Hinduism and the Classic Nirguna Bhakti Sants of India, Parts 2 and 3, by James Bean
Maharshi Mehi Paramhans
See earlier posts in this series:
Classic Sants and Hinduism, Part One:
A Sikh Sant Mat Connection Truly Commences With Baba Jaimal Singh:
Below is a continuation about the rather Gnostic Demiurge/Kal Niranjan view the Satgurus of the Sant Mat guru lineage has always had regarding the seemingly endless plethora of Hindu gods and goddessesses, gods of war, and scriptures of war such as the Gita. So many gurus, so little time to keep up with them all. Their view is in harmony with how gnostic teachers viewed the old testament god of war, wars, and eye-for-an-isms recorded therein.
Then further below is essentially a part three of this series devoted to the grand exception to this: Maharshi Mehi, who had the goal of locating the Sant Mat/Surat Shabd friendly passages from many old Hindu scriptures. Indeed, one can do this. Far beyond the Nad Bind Upanishad and Hatha Yoga Pradipika are many more such references and texts one can locate, and he did, making use of these for his satsang discourses to Sant Mat audiences with Hindu (not Sikh) backgrounds.
The Demiurge Kal Niranjan God of War, Rituals, Temples, and Endless Outward Idolatries
The way that Soami Ji Maharaj in the Sar Bachan volumes, and the earlier proto-Radhasoami Kabir Dharamdasi gurus of the Kabir Sagar (earlier sant satgurus of the lineage prior to the time of Sant Tulsi Sahib) viewed the Hindu scriptures and Gods (Brahma, Krishna, Vishnu, Ram, etc...) very much reminds me of how church father Marcion of Sinope (c. 85 – c. 160 CE) and the various gnostics taught that the god of the Hebrew scriptures was a lesser-god of war, the demiurge, not the true God.
"The Demiurge thought that he was the only one and that there was nothing outside of him... He was filled with pride and thought that he was the Lord of all things, because he was the father of those whom he had brought into being." (Valentinian gnostic teachings in, The Tripartite Tractate, Nag Hammadi Library)
"Marcion of Sinope... taught that the God proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets is not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the former was known, but the latter unknown; the former is judicial, harsh, and warlike, but the latter is good and loving." (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.27.2, On the Teachings of Marcion)
"The true God was unknown and unheard of in the old world, even by the 'old' god. Ignorance alone calls him 'new'. He is in fact ancient, revealed by Christ as no one had previously." (Marcion, The Antitheses, included in Marcion's Bible, by M. David Litwa)
"The God of the Law is harsh, warlike, and inconstant; the God of the Gospel is purely good, peaceful, and merciful." (Marcion, as quoted by Tertullian, Against Marcion)
"The Law of the Creator demands: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But the Good God commands: 'If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other as well.'" (Marcion, as quoted by Tertullian, Against Marcion)
NOTE: I believe the idea of a demiurge lesser-creator god is a concept that originates within Judaism itself, thus Jewish Gnostic sects such as the Sethians were not the inventors of that, but inherited that along with other proto-Kabbalah teachings of mystical Judaism from the Enochian branch of Judaism that long predates the Qumran Essenes, John the Baptist sect, Jesus Movement (Ebionites, Nazoreans, etc...).
As Baba Faqir Chand observed about the Sar Bachan Radhasoami:
"I reached the ashram. of Hazur Data Dayal (Maharishi Shiv Brat Lal) and prostrated my humble self at His Holy Feet. He gave me an exceptionally affectionate welcome and initiated me into Radhaswami Mat. His Holiness gave me a book and asked me to go through it. The work was Sar Bachan written by Swamiji Maharaj (Shiv Dayal Singh), the founder of Radhaswami. I went through some pages of the book in the very presence of Hazur Data Dayal Ji. But I could not pursue it any further, though, because Swamiji Maharaj had most vehemently criticized almost every religion, including Vedanta, Sufism, Islam, Jainism, and Buddhism. He declared them all to be Kal and Maya. It was too much for me. I felt hurt and tears rolled down my eyes." (The Unknowing Sage, page 27 and 28)
Sar Bachan Poetry of Soamiji Maharaj:
"Neither Ram nor Krishna knew Thee, O my Beloved Radhasoami!" (Soami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry, vol. one, page 23): https://archive.org/details/SarBachanRadhasoamiPoetryVolumeOneCopyPastePDF/page/n23/mode/2up?q=krishna
"I do not recognise Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Ishwar, Parmeshwar, Shesh, Ram, Krishna, ten incarnations of Brahm, Vyas, Vashishtha, Adi Kumari (Adya), Rishis, Munis, goddesses, gods, pilgrimages, fasts, rituals, Jogis, Jatfs, Tapis, Brahmcharis, Janak, Sanak, Sanyasis. Atma, Parmatma, Akshar, and Nih-Akshar." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Sar Bachan Poetry, vol. one, page 123): https://archive.org/details/SarBachanRadhasoamiPoetryVolumeOneCopyPastePDF/page/n123/mode/2up?q=krishna
Earlier Proto-Radhasoami Kabirian Dharamdasi Literature:
"Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar deva, Kaal Niranjan ki karain seva."
"Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva serve Kaal Niranjan, unaware of the Supreme Satpurush." (Bodh Sagar of the Kabir Sagar literature)
The Kabir Sagar texts assert that during the Mahabharata war, when Krishna revealed the Vishwaroopa (cosmic form) and spoke the Bhagavad Gita, it was actually Kaal Niranjan speaking through Krishna. Kaal uses this form to frighten Arjuna and keep souls trapped in the cycle of action and reaction (karma).
"Kaal rup dharipahichana, Krishna mukh te gyan bakhana.
Jeev na jaane bhed purana, Kaal jaal mahin sabhi bhulana."
"Taking the form of Kaal, he imparted the discourse through the mouth of Krishna. Souls do not understand this secret and remain lost in the net of Kaal." (Bodh Sagar of the Kabir Sagar)
"Krishna Gopika bhog kar, fer jati kahaya.
Jaaki gati paai nahi, aise tribhavan raaya."
"Krishna indulged in sensory pleasures with the Gopis, yet was called a celibate (Jati). The world could not comprehend this state, as Kaal himself operated through him to tie souls to the web of Maya and karma." (Gyan Sagar of the Kabir Sagar)
"Brahma was born, who was given Rajo Guna; Vishnu was born and was given Sato Guna; Mahesh [Shiva] was born and was given Tamo Guna... All three serve the mandates of Niranjan [Kal], trapped within his creation." (Anurag Sagar of the Kabir Sagar)
"When Krishna showed the grand form to Arjuna, he saw the entire universe within him devouring all beings... That terrifying form was Kal Niranjan himself displaying his true nature through Krishna’s body, keeping Arjuna and the world awed by his power." (Anurag Sagar)
"Consider this, O Dharam Das: Even after guiding Arjuna, why could Krishna not save his own Yadu dynasty from mutual destruction? Because Kal's law of Karma spares no one—not even his own incarnations." (Anurag Sagar)
Hinduism and the Classic Nirguna Bhakti Sants of India, Part 3
Bridging the Gap Between Hinduism and Sant Mat -- Going in an Opposite Direction, the Grand Exception of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans
Maharishi Mehi, one of the successors of Baba Devi Sahab from Hathras and Moradabad, was on a mission to locate and make use of countless passages from the Hindu scriptures that are very compatible with Santmat. And, indeed, there is a vast body of Hindu literature that does contain Sant Mat type teachings. The Nad Bind Upanishad is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. There are many such references to inner Sound meditation and other Sant Mat teachings and meditation practices in well-known and lesser-known Hindu scriptures, the leftover writings of ancient, long extinct or defunct sects within Hinduism that disappeared from the scene long ago. He made use of such passages in his satsang discourses to retrieve them from obscurity.
Pravesh K. Singh's Article: Maharshi Mehi — The Bridge Between Hindu Scriptures and Sant Mat:
"In due course of time an apparent scenario emerged wherein the Vedas and Scriptures (composed by Rishis of ancient times) and popular Saints, who generally preached in commonplace languages and local dialects, came to be seen, as it were,to be in direct opposition to each other. The wisdom of Upanishads was unfortunately conceived to be contrary to the teachings of the modern saints, and the hiatus between the two appeared to be widening with time. It was then that Maharshi Mehi rose to the occasion realising the dire necessity to bridge this gap which was unreal, fabricated, and being made more permanent so to say. He decided to make an in-depth study of the four Vedas, various Upanishads, commentaries on these Scriptures by the various scholars, and the sayings of the saints ranging from the time of Lord Buddha to that of Radhaswami Sahab and Baba Devi Sahab. He very meticulously & diligently examined the quintessence, the underlying postulates of all these, and came up with a sound conclusion that there is no inconsistency whatsoever between the wisdom of the Ancient Scriptures and the Sermons and discourses of saints of modern saints, that both unequivocally convey the same central idea or message. He wrote several books to lend credence to his inferences. For example, he authored “Veda Darshan Yoga” (meaning the Philosophy of Vedas) and showed how the ideas contained in the hymns of Vedas are in agreement with the precepts of Santmat. He also wrote a commentary on Srimad Bhagvad Gita titled “Shri Gita Yog Prakash” and thereby clarified and removed several of misinterpretations of the shlokas contained therein. He also wrote “Ram Charit Manas Saar Sateek”, a commentary on the Rama Charit Manas composed by Goswami Tulasidas ji wherein he has rendered wonderful explanations & expositions of several couplets & quartets to bring out their hidden metaphysical meanings which are extremely edifying & rare to find, even though scores of commentaries on Ram Charit Manas by several scholars have been written so far. His commentary on the Ghat Ramayan of Sant Tulsi Sahab of Hathras named “Bhaavaarth Sahit Ghat Ramayan Padaavali” is a must read for any spiritual seeker. He compiled shlokas, along with their translation from authentic sources, from a number of Upanishads to prove how identical & consistent they are with what saints, some of them formally illiterate at that, have said or written from their own experience."
From the Jabala Upanishad on the Third Eye Center:
"Thereafter the sage Atri asked of Yajnavalkya: 'How am I to realize the Self which is Infinite and Unmanifest -- the Imperceptible Atman?'
"Yajnavalkya said: ...The Infinite Imperceptible Self is worshiped... between varana and nasi. What are varana and nasi? Varana is that which dispels all the evils done by the sense-organs, and that which destroys all the sins done by sense-organs is called nasi. Where is that place? That place is at the location of both the eye-brows and the nose. That is also the meeting place of this world and the next.
"The Brahmajnanis worship at this meeting place. By meditating at that Point, they attempt to realise Brahman [God]." (Jabala Upanishad quoted in the book, Satsang Yoga, Part One, English Version, compiled by Maharshi Mehi)
Saddheshthanam pavanamanasorlayakaram,
Nadanusandhanakaram sadavartate...”
"Lord Shiva has described 125,000 ways for the dissolution of the mind (Laya); among all of them, Nadanusandhana (meditation on the inner sound) is the best and most effective method." (Santmat Satsang Samiti, Yoga of Inner Light and Sound by Swami Achyutanand Baba, disciple of Mehi, page 41)
In Satsang Yoga, Maharshi Mehi connects the mystical allegories of the Puranas to internal Sound practices. He cites the Bhagavata Purana (Canto 10, Rasa Lila):
“Keshava murali ravamutsaasya...”
"Hearing the sweet, divine sound of Krishna’s flute ringing out from the forest, the Gopis (devotees) dropped all their worldly chores and rushed toward the source of the sound."
“Dve bavavah brahmani abhidhyeye shabdascha ashabdascha...”
"Two kinds of Brahman are to be meditated upon—Sabda-Brahman (Brahman as Sound) and Ashabda-Brahman (Brahman beyond Sound/Silent Supreme Being). By merging into Sabda-Brahman, one reaches Ashabda-Brahman *." (Chapter 6, Verse 22 of the Maitri Upanishad quoted by Mehi)
* The Nameless, Soundless, Radhasoami (Lord of the Soul)