Jagat Singh (1884–1951) was an Indian

Surat Shabd Yoga Surat Shabd Simran is a type of spiritual meditation in the Sant Mat tradition. Etymology ''Surat'' is "attention" or "face", that is, an outward expression of the soul; '' Shabd'' or ''Shabda'' has multiple meanings including ‘sacred song’, ...

practitioner and initiate of the Sant and

Radha Soami Satsang Beas Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) is a spiritual organization in Radha Soami movement. It is headed by Gurinder Singh. The main centre of RSSB is located on the banks of the Beas River in the northern Indian state of Punjab. Establishment of ...

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

Sawan Singh Sawan Singh (1858-1948), also known as The Great Master or Bade Maharaj ji, was an Indian Saint or ''Sant''. He was the second spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) from the death of Jaimal Singh in 1903 until his own death on 2 Apr ...

. He worked as a college chemistry professor at an Agricultural College and was honoured for meritorious service by the British as

Sardar Bahadur Sardar Bahadur was a title of honour awarded to native Indian civilians and Viceroy's commissioned officers during British rule in India. It was bestowed upon Sikhs, and was awarded for faithful service or acts of public welfare. The title was use ...

. After retirement he was chosen by his spiritual master to be his successor, becoming the third spiritual head of

. Remembered as quiet, inconspicuous, and unassuming, he was once described by the Muslim mystic Sain Lasoori Shah of

Lyallpur Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

as a "perfect disciple" who became a "perfect Master".

Background

Jagat Singh was born on 27 July 1884 into a family of prosperous and religious Jat Sikh farmers, in the small village of Nussi in the Jalandhar District of the Punjab, India. His parents were Sardar Bhola Singh, a farmer, and Mata Nand Kaur. His father Sardar Bhola Singh died when Jagat Singh was five years old. He was raised by his father's aunt (stepmother) Bibi Rukmani Kaur. He received his initial education in the Christian Mission School at Jalandhar. He then passed his MSc degree in Chemistry at the Government College of Lahore. He joined the Punjab Agricultural College, Lyallpur, in 1911 as Assistant Professor of Chemistry and retired as Vice Principal of the institution in 1943 receiving the title Sardar Bahadur for his thirty-two years of meritorious service.

Spiritual path

In Abbotabad on 28 December 1910 at the age of twenty-six, he was initiated into the meditation practice of

(also known as ''Nam Bhakti'') by

. He had gone there with his cousin Sardar Bhagat Singh Kaler and the Judge Rai Sahib Munshi Ram to hear his future guru, who was still in service there, deliver

satsang A satsanga (), also rendered satsang, refers to the practice of gathering in the company of good people for the performance of devotional activities. It also refers to an audience with a Satguru for yogic instruction. Satsangas are group events, o ...

. Throughout his own career as a college professor he made it a point to spend most of his weekends with his guru Hazur Maharaj Sawan Singh at the

Dera Dera, Dero, Daro, Dhoro, Dahar or Dehra is a word in several languages of South Asia, whose meaning is ' camp', 'mound' or 'settlement'. It appears in the names of a number of places. Geography India * Dera, Himachal Pradesh * Dera Bassi, Moha ...

and to spend most of his time in the

meditation practice. After his retirement in 1943, he lived permanently at

.''Heaven on Earth'' by Daryai Lal Lal Kapur. p.229. RS Satsang Beas, 1986

Demise

He died on the morning of 23 October 1951. Before he died he appointed

Charan Singh Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) served as the 5th Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980. Historians and people alike frequently refer to him as the 'champion of India's peasants.' Charan S ...

as his spiritual successor in a written will.

Books

He wrote following books. * ''The Science of the Soul'' (English) * ''Discourses on Sant Mat II'' (English)

References

* Jagat Singh, ''Discourses on Sant Mat'', volume 2. Compiled translated talks. * Jagat Singh, ''Science of the Soul'', Beas: Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Compiled translated excerpts from talks and letters. * Kapur, Daryai Lal, ''Heaven on Earth'', Beas: Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1986. Historical narrative. * Munshi Ram, ''With the Three Masters'', volume 2 () and volume 3 (), Beas: Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Diary excerpts. * ''In the Footsteps of the Master''. Biographical photograph album. Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1993.

Notes

External links

Radha Soami Satsang Beas

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jagat Singh Surat Shabd Yoga Sant Mat gurus 1884 births 1951 deaths