A fresh look at Seth Shiv Dayal Singh (Soami Ji)

Those who are interested in the history of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB), a contemporary Sant Mat movement headquartered in India, will want to read the following message I received from "SM Dass" (a pseudonym).

Others won't understand much about what is being talked about, yet will be able to follow the gist of the arguments.

Since I was a member of RSSB for over thirty years, I told SM Dass that his analysis was intriguing and I'd like to share it on my blog. I've added a few explanatory terms in [brackets], and some links.

By "intriguing" I don't mean that I agree with the thoughts below, just that SM Dass seems to have put considerable effort into researching the early history of RSSB and how the organization's teachings relate to traditional Sikhism and mystics revered by Sikhs.

My favorite part of the message is how "Radha Soami" might actually mean "Lord of Radha," the nickname of Soami Ji's wife.

I told my wife that I could be called "Laurel Soami" (Lord of Laurel). Her silence potentially meant agreement. However, and this is bad news for my Lordship, I have a feeling that Laurel's non-response said too ridiculous to even acknowledge.

Here's the message. 

Let's begin at the source, i.e with the supposed originator of it all, Soami ji Dayal Maharaj ji.

1) Firstly, he had no Guru himself. There are many RS [Radha Soami] followers who believe that he was initiated by Tulsi Sahib of Hathras but Soami Ji's very own younger brother, Chacha Lala Partap Singh wrote in the Life Account of Soami Ji clearly that Soami Ji had no guru and neither did he take updesh/naam/initiation from anyone. Yes, he did attend satsangs of Tulsi Sahib Ji but did not take initiation from him. 

If you are familiar with the great Kabir Sahib Maharaj, then you may be aware that he wrote:

"Guru bin mala ferteh
Without a Guru they circle the mala/beads ,

Guru bin dehteh dhaan,
Without a Guru they give initiation

Guru bin dhono nishfal hai
Without a Guru, both are useless,

Pucho vedh puraan,
Go ask the Vedas and Puranas"

There are many accounts by every great saint that has come to this earth, all preaching the need for a True Guru. If saints like Kabir Maharaj or Guru Nanak Maharaj didn't have Guru's themselves, then that would make them hypocrites!

2) Secondly, Soami did not start off the RS faith. It was Rai Saligram. In the book Sar Bachan, you'll find an account where Soami ji says that "My path is that of Satnaam and Anami. Rai Saligram has started this. Let him continue with it". 

3) Thirdly, The word Radha Soami is not really a reference to the True Lord or "lord of the soul". That definition was concocted some time after Soami ji.  The word "Radha" was the nickname of Narayani Devi (wife of Soami ji) , whom Chacha Partap Singh and Rai Saligram used to refer to as, and when they were referring to Soami ji himself, they used to say Radha Soami, meaning Soami/master/lord of Radha a.k.a Narayani Devi.

In India, it was very commonly widespread to refer to the husband as "Soami/Swami" and people used to take the wifes name first, accompany it with Soami/Swami to refer to the husband. e.g, Shiv ji's wife is also called Uma so whenever it is written or said "Uma Soami", then it's understood that the reference is going to Shiv ji i.e. Soami of Uma. 

4) Fourthly, on many occasions, I heard a few RS followers say that a sign of a true saint is one who does not let anyone bow in front of them or touch their feet (which as you may know is a sign of great respect in India). But in Soami Ji's life account, Chacha Partap Singh writes that one of Soami ji's close disciples, Bukki, used to 'suck his toe' because she used to think that she got the same feeling as if she was drinking milk. When people used to come to Soami ji to pay their repects, he used to tell them to bow to the other foot which is not being sucked. Is this the sign of a Saint?

5) Soami ji used to smoke the pipe/hooka/tobacco. Now, some people may argue that what hindrance is smoking in spirituality. Those people obviously haven't heeded the teachings. Kabir Maharaj clearly expresses the abstination of bhaang/tobacco/hooka and says that those who do are deemed to never get salvation but more a repeat in this cycle numerous times. 

6) At the time of his death, Soami ji was more concerned about what was going to happen on earth than where he was going. He was still concerned about the welfare of Bukki for some reason. After he passed, Bukki used to remain unconscious for hours on end, and Chacha Partap singh writes that she used to see him. 

On seeing Soami Ji, she was told by him to prepare the bed, food and hookah for him, just as she used to when he was alive.  After making the preparations, she used to eat the food herself, smoke the pipe herself, and then remain unconscious in the bed herself. In other words, the spirit of Soami ji went into Bukki Ji, even though his aim was Sachkhand.  If this was the result of a so called "param Sant", what will be the result for the rest of the followers of RS?

7) If you aware of Kaal [subject to death, as opposed to Akal, immortal] then you should know that the 5 names given in RS all belong to Kaal and are up to his level only. The 5 names were actually taken from the original bani/sacred speech of Kabir Sahib Maharaj called "Santo Shabadai Shabad bikhana".  The difference being RS changed the last name from Shaktee to Satnaam. 

Now, in his book, Tulsi Sahib of Hathras writes that the 5 names all belong to Kaal. The truth is , 'Satnaam' in itself is not a mantra to repeat over and over again.  It is just an indication of what the Name is. Sat means true, naam, means name so its just a reference to say the Name is True or True Name. Soami refers to 'Satnaam' as being the Name of the Lord, the place where He resides, the name of that Shabad. That's like saying the wheels of a car are called car, the driver of a car is called car, and the petrol of a car is called car, everything is called car. 

Actually, Satnaam is made up of 2 mantras, 2 words, which we are advised to recite.

In the Guru Granth Sahib, Kabir Maharaj Says 

"Kehai Kabir akshar dho bhaak
says Kabir speak/say those two words

hoega kasam tho laega raakh.
if he is authorised then he shall protect you"

Even Guru Nanak has written

"Soee Guru poora kehaavai jo dho akshar ka pedh butaavai"
That Guru is called complete who TELLS  the identity of the two words. 

The latter quote was taken from Sant mat prakaash  vol. 4 as written by Sawan Singh ji.

Both Guru Nanak and Kabir Maharaj talk about 2 words and yet RS give 5??? 

The Bhagavad Gita says "Om, Tat, Sat, iti nirdesai, brhmnai, trivdidai, simritai" meaning Om+Tat+Sat is the final decision/ final for that Lord which should be recited. Tat and Sat are coded words and not the real words to be recited.  Om+Tat = Satnaam and Sat= Saarnaam, its the One word that will lead to salvation.

Guru Nanak writes

"Ek akhar jo Gurmukh jaapai,
One word that the Gurmukh (one's who face is towards the Guru) recites, 

Tis ki nirmal hoi"
they shall be purified. 

This one word is the final Saarnaam which leads to salvation.

I have seen the proof myself that this satnaam made up of two words, is the same naam that Guru Nanak used to recite. Kabir Sahib Maharaj also writes about the same two words, made very clear in His Granth/spititual text. 

8) Meditation will not lead to salvation. RS advocate the need to meditate as much as you can, close your eyes and ears and look inside. See the lights, hear the sounds etc, focus at the eye centre.  What they fail to realise is that everything within this body is of Kaal's, all the lights, sounds etc, are of Kaal and not of the ultimate reality. 

Maya made a false creation within this body and imitated the true regions/abodes. Kabir Maharaj says that the true abode is way beyond this body, it doesn't even exist in the body. None of the Saints which I've mentioned herein meditated for hours on end. What they did do is recite, (simar/simran) with each breath. They did Jaap whenever and wherever. There were no resrictions or rules. When you wake, when you sleep, when you get up, when you sit down, when you eat etc. They recited the naam with each breath and morsel of food, not restricted to 2.5 hours or more a day [the length of time RS disciples are supposed to meditate daily].   

Kabir Sahib Maharaj says

"with each breath recite the naam, 
don't let any go to waste, 
for who knows when it shall come or when it will go"

9) Do you know of any true Saints who were multimillionaires who actively took an interest in generating millions? 

Kabir Sahib Mahraj used to say

"Oh sahib, only give me that much so that I may survive. 
Let not myself, my family go hungry and neither my guests"

Also, I have never known any true saint to sing contemporary songs of their time, whereas the current so called Baba of RS [Gurinder Singh Dhillon], revels in singing contemporary songs. 

It's been written that Kabir Mahraj cried on the account of not reciting the naam for 2 breaths/ 2 seconds, and here we have a so called saint who sings contemporary songs, nothing related to naam, for hours. 

10) Soami ji in one of his writings says that 

"Satyug, treta, dwapur have passed, nobody knew the path of shabad"
and that the true lord with his grace gifted the world with Soami ji in this age of Kalyug.

This statement completely ignores the fact that Kabir Mahraj came in all four ages, as written in his Bani. He even gives an account as to what his names were in each age. 

Comments

[Adrian]

Hi Brian, before posting my comment I would like to thank you because this great blog has really been an awesome read and I have really found something to check on a regular basis that I know will deliver challenging and interesting content.

Regarding this specific post you made, and please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm seeing a remnant interest in Radha Soami Satsang Beas development, I'm not saying this to criticize, I wouldn't do that, I'm saying it because most of what's here is indeed interesting because you actually managed to leave the sect, however as I said I notice it is still an important part of your blogging activities, now the reason I'm saying this too is because I feel identified with it, I want to share with you my experience, my own personal battle is against "Casa Tibet" here in Queretaro, (a city located in Mexico), I approached this tibetan "movement" because I had expectations of learning more about meditation to control my temper and even some bön religion aspects (the more fantasy related ones to be honest, I became obsessed after reading Alexandra David-Neel), and what I found to my own surprise is that event the instructor rejected me and made fun of me in front of the whole class for even bringing the topics to the questions I was asking.

I felt that "Casa Tibet" was just another hypocrite religious place where hypocrite people went to feel they were being freed not of "attachments" but of any responsibility with their reality, also to my surprise I found that this was nothing like most people would expect, for instance I can tell you that the people that administrates the place and the woman that came to instruct us acted like if they were far superior to the other people, they even left us there while they just left to eat some pork tacos (I followed them, the instructor told us she was a vegetarian, I guess tacos were too powerful for her enlightened state), too much for my community expectations you know.

I also noticed that the "compassion" they were talking about was nothing but being a damned robot without any single human reaction, this was really shocking, this people is really indoctrinated, the instructor even told us that she was certain that none of us would reincarnate in a human form but rather in a very low animal form, everybody was shocked, and, as you may conclude the real fools were frightened with the idea.

In short I can tell you that my experiences with Tibetan Buddhism were something totally disconnected from reality and was a complete sectarian way of life. The instructor should have hated me because I really threw some elaborated questions she couldn't just answer. Oh and one thing I cannot understand is why they make you pay a fixed donation instead of whatever you would like to contribute. So, I just left Tibetan Buddhism, I wanted to learn more but found myself against a solid rock wall because I wanted to do exactly what the Buddha taught his monks to do, question everything.

I hope sharing my experience would be some kind of contribution. Thanks again.

["Since Name is required"]

"None of the Saints which I've mentioned herein meditated for hours on end."

This is an absurt statement...How on earth can anyone claim that..!?!

How does one know what one does throughout his/her day? How can one claim that Kabir or Swami Ji, or Sawan Singh, or the Buddha, or Jesus, or Rumi or Plotinus did not extensively "mediated." How can one reach such a conclusion from one's couch reminds me of colonial discourses of the "other."
(see Edward Said and Eric Wolf)

Via virtue of this statement by the writer he/she did not deserve such an exposure, but we are living in a postcolonial world where Western Etiquettes are considered by Westerners to be Universal. Analysing thus Guruship as if its the Republical debate.

The Blogger and the Quoted person apply the"sociological" language of Western Theory (a child of a society of hierarchies and domination) to explain what exactly?

Very poor analysis.

There is a greek poem by this famous greek poet whose name I can't recall that says.

The words were perfect the way they were...
Why did you have the need to go on and disturb them
in a text?
Why did you just not let them be.
A flower without the "Flower"
A Bee without the "Bee"

-------------------

"It's been written that Kabir Mahraj cried on the account of not reciting the naam for 2 breaths/ 2 seconds, and here we have a so called saint who sings contemporary songs, nothing related to naam, for hours."

Lucky for the people Kabir SANG to.

[Blogger Brian]

Adrian, thanks for sharing your story. I resonated with your mention of "damned robot without any single human reaction."

In my thirty years of association with an Indian spiritual group, which bears some resemblance to your "Casa Tibet," I too ran into lots of people who had embraced an intellectual/conceptual understanding of a morality, and expressed it just as you said -- like a robot, using the same stock phrases such as "I am nothing; the guru is everything; I am just doing His Will."

Yeah, right. Acting like a jerk. Playing control games. Enjoying roles of authority so other people could be bossed around.

Yes, I do write now and then about my experience with RSSB. And other people send me stuff about RSSB that I occasionally share on my blog. But otherwise I don't spend much time thinking about RSSB. I'm in the process of giving most of my books away.

If I had been a devout Catholic, I'd use Catholicism as an example of religiosity, because I'd be most familiar with it. Since I know a certain form of Indian philosophy very well, I talk about that instead.

[Mike Williams]

"I'm in the process of giving most of my books away."
quote Brian

Now you are enlightened.

[Pythagoras]

Congratulations Brian.
L'article est fantastique!

Your data show how the manipulation of information flow can alter:

-historical perceptions
-logical connections
-dogma creation

How they create a solid base for the launch of a selective reality tunnel. It sounds like: "Hey there, we have prefab, premade versions of reality, comfort zones of spirituality for everyone.

We sell also full package, sant-mat scenarios to consume your whole life into.

Pathetic waste of earth life-time, the dogma-bitten spirituality is.

[Robert Paul Howard]

Goodness!! A year has passed so quickly!

Robert Paul Howard

[cc]

Brian, please get over this cult and your attachment to it or create a separate blog for yourself and other hung-up ex-devotees because your interest in neuroscience is good and blog-worthy, but your beef with those turbaned nut-jobs is of interest only to similarly afflicted ex-members.

[Robert Searle]

My old article may have relevance

http://thoughtsandvisions-searle88.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/basic-background-of-radhasoami-faith.html

[Tara]

cc ... I'm one of the similarly afflicted ex-members you are referring to. Brian's posts on the RS subject are very important to the followers who are struggling with their belief system and to the seekers who are undecided. It gives them a different perspective. Many of them are too afraid to discuss their opinions and experiences freely with fellow Satsangi's and / or family members. The content on this site can also reinforce faith as much as it can shake it.

[tucson]

I agree with Tara. A number of people have been helped or informed by this blog regarding RSSB. I think quite a few people interested in the organization stop by here although they may not participate.

cc,
I understand your boredom and disinterest in RSSB topics. My suggestion would be to bear with them or ignore them. The host does offer up a good variety of other topics, I think. Involve yourself with the ones that interest you. Works for me.

[Janya Barrish]

"If saints like Kabir Maharaj or Guru Nanak Maharaj didn't have Guru's themselves, then that would make them hypocrites!"

I am led to believe that the (initial?) Guru of Kabir Das, when Kabir ji was still a child was:

Ramananda (1400–1476 CE), also referred to as Sant Ramanand or Swami Ramanand, was a Vaishnava sant. He is considered to be the reviver of the Ramanandi sect. Ramananda for the most part of his life lived in the holy city of Varanasi, and was a pioneer of the Bhakti movement, as well as a social reformer in Northern India. He was known for communicating in vernacular Hindi, and accepting disciples of all castes. His 12 disciples are very famous-Anantananda, Bhavananda, Dhanna Bhagat, Kabir, Nabha, Naraharyanda, Pipa, Ravidas (also known as Guru Ravidas), Bhagat Sain, Sukhanada, Ranka and Tulsidas (the author of the Ramcharitmanas).

Wikipedia

[Janya Barrish]

"Also, I have never known any true saint to sing contemporary songs of their time, whereas the current so called Baba of RS [Gurinder Singh Dhillon], revels in singing contemporary songs."

I am curious as to which contemporary songs he sings. There are many contemporary Bollywood songs which can be sung with Naam, GOD, the Ultimate Reality, the absolute or any other benefit providing being in mind. Take for example this song:

"Dheerae Dheerae sae maeri Zindagi mein aana, Dheerae Dheerae sae Dil ko churana, haamae pyaar kitna hai tum sae jaanae jaana, tum sae mil kae tum ko hai batana"

"Come softly into my life, softly steal my heart, the extent of my love for you, I will tell you about when I meet you."

Or this one, especially if one has Radha Soami in mind:

"My heart beats for you, when I see you my heart lurches." Ultimate Reality wants us as much as we want it.

1990 Bollywood cutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD8I45cJA54&feature=relmfu

[Robert Searle]

One old controversy is that Sar Bachan was dictated to Saligram by Soamiji. It has been claimed that the former changed the text to notably include the Name Radhasoami as being like the Highest Sound in the "Highest" Spiritual Region. In Spiritual Letters Baba Jaimal Singh published Sar Bachan but "altered" the text claiming that what was presented was actually the "original" which it may well have been! A startling difference in the Beas text compared with the Saligrams one is about the claim that when the Perfect Master dies he still acts as the inner Master for the disciple. However, Saligrams Sar Bachan claims that when the Masters his, or her successor should be accepted as the new Master, and not the predecessor!

[Robert Searle]

The following may be of interest.

http://thoughtsandvisions-searle88.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/basic-background-of-radhasoami-faith.html

[Robert Searle]

The following piece on Shiv Dayal Singh has an interesting link to books published by Soamibagh Satsang which is sometimes regarded as the parent rock of the RS Faith.

http://thoughtsandvisions-searle88.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/shiv-dayal-singh-founder-of-radhasoami.html

[David login]

Your thoughts are not that of a realized soul. How can one accept your line of thinking AS opposed to our sant sat guru Charan Singh.

[Blogger Brian]

David, my thoughts are of someone who has realized some things. Everybody, including you, has to decide for themselves what makes for a meaningful life. There's no absolute rights and wrongs here. Each to his own. Or do you consider that some people are privy to Absolute Truth?