Experiences Of Non-Sikhs And Sikhs Alike.

[Amarjeet Singh_1737]

" After having studied the scriptures, in many respects I have discarded the Vedas, Shastras, Smiritis, all Sutras, Tantras and Puranas, knowing them to be polluted and corrupted by many impurities. I have found that only the Holy Guru Granth Sahib is completely free of contamination and knowing it to be benevolent for the whole humanity, I have accepted this scripture and I accept myself to be the Sikh of Guru Nanak Dev, therefore I am a Sikh of the Guru."

-Swami Ram Tirath Singh.

"Just as the Guru Granth Sahib abated the social injustice, perpetuated against low castes through religious creeds, same way it raised voice in favor of basic rights of the womankind. Here the husband is not said to be the God and the woman the slave or purchased sheep or goat, but (she) has been accepted an equal partner in all (socio-familial) matters. Lopsided dicta of Hindu simirties that vilified women and compelled them to live like captives, was implicitly contravened through Gurus’ Words.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji saying that when the whole mankind takes birth from the woman and there is need for woman to perpetuate the life cycle asked, then why the woman is vilified?

In the Adi Granth there is no credo regarding barbaric worship neither any importance for ritual feast (to holy quakes) or sacrifices. Similarly no regard is accorded to Vaishnava or goddess worship because in the puranas it is said that they both (Hindu Goddess and Vishnu, one of Hindu god trinity) relish barbarous intakes i.e. meat, alcohol, marijuana, hemp, tobacco, hashish, cannabis etc.

In the end I want to mention Guru Granth Sahib’s supremacy from the standpoint that this preeminent Granth does not profess any demigod or goddess to be the real God just as the (Hindu) puranas have done. Each purana’s author has made a God out of his conceptual demigod."

-Swami Ram Tirath Singh.

'I was born in the state of Bengal. A yogi used to visit our town occasionally. His name was Swami Brahma Nand Ji. He led the life of a mystic. He possessed the power of materializing whatever he promised through his word.

I am now one hundred and thirty four years old. There are very few yogis of his (Brahma Nand's) calibre in India. My father had immense faith in Swami Ji. One day he arrived at our door and started shouting loudly, asking for the return of what belonged to him. He had come very rarely in this part of the town, prior to this visit. The whole family felt astonished at his sudden arrival. His words were more astonishing than his arrival. My father failed to guess his demand, despite his best effort to know his Guru's mind.

The Swami repeated his demand twice again. Kneeling on his knees, my father beseeched Swami Ji to disclose his demand. Swami Ji entered our house, and placing his hand on my shoulder, demanded that I did not deserve to stay at home. I must be handed over to him! Although we were four brothers, it was not easy for any parent to part with their son. It was not easy to refuse Swami Ji's demand either. Every member of the family looked at each other dumbfounded.

Swami Ji repeated his demand and left for his hermitage. My parents paid a visit to Swami Ji's place in the evening. What transpired between him and my parents was not conveyed to me. But the next morning, I was handed over to Swami Ji. After staying in our town for six months, Swami Ji left that place taking me along with him.

He was an erudite scholar of Sanskrit and possessed powers of materializing and providing things with his words. He instructed me in all yogic asnas and imaprted all kinds of knowledge associated with these asnas. He made every opportunity available to me to interact with and receive knowledge from many other yogis.We reached Punjab after pilgrimage through the states of Madras, Bihar, orissa, Bombay and the cities of Kanpur, Agra and Prayagraj at Allahbad. Here we came across a saint of the Udasi sect.

We kept on interacting and exchanging views with this saintly person. His name was Swami Satyanand. He narrated the Sikh philosophy and Sikh tradition in such an impressive manner that Swami Brahma Nand was mesmerized. After a visit to Darbar Sahib Harmandir, he became a permanent devotee of the Sikh Gurus and their ideology. After spending some time in Punjab, we returned to Haridwar.

One day Swami Brahma Nand was sitting calm and quiet. Suddenly he started sobbing. I asked him the reason for his tears. He answered that he had wasted his life in meaningless activities of yogic asnas whereas the essence of divinity lay in the Sikh Guru's philosophy and the Sikh way of life. He would have to be born once again in a Sikh family for deliverance. With these words, he shed his mortal frame.

Now, I, his disciple also meditate on the sacred name of Waheguru. I practised yogic asnas under the guidance of accomplished yogis for many years at a stretch. The amount of peace and bliss that I have experienced through Naam Simran, I have never experienced earlier through any other practise.

Guru's path of Naam Simran, is the perfect path. It is difficult to express the greatness of the Guru's word. Teachings of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh are the elixir of life. There is no other scripture more beneficial than Gurbani or Guru Granth Sahib.

It is my bounden duty to spread this message of my Guru which he gave me in my last moments. It is a fact that whatever can be achieved through the effortless spontaneous practice of Naam Simran cannot be achieved through the strenuous exercises of other practises. It is my felt-experience and an experience about which there is no controversy.'

-Swami Nitya Nand.

Neel Garhi (Rishikesh).

This one I got from 'History of Sikh Gurus Retold.'

The 'Nirmala' school at first was heavily constrained to Khalsa dominated spheres of the sub-continental landscape. Despite their universal educationality in different spiritual academics they were not heavy proselytizers in the early days of the Sikh empire. It was only after the failure of Abdali's Indian campaigns, and the subsequent peace which followed which saw them start an extensive movement to spread the Khalsa ethos in amongst the diverse, and often contradictory, Hindu tradition. They traveled to many pilgrimage sites such as Haridwar to debate with and present their unique ethos. Given special patronage by the Khalsa chiefs they were heavily protected and emboldened to refute and debate with their erstwhile critics, as such their liberating of the lower-castes and patronage soon earned them the wrath of many a Hindu sect.

The 'Sanyasis' and the 'Vairaagis', two erstwhile sects of the Hindu faith, soon gave vent to their long-held bitterness against the 'Nirmalas.' Since time immemorial, and with the rise of the Maratha entity, they had been receiving extensive amounts of wealth and gifts which had emboldened them in their nefarious activities. The 'Nirmalas' were an antithesis to this status quo and as such earned their wrath. Subsequently this perspective, adopted by anti-'Nirmala' forces, soon lead to massive arguments and attacks on both parties.

In 1796 A.D. a conjoint venture between both 'Nirmalas' and 'Udasis' had resulted in members of both orders creating a delegation, which pitched base at the Kumbh festival at Haridwar. The delegation had commenced a perpetual recitation of the sacred Sikh canon, the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Both the Maratha and the British administration had given the 'Naga' sect of Hindu recluses charge over the festival, subsequently the 'Nagas' demanded a fee of eight Annas to One rupee for the entry of every Hindu participant and devotee. The 'Nirmalas' refused to pay this fee as per the dictum, that the Khalsa is the third way and unique from predecessor panths. Hinduism included. This combined with 'Naga' greed catalyzed in the latter burning the delegation's flag and forcing them to stop the recitation of Guru Granth Sahib. The 'Nagas' did not realize at the time that their act would be answered with lightning swiftness. They indulged in even more brutality by murdering a select number of 'Udasis.'

Report of this fanatical violence soon reached the courts of Rai Singh of Buria, Karam Singh of Shahbad, Dasundha Singh of Sadhora, Baghel Singh of Malaud, Jodh Singh of Kalsia and Rup Singhof Ropar. All these cheifs soon rushed to Haridwar and cremated the murdered Udasis. They then commenced to avenge this affront. After the festival ended and the 'Nagas' were accounting their gains they attacked them and with a brutal alacrity slaughtered anyone who tried saving them. This intensified bloodbath soon earned them a fearsome reputation and as a result the 'Nirmalas' and'Udasis' were subsequently left well alone. The second incident sparked off in 1807 A.D.

This time it due to differing religious perspectives. The 'Nirmala' mission had impacted the Hindu psyche on such a broad spectrum, that they were granted entry into any Hindu shrine without any caste or creed prejudice. On one such occasion the Brahminical elite created a controversy over the 'Nirmala' access to the 'Kushvrat Sarovar' near Nasik in Maharashtra. They did not accept the 'Nirmala' emphasis on anti-casteism, and their traditional custom consisting of a white turban and garments with flowing beards. Since time immemorial the said location had been a Brahminical head quarter and placed a strict emphasis on bare-headedness and non-stitched clothes. A heated argument broke out between both sides until ultimately the Brahmins admitted the futility of their religious logic in front of the Khalsa's universal spirituality. It was after this event that the 'Nirmalas' made it a point of interest to attend each and every Hindu pilgrimage site and festival.

Kavi Kunvraish's ode to the Khalsa Gurus:

“In the year 1695-96 AD, I completed this book (which is an adaptation in the Braj Basha language of the Drona Parav section of the Mahabharata).

In the lineage of the mighty Bedis emerged the incomparable Guru Nanak who is the complete manifestation of God.

Nanak made a follower from the Trehan lineage and gave him an auspicious name -Angad. Twenty four hours a day Angad devoutly meditated on the lotus feet of God.

For the advancement of world Angad gave Guruship to Amardas,- a noble from the Bhalla lineage. Amardas gave all his powers, knowledge and Guruship to Ramdas – the King of the Sodhi lineage.

Arjan is the name of a warrior, but this Arjan is the king of the world! Arjan, who earned great fame in this world, is the son of Ramdas. The generous king Har Gobind, who killed a horde of enemies, is the son of Arjan. When Gurdita left the expansion of this illusionary world, his son Har Rai was given the responsibility of Guruship.

Har Rai’s son is Guru Harkrishan. When he left this world he gave a clue to identify the next guru.

Tegh Bahadur was the most eligible to become Guru. God himself had given the nectar of devotion to him.

Tegh Bahadur has come to give comforts to the people and finish the miseries and anxieties of the masses.

The king Guru Gobind is the son of Tegh Bahadur.

It is only because of Guru Gobind that the entire community of poets is alive and thriving in this world.

On the banks of the river Satluj is the pious city of Anandpur.

There, is the abode of the graceful king Guru Gobind.

In the land between the river Ganga and Yamuna is a village named Bari.

There, the poet Kunvraish lives …….”

Edited February 7, 2014 by Amarjeet Singh_1737

[Genie Singh]

So why not keep the kesh and bana, keep the banis take amrit and become a real sikh?

[Amarjeet Singh_1737]

why so much self doubt, so much of insecurity?

if you think your faith is complete, why do you need certificates from this Tirath and that Nand?

Last time I checked I particularly did not invite the head of the Idiot's Guild of Certification to carry out any investigation on this post.

[Amarjeet Singh_1737]

So why not keep the kesh and bana, keep the banis take amrit and become a real sikh?

As far as I am aware Swami Ram Tirath Singh did take amrit, there is a bit of moot over whether some of the Kavis did or not. As for Nitya Nand. Ji I am looking into him. There is an evidential connection between him and the Nirmalas who reside at Rishikesh. Maybe he did? Who knows, because the excerpt I posted was taken from Bhai Raghbir Singh Bir's 'Celestial Joys of Simran.' Nitya Nand contributed only a short summary about himself and why he rejected all other texts. Of course the firebrand Sanataan brigade can contribute a few "refutations" against his experience, but that's expected. Especially since it's members have to run around using universality as a façade to instigate imbecilic parleys and spearhead a campaign of subtle osmosis.

Individuals who were often influenced by the Udasis chose to straddle the gap between two boats by confirming to dual doctrines. On one hand they were practising Udasis, whereas on the other they also confirmed to the doctrines of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. A significant paradox but one, it seems, which they successfully pulled off. Baba Gurditta is a significant example, along with Baba Dharam Chand Ji.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Amarjeet Singh_1737

[Amarjeet Singh_1737]

Here is another one I got from Miss. Jasbir Kaur Ahuja. It mentions a few interesting events and plausibilities.

The ascetic order of the Udasis’s was founded by Baba Sri Chand, the elder of the two sons of the Jagat-guru, Guru Nanak Devji. Recognising his other-worldly nature, Guru Nanak blessed him and helped him in the development of his personality as per his inborn tendencies, for according to legend, he had been born with natural flesh ‘Mundra’ in his right ear, and Jatas on his head - indications of Tapasya and Tyag. Guru Nanak while leaving for his first Udasi entrusted Baba Sri Chand to his sister Bibi Nanaki and said, “Look sister, I tell you the secret of my heart. This child has the divine spark, and he has come on this earth because of our love. He has a distinct personality. His ‘religious sect’ will be popular all over the world. And then Guru Nanak Devji initiated Baba Sri Chand, a child of seven with the mystic symbol ‘Satnam’ and advised him to do ‘Jap’.

When Baba Sri Chand was about twenty-four years old, Guru Nanak Dev advised him to study the ancient religions texts which would help him in understanding the Gurubani hymns. Baba Sri Chand obeyed his father’s command and went to Kashmir to study the ancient texts under the guidance of Pandit Purushottam Das.

Baba Sri Chand lived to be a centenarian right up to the time of sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind.

When Babaji asked Guru Amar Das to give him his son, Mohan, his words were duly honoured. Baba Sri Chand initiated Baba Mohan in the Jap of ‘Ek Onkar Satnam’. Before leaving this physical body, Baba Sri Chand bestowed his Gadi, or succession, upon Baba Gurdita, a householder and son of the sixth Guru Hargobind, thereby conceding that Asceticism can be practised without renunciation.

But the Udasis are usually celibate. Some wear ochre or Bhagwa robes, others go naked except for a loin cloth and rub ashes on their body. They congregate in monastries/deras. Baba Gurdita had four disciples who established four dhunis. They are (1) Balu Hasna, (2) Phul Sahib, or Mian Sahib, (3) Almast, and (4) Bhagat Bhagwan. They constitute the ‘Bara Akhara’ or senior assembly. There is also a “Bakshis Sangat" which was founded by Bhai Pheru supposedly with the permission of Guru Gobind Singh. They have established another chapter called, the Chhota Akhara’. They all pay special reverence to Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Udasis proved a helpful adjunct to the Sikhs.

Being ascetic and unbaptised, they escaped persecution at the hands of the Mughal authorities, and when Sikhs were hunted down in tyrannical genocide, and many had withdrawn into deep forest to reorganise for gurrilla war, the Udasis kept the torch burning as custodians of their Gurdwaras and kept the spirit of Sikhism alive. The Nirmala Sadhus also helped the Sikhs in their missionary activities in the Malwa region. The Order of the Nirmalashad been created by Guru Gobind Singh ji.

According to Max A. Macauliffe : “There are two great division of Sikhs, Sahijdhari and Singhs. The latter are they who accept the baptism inaugurated by Guru Gobind Singh. The Singhs after the time of Guru Gobind Singh were all warriors. TheSahijdhari are those who lived at ease and practised trade and agriculture. In the Singhs are included the ‘Nirmalas’ and ‘Nihangs’. The Sahijdharis include ‘Udasis’ founded by Sri Chand, son of Guru Nanak, Sewapanthis founded by the water carrier of Guru Gobind Singh, the Ramraiyas, the followers of Ram Rai, son of Guru Har Rai... He further says, “The first schism of the Sikhs began immediately after the demise of Guru Nanak. Some of his followers adopted Sri Chand, his elder son, as his successor. The followers of Sri Chand were termed Udasis, or the solitary: and they now constitute a large body of devout and earnest men. Anandghan, one of their number, has in recent times written the life of Guru Nanak. It contains an apotheosis of Sri Chand, and states that he was an incarnation of God and the only successor of Guru Nanak. In the biography of Baba Sri Chand, K.M. Munshi writes that at the birth of Sri Chand, the astrologers predicted his great future and the wise believed that Bhagwan Shankar had appeared.

Guru Nanak was the father as well as Guru of Baba Sri Chand. The latter has composed ‘Arati’ in the praise of Guru Nanak Devji addressing him as the ‘Lord of Lords.’

Udasis are also known at Nanakputras: the principal religious order of the Sikhs. As per Ibbetson and Maclagen, Nanakputra (1) a synonym for Udasi, (2) a descendant of Nanak. This is the literal meaning of the term. The Nanakputras were employed in the later Sikh period as escorts of caravans and their sacred character as descendants of Guru Nanak, ensuring their security from attack’

The Udasis are celibate - at least in theory, and when so in practice are called Udasi, ‘nanga’, or naked. But Maclagen gives, a different explanation of this term: “The Udasis are recruited from all castes and will eat food from any Hindu. They are almost always celibate and are sometimes though not usually congregate in monasteries. They are generally found wandering to and from their sacred places, such as Amritsar, Dera Baba Nanak, Kartarpur and the like. They are said to be numerous in Malwa and Benaras. In our Census Return, they appear strongest in Jullundur, Rohtak and Ferozepur. It is a mistake to say that they are not generally recognised as Sikhs, they pay special reverence to the Adi Granth, but also respect the Granth of Gobind Singh and attend the same shrines as the Sikhs generally....

“Udasis may be regarded as the genuine disciples of Nanak, professing as the name denotes indifference to worldly vicissitudes. They are purely religious characters devoting themselves to prayer and meditation, usually collected in Sangats, colleges or convents. Though usually practising celibacy, it does not appear to be a necessary condition amongst the Sikhs to be found in Gangetic provinces. Many of the Udasis are well read in Sanskrit and are expounders of Vedanta philosophy....”

“A hymn (extract) from their service prayer solemnized at the Sikh Sangat at Benaras indicate the importance of ‘Name’ e.g. “Meditate on the Sahib of the Book (Sri Guru Granth Sahib) and exclaim Wah-Guru". The people accordingly repeat : “Wah-Guru, Wah-Guru ki Fateh.”

The priest : Meditating on Sri Chandra exclaim Wah-Guru.

The people : Wah-Guru, Wah-Guru ki Fateh.

Love and fix thy whole heart upon Him
The world is bound to thee by prosperity
No one is another’s
Whilst prosperity endures many will come;
And sit with thee and surround thee;
But in adversely they will fly,
And not one will be near thee."

These lines indicate Guru Nanak’s philosophy of repeating the Name of the Lord and remaining indifferent to the attractions of the world, i.e. to maintain Udasis in the heart.

Guru Nanak is believed to have had communion with the Supreme Lord when he disappeared in “Vaini Nadi" at Sultanpur. After three days when he reappeared, he declared God gave him the commandment to preach His Name. Guru Nanak had humbly responded : It may not be within my power to do so. But the Supreme Lord said, “I will be thy Guru (teacher), and thou shall be the Guru to all mankind. Thy way shall be great in the world, and thy world Puri Puri, the word of the Bairagi is Ram! Ram! that of the Sanyasi, Om, Nama Narayan, and the word of the Yogis Ades! Ades ! and salutations of the Mohammedans is Salam Alikam! and that of the Hindus Ram! Ram!, but the word of thy sect shall be Guru. Whatever I am, thou art, for between us there is no difference. It is a blessing, that thou art sent into Kali-Yug. After this, ‘Wah-Guru’ or ‘Well done, teacher! I was pronounced from the most High Guru or teacher (God) and Nanak came to give light and freedom to the universe.”

The followers of Guru Nanak are known as Guru-Sikhs or Nanak Panthis. Panth is a Sanskrit word which means path. It literally means devotees/disciples of Nanak. Rev. Swami Prabhananda Ji Maharaj, Assistant Secretary of the Rama Krishna Math and Mission, Belur Math, Howrah, has written an exhaustive and beautiful article on “Sri Ramakrishna’s Interaction with Sikhism,” which appeared in Prabuddha Bharata (Magazine of R.K. Mission) in January, 1991. There he has quoted numerous incidents of the Nanak Shahis’ and Nanak Panthis’ meeting with Sri Ramakrishna.

G.B. Singh has similarly analysed the political and social situation in the Bengal in his article, “Sikh Relics in Eastern Bengal. So far removed is East Bengal from the centre of activity of Sikhism that it may sound rather strange to mention it in connection with that religion. And yet there was a time when Sikhism was quietly and steadily making a headway here. There flourished quite a network of prosperous Sikh Sangats and monasteries all over the province from Rajmahal in the West to Sylhet in the East and from Dhubri in the North to Fatikcherri and Bansthali in the South; there was hardly a place of importance during the days of Mughal viceroy where some Sikh temple did not exist or some Sikh ascetic had not established himself and gathered a number of followers around him....” Encouragement from government officials, along with the Bairagi Sangats and Mohammadan shrines, Sikhism was then in its vigour and it would have been a wonder indeed if it had remained unrepresented. These Sangats were not only the places of worship but as usual served the useful purpose of wayside inns where food and shelter was given free to the indigent wayfairer...... Dacca was the Hazur Sangat, or the provincial head Sangat, with a number of others under it and, in turn, was controlled by the pontifical throne at Anandpur in Guru Gobind Singh’s time and later was attached to the archbishopric of Patna..... (Because of the shortage of space, more details cannot be given here).

After having a bird’s eye-view of the Nanak Panthis in Bengal, let’s have a close look at one particular event which calls for serious attention of the scholars and seekers of the Truth. Swami Prabhananda, quoting S. Kapur Singh’s Introduction to Vol. II of Dr. Gopal Singh’s English translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib has written that ‘a Sikhs ascetic Udasi Totapuri imparted to Sri Ramakrishna the Sikh esoteric instruction efficacious for removing impediments on the spiritual path." But Rev. Swamiji has not endorsed this idea and commented, “For want of supportive evidence, however, this claim cannot be much entertained. The philosophy of Udasi ascetics being the same monistic Vedanta as that of the Dasnamis might have given rise to this confusion"

But in the same paragraph at page no. 2, S. Kapur Singh continues “... and that is why the most illustrious Chela of the Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda so often uttered and introduced into his writings the Sikh mystic formula, Vaheguru" (And in the next few lines, S. Kapur Singh, quoting from Pothi Punjab Sakhian (Khalsa College Library, Amritsar, 1780 Circa) also refers to the impact of Sikhism on Ramdas Samarth, the spiritual guide of Shivaji, when he met the Sikh Guru Har Gobind in Kashmir in 1634. In the same manner, Swami Vrihanand, the founder of Arya Samaj was influenced by the Sikh philosophy of the Name, which is the true essence of Veda....."

No wonder that Dr. Gopal Singh in his religion of the Sikhs (page 56) says, “According to the Gurus, the doctrine of the Name is the essence of the Vedas, Puranas, Smritis, Sastras. Udasi Totapuri, a Sikh ascetic, imparted the same instruction to the most well known Hindu savant of modern times, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, in the final phase of the latter’s spiritual quest....” One must die and merge in the Word (Which is synonymous with the Name) that one purgeth oneself of all the inner soil... (Ramkali, M.3).

Now referring to Sri Totapuriji, Swami Saradanand, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna writes, “Totapuri was born at some place in or near the Punjab. The monastery of his spiritual teacher was at a place near Kurukshetra. His teacher was also a famous Yogi and a monastery was established there. It is not clearly known whether that monastery was founded by him or any of his predecessors....”

Referring to Sri Totapuri, Satish K. Kapoor in his article, which appeared in The Tribune on August 14, 1988, (pp. IV and V) writes, “The Naga Monk (Sri Totapuri) lies buried in his dera at Ladana.” Prior to this, he says, “Ladana is not to be confused with Ludhiana, as do some biographers of Sri Ramakrishna. Ladana is now in Haryana and can be reached from Kurukshetra in about two hours.” But I think, Ludhiana (district) too would take about two hours time from Kurukshetra.

Referring to this article, Mewa Singh from Sundernagar (Himachal Pradesh) writes in his letter which also appeared in The Tribune under the heading Totapuri :

Shri Satish K. Kapoor says that there is no record of Totapuri’s original abode except to the effect that he was born somewhere in Punjab.

According to some of the followers of Totapuri who live in Jogimajra and Rampur villages in Ludhiana district, the monk was born at Jogimajra village where his Samadhi is still in existence. Thousands of devotees all over the country visit the Samadhievery year and participate in functions which are organised to remember the saint.

Gaju Bhagat, an ardent follower of the saint, lives in Rampur village, and makes genuine effort to keep Totapuri’s mission alive. In this context, laudable efforts have been made by S. Maghar Singh, Principal, Govt. Secondary School, Kangalwal, Dist. Sangrur and his cousin, Karnail Singh but no substantial results have come out so far.

So Sri Totapuri has been called an Udasi ascetic and with equal claim declared as follower of the Sankara School of thought. The following questions arise :

Who was this Sri Totapuri? Where did he come from? What is his lineage with the Puri cult? Would any scholars interested in the subject explore and trace out the truth?

So far as the Puri lineage is concerned, Ghurye comes to our help. “Totapuri was the spiritual preceptor of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. And Ramakrishna who was Paramhansa was never known as a Puri. But he was the spiritual preceptor of Vivekananda. Vivekananda was thus a Puri. But hardly ever has this ascetic surname been used in his case. The alignment of Bengal ascetics with Puri Order appears to have been as old as asceticism in Bengal.

1994 is being celebrated the Birth Quincentenary year of Baba Sri Chand, the pioneer of the Udasi cult. We suggest all seekers of truth are invited on this auspicious occasion to contribute their mite to discover the truth about this Udasi ascetic Sri Totapuri.

I am grateful to Dr. Himadri Banerjee of the Department of History, Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta, who has very kindly offered to help in the wider interest of historical research. He has long been working on how Sikhism and the Sikhs have been depicted in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and Oriya languages over the last 125 years. He writes in his letter dated 12 June, 1994, “I have gathered that the Udasis were active in the Gangetic belt even in the eighteenth century. They had already set up theirakharas/dhunis in Barh, Monghyr, Bhagalpur, Rajmahal, Nalhati, Chittagong and Cuttack. Many of these Akharas have, however, been converted into Hindu temples and some of them have been taken over by the Sikhs. At Kaliaboda, Cuttack, it is believed that the present Sikh Gurdwara was originally a place of the Udasis. I have got from different sources that in Eastern India, Sikhism was first propagated by the Udasis/Nanak Panthis. They had their schools and places of worship. But their role is very little known to common people. It requires investigations. Further, he mentions that Captain Bhag Singh (founder Editor, The Sikh Review) once told him that Sri Totapuri had initiated Sri Ramakrishna.

In conclusion, I quote extracts from letters in the praise of the Udasis, which appeared in the introduction of Ishar Singh Nara’s Punjabi book :

Letter dated 24.12.1972, Dr. Kala Singh Bedi from Delhi University writes : “It is true that Baba Sri Chand was a religious leader and founder of Udasi sect, but really he was the sincere follower of Guru Nanak Bani.....”

S. Kapoor Singh in his letter dated 12th March, 1959, says that Udasi Samparday is an ‘advance Battalion of the Sikhs."

It seems that invaluable work has been done by the Udasis, but very little has come to be celebrated, and still less people know about it. It needs the serious attention of researchers to unearth the services of Udasis, because they preached the Holy Message of Guru Nanak as followers of Baba Sri Chand.

Edited February 7, 2014 by Amarjeet Singh_1737

[Amarjeet Singh_1737]

So why not keep the kesh and bana, keep the banis take amrit and become a real sikh?

There are also others like Bhagat Pooran Singh. It is worthwhile to study the psyche of these converts and garner any spiritual, or historic teachings from them.

“I was born and raised in a Snatan Hindu family. All the monay people of our village used to wear turbans on their heads, and almost all Khatris and Brahmins kept long beards. My Hindu father Lala Sibboo Mall also kept long beard and used to tie a huge turban on his head. Before India’s partition, a prominent doctor of Lahore Dr. Beli Ram would walk around the streets advocating keeping of long beard for protection from throat infections during winter months.

I adopted the Sikh faith at the age of nineteen; that is when I started keeping Kes on my head. Before that my appearance was that of any other Hindu boy. I was born and raised in a village where the surrounding land was full of fields, and in fields one also finds Beri (a type of small fruit commonly found in Punjab’s countryside) trees. People often throw pebbles and stones to knock down these fruits from the high branches. Once I was sitting under one of the tress when suddenly a loose stone hit me in the head, which caused a huge gash near my forehead. Although I use to wear turban even in those days, maybe I was not wearing one on that day. Or perhaps I was, but barely a single layer of cloth covers the centre of the head, which is almost same as not having anything on head at all. It is the knotted Kes in the middle of the head that provide good protection against heavy objects.

The following incident is from year 1989: I was walking near Ghanta Ghar, Sri Darbar Sahib when suddenly, from a height of 50 feet, a double brick fell from Ghanta Ghar’s deordi and landed barely a foot away from me. If I was one foot closer, the brick would have surely struck me in the head, and I would not have survived. But with God’s grace I was saved that day. From that day onwards I started wearing Nihang Singh style tall dumalla, and people have starting assuming I am a Nihang Singh. In war, weapons of all sorts hit you, and in ordinary day-to-day life, people get attacked by sticks and the like, that is why adorning Dastaar on the head is very important.”

[GtLoc]

So why not keep the kesh and bana, keep the banis take amrit and become a real sikh?

Because if you don't understand it, there's no point.

There's a lot of amritdhari who understand sikhi, even though they may not know x and x.

That's all that matters,

Remember Guru Ji said to give a head or take a head are equal.

And what is a saint? How do you balance that with being a soldier, and being in the world's most volatile region.

That understanding, is personal and between and mahakaal or akaal puraakh.

VJKVJF||

[GtLoc]

why so much self doubt, so much of insecurity?

if you think your faith is complete, why do you need certificates from this Tirath and that Nand?

Make me daal, and saag. I got the macci roti already,

You have to do penance for tara malhotra.

[Guest]

There is also swami rama ji. He was very close with sant waryam singh ji ratwara sahib..he was very touched by sikh traditions and gurbani. He started translating japji sahib and sukhmani sahib in english. He intially started translating sri guru granth sahib ji fully but after looking at the depth of gurbani, he said its nirankar bani -translations will not do full justice and left it at that.

Here is his biography and works, very inspiring and profound

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Rama (under his works)

Here is rare picture of swami rama ji with sant waryam singh ji ratwara sahib.

[tralam]

Thank you, N30 S!NGH, that is indeed a very rare photo of Sw. Rama and one I had never seen before.

Firstly, I wish no disrespect by writing on this forum as I am not a Sikh personally, but my interest in spiritual matters often takes me to Sikh-related content. My main interest has been in the yogic traditions.

There appears to be a very strong link between Sw. Rama’s lineage and Sikh traditions. As you may know, Sw. Rama's master has often been called Bengali Baba. He is also known by various monastic names in different places. Otherwise, there is very little known about him. There appear to exist no photographs of him and he traveled to many places all over India, Nepal, Tibet, etc. Among many traditions he is very highly esteemed, yet very little is known about him by the public.

My research has led me to believe that Sw. Rama's master was actually known as Dharamdas, an Udasi ascetic with long matted hair. Some of you might have heard the story of the prince of Bhawal and how he was saved by a group of naga ascetics. If interested, more about this can be found in the book about the Bhawal case by Partha Chatterjee. Sw. Rama has on numerous occasions stated that his guru was one of the sadhus who saved the prince from the cremation grounds. From the court testimony it is found that all the sadhus involved had the name 'Das' attached and the assumption is that they were Udasi. From the records it would appear that a Dharamdas, Darshandas, Harnamdas, and perhaps one or two more ascetics were involved. The prince from that day became known to the other sadhus as Sundardas as the sadhus thought it was a beautiful thing indeed that a man was saved from death that day.

It went like this: In 1909 a storm occurred in Darjeeling when the -- by all appearances -- dead body of the Bhawal prince was about to be cremated. The consensus is that the Kumar was poisoned by his brother-in-law Satyendra Banerjee and most probably his cohort Dr. Ashutosh whilst they were on vacation in Darjeeling. The storm drove the funeral attendants away to seek shelter at a slaughter house a mile or so away from the cremation grounds. The storm lasted about an hour. When the funeral attendants returned, they discovered that the body of the prince was no longer situated on the kot. They started looking frantically but could not find the body. According to one of the ascetics that testified in court years later, they heard a moaning sound come from the cremation grounds. So they went to check on it and found the man on the kot to still be alive (perhaps the storm revived him from a dorment state). They removed the body of the prince from the kot and took him to their shelter. The prince, being poisoned until he was at death's door, suffered catastrophic memory loss. The sadhus nursed him back to acceptable health during a 2 week period, after which they departed the area and started traveling around for the next 12 years. The person who testified in court on behalf of the prince was an ascetic by the name of Darshandas (also known as Gopaldas). According to him he was originally from the Punjab and his master was Harnamdas. He said that Harnamdas was his teacher, and that Harnamdas was also the teacher of Dharamdas, who was the teacher of the prince (as well as Sw. Rama). If indeed Dharamdas was Bengali Baba, this would mean that Harnamdas is actually Sw. Rama's grandmaster. According to Sw. Rama his grandmaster spent most of his time (or perhaps later in life, when Sw. Rama visited him) in Tibet.

Long story short is that from 1909 until 1921, the prince was living as a sadhu with his teacher Dharamdas and several other sadhus. He was initiated into the guru mantra in Amarnath, Kashmir, by Dharamdas. After this, Sundardas would slowly start reliving memories, until, in 1921, it became clear to him where he came from. He then traveled to Dhaka and set up his dhuni along the bank of the Buriganga. People started recognizing him as the second kumar of Bhawal, even though he had long, matter hair. He himself also started recognizing people and places. After several months he was taken to the Bhawal estate where he met his relations and other familiar people and they recognized him to be the long lost prince. After years and years of court proceedings and appeals, finally in 1946 the final ruling came that indeed he was the prince of Bhawal. It is known that during all this time, he remained in contact with his teacher Dharamdas.

There are several stories that link Bengali Baba with Tota Puri. According to Sw. Rama, he met Tota Puri at his master's behest. At that time, Tota Puri was staying in a certain place where people referred to him as Kankaria Baba (father of pebbles) because he kept being visited by people of the vicinity and one day he told them if they loved him, they would bring only a pebble. A further story made clear that Bengali Baba had also been with Tota Puri in a temple in Bihar. Tota Puri (as can be seen from the existing photographs of him) also appears to have the same appearance as the group of sadhus have that saved the prince of Bhawal so it seems clear that he was Udasi as well. I say the latter with a bit of a lack of confidence, as I am not sure I fully understand the differences between some of the ascetic lines of Udasi, Nagas, and Dasanami.

[by the way, there is another person named Tota Puri in a certain tradition (see this link, for example: https://plus.google.com/105813829524769844330/posts ) but he is not the Tota Puri known by the Ramakrishna movement, nor the one known by Bengali Baba.]

The photographs that exist of the Tota Puri with the long matted hair and him being naked, they are easy to recognize. The Ramakrishna order uses one of these also, traditionally. The main reason for this Tota Puri being easily recognized is that, besides the long matted hair and nakedness, his face and eyes are very distinct. If you will notice, his eyes have an outward angle (opposite of cross-eyed). In the 4 photographs of Tota Puri that I have seen, it is clearly the same person. Please look here for these pictures in a post by a person named “hong-sau (HS)”: http://forum.yogananda.net/index.php?/topic/19153-places-of-spiritual-interest-in-puri-orissa/

The Ramakrishna movement talks about Tota Puri hailing from the Punjab and being (or having been) a mahant. He evidently traveled with Bengali Baba. He spent considerable time in Bihar at several temples. One appears to have been a Chinnamasta temple. Tota Puri stayed the last part of his life in Puri, where he took mahasamadhi. There is a small book about him called “Sree Sree Digambara Baba” written by a person who used to visit him in his ashram in Puri. Purportedly this saint lived much longer than most humans, a feat shown by several saints like Devraha Baba and others.

I had been suspecting a link between Bengali Baba, Sw. Rama, etc., and the Sikh tradition because of the aforementioned research but until now had not been able to find much evidence. So when I saw the above photograph it was very interesting to me. Could anyone tell me what the text on the plaque/monument reads that is shown in the photograph? Any additional information about Sw. Rama or his lineage being connected to Sikh or Udasi life would be very appreciated, as well as any additional information about Tota Puri. I don’t live in India nor have I mastered the various languages so I cannot read books in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, etc.

Thank you.

Edited July 26, 2014 by tralam

[das]

I don't know if there is any direct link as you've asked for. But I've read somewhere (I guess in Swami Rama's books) about the first contact with Sant Waryam Singh Ji and his wife. Swami Rama told Sant Waryam Singh Ji's wife that she was her mother in the 2 previous lifes. It does indicate that these religions are just for the sake of discipline, a person now Hindu might have been Sikh in previous life and a Sikh in this life might have been a Muslim or Hindu in his/her previous life. Just a personal thought.

Edited August 25, 2014 by das

[tralam]

Thanks for the reply. There is only one direct source I know for the idea that Bengali Baba (Sw. Rama's guru) is the same person as Dharam Das, one of the Udasis that was instrumental in rescuing the Bhawal Kumar from the funeral pyre that fateful night in 1909; this source is Pandit Tigunait, who was a student of Swami Rama who also wrote a biography about him. In this biography, Tigunait lays it on pretty thick that Dharam Das is the same person as Bengali Baba, but I wonder if Swami Rama ever actually said that this was one of Bengali Baba's aliases, or if Tigunait is merely making these connections himself.

I think there may very well be a connection between the 4 Udasi sadhus who saved the Bhawal Kumar in 1909 and the tradition from which Swami Rama hails. What Tigunait doesn't appear to know is a reference to a 'Bangali Baba' made by the Bhawal Kumar himself in court. He actually uses the words 'Bangali Baba' and said he was a great sadhu he met in 1920 at Pashupatinath. But at this time he was with the 4 sadhus that rescued him in 1909, which includes Dharam Das -- a fact he mentions several times. So the conclusion that must necessarily follow is that this great sadhu he met in Nepal, whom he named 'Bangali Baba', was NOT the same person as Dharam Das.

Tigunait further relates the story of Swami Rama being at Tagore's Shantiniketan, and that while there he got a telegram from his master Bengali Baba, saying he needed to come to Darjeeling. Tigunait goes on to say that the Bhawal Kumar also visited Tagore just before that, and Swami Rama met him there at Tagore's. Tigunait further says that Swami Rama then left Tagore's with 10 friends, planning to visit his grandmaster in Tibet. He then makes it to Darjeeling with his friends and visits with Bengali Baba privately, who told him something to the effect that the Bhawal Kumar had emerged victorious. Tigunait then relates how the Kumar went to a temple in Calcutta (where he lived) after getting in the final verdict in the famous court case, establishing his identity as the Kumar beyond all appeals. The problem is, Tagore died in 1941, so Swami Rama could not have been with him later than some time in 1941 (he talked to Swami Rama so must have still been alive). But the Bhawal Kumar got the final verdict to his court case in 1946, and died in 1946. So there is a huge 5 year gap that Tigunait's story fails to address. It is as though he is not even aware of this fact. So again, what Tigunait relates about the Bhawal Kumar and the connections to the tradition of Swami Rama are at best very loose hearsay stories, and I personally think he is just putting stuff together based on very small snippets he has been able to glean from Swami Rama during his days.

One of the other sadhus involved in the rescue of the Kumar in 1909 was an Udasi named 'Darshan Das' (also went by 'Gopal Das'). He was a witness for the Kumar in the court case. He confirms being an Udasi. So when I saw the photo of Swami Rama as being connected to someone in the Sikh realm I thought this might be a connection to the notion of Dharam Das being Bengali Baba, etc. At this point in time, given the Kumar's own testimony mentioning a sadhu named 'Bangali Baba' in Nepal, and Tigunait's rather loose interpretations, I tend to think that the identification of Bengali Baba as being Dharam Das is hard to maintain. It is possible, but I think it unlikely at this point.

This Darshan Das mentions he went back to Punjab in 1935 to consult his guru Harnam Das about something, and he mentions going to Nankana Sahib, at Bhadra. Is 'Bhadra' a town or region associated with Nankana Sahib? I tried to find information about it but I couldn't find any. I noticed in the old book I read that 'Bhadra' also means 'September' so perhaps he was just saying he visited Nankana Sahib in September, and that it was therefore not a location, as the book made it appear. Also, is any Udasi by the name of Harnam Das known to have lived at Nankana Sahib around the 1930's?