13. Religious Reformation and Spiritual Evolution © 2015 – Matt Sharpe

 

 

 The concept of reformation, in the context of a religion or any spiritual path, is hardly a new one. Many in the West only use the word reformation in the context of the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century, the flames of which were ignited by Martin Luther in 1517-19 by his writing The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. From this movement, many groups left the Roman Catholic Church in protest of its clerical abuses and its nepotism, simony, usury, pluralism, and the sale of indulgences. Of course the Roman Catholic Church did not agree with those who sought to further their own doctrines which had been mere reinterpretations of concepts promoted by the Catholic Church. To say nothing more than that would be inaccurate. Some of the Catholic doctrines were simply done away with altogether, while others were completely reinterpreted. This is just one manifestation of human consciousness evolving over time, and while there are always at least two sides to any story, the end result is most often a further expansion of understanding of the ideas that are considered further evolved as well as the reasons why others were done away with. And of course, there are many faceted opinions and points of view concerning the previous beliefs and interpretations as well as all newer ones.

 

     It is not always apparent which side is the furthest evolved, and generally speaking a number of confrontations and conflicts tend to erupt between the opposing sides. This has always been the case that history shows throughout the ages. Hinduism, the most aged religion that exists today, has had several split offs from its core doctrines, and not all of these reformations necessarily agree with each other on every specific aspect of what is considered important. Because of this, there can also be seen many instances of violence and hatred between any opposing groups, in most cases happening on each side of each issue.

 

    Throughout human history development of one kind or another has always happened. And the values considered important and worth striving for by one group in one period, will never necessarily be accepted by all others. This leads to a great deal of back and forth between ideas and concepts, but overall, throughout time, the best and most sustainable of these wins out by necessity, sometimes bringing changes into even the first group. And although these ideas and goals may change, human culture learns to attain its next step. This is just one reason that so many various religious and spiritual paths exist. None is ever correct and despite some claiming this to be the case, reformers will always arise within them eventually. Those who find the current rules and customs of a society or religion lacking, will work towards changing them. This happens in every level of being, from societal to scholastic, economic, governmental and spiritual.

 

   There is always another point to reach that will either better or worse conditions for the people concerned. The struggle between the two opposites is a constant one in these lower planes and states of being, and it serves a specific purpose, that of spiritual evolution by direct experience. The learning may vary widely, from the most harsh and shocking and undesirable experiences to the utmost of the positive sort. The wide variance enables a degree of direct experience that inevitably leads to knowingness of spiritual principles and every possible shade of interpretation that could ever be put upon them by any Soul. These physical situations echo the same from the planes above this one, but still within the grouping of lower states. These struggles may often lead to war between two countries, and the same most often happens with religions also. Regardless of the side one finds themselves on in a religious split, it is of utmost importance for all to recognize that those others are also Soul, that they have a right to exist, as does any new religious path that may spring out of the original confrontation or disagreement, regardless of the negative opinions that any may keep concerning any of these.

 

   This has always been a common experience for mankind on earth. Even if one looks back to the earliest of times long before organized religion began its existence, one will still find disagreement, followed by conflict, and then by a split of the two or more opposing groups, and potentially the system of spiritual beliefs and practices being used.

 

   Shamanism is one example that many consider one of the earliest and most original forms of human spirituality and presence. One characteristic that can be easily identified within any native shamanic group is a semblance of sameness, of keeping the traditions of old, and of mutual respect for what might be differing traditions or practices. Many groups have a great deal in common in the way they see relations between their own and other groups, but at the same time there is still always a degree of advancement. Over time certain factors will inevitably change and give way to newer and more effective ways of achieving the same goal, and the goals themselves may also expand from the place they began.

 

   Now, having said that, it is important to also point out the overall of these factors, one of which is a staunch part of many groups’ shamanic teachings, that being that the original ways and methods were discovered, adopted and used for good reason. And while a shamanic leader may very well discover newer and better things along his path in life, this generally does not ever cause the original methodology to be changed other than to perhaps add newer pieces of wisdom, experience and sometimes methodology to what had always existed before. In this way shamanic paths are indeed living paths, that are literally alive and able to grow and change to whatever degree may become necessary at a given point, while also continuing to honor the same traditions that have been passed down from its inception. Only teachings that are completely dead never change or evolve or expand.

 

    The great many differing ways and paths in India came to be known collectively as Hinduism, and other groupings emerged from that original one. The Jain “conqueror” (from the Sanskrit Jina, conqueror of the lower passions) evolved from within the Hindu path, eventually developing into a completely different area than it had begun from, having differing beliefs and ways of accomplishing enlightenment. Jainism counts the Hindu caste system as one of the reasons it came into being, but despite this, those of the Jain Dharma still use the caste system themselves. Much like Jainism, Buddhism came to be as a reaction to the same caste system. Regardless, the first Tirthankara who brought Jainism into being, did not find success in bringing the caste system to an end. It must be noted here that there is no physical evidence that Rishabha, that first tirthankara ever existed, and his legend claims him to have been the first world teacher and one who first brought a semblance of tribal order to the world. That tradition makes it quite clear that Jains see themselves as being the original and true path, and likewise, Hindus see themselves in this same light as having been the founders of religion amongst mankind, however, whatever the truth may be is lost from history.

 

   Siddartha Gautama was born a Hindu but went forth to abandon the wealth and title he had inherited and sought to help all groups of people, regardless of gender or caste making his contribution to spiritual evolution as distinctive and important as was Rishabha’s for introducing non-violence or ahimsa and renunciation or sunyasa, which has the same meaning as detachment or vairag. It is notable that these ideas are present in one form or another within these three Indian religions, although the definitions for each may differ from one path to the other. This again is another example of reinterpretation. It is also worth mentioning that the first Jain tirthankara, Rishibha can also to be found in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures.

 

   Yet another reformation that came about from within Sanatana Dharma, or what we know today as Hinduism, is that of Sikhism. Nanak, the founder, was born into a traditional Hindu family, that in the fifteenth century lived among their Mughal (Muslim) conquerors. When he reached the age of thirteen, it was Hindu custom that he be given the sacred thread, but at the ceremony, that was attended by his family and friends alike, he refused that thread and instead uttered a comment about a different interpretation of the idea of a sacred thread. It is said to have been these words:  1 “Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, Continence the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a thread, Do give it to me. It’ll not wear out, nor get soiled, nor burnt, nor lost.” Says Nanak, “blessed are those who go about wearing such a thread”

 

   As can be seen by his words, he introduced that priest to another interpretation of the idea of the sacred thread, and by all accounts the priest was impressed and perhaps even further enlightened by Nanak’s reinterpretation. Much like his contemporary Kabir, Nanak had daily dealings with both Muslims and Hindus, and bore no attachment to the prejudices that one had against the other group. Until one day he went to the river to bathe as on any other day and according to the story did not surface for three days, only to resurface at the end of that period exclaiming publicly, 2 “There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self-illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.”

 

   These words were kept, and even to this very day form the opening of his Japji, which is also the opening section of the Guru Granth Sahib. From the moment he emerged from the river (and personally I consider that tale complete legend, being that such a tale of a miraculous enlightenment can only be for the purpose of proof to those who are not Sikhs, and that is not a motivation that any true Guru would use) it is said that he remained in a trance, and that he went home and quit his job, and took all of his belongings and distributed them to the poor. He then made a public statement concerning his realization, 3 “There is no Hindu, no Muslim.” Daulat Khan then commented to Nanak, “Perhaps the Hindus were no longer Hindus but the Muslims remain devout to their faith.” To which Nanak replied, “Let God’s grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honor.”

 

   From that time, he spent several years traveling India and speaking to various saints, and going even up into the Himalayas as well as to Arabia, speaking with many in his inclusive way and gaining the respect of many, all without ever accepting a belief in a holy trinity or believing that God could be born on earth as an Avatar. While in Mecca, he was reproached for sleeping with his feet towards the sacred Kaaba, to which Nanak replied, 4 “Show me a direction where God is not.”  And this shows yet another reinterpretation that the Muslim in question hadn’t expected but still was unable to deny. It is important to remember that the term Sikh means not only a learner, but is in that religion’s interpretation more specific, the learner being a chela, a student of the Enlightener or Guru. And of course, this is how Eckankar came to use this term also with the same specific interpretation.

 

   In this inclusive way, both Kabir and Nanak found the way to not only gain respect from those who were the most likely to be offended by them, but to also view them as also being children of God, despite the use of rituals and different terminologies. These two refused to be limited by the more habit and ritual oriented systems that other religions in their areas followed. Nanak was one of the ten Sikh Gurus who was not martyred, and Kabir’s corpse was wanted by both Hindus and Muslims, so that they could observe their own death customs for his funeral. They both literally claimed him as one of their own.

 

   Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, India, was the first individual to refer to collectively the various paths of the Sants as Sant Mat, the way of saints. The same term as a single word had been used before, but he somewhat reinterpreted it and used it to refer to many of the Indian bhakti Sound and Light paths, and this term eventually became the common term for that grouping of paths. In the following quote, he gives the reason that he came to include these varying similar paths under a single grouping. In his Ghat Ramayan  he says: 5 “The principles and tenets of Sant Mat are one and the same, only there is a difference in terminology. Since the same principles have been stated using different names, you become confused and do not understand them. Sat Saheb, that is, Sat Purush, has been described as Sat Nam. And Sar Shabd (True Shabd) has been called A-Nam. The name Nirgun has been given to Niranjan and it is the mind which has been called Ram. What Kabir had said, has been said by other Sants, too. Kabir explained Sant Mat in his own way, other Sants in other ways. The religion of all those who have gained access within is one and the same. Those who lack true understanding, adhere to dogmas and blind beliefs. Those who have spoken on the basis of inner experiences, have sung of the same Panth or path for reaching the Lord.” He also outlined the structure of there being fourteen various planes from the Pinda or Physical Plane to the region of Sant Desh where according to him, the Godhead could be found.

 

   From these earlier religions, and the constant tradition of religious reformation and spiritual inquiry and evolution, we arrive to the place where Eckankar came into being, and that happening because of more reinterpretation of spiritual principles as well as not only a religious reformation, but also a complete melding of aspects from different systems into one path. Some find fault with Eckankar because of the aspects of other religions it took and made into another new path of spirituality, among them traits found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Sant Mat, Sufism, Judaism, as well as apocryphal Christianity and others.

 

   Many know that in 1963 Paul Twitchell and his soon to be wife Gail Anderson went to see Kirpal Singh on one of his US tours. They were initiated into Ruhani Satsang at that point. Many have the idea that this was where he had stolen the ideas of Sant Mat from in the first place, however, that idea brings something of a contradiction into play simply because reformation is a thing that has happened often within Sant Mat, and that Sant Mat itself is a reformation of Hinduism. Keep in mind that reformation and reinterpretation are used in this piece to mean much the same thing.

 

   Shiv Dayal Singh who was influenced if not initiated by Param Sant Tulsi Saheb, went on to found the Agra Satsang of Radhasoami. A person claimed later, that he had been initiated there by Soami Maharaj (Shiv Dayal Singh) and had been sent out by him to start another satsang in the Punjab, but there has never been any evidence of this being true. So Jaimal Singh went to Beas and began a satsang there, which still exists today and is also known as Radhasoami Satsang Beas. He made the first split off, told his students that he was a Sant when he hadn’t ever been made one. The Beas satsang operated and gathered more chelas while also editing the Radhasoami texts already written by Soamiji Maharaj. Three days before he died,Jaimal Singh was called to the council in Agra, and charged with impersonating a Guru and was excommunicated entirely from the parent branch of Radhasoami, an action that to this very day is on record as having happened, while what is missing from those same records, is Jaimal Singh ever having been initiated by Soami Maharaj, nor any indication that the Guru even knew his name or that he existed.

 

      After he died, Sawan Singh took over after having been sent there to keep an eye on Jailmal Singh years earlier, he however was initiated by one of the Agra Sant Sat Gurus, and always sat at their feet when in Agra. He was an initiator, which is definitely the next step below being a Sant, but he himself never claimed to actually be a Sant or master. Chelas treated him as one regardless. Sawan had one chela named Kirpal Singh. Kirpal claimed, but could never prove, that Sawan had ordered him to build yet another satsang,which he did and named it Ruhani Satsang in Delhi, this was shortly after Pakistan became a separate nation. As can be seen, there are incidences of questionable veracity involved in the lives of some individuals that had been initiated. When Sawan Singh died, another took over as his successor in Beas, which firmly indicates that Kirpal had been given no such job as he had claimed. Kirpal’s claim to Sant hood was also completely without any physical record of ever having happened, and it is worth noting here that Kirpal considered Jaimal Singh to be a Param Sant Guru. These facts make Kirpal yet another split off, from the original split off, and it is notable that Kirpal also make changes to the texts that were written by Shiv Dayal Singh and edited by Jaimal Singh.

 

  

   This clearly shows the means that Sant Mat took to come to Paul Twitchell, and it came definitely by multiple reformations. Paul spoke of Sawan as having been the last Sant present in the Beas line. He did not consider Kirpal a Sant at all. It is also notable that the things from Sant Mat that he used in Eckankar, tended to show in his writings as being closer to the unadulterated teachings of the Agra Satsang, however, that is simply my own opinion, Not all agree, but, none of them care to answer to the point I have raised here about a teaching system being “stolen” by those who were given no job of doing so, and they’re then being readapted to fit whatever that person in question decided to teach.

If they could all do it, why then is there any problem with Paul Twitchell having done something similar?

 

 

   While it has already been found that spiritual evolution and religious advancement are necessary aspects of religion and would happen regardless, now we must also look at the issue of copyright infringement concerning Eckankar.The world’s first copyright law was passed in Great Britain and was the Statute of Anne 1710, with the full title being as follows, “An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned.” Laws and privileges concerning matters relating primarily to books have been passed in various countries, but before movable type was invented, all books had to be hand-written, meaning that all copying had to be done by hand. This is one factor that made books so expensive and a thing that only the rich could afford to own. Most writing was done by literate slaves who could not be attained cheaply, so any unauthorized copy of a book costed at least the same as an official edition of the same text. This also plays into the practice during the middle ages where priests and monks had literacy and where people who wrote books and made copies. An abbey or monastery was a place where one could gain an education,  and many historical texts have come from that tradition.

 

    One must remember  that throughout history a majority of the common people were uneducated and unable to read, much less able to write anything. That coincided with the Catholic church’s monopoly on books in Europe. They could control the information by exercising this control and by having among their ranks the monks that knew how to read and write, some of whom for various reasons came to have views that challenged the Roman Catholic view of their religion. Some heresies were quashed out of existence while others remained and were taught and passed down through the ages. One religious system virtually controlled all the texts produced within the European continent, while still others had sway in other areas of the world, and at the time, every culture had no access to other cultures beyond their borders. Then came the printing press which changed everything by lowering the costs of producing a book or copying one that already existed. So while for centuries, those who did write controversial things might claim that they were written by a saint to avoid being suspected of heresy, things eventually developed to a place where copyright laws came into being.

 

   While everyone did not possess the right to freely copy the work of another, it did happen throughout the entire history of the world, even from as basic a form as one hearing another tell a story, and they then traveling to another village and retelling the same story while taking credit for it. Whether or not one is for or against copyright protections on a work, the factor I want the reader to consider is would a true spiritual Master copy books that he did not write? As far as I am aware of, the idea that one would not, is not necessarily true. One must remind themselves that to see this issue objectively, one needs to abandon any thoughts or opinions they may have on the issue before reading this, for the sake of a fair assessment of the matter. In the twenty-first century with books so widely available and with the internet, it is very easy to look at the subject with the point of view that is so prevalent today rather than at how things were in an earlier time.

 

   In today’s world anyone who plagiarizes will likely be caught and be sued over the matter. But this has not always been the case, and the point of view from the world of spiritual Mastery, is one that so few of us ever achieve, it is simply unlikely that the majority will, and therefore cannot have an honest and non-prejudiced view on what we call copyright infringement. This is compounded by the fact that there were indeed copyright laws in effect in the early twentieth century. Could a man who would do such a thing be an honest man, much less a spiritual Master? And if he was, would not his Master point out to him that this was a thing he should not do? Both of these assumptions are generally accepted by those who are not Masters and also happen to bear a grudge against Eckankar, which is fine, it can never be forced down anyone’s throat, much less one who sees it in a vastly different way than the average ECKist does. Paul Twitchell, the founder of Eckankar did his share of plagiarisms, and while there has been a level of controversy about that since the late nineteen-seventies and many have left this path because of these plagiarisms, that point of view is not one that is shared by everyone.

 

   The inner truths are not subject to physical law, nor does having them written anywhere effect their veracity. They simply exist, regardless of any individual’s recognition of them, the level of understanding that one may have or not, nor anyone’s opinions on those matters. In much of the Indian Sant Mat literature, more modern Sants claim that a true Sant would have an extremely fine moral fiber, however, the very idea is ridiculous because it is a contradiction, a double standard. All morals, and opinions about them are things that exist within the Mental Planes, which are part of the lower planes and are out of contact with the first truly spiritual realm which one must attain to even be able to become a Sant. Once attained by the individual, others seem to expect that Sant to be incapable of doing a wrong, or even a questionable deed, but this is entirely fictitious, as is the idea that such a Soul is literally an Avatar, or God manifested personally on earth to walk among humanity to “save” Souls.

 

   Many disagree, and I have no problem with that, but the reality is that any Soul, regardless of their level of attainment, conscious and being, can potentially fall from grace only to come crashing back down and find themselves trapped back within the cycles of karma and reincarnation, or Samsara, and even worse, it is freely chosen by that individual. Within the initiation structure of Eckankar, a Sant is Self-Realized, which means to become a fifth initiate, or an initiate of the Soul Plane, the first area that is beyond duality. In our path they cannot be considered a true Master at all, as there are several more levels of experience to go through to develop one’s beingness to ever greater degrees. Sant Mat considers a Sant to be a master at achieving consciousness beyond duality, and while this is true, it does not fulfill what we in Eckankar consider a Master to be. While many within Sant Mat ridicule the plagiarisms and consider them to prove the path inappropriate and wrong, most that feel this way seem unable to see that that is in itself a contradiction and one that goes against what Tulsi Sahib of Hathras said above. It also must be noted, that if what they claimed had any actual validity, it would also mean that the words plagiarized as well as the concepts they embody, would also have to have been without value from the start, otherwise they would not work at all, for the Sant who first spoke or wrote them, to any that came along after to use them in any way, whether that be plagiarism or the use by one from that direct lineage of teachings.

 

   A particular lineage of teachings becomes rather difficult to use also, because it has at this point become nothing but another ritual and mental expectation, both things that Sants have always disavowed. As can be seen, there can be several troubling double standards involved with the teachings of some groups, so one does themselves a favor to investigate closely, any group they are considering joining or becoming involved with. The Sugmad (or  Sarmad or Anami or Absolute or God or any other name used to signify the Nameless Eternal) has seen fit to provide any number of paths to IT, so that one is always available to everyone, and that they can always find one that fits they and their state of consciousness the best. And as has been shown throughout history as being true of the true Sufis, Hindus, Sants, Sikhs, and any number of other paths, the mental terms, names, and symbolic references as well as ritual patterns and systems of belief, are mere stepping stones along the way of attaining the Soul’s pure and unadulterated consciousness, which from that point on looks at all religions merely as different ways and means of attaining that same state, each having had no other means of becoming manifest in the outer physical world than by ITS being brought out through the consciousness and mind of an individual who attempts to make it able to be understood and thus directly experienced by others.

 

   Eckankar maintains that it is no better than any other path or religion, because all of them are after the same goal. It has been at times described as the most direct or fastest way home to not only the pure spiritual planes, but also to the Sugmad ITSELF. And while this may be true now, it shall not always be so, simply because this is the cycle that spiritual paths face in the outer world, and as all previous paths before it have fallen and lost that direct Spiritual Current within them, this one too shall eventually fall from grace in being able to give an individual the tools that can be used for direct experiential learning from the Sound Current. When that occurs, another will come along eventually to replace its predecessor as being the most direct and unfiltered spiritual path. And it too will of course take itself through the very same cycle, regardless of the amount of time it takes for that to happen. This is yet another factor that clearly demonstrates that no one path is necessarily any better than any other.

 

   I have left out specific mention of other reformations or religious disagreements that led to differing sects within a spiritual path. Many are to be found within Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and likely in many religions on the planet. Even Eckankar has had separatists that have left to found their own religious paths using remarkably similar systems, Adepts, spiritual Laws, and other thing. Some of these only go so far as to claim that the current Living ECK Master no longer has any authority to call himself this, or to be the spiritual leader of Eckankar. This generally because of an impatience and an expectation to be formally announced by Sri Harold Klemp as his official successor. When this does not occur, they lose patience and declare themselves to be the Living Master, changing the name to something else as the terms used by Eckankar formally are copyrighted since the advent of the first of these split off paths that began while Sri Paul Twitchell was still alive and at the helm of the teachings.

 

   Viveka, or Right Discernment has become a necessity for those trying to work their way through amid all of these constant choices, but this merely serves Sugmad’s purpose, as well as ITS patience and detachment. IT cares not how long any individual Soul chooses to take in making Its climb back to Its True Home. And there certainly are a great number of choices for one to choose from while seeking their way. No path or religion can avoid its own spiritual evolution, and even the most selfish and negative of paths will have the same occur within them. This is the way of things because this is the Will of the Godhead, and none can escape this. This makes a certainty of the idea that Soul must go through every experience possible, from the lowest and worst, to the very highest and most spiritual. Nothing less can create a true spiritual Master, regardless of the religion or outer teachings that that one might be a part of at any age in history. This is a Universal Truth that exists within these lower, dualistic worlds. Which way will you choose?

 

1  “Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, Continence the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a thread, Do give it to me. It’ll not wear out, nor get soiled, nor burnt, nor lost.” Says Nanak, “blessed are those who go about wearing such a thread”

                                                                                                                                 From Sikhism and Indian Civilization p. 52 by Raj Pruthi

 

2 “There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.”

                               From The Mool Mantra in the Japji by Guru Nanak

 

3   From Adventures In Religious Life: The Book That Makes Life Meaningful – By Swami Yatiswarananda pages 25 and 26: ‘ Continuing the tradition of the great seers of the Vedas who declared: “Truth is One, but sages call it by various names” , in the 15th and 16th centuries, Kabir and Nanak proved the reality and essential unity of all religions by their own spiritual experience. Kabir declared:  “God is one whether we worship him as Allah or as Rama…There is one Father of Hindu or Mussalman, one God in all matter; He is Lord of all the earth, the Guardian in my breast.” ” Hari dwelleth in the South (Benares); Allah has His place in the West (Mecca). Search in thy heart, search in the heart of hearts, there is His abode and peace.”

 

 

  4 “Show me a direction where God is not.” He further declared: ” God has said that man will be saved by his work alone. He will ask a man not his tribe or sect, what he has done. He alone is a good Hindu whose heart is just, and he only is a good Mohammedan whose life is pure.”      From Adventures In Religious Life: The Book That Makes Life Meaningful – By Swami Yatiswarananda

 

5  From Ghat Ramayan  by Param Sant Tulsi Sahib  “The principles and tenets of Sant Mat are one and the same, only there is a difference in terminology. Since the same principles have been stated using different names, you become confused and do not understand them. Sat Saheb, that is, Sat Purush, has been described as Sat Nam. And Sar Shabd (True Shabd) has been called A-Nam. The name Nirgun has been given to Niranjan and it is the mind which has been called Ram. What Kabir had said, has been said by other Sants, too. Kabir explained Sant Mat in his own way, other Sants in other ways. The religion of all those who have gained access within is one and the same. Those who lack true understanding, adhere to dogmas and blind beliefs. Those who have spoken on the basis of inner experiences, have sung of the same Panth or path for reaching the Lord.”

 

6  This item about Sawan Singh’s actual purpose at the Beas Satsang was given to me when I was summoned by Param Sant Tulsi Sahib who wanted to go over certain aspects of the history of Sant Mat. That item was one of those things. There is no other on earth that can verify the veracity of that statement, yet, I will swear to its being the truth.