Shiv Dayal Singh's Path of Sat Naam Anami - Studies in Sant Mat Radhasoami History, by James Bean
Swami Ji Maharaj (Seth Shiv Dayal Singh, Sant Radhaswami Saheb)
Baba Devi Sahab was in possession of a hand-written manuscript of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras printed at Hathras itself in the year of 1896, and had it published: “The book Ghat Ramayan is said to be the work of Tulsi Saheb of Hathras. The first edition of this book was published by one Munshi Devi Prasad Saheb, alias Devi Sahib. Subsequently, an edition was brought out in the year 1911 from Belvedere Press…” (The Esoteric Meaning of the Ramayan, by S.D. Maheshwari, Agra)
Above is from my booklet on the Essential Teachings of Baba Devi Sahab of Moradabad.
Was just looking at a new English translation of the Preface of Tulsi Sahib's Ghat Ramayan authored by Baba Devi. He begins by listing various planes and chakras: "Anaam (Nameless/Wordless), Agam, and Alakh, Sat Lok (Naam/Name/Sound/ Word), Bhanwar Gufaa (Whirling or Spiralling Cave), Mahaasunna (Greater Void), and Sunna or Shoonya (Void), Trikuti, Sahastradal Kamal (Thousand Petalled Lotus), Shat Chakra or Ajna Chakra, Kantha Chakra, Hridaya Chakra, Naabhi Chakra, Indri Chakra, Guda Chakra", and includes short paragraphs about each of these.
Om Parkash Kaushal writes: “They [the parents of Seth Shiv Dayal Singh] were the followers of Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. Thus the family guru can be the guru of the child.” (“The Radhasoami Movement”, page 24)
“Gradually, Tulsi Sahab attracted a large number of followers and disciples from among the high caste Brahmins as well as the low caste Sudras. They came from the poor classes, as also from the affluent. He used to visit towns and cities in U.P. and among his disciples were Seth Dilwali Singh Sahab of Agra [Soami Ji’s father], his wife Mahamaya, his mother, his mother in-law and sister. They were all keen disciples of Tulsi Sahab. He used to pay visits to them in Agra, stay in their home in Panni Gali, and hold satsangs there.” (Entry for Param Sant Tulsi Sahib in, “Radhasoami White Paper on the Religion of Sants and RadhaSoami Faith”, published by Dayal Bagh in Agra)
Baba Devi's Conversation With Huzur Maharaj Rai Saligram of Agra (The Radhasoami Satsang)
Baba Devi told, ‘I am disciple of Sant Tulsi Sahab and he himself has blessed me.’ Then Shaligram Sahab became very glad to hear it and told [Baba Devi] that ‘you were the member of my own family because, Sant Tulsi Sahib was my most reverend.’ Rai Sahab further explained about the association of his Guru (master), Shiv Dayal Swami Ji and Sant Tulsi Sahab’s disciple Giridhari Das. He disclosed that his Guru Shiv Dayal ji used to tell that he (Shiv Dayal) had been greatly benefited with the association of Baba Giridhari Das, a disciple of Sant Tulsi Sahab.” (“The Biography of Baba Devi Sahab”, excerpted in English at the SadguruMehi website on a web page titled, “Life And Teachings of Baba Devi Sahab”).
“Soamiji in his Discourses has said that his surat descended into the dark regions of Mahasunn but could neither locate the bottom or the end of it nor did it feel it worthwhile to go down any further. Thereafter, his surat adhering to the signs as revealed to him by his Gurus ascended upwards. Here Soamiji says that it was the inner Mercy of his Satguru Tulsi Saheb and that of Maharaj Girdhari Das Ji whose Satsang he attended for a very long period of time.” (Anmol Vachan of Garib Das)
"Shabad from Girdhari's Disciple Radhasoami [Soami Ji Maharaj]
"My MASTER introduced me to the identity of
Soul,
and I realised the self as highest element. (Main)
The Formless Purush is beyond the second door.
Beholding Him, the soul became blissful. (1)
Inside this body is the whole creation of the Vedas,
The Perfect MASTER showed this to me. (2)
Inside is seen brilliant sunlight
and in the inner sky
a huge ocean. (3)
Inside the inner cave are billions of suns."
(Hymn of Swami Ji Maharaj from the Lucknow Satsang including mention of "Girdhari's disciple Radhasoami")
From corresponding with Prof. Daniel Gold I am told that other gurus of the Hathras lineage have also composed the same heaven ascending style of esoteric poetry like we find with Swami Ji and Saligram in the Sar Bachan and Prem Bani volumes, that this too, rather than being a new invention of Radhaswami, represents a continuation of the earlier Hathras approach to mystic poetry, bani and bhajans.
David Lane, accompanied by Mark Juergensmeyer, recalling a visit to India and an encounter with Sant Prakash Das of the Tulsi Sahib Hathras Mandir: “…The Mahant we spoke with in Hathras (1978) said Tulsi gave out the Five Names…. He was part of Tulsi’s lineage.” (Radhasoami Studies)
“The Faith I had given out was that of Sat Naam and Anami." (Swami Ji Maharaj, Last Words, Dayalbagh translation)
"317. When Swamiji Maharaj left his body in the year 1878, he had advised that his belief was in Satnaam and Anami..." (Anmol Vachan of Sant Garib Das, one of the successors of Swami Ji Maharaj)
Soamiji replicating Hathras teachings by way of past life memories or tapping into some astral library or cosmic bank of knowledge from some higher plane to learn of the Five Names and of the path of Sat Naam and Anami as taught in Hathras would be quite the bizarre stretch of sectarian imagination indeed. Based on statements from Sant Garib Das Ji and others, the case is very strong for Swami Ji Maharaj (Shiv Dayal Singh of Agra) being an initiate of Sant Tulsi Sahib and associating with his successor Girdhari Das, thus explaining why his path, like Hathras, was of that of Sat Naam Anami, why he also initiated people with the Five Names and taught other practices reflecting the Sant Mat path that he and his family associated with, the satsang of Tulsi Sahib based in Hathras and Lucknow.
See, The Sant Mat Radhasoami E-Library - Sant Mat Radhaswami Books - Main Page:
https://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com/2019/01/sant-mat-radhasoami-books-main-page-e.html
