RADHASOAMI DAYAL KI DAYA RADHASOAMI SAHAI Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace & Protection Biscowses On , Radhasoami Faith By MAHARAJ SAHEB Pandit Brahm Sankar Misra, M. A. Radhasoami Satsang Soamibagh Agra -INTRODUCTORY NOTE ‘The author of this book which is regard- ed as one of the authcritative scriptures of the Radhasoami Faith by its followers and is entitled “Discourses on Radhasoami Faith” was Pandit Brahm Sankar Mista known as Maharaj Saheb, the third Guru in the parent line of succession. He was bom on March 28, 1861, in a respectable Brahmin family of Benares, He came of a family of ‘Intellectuals’ : —- His father was professor of Sanskrit in the Queen’s College, Benares, and He Himself was the youngest of the four brothers who took the degtee of M.A. of the Calcutta University. He obtained this degree in February 1884. That a deep teligious vein and broad and independent outlook for spiritual advancement were not lacking in His family will be apparent from the fact that His father, although belonging to a strictly consetvative and orthodox family of Brahmins who migrated from Jaunpur to Benares, with bold courage and total absence of hesitancy accepted the spiritual guidance of a prominent teligious adept of a Mohamedan family in PatnaUl INTRODUCTORY NOTE whose membets were always respected and welcome guests of His father. Shortly after the termination of His aca- demical career in 1884, Maharaj Saheb com- menced the study cf law but soon discovered that the profession was uncongenial to Him and definitely abandoned the study. For a short time, He took to the teaching line and worked as a teacher in the Bareilly College. About this time He came across, through a friend and co-student of His, a copy of Sar- bachan (Prose) whose author was Soamiji Maharaj, the August Founder of the sub- lime Radhasoami Faith, which had been printed and published about the same time. The very first perusal of this book ptoduced a phenomenal effect upon Him, known little to others except to His close associates, although the ordinary trend of His life prior to this gave little indi- cation of His capacity for extraordinary spiritual eminence. The Truth at once dawned upon Him and thenceforward no- thing but a deep and fervent desire for com- ing in contact with His future Guru domi- nated His mind. This desire of His was soon fulfilled; and in November 1885, He met at Benares His future Guru, Rai Saligram Saheb Bahadur known as HuzurINTRODUCTORY NOTE mw Mahataj, who had come there in the course of His official tour as Post Master General, North Western Provinces. The stay of Huzur Maharaj at places of inspection was usually limited to two or three days, but on this occasion Huzut Maharaj develeped ophthalmia which, coupled with the extra- otdinaty spiritual avidity cf Maharaj Saheb, resulted in the stay of Huzur Maharaj be- ing ptclenged to ten days; and during this period Maharaj Saheb was initiated by Huzur Maharaj. The phenomenal trans- formation of a once powerful athlete into a meek submissive attendant upon His Guru, and the love-charged recitations of the holy hymns in deep, sorrowful and plaintive tones of separation from the Beloved One and, at times, in tones of engrossing blissful ecstasy were sights for ‘spirituals’ to see. After meet- ing with His Guru, a deep, cyclical change came overt Him which separated Him al- together from the world and its sutround- ings and ties, making them total strangers to Him except for brief outward inter- coutse ; and from the ruins of His previous telations with this world emerged the love of the Beloved One as the sole beacon of light for His guidance on His onward path.Iv INTRODUCTORY NOTE In 1886, He took up regular Government setvice and joined the Accountant General’s office at Allahabad as a clerk in one of the senior grades, on April 26 of that year. At this time it was not difficult for an M.A. to secute a higher appointment with better emoluments and prospects of advancement, but He particularly elected to take up His appointment on a compatatively small pay because of the facilities which this appoint- ment afforded Him for meeting His Guru at Agta or Allahabad. So ardent was His desire to be in the company of His Guru that He seldom missed any holidays to pass them at Agta where His Guru resided for the most part. Even Sundays were often availed of, for this purpose. In February 1887, Huzur Maharaj decid- ed to retire from service and came to Allaha- bad for making over the charge of His office to His successor. On this occasion He had to stay longer than usual at Allahabad which fave an opportunity to Maharaj Saheb to re- main in attendance upon Huzur Maharaj for over ten days in succession. This gave a fresh impetus to Maharaj Saheb’s desire to femain in company of Huzur Maharaj but He could not catty out His desire owing to setvice in an office located at Allahabad. NotINTRODUCTORY NOTE Vv long after, however, Maharaj Saheb contract ed a very sevete form of dysentery which necessitated His proceeding on leave to His native place at Benares for treatment and test. The disease was eventually cured after some time but it left Him so weak that He had to be away from office fot about a year. The greater portion of this time was passed by Maharaj Saheb in attendance upon Huzur Maharaj at Agta, with visits, at intervals, to Benares on account of the very setious illness of Maharaj Saheb’s mother, which eventually terminated in her passing away. After His initiation, Maharaj Saheb denied Himself all luxuries and the company of His previous friends and associates in a perfectly natural manner devoid of all ostentation; and His taiment and fare consisted of the simplest kind and His diet was very greatly reduced. During His stay at Agra after the severe attack of dysentery, His diet consisted merely of a few morsels given to Him by Huzut Maharaj at meal times. In 1888, He tejoined His service at Allahabad on the expity of His leave, and His diet then consisted usual- ly of a cup of tea in the morning and a small quantity of ‘Khichsi? (rice cooked with pulse). In spite of the very small quantity of food that He took, He showed noVI INTRODUCTORY NOTE great signs of weakness and carried out His duties with great efficiency and ability. At this period His duties were not of such a character as to attract the special attention of His superiot officers and for several years He served with perfect contentment in a comparatively low paid post. Thereafter, His unusual abilities came to the notice of the authorities and obtained recognition in the shape cf promotion which came to Him apace. He was specially selected for the performance of responsible duties outside, such as the supervision and audit of famine accounts, tegularisation of ‘Treasuty ac- counts at Ballia etc. By sheer dint of His abilities He ultimately rose to be the Chief Supetintendent of the Accountant General’s office. All His spate time, during the periods He had to be at Allahabad away from His Guru, was devoted tc holding divine services and to private devotion. During divine services there, He very often delivered discourses to enlighten His fellow discipics on religious matters; and His discourses bore unmistak- able marks of profound spiritual inspiration. His audiences were struck by their deep spiritual character and the elucidation of hidden spititual truths; and He was duringINTRODUCTORY NOTE VIL the life-time of His Guru marked out as His eventual successor. After the departure of His Guru from the world in 1898, people flocked to Him to re- ceive spititual instruction, and from 1900 on- wards, the influx of visitors to Allahabad for this object began to increase frcm day to day. Divine setvices began to be held twice a day at His house and often thrice a day at which the audience ccnsisting of both males and females numbered from three to seven ot eight hundred on special occasions. Discoutses were almost invatiably delivered at each divine service and theit fame spread far and wide. Abstruse spiritual truths were elucidated on strictly scientific lines. The supernatural flow and cloquence combined with the irresistible logic of His discourses held the audiences consisting mostly of edu- cated men spell-bound. They all listened with rapt attention and a feeling cf deep veneration for Him, and thousands of persons were newly initiated by Him into the ptinciples of Radhasoami Faith. In 1905, Maharaj Saheb went to Dumraon to systematise the accounts of the Dumraon Raj and to conduct their audit, where He contracted malaria of a severe type which never totally left Him. In September 1906,