Sant Mat

Sant Mat (“the path of the sants”) names the family of Indian spiritual movements — from Kabir and the medieval sants to the modern Radha Soami lineages — teaching inner meditation on the Light and Sound (shabd) under a living master toward God-realization.

Overview

The medieval sant synthesis (Kabir, Nanak, Ravidas — the nirguna bhakti of the Name and inner experience) re-institutionalized in the 19th century: Shiv Dayal Singh’s Radhasoami teachings (Agra, 1861) and their branching (the Beas Dera, the Dayalbagh Satsang, and allied movements — Sawan Kirpal’s circles, the Sant Bani lineages) carried the “surat shabd yoga” frame worldwide.

Core teachings

The soul (surat) ascends through inner regions by attention to the Shabd (the Sound-Current, the Word); the living master (satguru) as indispensable guide; vegetarianism, abstinence, and ethical life as prerequisites; nirguna Godhood (the Formless) realized as inner experience, not doctrine.

Practice and ritual

Daily meditation (the inner Light and Sound practices, two-and-a-half hours typical), satsang (the master’s discourse and the community), seva (voluntary service), and the initiation that binds seeker to master.

Modern status

The Beas Dera and its sister satsangs among the world’s largest meditation communities; the sant poetry canon (Kabir to the modern masters) as shared scripture; scholarly study (Mark Juergensmeyer’s Radhasoami Reality and successors) documents the movement’s sociology.

Verification notes

• The 1861 Agra founding and the branchings are documented; each lineage’s claims are presented as its own.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).