters seemingly not positive to his own Agra lineage, or that he knew could be misinterpreted. Hence, he is known for excellent scholarship. Kirpal's group challenged him unsuccessfully in a funny book. Maheswari is acknowledged as the greatest RS historian to ever live by far. No one even close.