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SANT MAT leads to Unity of Hinduism and Islam at extremely higher level
The path leading to the union of the soul with the oversoul- Sat Purush/Sat Naam or Haqq is known as Sant-Mat (Guru-Mat) or Sufi-Mat of the Murshid-e-Kamils (Perfect Masters). Sants & Kamil Murshids developed their faith & teachings within the cultural ambit of Hinduism & Islam- both emphasizing the worship of ‘Kaal Purush’ (‘Brahm’ or Negative Power) largely through exoteric worship, rites and rituals etc. The faith of Sants & Kamil Sufis went beyond this stage- to worship of ‘Akaal Purush’ (Positive Power) and rose to debunk both the Pandit and the Maulvi. Although non-believers in the exoteric method of worship (Karmakanda or Shari’a), they often tolerated these practices, while enjoining the esoteric method of worship within the human body-temple. Sometimes popular Hindu & Islamic names of God, such as Rama & Allah were also used, while clarifying that their ‘ishta’ (deity) was a higher one. This path is also known as ‘Ulta Mat’ (upside-down faith) both because it is a path of inversion of the spirit and because it is full of paradoxes that do not make sense to the worldly. Central to the path is the need for a Sat-guru or Kamil-murshid and contact with 'Shabd' or ‘Naam’ or ‘Ism-e-A’zam’ through the practice of "Surat-Shabd Yoga" or "Sultan-ul-Azkaar".
Sant-Mat is the pristine path, and all of spirituality can be traced back to Kabir (the second of the sixteen sons of the Lord, ‘Gyaani’), who came by the names of Sat-Sukrit, Munindra & Karunamaya in the previous ages, and indeed comes time and again. He appears to work together with Nanak (possibly, ‘Vivek’, the third son of the Lord) to fulfil his mission to liberate beings from the clutches of the Negative Power (mind & matter) and take them back to the region of the pure spirit, "Sat Lok’ or ‘Muqaam-e-Haqq’.
THE SUFIS (India/Central Asia)
Sufism began as the esoteric aspect of Islam and harboured within it seekers practicing a wide variety of yogas, including those based on Prana. According to one view, Mohammed Sahib himself learnt yoga from the Nath yogis of India. However, the Sufi Kamils were votaries of the yoga of Celestial Sound. Prominent among the Arabic Kamil Sufis were: Shamsu’ddin Tabrizi (d:1247), ‘Attar (d:1220), Maulana Jalalu’ddin Rumi (d:1273), Sa’di (d:1293), Hafiz Shirazi (d:1317) & Rabia Basri (d:801). Often, they came into conflict with the priestly ‘Ulema’ for crying-out ‘Anal-Haqq’ (I am Truth) or for not following Shari’a or Hadis (tradition) faithfully. Sarmad was beheaded by Aurangzeb in 1661 in front of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, reminding of the earlier sacrifice of Mansur al-Hallaj in 920.
According to them, Creation comprises of
1. Nasut (Material region)
2. Malkut or Musalli (Astral) [Ruler: Khuda]
3. Jabrut (Causal) [Ruler: Allah]
4. Lahut, Hahut & Hutalhut (two Supra-causal regions with an intermediate region) [Rulers: Rabb & Anahu] &
5. Haq (Truth) [Ruler: al-Haqq].
Likewise, their practices comprises of:
1. ‘Zikr’ (remembrance),
2. ‘Tasawwur’ (concentration) &
3. ‘Shughal’ (inner listening) covering stages of:
1. ‘Shari’a’: rules for external conduct,
2. ‘Tariqat’: path of purity and remembrance leading to contact with Kalma at the ‘Nuqta-e-Suwaida’ (Third Eye),
3. ‘M’arfat’: inner path leading to communion with the Lord &
4. ‘Haqiqat’: "fana-fil-Sheikh" (merger with Murshid) or self-realization leading to "fana-fil-Allah" (merger with the Lord).
While Sufism had its roots in Arabia and flourished in Iran, it found its firm feet in India with advent of Islam in the early decades of the millennium. ‘Khanqahs’ (Sufi retreats) were created all across the Islamic world, especially along important trade routes. The Mongol invasion in 13th century also hastened Sufi migration to India. Among the earliest Sufis in India was Hazrat Daata Ganj (d:~1089) of Lahore. Four well-known Sufi schools prospered in India:
1. Suhrawardia: Ziauddin Abul Najeeb (d:1167) first came to Sindh from Baghdad, and, among others, were: Hamidu’ddin Nagauri (d:1274), Sheikh Taqi of Jhusi (d:1384), Mohd. Shah ‘Alam Bukhari (d:1475), Baha’u’ddin Zakariyya Multani (d:1262), Saiyyed Jalalu’ddin Kasi (d:1605), who spread its message to Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Bengal & Deccan.
2. Chishtia: founded by Abou Abdulla Chishti in Iran is the best known Sufi order in India. It came through Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer (d:1236), to be followed by Khwaja Qutbu’ddin Bakhtiar "Kaki" (d:1235), Sheikh Faridu’ddin "Ganj-e-Shakar" (d:1264), Nizamuddin Aulia (d: 1325), Amir Khusrau, Malik Mohd. Jayasi (d:1541), Sheikh Salim Chishti (d:1572) who spread it in North, West & South of India.
3. Qaadiria: founded by Sheikh Abdu’l Qaadir Jilani (d:1166) in Baghdad, came to India through Saiyed Mohd. Ghaus of Uch (d:1552), to be followed by others like Hazrat Miyan Mir (d:1634) who laid the foundation-stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar, Mullah Shah, Dara Shikoh, elder brother of Aurangzeb, Inayat Khan, Bullehshah (d:1768), Shah Jalal, Makhdum Shah, spreading it to Kashmir, Punjab, Bihar & Bengal.
4. Naqshbandia: founded by Khwaja Wahauddin Naqshband of Turkey, came to India through Khwaja Baqi Billah (d: 1603) & Sheikh Ahmed Farooq ‘Sirhindi’ (d:1624), and has been popular in Punjab & Kashmir. However, their stature was not that of Kamils.
Suhrawardias live in extreme poverty, spending time in ‘Zikr’. Chishtias are known to be fond of ‘Chilla’ (solitary stay for 40 days) and ‘Sama’’ (dances with jingling anklets), reciting Kalma loudly. Qawwali, invented by Amir Khusrau, is a representation of the inner sound. Qaadirias do ‘Zikr’ in both loud and low voice. Naqshbandias recite Kalma in a low voice, follow Shari’a and Prana yoga (‘Habs-e-Dam’).
Many Sufis, such as Sultan Bahu (d:1691), Bullehshah, Waris Shah, Amir Khusrau, also wrote in Hindi, Punjabi & Sindhi.
THE SANTS
Sant-Mat has remained with us for aeons in the "Hindustani" plain of North & West of India. Amongst the oldest mentioned Sants are Bhakta Jaidev (possibly of Bengal, who wrote "Geet Govind" in the late 12th Century) and Sant Veni, Sant Sadna of Sindh, a butcher by caste (early 14th Century), Sant Namdev (d:1464) the calico printer, who was one of the five great Sants of Maharashtra (others being Gyandev, Eknath, Samarth Ramdas & Tukaram), who died in village Ghuman in Punjab (where Baba Jaimal Singh Ji was later born) and Sant Trilochan.
However, Sant-Mat received its major boost with the coming of Kabir of Benaras, weaver by caste (d:1518) of the "Nirguna" school, who is the "Father of Sant-Mat". Among his possible gurus are named: Ramanand, Sheikh Taqi and Pitambar Pir. Other Sants who lived around Kabir’s age are: Sain (barber), Ravidas (cobbler), Pipa & Dhanna. Mirabai (d:1545), Surdas (d:1562) and Tulsidas (d:1623) are Sants who inititally rose through the "Saguna" school of devotion. This was the age of the reformist "Bhakti" movement. Among other "panths" or lineages of Sants were those of Dadu (d:1603) of Rajasthan including Rajjab and Sunderdas; Bawri (16th Cent.) including Beeru, Yaari, Bula, Gulal, Bhikha and Paltu; Malukdas (d:1701) of Allahabad, Dariya (d:1780) of Bihar; Charandas (d:1782) of Delhi; Garibdas (d:1777) of Chudani in Haryana.
While Dharamdas succeeded Kabir at Benaras, it was left to Nanak (d:1539) in Punjab (who is said by some to have been initiated by Kabir alongside a river in his astral form) and the nine following ‘Sikh’ gurus: Angad, Amardas, Ramdas, Arjun, Hargovind, Harrai, Harikrishnrai, Tegh Bahadur & Gobind Singh. Gobind Singh is said to have died in 1708 at Nanded. He is said to have initiated one Ratnagar Rao Peshwa, who in turn initiated one Amritrao or Shyamrao, also in the Peshwa family, who disappeared from Pune after refusing the Peshwa crown and surfaced at Hathras in U.P. to be known as Tulsi Saheb (d:1843) whose ‘Ghat Ramayana" is well known. Thereafter SANT MAT was propagated by Swami Ji Maharaj Shri Shivdayal Singh (d:1878) of Agra, during whose time Sant-Mat received a further boost.He was & is considered byall the followers as Supreme incarnation of the Most Supreme Being. While Huzur Maharaj Rai Shaligram, propounder of Radhasoami faith succeeded him at Agra. Swami Ji Maharaj & Huzur Maharaj Rai Shaligram were in the mould of Kabir & Nanak.Today Sant Mat is exclusively preached and practised in Radhasoami faith.The 20th century witnesses Sants who presented Sant-Mat as a science.