The Beginning of Spiritual Practice: Simran, the Repetition of Sacred Divine Names, by Baba Ram Singh (Sant Mat)

The Beginning of Spiritual Practice: Simran, the Repetition of Sacred Divine Names, by Baba Ram Singh

Simran: Repetition of names or thoughts; in Sant Mat, the simran [remembrance] of worldly thoughts is controlled through the Simran of the Five Charged Names, repeated by an initiate throughout the day and when sitting for meditation as a means of collecting the thought currents at the Third Eye Center; also used as a password of sorts to higher planes and protection from Negative Power influences. (from the 2023 Sant Mat Glossary of terms)

Baba Ram Singh: We should make good use of our time... All the Saints have sung praises of Simran, and it is very important that we perfect our Simran. Because as long as we are not able to perfect our Simran, the rest of our Path doesn't open up.

We should try to perfect our Simran all the time. We should always be at it. When we are walking or doing other things, when we are sitting idle, we should try to focus on our Simran and perfect our Simran. Because we get a lot of time like that, which is otherwise wasted. So, we should try to perfect Simran at that time.

When you continuously do your Simran, initially, we do Simran with our tongue. But as we perfect our Simran, and it becomes a very regular activity — our mind starts doing that Simran. Then the mind continuously does the Simran.

When we attain that state — where the mind is doing the Simran — then our Path opens up, and we see that we are withdrawing within.

So, we should focus while doing our meditation. We should focus on our Simran. If we are not able to get the contemplation of our Master, it doesn't matter. You should focus on all the Words of the Simran and pay attention to the Simran and keep doing that.

We should not worry that we are not getting the contemplation of our Master. We must realize that the Master is always within us. In the form of the Holy Sound Current, He is always with us — from the time that our Master has initiated us. He is not far away. Only we need the purity of our mind and our contemplation. When we, with our Simran, develop that purity of contemplation, purity of our mind, He is not far away. He will immediately be visible to us. (Baba Ram Singh, January 2026 Satsang Discourses Booklet)

Without Satsang, Maya (Illusion) Does Not Release

Without Satsang, Maya (Illusion) Does Not Release

In the world of spiritual paths we have many examples of moral talks or people cobbling together some sort of spiritual presentation of religious information. In Sant Mat however, a genuine spiritual master cuts through the illusion and has the goal of presenting satsang discourses. These solely address the eternal divine truths and realities. The goal is always to motivate the initiates, the disciple satsangis to follow the meditation practice and make spiritual progress during this life. These discourses always have much depth, are mindful of the long tradition of Sants in India, and test positive for Sant Mat content.

"If we listen to Satsang, Satsang bears its colors. There is great power in Satsang. If we listen to Satsang with love and affection, then many of our sins are cut. Our load becomes light. Our sins fall away. Satsang is a very lofty thing. But after listening to Satsang, act on it, meditate on it first. Think about it. And keep it within. Then see how much change comes within you. Your conduct, thoughts, behavior, all will change. One will become a human-divine being. One will become a human Mahatma. They say, brother, that Satsang is no small thing that the Sants speak of. They are telling the matter of their own experience. They say, in our heart, when there is samskara, then in the hearts of such devotees Satsang strikes. And he will act on it. And his being is transformed." (Baba Ram Singh)

The satsang discourses of Baba Ram Singh are always wonderful and test positive for the depths of Sant Mat spirituality. Below is excerpted from a recently translated satsang from Scott Gaul's very fine seva project to make available in English more of Baba Ram Singh's satsang discourses via his Radhaswami Talks blog, which I highly recommend. See the link to the entire satsang below.

An excerpt from a recent satsang titled, Without Satsang, Maya Does Not Release

What can be read and spoken, that is called akshar (letters). But the Sants say, the Naam which the Sants and Mahatmas give is not contained in these letters. It is not within the fifty-two letters of the alphabet, not within the seven crore mantras. So a doubt can arise in us: when it is not letters at all, then how do the Sants give it? Because on the day of Naamdaan, they say, first the Simran of the five names is given, and that too is made of letters. That too can be written, read, spoken; that too is perishable. But when the Guru seats us in Dhyan, going within, between the two eyes, here is the seat of our soul and mind. And that very Shabd is also there, the Shabd which has come from Satlok Sachkhand and rests here. They say, the Guru, going within, joins our soul to the Shabd. And that is what Naamdaan is.

They say, on the day the Guru joins us to the Shabd, He comes to sit within us in the form of Shabd. And from that day the Guru is always with us. Between the two eyes, in the tenth door. That is why, they say, the Sants say: brother, by doing Simran and Bhajan, leave the nine doors and come to the tenth. When your third eye opens, that Naam will manifest, that is, the Shabd will manifest. The Shabd to which the Guru has joined you, which is called Anhad Shabd. There are many kinds of Shabd. There are also Shabds of the lower six chakras, which are called Das Vidh Naad (the ten kinds of sound). These are of twenty kinds. And above the eyes, that is called Anhad Naad.

They say, on attaining which, the mind becomes a little contented. The mind gets a respite to become still. That, they say, is the Anhad Shabd. And after that comes the Sar Shabd. They say, the Sar Shabd, in Parbrahm is the Sar Shabd. And in Satlok Sachkhand is the Sat Shabd. So the Shabd of every region is different. So on the day of Naamdaan, the Guru joins our soul to the Sar Shabd. But at first, when our soul goes within, it is the Anhad Shabd that manifests. That is why Kabir Sahib too has said:

"Jaap dies, ajapa dies, even Anhad dies away.

Without recognizing the Sar Shabd, one wanders again and again."

They say, until that Sar Shabd manifests by the Guru’s grace, the coming and going does not end.

That is why they say, brother, that Naam is a very lofty thing, about which Guru Nanak too has said:

"By Shabd the earth, by Shabd the heavens;

Through Shabd the Shabd blazed into light.

All creation follows in the wake of Shabd;

Nanak, the Shabd abides in every heart."

They say, that very Shabd which has created the whole world, that very Shabd is resounding in our tenth door. And the Guru joins us to that very Shabd. It has come from Satlok Sachkhand and rests here. They say, that very Shabd is what the Sants call Naam. So that Naam is something else, and these mantras and tantras are something else. That is why they say, without Satsang, our delusion does not go away. Because in Satsang the Mahatmas do not speak about the Vedas, Shastras, Puranas, and other scriptures. They explain to us about our own soul. The glory of the Guru, the glory of Naam, the glory of Satsang. They speak about the Lord; that is what is told in all Satsangs.

The purpose of this human body, how precious this human body is, why we have received it, what we were supposed to do with it, what we are doing: all this information is given in Satsang. When we come to know that this human body is very precious, that the Lord has given it for crossing the ocean of birth and death, when we have this knowledge, then we go to the Guru. If we have no knowledge, where would we go? That is why Satsang comes first. It is Satsang in which the knowledge of truth and untruth comes. In which all the information about Naam, about the Guru, about Satsang is received. And about the soul and the Lord too.

https://substack.com/inbox/post/195580478

The Shape of the Soul - Light and Sound on The Path

 

The Shape of the Soul

Excerpted from a Satsang of Baba Ji [a spiritual discourse by Baba Ram Singh] "in which He spoke of the soul. He described it as spherical in shape, gesturing with His hands to show a sphere. He said of the color of the soul... Our soul is spherical in shape and pure white in color and has the light of twelve luminous suns. Through simran when we withdraw our focus from the body to the third eye we can experience the true power of the soul."

Long Version:

I had been emailing back and forth with Christopher before he went to India about a Satsang of Baba Ji in which He spoke of the soul. He described it as spherical in shape, gesturing with His hands to show a sphere. He then described the color of the soul. I thought He said blue. Christopher didn’t remember Baba Ji mentioning any color. I asked Christopher if he could ask Baba Ji about this when he went to see Him. He said I should tell Bernard my question about the color of the soul. He said he would give my question to Revati who would then ask Baba Ji.

Revati messaged Baba Ji’s answer to me. Her message isn’t in perfect English, but Baba Ji’s answer comes through clearly. This is what Revati wrote:

Dear David B.

I am Revati here. You have asked about the color of the soul to Bernard.

Our soul is spherical in shape and pure white in color and has the light of twelve luminous suns. Through simran when we withdraw our focus from the body to the third eye we can experience the true power of the soul. The soul's luminosity is reflected much like the moon's light in the outer world. By connecting with our soul we can help it into it's immense power.

Let me expand on this.

The Soul's Nature: Spherical Shape

The innocence and light completeness and infinity in the spiritual context.

Pure white color. White is often associated with purity and innocence and light. This could signify the souls' inherent purity and goodness, luminosity. Twelve suns might represent the soul's immense inner light power or spiritual energy.

Now I hope you might have been convinced about the color of the soul.

Radhaswamy with kind regards and love.

Abode of Light - Manzil-e-Noor

Let life enjoy eternal happiness,

Let the flame of wisdom and faith be lit in the soul,

Let God's Name flow in our veins,

Let each human being find relief from ego.

One who drinks from your cup and becomes oblivious

to one's self

Merges in God and becomes the Cupbearer.

(Sant Darshan Singh, Abode of Light - Manzil-e-Noor)

Abode of Light — Manzil-e-Noor is a collection of mystic poems reflecting upon the life and teachings of Guru Nanak composed by Darshan Singh.

Dadu Dayal’s Vision For Living A Spiritual Life

Dadu Dayal’s Vision For Living A Spiritual Life

A quote from the 16th century Indian Master Dadu, who outlined the Sant Mat vision of the spiritual life to be pursued during our time here on planet Earth:

Recognize the Path to your Beloved, O travelers and take the route of the anguished lover in separation. Keep the Master’s grace in your thoughts, and reflect upon his pure teachings. Develop love and devotion with endearment, and keep the thought of the Creator always before you. Try to merge yourself into God like water and water. Fix your mind within by following the Path of the Sound Current. A yearning will arise; make then an intense and anguished call. Repeat the Name of your Beloved, day and night, again and again. With care in thought, word and deed, you will cross to the other shore.

IMAGE: Sant Dadu Dayal of Rajasthan (1544–1603)

Helpful Guidance For Satsangis Struggling With Meditation Practice, by Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram Bahadur of the Radhasoami Satsang

 

Helpful Guidance For Satsangis Struggling With Meditation Practice, by Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram Bahadur of the Radhasoami Satsang

Patience is necessary for making the mind and spirit ascend and the practices should be performed properly, i.e. without any obstruction.

1. It is desirable for the followers of the Radhasoami Faith that they should perform the practices regularly every day with birah [intense yearning] 1 and eagerness. They should concentrate the mind and the spirit and their attention for the first four or five minutes at the Third Til [Third Eye Center] 2 and then, directing their attention to the first or the second region of Brahmanda and concentrating it there, should listen to Shabda [Sound Current] and, at the time of Dhyan [meditation upon the form of the master, also inner Light], should concentrate their mind as well as their attention at the same place and meditate on the Form, whenever it may be visible. They should not exert much pressure in order to make the spirit ascend from lower planes upwards and should only pull their mind, thoughts and attention upwards easily and conveniently and fix them at the region with the help of Shabda or the Holy Form and should be careful that no worldly thoughts of any kind enter their mind and no impulses, whether pertaining to the world or paramartha [spirituality], enter their mind. If they do so, they would certainly get at least some joy of Shabda and the Holy Form.

2. If they do not have any feelings of birah and eagerness at the time of practices, it is desirable that they should carefully read two Shabdas [hymns] 3 containing admonition and feelings of detachment from the world, two Shabdas [hymns] containing feelings of love for the Lord and then sit for the practices and, reviewing their faults and defects, humbly pray in the Holy Feet of Merciful Radhasoami for His Grace and then begin to perform Bhajan or Dhyan.

3. If they are not able even then to bring the mind under control and useless thoughts and impulses continue to arise, they should take up the practice of Dhyan also simultaneously if they are then engaged in Bhajan, i.e. they should begin contemplating on the Holy Form while sitting in the posture for Bhajan [listening to the Sound Current], and at the same time keep their mind directed towards Shabda also. If even then thoughts and impulses do not stop, he should engage in the repetition of the Holy Name also. In this way, the mind would become still to some extent and would engage in the practices,

4. If even then thoughts and impulses continue to trouble and the mind does not properly engage in Bhajan, they should sing within themselves very slowly or inaudibly, at the time of Bhajan or Dhyan, a few verses of some Shabda [hymn] containing feelings of love. It is believed that by doing so impulses would stop and the devotee would get some joy from Bhajan and Dhyan.

5. If the mind remains indifferent and careless even after doing so and continues to indulge in useless thoughts, the devotee should give up Bhajan and Dhyan and continue the repetition of the Holy Name somewhat loudly. He would, in this way, get some purification and he should thereafter engage in Bhajan or Dhyan for some time or should engage in both the practices at the same time. He would then get some benefit.

6. If at any time the mind does not at all engage in these activities and remains indifferent and careless,one should read, with care and with his attention fixed on the meaning thereof, five Shabdas [hymns] giving the secret of the path as well as the details of the ascent upwards, slowly or inaudibly, and should try to concentrate the mind and attention consciously at all the stages mentioned therein and should repeat every verse of the Shabda four or five times or even more and should try to concentrate the mind all the time at the region mentioned in the verse. This kind of path (path) would give benefit more or less equal to that from Bhajan and Dhyan and one should be careful that no thought, whether worldly or paramarthi [spiritual], should be allowed to enter the mind.

7. If none of the above things can be done correctly, it should be understood that the mind is too much given to performing karmas and is dirty and the method of purifying it is that one should attend Satsang carefully for some time and engage himself in some service or the other of the lovers of the Lord and Sadhs and should also listen attentively to their discourses and the discourses of the Satsang and reflect on them. It is only then, that the mind would be purified in some time and love for paramartha would also be engendered. It is then that the practices referred to above would be performed properly.

8. And if one is unable to find an opportunity to live in the Satsang for some time and engage in seva and practices, he should close his eyes, wherever he may be sitting or whatever work he may be doing with his hands or even if he may be lying on the cot, for 6 to 7 minutes after every hour or two, and concentrate his mind and spirit and attention on the first stage and engage in Simran and Dhyan. The mind would not become fickle in such a short time, i.e. 6 or 7 minutes, nor would it engage in any thought and impulses. In this manner, if this practice is successfully performed even ten to twelve times during day and night, one would be able to spend about an hour or so in this undisturbed practice and the devotee would, after some days, certainly experience some joy and he would feel its effect all the time. And even at the time of Bhajan and Dhyan done ordinarily, the mind would become quiet for 6 to 7 minutes each time and get some joy and gradually even this ordinary practice would also be successfully performed. Besides, this practice for a few minutes each time should also be continued at other times so that purification of the mind and the senses may be achieved quickly and more and more joy may also be available.

9. If at any time during the practices of Bhajan and Dhyan one becomes forgetful of the world and is alert within, it is an indication that the practices are being done correctly, but if one finds himself in a condition resembling sleep, and he loses consciousness, both internally and externally, it is desirable that when this condition of forgetfulness begins to appear, he should give up the practice for a few minutes and open his eyes and if drowsiness continues, he should get up and walk a few paces and then sit again for practices and if again he feels sleepy, he should repeat the above-mentioned process and if he feels sleepy even then, he should give up the practice at that time.

10. One should engage in the practices at one time for at least half an hour or twenty minutes and he should remain engaged longer in the practice (be it Bhajan or Dhyan) in which his mind concentrates easily and give less time to the other but the two practices should be performed without fail twice daily and, as far as possible, one should not miss them.

11. Ordinarily, it is desirable to engage in the practices in the mornings and evenings and there are no restrictions, regarding bathing, washing etc. and regarding the place where one should do his Abhyasa [spiritual practice]. One may sit for the practices as one likes and may sit comfortably on a soft floor and if one feels the need to attend to a call of nature, he should first relieve himself. And as regards the place, he should take care that there should be no noise or disturbance where: he performs the practices and no stranger should be present there and nobody should disturb the devotee at the time of the practices. If there is any necessity, one may call the devotee from a distance.

12. A keen devotee may sit for his practices at any place and at anytime either before taking his food or two to three hours after taking his food and may perform the practices for any length of time from 10 minutes to an hour or an hour and a quarter or even for an hour and a half as long as his mind feels inclined at one time. And when, with the Lord’s Grace, his spirit and the mind concentrate and begin to ascend upwards, he should take care in the beginning that they are not pulled upwards too much or too high and should gradually make them ascend upwards, as he may be able to tolerate, and when, on account of the ascent to higher regions, the heart may begin to feel uneasy, he should continue the practice only to the extent it can be tolerated and when he cannot put up with this condition of the heart, he should give up the practice at that time or if the withdrawal is considerable and spontaneous and one cannot put up with it or feels some trouble or fear, even then he should give up the practice and get up and again engage in the practice after some time, so that gradually he may be able to endure that condition and he should also engage in some work after the practices so that his body and mind may not become inactive and lethargic.

13. If any part of the body of the devotee becomes benumbed, languid or useless at the time of Dhyan or Bhajan, he should understand that the practice has been correctly performed. He should not have, on observing this condition, any fear or misgivings. He should slowly get up after the practices and walk for a few minutes. Weariness and languor of the body would then disappear.

NOTES:

1. The idea in ‘birah’ is that the devotee feels an intense yearning to have the Darshan [vision] of the Lord or the Satguru or to meet Him and this yearning is accompanied by anguish and agony at its not being fulfilled or at delay in its being fulfilled. The hearts of true devotees are often filled with such feelings for the Satguru or the Supreme Being.

2. i.e. the Ajia Chakra or the 6th Chakra which is the seat of the spirit in the human body. P. P. III—22

3. The word ‘Shabda’ here means poem. The poems of Saints have been called ‘Shabdas’.

Above is from, Prem Patra Radhasoami, Part 3, by Huzur Maharaj, Discourse Nine: 1-13:

https://archive.org/details/prem-patra-dayalbagh-part-3/page/169/mode/2up

Lost Secrets of the Sethian Gnostics and Other Mystic Paths, by James Bean

 

Lost Secrets of the Sethian Gnostics and Other Mystic Paths, by James Bean

At one of the forums I belong to someone asked me about why mystic paths like the Sethian Gnostics kept the techniques of the spiritual practice a secret, for initiates only, between master and student. My reply is below.

Have attempted to find out what the Sethians used the names for according to a few scholarly texts on Sethianism: The Five Seals: Baptismal Rites in Sethian Gnosticism, by By J. Pedro Feliciano, Apocalypse of the Alien God, Dylan M. Burns, also, Sethian Gnosticism and The Platonic Tradition, by John Turner.

The five Sethian names (Harmoz-el, Oroia-el, Daveithai, El-eleth, and Autogenes, the “Self-Begotten One”) likely were used at an initiate’s baptism, five immersions in a river (living water). Since these names also correspond to five heavenly realms, one wonders if these names, these passwords of power, were also used in their spiritual practice as part of the ascension of the soul. Names corresponding to heavenly regions are used that way in other schools of spirituality (Kabbalah, Sufism, and Sant Mat). Also, even the baptism itself might have been about more than a water ritual bath and could have had a meditative component, a mystical experience. Some of the texts suggest this.

On secrecy. The downside of secrecy is that these sorts of mystic traditions do quickly get lost, are quite fragile. Usually mystic paths die off or dry up after a few generations. Without a master there are no more students and the secrets disappear. There are many reasons why esoteric paths keep their practices secret. If their methods were in the public domain such far-out talk of visions and experiencing the heavens would invite persecution from various hylic brethren committed to other religious ideologies that have no room for mysticism or a present-tense kingdom of God. The hylics seem to be really good a wielding the sword.

Another reason for the secrecy is to preserve their ways from being corrupted by those who would plagiarize and set up their own neo Sethian paths. Inner experience is something not only taught, but also caught. Students meditating with a genuine master are given a jump-start. The heavens open more easily in the presence of such saints.

So the purity of the path rests upon it being lead by a competent spiritual teacher who himself or herself experiences the heavens and mysteries being discussed. Thus the secrecy factor is an attempt at accreditation, to preserve the integrity of a line of masters, successors, with them and only them initiating people.

This never is a complete success however. There are opportunists in every generation giving rise to fake or deceptive gnostic teachers, fake sants, fake sufis, pseudo kabbalists, and so on. But there is at least some hope many will reach a good teacher who was legitimately appointed by their teacher and faithfully lives the path they represent.

My friend Don Howard has written about this: Evaluating Spiritual Teachers — In Search of a Worthy, Genuine, Competent, Qualified Spiritual Teacher: https://spiritualawakeningradio.com/QualifyingASpiritualTeacherByDonHoward.pdf

One of my blogs: Recognizing Genuine, Advanced Spiritual Masters of Inner Light and Sound — Helpful Points: https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/recognizing-genuine-advanced-spiritual-masters-of-inner-light-and-sound-helpful-points-976f3f2c730d

A Sant Mat Ahimsa Prayer of Peace

 

A Sant Mat Ahimsa Prayer of Peace

It’s not always easy to live up to these principles in a world where few know of them. This is such a beautiful, eloquent prayer. It’s something that one could ponder and recite each and every day for life. It’s called the “Prarthana-panchak se” by Ramesvarananda Saheb, a guru or sadhu in a lineage associated with Guru Kabir and Sant Dharam Das. It’s translated in David Lorenzen’s book, “Praises to a Formless God”, SUNY Press, NY.

O Gurudev, give me peace,

Give worthy feelings, worthy intelligence.

Give mutual cooperation.

Give purity to my heart.

Let there be pure feelings in my mind.

Let there be pure conduct by my body.

May my speech be free of falsity and slander.

May the sentiment of devotion increase.

May my thoughts not be agitated

by the ripening of innate karma.

May my body and mind be healthy,

May my worship be free of obstacles.

May I remain in the presence of Saints

and be filled with the sentiment of devotion.

May I swim across the ocean of samsara, the ocean

filled with passion, hate, change and fear.

Let there be neglect for wicked persons

and compassion for the destitute,

Happiness among those of good conduct

and friendship with good people.

May buffoonery cease and may we delight

in the words that lead across samsara [this world of changes].

May we be happy in the study of wisdom;

May we keep our minds under control.

May we have hope of refuge with the Satguru,

May we have no fear of lust and other vices.

May we ever yearn for self-awakening

and have faith in the words of revelation.

May the darkness of ignorance be destroyed;

May the lamp of knowledge be lit.

May the law of death be forgotten,

and immortality be expanded.

May there be no harm done to living beings

through my words or my actions.

May I never feel the least attachment

to the objects of my senses.

May there always be happiness

and the absence of desire.

May there be an end to the power of samsara,

and a beginning to the knowledge of God.

Simran, the Practice of Remembering God in a World of Forgetfulness

 

Simran, the Practice of Remembering God in a World of Forgetfulness 

"Santmat is not some new doctrine or religion. It is very ancient. Even the Upanishads teach bindu-nada meditation. It is not only saints of this age who have spoken about it; sages of olden times also taught this. One should understand this and continue to practice it regularly." (Maharshi Mehi, Experiential Knowledge)

Simran: "Repetition of names or thoughts; in Sant Mat, the simran of worldly thoughts is controlled through the Simran of the Five Charged Names, repeated by an initiate throughout the day and when sitting for meditation as a means of collecting the thought currents at the Third Eye Center; also used as a password of sorts to higher planes and protection from Negative Power influences." (Sant Mat Glossary)

How to do Simran

"When simran of the Lord is carried out incessantly and with every breath of one’s life, it awakens one’s consciousness in the Lord. Simran of the name or names given by someone whose consciousness is awakened in God is highly beneficial because, through the medium of thought transference between master and disciple, fast success is assured. In this way the soul’s passage through the spiritual regions is expedited so it can cross those regions without hindrance.

"After assuming an easy posture, simran should be done by concentrating one’s attention between the eyebrows (which is the seat of the soul) and repeating the names with the tongue of the soul with an all-consuming absorption. Simran done in this manner overcomes the restlessness of the mind and results in a high degree of concentration." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, My Submission)

"Please concentrate your attention in the eyes [third eye center] when repeating the Holy Names. As your concentration becomes stronger many mysteries will become solved for you. As your soul having collected in the eyes turns inwards you will get more flashes of light and knowledge. Solitude brings peace and helps in spiritual progress." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh)

"The repetition of the Five Names should be performed with love and affection, fixing the attention in the eyes without putting any pressure on them, and sitting in one posture as far as possible so that you become unconscious of the body below the eyes and thought does not run outside the focus of the eyes. When you sit to listen to the Sound, try to get pleasure out of it." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh)

"The change of focus is done by constant practice and effort to rise up and fix and hold the attention at the higher centers. This is the underlying idea of the repetition of the Names. Each Name gives you an idea of something within you and above the eyes. Every time you repeat a Name attentively you are trying to rise up, and sooner or later the eye-focus will become the headquarters of your attention." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh)

"When you begin to hear the bell sound clearly in the right direction, you may give up Simran (repetition of the Holy Names) and then connect your soul with the Sound again." (Hazur Baba Sawan Singh)

"When God Almighty showers His Grace, He sends the Saints to awaken such souls who have forgotten about God Almighty and who have lost their way in this world. The Saints come, and then They awaken the souls. They tell us about the Reality. And They try to enlighten us about what is the truth. And They try to get us out of this ocean of life and death.

"Then They show us the Path. They show us the practice of doing our Bhajan Simran. And by doing so, when we go within, They again manifest that Light and Sound within. And once that Holy Sound and Light is manifested within, the darkness of ignorance, or the darkness of this veil of Maya is cast aside. And again, the soul experiences and understands all its previous births and automatically develops that love and affection for the Master and goes within.

"Therefore, Saints come into this world only to take us from this home to our True Home. They don't come here to get us entangled again in this life and death.

"So, therefore, it is incumbent on us to listen to what They have to say and follow Their instructions and do our meditations every day. We should not get swayed by the color of this world, because the color of this world is not permanent. It is only there for a few days.

"We should, therefore, focus our energies to do our meditations, to listen to Satsang every day, and to keep our aim of going back to God Almighty in front of us." (Baba Ram Singh, excerpted from an August 2024 Satsang Discourse)

IMAGE courtesy of Christopher McMahon

Prayer According to Sant Mat - Divine Prayers of the Saints - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast - Sant Mat Satsang Podcast

Prayer According to Sant Mat - Divine Prayers of the Saints - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast - Sant Mat Satsang Podcast

O August Radhaswami (Lord of the Soul),

Thou Living Self and Living Master,

Beneficent Father and Mother of All!

Be merciful – make us Thine own,

And thus save us from the snares of Time.

Past are the Golden Age and others,

Unknowing of the Heavenly Melody proper,

Yet now art Thou Merciful, in this hard Dark Age,

To chant in loud and lucid strains, the Sacred Word,

O Lord, having descended into this plane below,

Helpest Thou the living entities,

To span the Worldly-Ocean across;

To cast off the Trinity, and reach the Fourth Abode,

Whence the Living Name unfolds,

And the Living Mastership.

Bathed in Glory and Effulgent Light,

Thy servant tenders this Solemn Petition:

Grant us even The Regionless Region,

The Chief Abode, the Sphere of Bliss,

The Holy Refuge at Thy Feet,

MY LORD!

– A Prayer of Sant Daata Dayal Ji (Shiv Brat Lal) of the Radhasoami Faith, Light On Ananda Yoga, Sant Bani Books

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A few westerners over the years have voiced the opinion that, "Sant Mat is not a path that includes prayer." As a student, a bhakta (devotee) of the writings, the teachings of the classic Sants of the ages, I immediately know that such a view is utterly un-informed, but serves as yet another example in the world of religions and spiritual paths of what some have called "the Dunning–Kruger effect", defined as "a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate" what they understand, in this case, about the ancient ways of an advanced spiritual tradition existing for many generations in a Far Country (India). (See the Wikipedia entry for Dunning–Kruger effect.)

I am quite happy to proclaim to all the four directions and beyond that indeed Sant Mat, this Path of the Masters, is a path of prayer, that in the rich spiritual, mystical literature of the great Saints of the East are countless examples of heartfelt bhakti prayers of love, devotion and companionship addressed to the Friend, the Beloved, the inner Master-Power working overhead on our behalf, the Supreme Being, The Lord of Love, The Ocean of All-Consciousness, Radhaswami, the Lord of the Soul.

May we all be inspired in our own compositions of prayers as we today sample some of these great prayers of the Saints selected from across the centuries: prayers from the Sikh scriptures of India, prayers from Satguru Kabir and his followers, a prayer of Shiv Brat Lal from Light on Ananda Yoga, and we conclude with a prayer from Swami Ji Maharaj of the Radhasoami Faith from his spiritual classic, Sar Bachan Radhaswami Poetry, Volume One. (Volumes one and two of the Sar Bachan Poetry have been published in Agra.)

In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters, Radhasoami (Radhaswami),

James Bean

A Satsang Without Walls

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Says Kabir: Now What To Fear?

 

Says Kabir: Now What To Fear?

Now what to fear?

Fear merged in Fear,

I know the secret of duality.

Fears always afflicted me,

when I isolated

you from me.

One is he with the One

who sees

the inner-outer as one. 

But brute is he

who led by delusion 

makes low-high division.

Freed from my 'I',

says Kabir,

I saw Ram in all.

-- Kabir, Says Kabir... A Collection of One Hundred and Ten Poems of Kabir

Observations About Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India, by James Bean (Sant Mat History Explored)

 

Observations About Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India, by James Bean (Sant Mat History Explored)

Sant Das Maheshwari mentioned in the book, Param Sant Tulsi Sahib: "Tulsi Saheb, too, has not written anything by way of himself introducing himself and his family. It is said that he was born in the Peshwa family in the city of Poona."

One may wonder just where exactly "IT IS SAID". The whole basis for that story came not from Tulsi himself but what others eventually said about him or came to believe after his death, in other words, the lore and legend that developed around Tulsi many years later. Where IS IT SAID? This business of associating Tulsi Sahib with Peshwas of Poona goes back to an introduction to Tulsi Sahib to be found in the edition of the Ghat Ramayan first published by Belvedere Press in 1911. I do hope those who contributed to that book did good research.

Everyone has been repeating this Peshwas of Poona back-story regarding Tulsi ever since as if it's true, but I don't know that it necessarily is true. I notice Mark Juergensmeyer in, Radhasoami Reality, used rather careful language regarding this back-story.

"The common account of Tulsi Sahib’s life is that he was born into a family of Maharashtrian royalty and renounced his status to wander in search of truth." (page 25) "The common account".   

It occurs to me that the whole archetypal Prince Siddhartha-like story of Tulsi Sahib belonging to the royal lineage of the Peshwas, and then his running away from the royal court might simply be viewed as an apocryphal story composed by others after-the-fact without necessarily there being any actual historically verifiable basis for it. To do a Tulsi Sahibism here, in Tulsi Sahib parlance, only when I see with my own eyes some references by Tulsi himself will I believe Tulsi Sahib had some connection to the royal Peshwas of Poona.

The only real evidence we have for Tulsi Sahib's past associations and possible guru connections is provided internally in the books Tulsi authored: Shabdavali; Ratan Sagar, Ghat Ramayan and Padma Sagar. Examining the internal evidence in spiritual classics is the approach which is used, for instance, by Nag Hammadi scholars to analyse the textual, theological and spiritual influences upon the authors of those Gnostic gospels. This same critical analysis should also be applied to the writings of Tulsi Sahib. In other words, we can learn much about Tulsi's influences and affiliations by closely examining what he said about himself, what clues he left that we can notice, what writings he quoted from, what gurus he mentioned most frequently, what groups he was most critical of, the mystical terminology present in his writings and hymns, and what guru and Sant Mat lineage best matches or most closely resembles Tulsi's own Sant Mat path.

Shabdavali is a collection of the hymns of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. "Shabdavali ('shabds or poems') is a compilation of miscellaneous hymns and poems composed in different ragas, and it expresses different aspects of Sant Mat."  (page 27, Tulsi Sahib - Saint of Hathras, 2017 edition)

Padma Sagar: "Padma Sagar means 'Ocean of Flowers'. It is a complete composition by Tulsi Sahib, in which he provides answers to spiritual questions posed by his disciple Hriday. In addition, he also explains the technique of uniting with the Shabd within." (page 28)

Ghat Ramayan: "Ghat Ramayan... is the story of the Lord within the body -- the inner spiritual journey." (page 20) The book is organized into two parts. The first section explores the treasure of spirituality within each human being, the mysteries of creation and the inner regions. The format of the second part of Ghat Ramayan consists of questions and answers, many discussions in the form of numerous dialogues between Tulsi and followers of various spiritual paths.

Ratan Sagar: "Like Ghat Ramayan, Tulsi Sahib's Ratan Sagar ('Ocean of Jewels') is a fathomless ocean of spiritual knowledge. In this composition he describes the state of existence before the universe was created, how this universe was created, the relationship of every soul with the Lord, how the soul became a part of this creation, the reasons why the soul continually wanders through the four khanis (modes of birth) and the cycle of transmigration, and the means of the souls emancipation." (pages 23 and 24)

Ratan Sagar and Anurag Sagar: "From a spiritual perspective, there is a significant similarity between Tulsi Sahib's Ratan Sagar and Kabir Sahib's Anurag Sagar ('Ocean of Love'). This similarity is most apparent in the various sections on spirituality and the manner in which they are presented. In Anurag Sagar, Kabir Sahib's disciple Dharamdas asks questions, and Kabir Sahib answers them. Similarly, in Ratan Sagar Tulsi Sahib's disciple Hriday asks the questions, and Tulsi Sahib answers. Both books are entirely based on a question-and-answer style." (page 25)

Tulsi Sahib's Q & A dialogues format, though rare in most Sant Mat publications, is the standard approach in much of the Sant Dharamdas Kabir panth literature known as the Kabir Sagar ('Ocean of Kabir'), a collection of around forty books attributed to, or written in the name of, "Guru Kabir". The Anurag Sagar that Tulsi Sahib comments on in his Ghat Ramayan is one of the volumes of this Kabir Sagar. Tulsi Sahib's understanding that Sant Dharamdas was the true "spiritual successor of Kabir", Tulsi's usage of the Five Names (Panch Naam) Guru Mantra (originating earlier in the Dharamamdasi branch of Sant Mat, in other words, in use prior to the time of Tulsi Sahib), his reverence for the Anurag Sagar, along with scores of references to a contemporary Satguru of his day from the Dharamdasi region of Bihar by the name of Sant Dariya Sahib are all suggestive of the primary spiritual influences upon Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras.

Here in the west, Mark Juergensmeyer was actually the first one to observe this connection between Tulsi Sahib and Dariya Sahib of Bihar to the Dharamdasis, the Kabir line of gurus going back to Sant Dharam Das (the People of the Anurag Sagar, the People of the Five Names) in his 1991 book, Radhasoami Reality.

"Although not considered normative sant teachings by those outside Radhasoami, the Radhasoami complex of sant-related concepts bears a coherent and distinctive stamp. Those within the Radhasoami community have not given it a specific name, but it might be called 'esoteric santism.' It is santism because the concepts are roughly comparable to those taught by the medieval sants, yet it is esoteric, since it makes each of the sant concepts part of a special system of interior spirituality. When and where did this esoteric santism arise?" (Mark Juergensmeyer, Radhasoami Reality — The Logic of a Modern Faith, Princeton University Press, 1991, page 24)

"This connection between Dharamdasis, to which the Anurag Sagar has lead us, is confirmed by another set of writings venerated by Radhasoami leaders but little known outside of Radhasoami and Dharamdasi circles: the poetry of Dariya Sahib. Dariya Sahib was an eighteenth-century poet who lived in a Dharamdasi region of Bihar and referred to both Kabir and Dharam Das as his predecessors." (page 29)