Tag: surat shabd yoga

Sirio Carrapa (born in Borgagne, Italy, 12 May 1952) is an Italian mystic. He was a disciple of Kirpal Singh and Ajaib Singh, and is a spiritual teacher ("Sant" or Satguru) of Surat Shabd Yoga. He is also an expert in ayurveda and teacher of Ayurvedic massage (Abhyanga).

Biography

After his childhood, he went to Milan where he lived for some years. From 1979 he lives in Ribolla with his wife.

Meeting with his first Master

In 1972, at the age of 19, he had his first spiritual awakening and started an intense period of practicing Yoga and meditation. The year after, during spring of 1973 he went in India for the first time, searching for a Master.

He recognized as his Master Sant Kirpal Singh from Delhi. On 25 April of that year, he was initiated personally from the Great Master to the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga. He then spent two years mostly meditating all the time.

The second Master

In 1977, he became the Italian representative of Sant Ajaib Singh, one of the successors of Master Kirpal (who left the body in 1974), and from that moment he continued to give the Holy Initiation of this Path.

The foundation of the Ashram

Obeyng to the orders of his second Master, Ajaib, he founded in 1979 the Sant Bani Ashram of Ribolla in which he lives with his family. In this place there where placed three european tours of Master Ajaib: in 1980, 1984 and 1989. Hundreds of people participated. After that, every year in that place there were organized retreats of intense meditation. Carrapa also participated, from his initiation, to many retreats in India with his Masters and also after their death.

After the death of Ajaib

After Sant Ajaib's death (in 1997), Carrapa felt that his Master's will (after inner experiences and external signals from Ajaib during their intense relationship of twenty years) was to continue to give initiations and the teachings of his Gurus. Also during the retreat of 1989 in Sant Bani Ashram of Ribolla Sant Ajaib Singh wanted that Sirio Carrapa give the initiation despite of the fact that he was present. This is usually one of the ways of the Masters to show a succession. Ajaib furthermore gave to Sirio the indication to lock the small wooden house that was built in the Ashram for him and use it in the same way He used the underground room in which he meditated for long years in Kirpal's instructions. Also nowadays this little house is used only by Sirio or for giving initiations or private interviews. Sant Ajaib gave this instruction only to Sirio and not to the other disciples that were living in the Ashram at that time. Consequently, some of the initiates accepted this successorship (sometimes after inner experiences). Time after time a new group of devotees to Sirio Carrapa grew up (from various nationality including a big number of Hungary) with whom nowadays there are many retreats every year. So now there are new initiates (by Sirio) and Sant Ajaib's initiates, who recognized in Sirio Carrapa the new Living Satguru and are his disciples and devotees.

Kabir was born in a weaver's family and later adopted by childless Muslim weavers named Niru and Nimma, who found him near Lahara Tara lake, adjacent to the holy city of Varanasi.

A Bhakti saint, who sang the ideals of seeing all of humanity as one, his name, Kabir, is often interpreted as Guru's Grace.

A weaver by profession, Kabir ranks among the world's greatest poets. In India, he is perhaps the most quoted author. The Holy Guru Granth Sahib contains over 500 verses by Kabir. The Sikh community in particular and others who follow the Holy Granth, hold Kabir in the same reverence as the other ten Gurus.

Kabir openly criticized all sects and gave a new direction to the Indian philosophy. This is due to his straight forward approach that has a universal appeal. It is for this reason that Kabir is held in high esteem all over the world. To call Kabir a universal Guru is not an exaggeration.

Kabir is also considered one of the early northern India Sants. One source for modern adaptations of Kabir's poetry is Robert Bly's The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir.

Kabir is considered the first (with Nanak) Satguru of Sikh religion and Sant Mat tradition.

Guru Nanak Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ, (Hindi: गुरु नानक Urdu: گرونانک Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469, Nankana Sahib, Punjab, (now Pakistan) - 22 September 1539, Kartarpur, Punjab, India), is the central figure in Sikhism, and named as the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.

Birth and early life

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born 15 April 1469 into a Khatri family, in the village of Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan.

His father, Shri Kalidas Chandarana, later known as Kalyan Das Bedi, also known as Mehta Kalu, was the patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi under the Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bular, who was responsible for collecting taxes. Guru Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki.

Gurdwara Nankana SahibThe earliest biographical sources on the life of Guru Nanak recognised today are the Janamsākhīs' (lit. life-accounts) and the vārs (expounding verse) of the scribe Bhai Gurdas.

The most popular Janamsākhī are said to have been written by a close companion of the Guru' Bhai Bala' before Nanak died.[4] However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars such as Max Arthur Macauliffe certain that they were composed after his death.

Bhai Gurdas, purported scribe of the Gurū Granth, also wrote about Nanak's life in his vārs. Although these too were compiled some time after Guru Nanak's death, and are also less detailed than the Janamsākhīs, modern Sikh ideologues tend to hold them in higher regard.

The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail the circumstances of the birth of the guru. They claim that at his birth an astrologer, who came to write his horoscope ,insisted on seeing the child. On seeing the infant, he is said to have worshipped him with clasped hands. The astrologer then remarked that he regretted that he should never live to see young Guru Nanak as an adult.[citation needed].

At the age of five years Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father, Mehta Kalu, enrolled him at the village school as per the norm. Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, which is an almost straight stroke in Persian or Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak such as a poisonous cobra being seen to shield the sleeping child's head from the harsh sunlight.

Marriage and family life

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was married to Mata Sulakhni Ji. His marriage to her took place in the town of Batala. The marriage party had come from the town of Sultanpur Lodhi. He had two sons from this marriage; Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. The former was a deeply spiritual person and founded a renunciate/ascetic subsect known today as Udasis. The younger son grew up to become immersed in worldly life.

The bhakti movement

The Bhakti movement was an anti-establishment shift in the pysche of the native Indian people, mirrored by the Sufi movement amongst the Muslim population. Far from being an ideology, the tone was set by a number of remarkable religious personalities from all manner of backgrounds and religious dispositions whose teachings became known far and wide. The emphasis was on devotion over and above philosophy, and God over and above thought and circumstances.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji is understood outside of Sikhism mainly in this framwork. His near contemporaries in northern India were personalities like Kabir, Ravidas, and Naamdev. Yet one way in which Nanak stands out is his extensive travels throughout India and beyond.

However, Nanak is not viewed as a Bhagat by Sikhs; rather, these individuals exmply the uniqueness and astonishing nature of the devotes' state. To Sikhs Nanak is a manifestation whereby God was revealed, hence the title Guru. This explains his travel as stated in the previous paragraph. He moved from place to place in order to seek out the devoted, in answer to their religious yearning. As per the janamsakhis, Nanak mysteriously took up the religious form recognisable to different religious groups as he ventured into their different territories - amongst the Shivaites in the south he became like a Shivaite, amongst the Muslims in the west he seemed like a Muslim holyman.

Travels

For over twenty years beginning in about 1497, Guru Nanak traveled by foot throughout India. He traveled as far east as Assam and Burma. To the South he went as far as Sri Lanka (Ceylon). To the north he ventured even to places outside India like Tibet, China and Russia. He also went towards the west into Arabia and Persia, visiting Mecca, Medina and Baghdad, Turkey, Greece and further on.[9]

Last years
As his end approached Guru Nanak Dev Ji would frequently test the devotion of his sons and nearest followers and in doing so demonstrate their state of mind to one another. There were numerous such occasions and one particular devotee, Baba Lehna Ji, rose to eminence because he never faltered in his faith in Guru Ji.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji proclaimed Baba Lehna Ji as the successor Guru, renaming him Guru Angad Dev Ji, meaning 'one's very own' or 'part of you'. This successorhood wasn't a mere gesture. Via a transformation, compared in Sikh tradition as the passing of a flame from one candle to another, the Guru-aspect of Guru Nanak Dev Ji descended upon Guru Angad Dev Ji. Guru Angad Dev Ji became Guru Nanak. In Shri Guru Granth Sahib this is described as having even a physical manifestation whereby Angad in person suddenly appeared to look like Nanak.

(To Sikhs, although there were ten separate Gurus in physical form, there was actually only one single Guru whose metamorphosised light moved from one successor or vessel to the next, granting a kind of rebirth to those personalities on their initiation. Hence they all held the original name of 'Nanak'.)

Shortly after proclaiming Lehna as the next Guru, Nanak announced that the time of his death had arrived, and retreated to a tree whereby he sat in the lotus position and the praan (life-force) was guided upwards and outwards from his body. The date was said to be 22 September 1539 according to the western calendar.

Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj, appointed by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj as his successor, spread the teachings of Sant Mat all over the world through three world tours and travel in India. To make mysticism understood by people in the West, he presented spirituality as a science, one that could be practiced as an experiment within the laboratory of human body.

He was a living example of a perfect human being. Full of love and compassion, he devoted his entire life to love of God and service to humanity. He demonstrated how it was possible to live a normal life in the world, attain spiritual enlightenment, and serve humanity. He devised an introspection diary for his initiates, a tool to help them analyze their lives in order to develop the qualities of nonviolence, truthfulness, purity, humility, and selfless service. During his mission, he initiated over 80,000 souls into the Mysteries of the Beyond.

The great spiritual Master devoted himself to promoting human unity and world peace. In 1956 he gave the inaugural address to the Ninth General Session of UNESCO held in New Delhi, India. His speech, “World Peace in the Atomic Age,” is a road map for obtaining and maintaining world peace. At this time, religious leaders would not even sit together on the same platform. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj’s ability to unite people of different religions based on the commonality of all faiths resulted in his being unanimously elected President of World Fellowship of Religions Conferences held in 1957, 1960, 1965, and 1970. These conferences brought heads of different religions together in order to understand one another in a spirit of love and respect.

He founded Sawan Ashram in Delhi and in 1969 established Manav Kendra, a center to help people develop physically, mentally, and spiritually, while practicing service to humanity and the environment.

In February 1974, the spiritual Master convened the first Unity of Man Conference (now called the Human Unity Conference) in Delhi, aimed at uniting people not only at the level of religion, but at the level of their common humanity. He taught that God is one, though called by different names in different countries and religions. It was his lifelong work to help break down the barriers that separated people and unite them as one common family.

His books gained popularity and inspired people to develop spiritually. Among those are: Crown of Life; A study in Yoga; Prayer: Its Nature and Technique; and Naam or Word, all of which bring out the underlying similarities in different religions.

Numerous religious, civic, and social heads honored his work. Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj was the first non-Christian to be awarded the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta. On his tours he met with Pope Paul VI in Rome where they exchanged views on world peace. In Colombia, South America, he addressed the Council of Cali.

In India, many leaders came to him to share ideas on peace and unity. He met with Mr. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the first and second prime ministers of India, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, and Dr. Zakir Hussain, the first, second, and third presidents of India. He also met with Mrs. Indira Gandhi on several occasions. In August 1974, he addressed the Indian Parliament, giving them his message of peace and hope for the future of humanity.

Today, Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj is recognized all over the world both as a great saint and as the father of human unity.

Shiv Dayal Singh (also known as Swami ji) was the first Satguru to start the teachings of Radha Soami faith. His actual name was Seth Shiv Dayal Singh ji. He was born on August 25, 1818 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India on the Janmashtmi day. At the age of five, he was sent to school where he learnt Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Gurumukhi. He also acquired a working knowledge of Arabic and Sanskrit. His parents were the followers of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from Hathras, India.[2] Sant Tulsi Sahib ji initiated him at the age of six. [3] [4]

He was married at an early age to Naraini Devi, daughter of Izzat Rai of Faridabad. She was of generous disposition and was very devoted to her husband. Shiv Dayalji was selected direct from school to act as a Persian expert to a government officer in Banda. As the job did not suit him, he gave it up and took another job as a teacher of Persian with a talukdar of Ballabhgarh estate. His spiritual cravings, however, were so intense that worldly attainments no longer attracted him and he gave up even this lucrative job. He returned home for devoting his entire time to religious pursuits. [3] [5]

He practiced Surat Shabd Yoga for 15 years and started satsang publicly on Vasant Panchami (a spring festival) in 1861. This schedule continued for 17 years.

Swami ji named his philosophy "Satnaam Anaami". The movement became known as Radha Soami, Radha meaning "Soul" and Soami meaning "Lord", hence "Lord of the Soul". The yoga system taught by Swami Ji is known as Surat Shabd Yoga.

Swami ji has described the secret of divine and true 'Naam'.

He wrote Saar Vachan book in two parts named: [6] [7]

* Saar Vachan Vartik (Saar Vachan in prose)
* Saar Vachan Chhand Band (Saar Vachan in verse)

Saar Vachan Vartik contain the discourses of Swami ji Maharaj, which he delivered in the satsang up to 1878. They cover important teachings of the faith. His poems in Saar Vachan Chhand Band are replete with emotional appeal - a successful blending of popular poetic expressions from different languages of north India such as, Khari-Boli, Awadhi, Brijbhasha, Rajasthani and Gurumukhi.

He departed from this world on June 15th, 1878 in Agra, India.

Shiv Dayal Singh (also known as Swami ji) was the first Satguru to start the teachings of Radha Soami faith. His actual name was Seth Shiv Dayal Singh ji. He was born on August 25, 1818 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India on the Janmashtmi day. At the age of five, he was sent to school where he learnt Hindi, Urdu, Persian and Gurumukhi. He also acquired a working knowledge of Arabic and Sanskrit. His parents were the followers of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib from Hathras, India. Sant Tulsi Sahib ji initiated him at the age of six.

He was married at an early age to Naraini Devi, daughter of Izzat Rai of Faridabad. She was of generous disposition and was very devoted to her husband. Shiv Dayalji was selected direct from school to act as a Persian expert to a government officer in Banda. As the job did not suit him, he gave it up and took another job as a teacher of Persian with a talukdar of Ballabhgarh estate. His spiritual cravings, however, were so intense that worldly attainments no longer attracted him and he gave up even this lucrative job. He returned home for devoting his entire time to religious pursuits.

He practiced Surat Shabd Yoga for 15 years and started satsang publicly on Vasant Panchami (a spring festival) in 1861. This schedule continued for 17 years.

Swami ji named his philosophy "Satnaam Anaami". The movement became known as Radha Soami, Radha meaning "Soul" and Soami meaning "Lord", hence "Lord of the Soul". The yoga system taught by Swami Ji is known as Surat Shabd Yoga.

Swami ji has described the secret of divine and true 'Naam'.

He wrote Saar Vachan book in two parts named:

* Saar Vachan Vartik (Saar Vachan in prose)
* Saar Vachan Chhand Band (Saar Vachan in verse)

Saar Vachan Vartik contain the discourses of Swami ji Maharaj, which he delivered in the satsang up to 1878. They cover important teachings of the faith. His poems in Saar Vachan Chhand Band are replete with emotional appeal - a successful blending of popular poetic expressions from different languages of north India such as, Khari-Boli, Awadhi, Brijbhasha, Rajasthani and Gurumukhi.

He departed from this world on June 15th, 1878 in Agra, India.

Guru Arjan Dev Ji or Guru Arjun Dev Ji (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਦੇਵ) (born in Amritsar, Punjab, India on 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became a Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das. He was born at Goindval, and was the youngest of the sons of Guru Ram Das and Bibi Bhani, the daughter of Guru Amar Das. Before his death, he nominated his son Har Gobind as the next Guru of the Sikhs.

Guru Arjan was head of Sikhism for a quarter of a century and accomplished a lot during his regime. He completed the construction of Amritsar and founded other cities such as Taran Taran and Kartarpur. He constructed a Baoli at Lahore. The most important work of Arjan Dev was the compilation of Adi Granth. He collected all the work of the first four Gurus and dictated it in the form of verses in 1604. It is, perhaps, the only book of a scriptural nature which still exists in the form first published (a hand written manuscript) by the Guru. It and the Guru Granth Sahib which includes the writing of the later Gurus have managed to avoid the embellishments, additions and alterations that have plagued the original writing of other more ancient religious texts.

Guru Arjan organised the Masand system, a group of representatives who taught and spread the teachings of the Gurus and also collected the Dasvand , one tenth of a Sikh's income (in money, goods or service) that Sikhs paid to support the building of Gurdwaras, the all important Guru ka Langars (free communal kitchens) originally intended to support the poor, the elderly, still an important element today in any Gurdwara. The Langars were open to any visitors and were designed from the start to stress the idea of equality and a casteless society. The land that Amritsar is built upon is believed to be a jagir (estates gifted to individuals under the Mughal system which included one or more villages and often a portion of the crops produced on the land) given as a gift by the Emperor Akbar, who was impressed by the practice, after sharing a meal in the Guru's communal kitchen, seated on the floor among commoners.

The Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, gurū granth sāhib), or ,Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib is the holy scripture, and the final Guru, of the Sikhs.

Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth of the Sikh Gurus, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor, terminating the line of human Gurus, and elevating the text to Guru Granth Sahib. From that point on, the text remained not only the holy scripture of the Sikhs, but is also regarded by them as the living embodiment of the Ten Gurus. The role of Guru Granth Sahib, as a source or guide of prayer, is pivotal in worship in Sikhism.

The Adi Granth was first compiled by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606), from hymns of the first five Sikh Gurus and other great saints of the Hindu and Muslim traditions. The original scribe of the Adi Granth was Bhai Gurdas and later Bhai Mani Singh. After the demise of the tenth Sikh Guru many handwritten copies were prepared for distribution by Baba Deep Singh. The 'Guru Granth Sahib' is a voluminous text of 1430 pages, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh Gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is compiled in the form of hymns written in praise of God, which describe what God is like and the right way to live. Written in the Gurmukhi script, it is written predominantly in archaic Punjabi but includes occasional use of other languages including Braj, Punjabi, Khariboli (Hindi), Sanskrit, regional dialects, and Persian. Written in the Gurmukhi script, the compositions in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are a melange of archaic Punjabi and various other dialects. The various dialects used are often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha. The languages used include Lehndi dialect of Punjabi, regional Prakrits, Apabhramsa, Sanskrit, Hindi languages (Brajbhasha, Old Hindi, Awadhi etc.), Sindhi, and Persian.

Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ, IPA: [gʊɾu gobɪn̪d̪ sɪ́ŋg]) (December 22, 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. He was born in Patna, Bihar in India in 1666 and became the tenth Guru of the Sikhs on 11 November 1675, at the young age of nine years, succeeding his father Guru Tegh Bahadur. He was the leader of the Sikh faith, a warrior, a poet, and a philosopher. The impression of Guru Gobind Singh has not only elevated and altered the constitution of the minds of the Sikhs, but has operated materially and given amplitude to their physical frames. His establishment of the Khalsa is considered as one of the most important events in the history of Sikhism. He fought twenty defensive battles with the Mughals and their alliances, such as Rajas of Shivalik Hills. Guru Gobind Singh was the last human Sikh Guru; and declared the Guru Granth Sahib as the next permanent Sikh Guru.

Guru Har Gobind (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਾਹਿਬ) also Sacha Padshah (ਸੱਚਾ ਪਾਦਸ਼ਾਹ True King) was the sixth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 25 May 1606 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Arjan Dev. He was not, perhaps, more than eleven at his father's execution. Before ascension, he nominated Guru Har Rai, his grandson as the next Guru of the Sikhs.

Guru Har Gobind was combined in his personality a saint, sportsman and a soldier. His father Guru Arjan Dev was a true saint but the boy Har Gobind had perceived his father's saintliness suffer and erode at the brutal hands of Mughal tyranny. From the very beginning he was the deadly enemy of Mughals.