Rev. Dr. Selvam Robertson

Radhasoami Satsang Beas Founding Place Radhasoami Satsang, is a religious organization founded by  Shiv Dayal Singh  in 1861 on V/Basant Panchami day in Agra. The main centre of RSSB is at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, located on the banks of the Beas River, in the northern India state of Punjab. Name Meaning Radha Soami  is a Hindi expression meaning "Lord of the Soul".   Radha means soul and Soami refers to True God or One God. God is swami of all souls as all souls are created by Him. Satsang   means 'association with Truth' and describes a group that seeks truth. And Beas refers to the town near which the main centre is located in northern India.             According to Mark Juergensmeyer, the term " Radhasoami " is a vaishnava phrase for God (lit. "the lord [ Swami or  Soami ] of  Radha,  the concert of  Krishna ") despite the movement does not believe in an anthropo...

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Transcendental Meditation Mahesh was born in 1918 in central India, in a non-priestly caste. Got his Bachelor degree in physics in 1940 from Allahabad University. For 13 years(till 1953) sought enlightenment under his guru Swami Brahmananda Sarawati, Sankaracharya of Jyotirmath in the Himalayas. When his guru died, asked Yogi to evolve a simple form of meditation. Then Yogi hid away in Himalayas for two years. When emerged started TM. Yogi took the title Maharishi(great seer) in 1956. In 1956 South Indians were reluctant to accept TM, because he was no Brahmin, he decided to take TM to the west. First to England and then in 1961 to America. Two historical and one intellectual reasons behind his popularity in the west. One was the conversion of the Beatles to TM (Left soon as just a waste of time). Secondly in 1965, the youth revolution for a counter culture was in full swing. Thirdly(intellectual) his ability to modify his teachi...

General Characteristics of Modern Guru Movement Gurus have been with us for a long time Today they have become popular Verities of people bow before them Guruism is now a worldwide force Guruism is a struggle for cultural independence in India and It is a struggle for counter culture in the west. India - Cultural independence:   guruism may be revival of Indian culture West- there was catholic theology, the protestant reformation and humanist enlightenment. In this context the west was searching for something new. That was the time guruism came. Meaning of Guru: Gur – u   i.e. he tortures, kills or eats up the ignorance of his disciples, elevates or makes efforts to elevate his character and ultimately leads him to the path of salvation. The word Guru is not in the Vedas because mainly sacrifices In the Upanishad the idea of guru developed. Here it means the one who gives religious instruction. In puranas and Tantra guru is the inventor...

Achariya Rajneesh Bhagavan, Oso Rajneesh was   a brilliant person yet he was anti-intellectual. His original name was Rjneesh Chandra Mohan. Born in Madhya Pradesh, on December 11, 1931.   His father Babulall was a business man. 1944 to 51 studied at Jabalpur, and obtained BA degree. In 1957 he completed his post-graduation in philosophy from university of Saugar.   He was a versatile student Exquisite painter Voracious reader Poet and amateur photographer. Poor economic condition at home. He   worked as editor for   a daily news paper Navabharat. From1957 to 1967 taught philosophy in two colleges. Then he resigned his job and concentrated on spiritual regeneration of humanity. He thought the spiritual regeneration of mankind was just around the corner. After resigning his job he continued to stay in Jabalpur for some time.   He also travelled lecturing Then made his headquarter in Bombay where his morning sea ...

Nirankari Sikhs During the reign of Maha Raja Ranjit Singh , Hindus so western Punjab and Deraja came under the influence of Sikhism. Few accepted the Pahul and joined the Khalsa fraternity. Others remained Hindu, but gave up worship of Hindu gods and the recitation of Hindu Vedas They read granth and joined gurdwaras. They were half Hindus and Half Sikhs. Dayal Das (d. 18550 ) a bullion merchant/shopkeeper of Peshawar belonged to this Hindu-sikh community. He condemned idol worship, obeisance to holy men, pilgrimages and Brahmanical ritual and Hindu deities. Taught that salvation is through meditation on the   name of God Therefore, Nirankaris meet for morning worship in their dharma Salas. They accepted Nanak as Guru and Adi granth   as sacred scripture. In order to be different from Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, they threw the dead into water.   He taught that god is one and was formless (nirankar). He called himself as Nirankar...

Gurdwara Reforms Rise of the Akali Immortals Singh Sabha made the Sikhs conscious of their rights. Educated began to press for their due in services. Masses wanted to control their gurdwaras. There were no rules for the administration of Sikh shrines. Often Mahants (priests), often Hindus, asserted proprietary rights. Income of certain Gurdwaras, like Golden temple in Amritsar etc ran into several lakh per year. Many years Sikh associations carried on civil litigation against the mahants. But later more vigorous opposition started. Gurdwara Income and management: The first Sikh temple, Nanak established at Kartarpur, then a simple dharamsal (place of worship) where disciples gathered to listen him and sing. Later dharmasal became place for all religious activities (baptism, marriage, etc) There was a guru-ka-langar and a school for children. It also became pancayatghar where community disputes are settled.   For maintenance and charitable...