Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) is a spiritual organisation in the Sant Mat tradition founded in Punjab, India, in 1891. Its main centre is Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, located on the banks of the Beas River. The organisation is one of the largest branches of the Radha Soami movement and is currently led by its spiritual heads Gurinder Singh Dhillon and Jasdeep Singh Gill.
The core of the RSSB teachings is based on the principle that a living spiritual master, or Satguru, is essential for guiding the soul back to its divine source. The primary spiritual practice is a form of meditation known as Surat Shabd Yoga, which involves connecting the soul with the Shabd, or the inner Sound Current. Followers are initiated into the practice and commit to never divulge details of their initiations, not even to their children. They lead disciplined lifestyles which include daily meditation, a lacto-vegetarian diet, abstinence from intoxicants, and high moral values, while continuing to live and work in the world.
The organisation's headquarters at Beas has grown from a small settlement into a large, self-sufficient township that accommodates hundreds of thousands of visitors during spiritual gatherings. RSSB has a global presence, with thousands of centres in over 90 countries. It also engages in extensive charitable work, operating free hospitals, providing disaster relief, and running community services.
History
Founding and early years (1891–1903)
The origins of Radha Soami Satsang Beas trace back to 1891, when Jaimal Singh, a disciple of Shiv Dayal Singh (the founder of the Radha Soami faith, who began teaching in Agra in 1861), settled on the west bank of the Beas River after retiring from the British Indian Army. Jaimal Singh had been initiated into the faith by Shiv Dayal Singh in 1856 and, following his guru's death in 1878, was instructed by him to carry the teachings to the Punjab. He chose the desolate and isolated site at Beas for its solitude and began his spiritual mission by building a simple mud hut in which to live and meditate. As news of his presence spread, a small group of followers (a sangat) formed, and he began holding spiritual discourses (satsangs).
The physical foundation of the spiritual colony, which came to be known as the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, was established in 1898 when Sawan Singh, a civil engineer and Jaimal Singh's eventual successor, constructed the first community well and subsequently, a small satsang hall and guest rooms. By the time of Jaimal Singh's death in 1903, he had initiated over two thousand followers, establishing a firm foundation for the community.
Growth under Sawan Singh (1903–1948) Sawan Singh, known as the "Great Master," succeeded Jaimal Singh in 1903. An engineer by profession, he applied his organisational skills to oversee the Dera's development for 45 years. Under his leadership, the settlement grew into a well-established village, and the following expansion significantly attracted disciples from across India and abroad. He personally designed a large new satsang hall, which was completed in 1937. Though the rapid growth of the congregation soon required discourses to be held outdoors once again. During the Partition of India in 1947, he provided shelter and aid to refugees of all faiths at the Dera.
Sawan Singh died on 2 April 1948, having nominated his successor through a written will dated 20 March 1948 — the first time a Beas Master had used a formal will to designate a successor. The will named Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh, a retired professor of chemistry, as spiritual head of the Dera and all its affiliated satsangs.
1948 succession and schism Although Jagat Singh was formally installed on the gurgaddi on 13 April 1948 in the presence of Sawan Singh's family and representatives of the Tarn Taran and Dayalbagh centres, Sawan Singh's death also produced a succession dispute. Beas records show that Jagat Singh alone was authorised to initiate disciples and establish new centres; nevertheless, several of Sawan Singh's disciples claimed an inner or verbal mandate from the late Master and founded independent centres in his name. The most prominent of these offshoots were:
Ruhani Satsang, founded in Delhi in 1948 by Kirpal Singh (1894–1974), a retired military accounts officer whom Sawan Singh had initiated in 1924. Kirpal Singh asserted that Sawan Singh had verbally entrusted him with the mission in December 1947, a claim not recorded in the Beas will; he renamed his fellowship "Ruhani Satsang" rather than using the traditional "Radha Soami" name. Dera Sacha Sauda, established at Sirsa, Haryana on 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani (c. 1891–1960), a disciple of Sawan Singh who had been initiated at Beas in 1920. Saidpur centre, founded in 1948 by Teja Singh, a disciple of Sawan Singh initiated in 1923, who established "Asli Dera Baba Sawan Singh" at village Saidpur, District Amritsar.
Together with the earlier-founded Tarn Taran centre established in 1900 by Bagga Singh (a disciple of Jaimal Singh), these splinter groups produced a total of thirteen independent centres in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi by 1974. Although the leaders of the splinter centres operated independently, they maintained cordial relations with Beas and continued to revere Sawan Singh as their spiritual master.
Jagat Singh and Charan Singh (1948–1990) Jagat Singh, a retired chemistry professor, led the Dera for three years, a brief tenure marked by the difficult post-partition period, during which he continued the Dera's humanitarian work. Before his death on 23 October 1951, Jagat Singh appointed Charan Singh — a lawyer, the grandson of Sawan Singh, and Jagat Singh's initiate — as his successor through a written will dated 22 October 1951.
Charan Singh led the organisation for nearly four decades, a period of profound transformation. In 1957, he registered Radha Soami Satsang Beas as a non-profit society. This pivotal move shifted the organisation from a traditional structure, where assets were held by the living Master, to a modern, legally secure framework that separated spiritual and administrative responsibilities. Under his direction, the Dera grew into a large, self-sufficient township. This expansion was powered by massive volunteer efforts, such as the mitti seva (earth-moving service) of the 1950s, where thousands of volunteers manually levelled large ravines to expand the community kitchen (langar). He also actively worked to dissolve caste distinctions within the community by personally sitting and eating with all members of the congregation, reinforcing the teaching of equality. During his tenure, the organisation expanded globally, establishing a presence in over 90 countries.
Gurinder Singh era (1990–2024) Gurinder Singh was appointed successor in 1990 — named through the will of Charan Singh, who died on 1 June 1990 — and continued to lead the organisation's expansion. Born on 1 August 1954, Gurinder Singh was the son of Gurmukh Singh Dhillon and Mohinder Kaur — Charan Singh's sister, and a daughter of Harbans Singh Grewal, the youngest son of Sawan Singh — making him a great-grandson of the second Beas Master. At the time of his appointment, he was serving the RSSB centre in Malaga, Spain. His tenure was marked by significant infrastructural development at the Dera to accommodate the ever-growing number of followers, including the construction of the current main satsang venue, which can hold up to 500,000 people.
2024 succession On 2 September 2024, in a departure from the tradition of naming a successor only shortly before the Master's passing, Gurinder Singh nominated Jasdeep Singh Gill as Patron and Sant Satguru Designate of all RSSB societies, with immediate effect. Gill, aged 45 at the time of his appointment, holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge and had previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at the pharmaceutical firm Cipla. Gurinder Singh continues as spiritual head during the transition period. Like his two immediate predecessors, Gill is a blood descendant of Sawan Singh: he is the grandson of Gurinder Singh's masi (maternal aunt), making him a first cousin once removed of Gurinder Singh and a great-nephew of Charan Singh. Thus, while RSSB succession is formally by spiritual appointment rather than hereditary right, the last three Masters — Charan Singh, Gurinder Singh, and Jasdeep Singh Gill — have all been descendants of the second Beas Master, Sawan Singh.
Beliefs and teachings The philosophy of Radha Soami Satsang Beas is part of the Sant Mat tradition, which advocates an inner path of spiritual discovery. The teachings are presented not as a religion, but as a science of the soul that can be practised by people of any faith without conflict with their religious identity. The ultimate goal is jivanmukti, or liberation of the soul from the cycle of reincarnation, leading to its return to its divine origin.
God, the soul, and the sound current The core philosophy is based on the belief in a single, formless God from which the entire creation has emanated. Central to this belief is the concept of the Shabd, or the Sound Current, also known as Naam (the Word). The Shabd is described as the primordial creative power—the dynamic force of God that is the source and sustenance of all existence. It is not an audible sound in the physical sense but a subtle inner vibration or divine melody that the soul can perceive when its attention is withdrawn from the external world. This inner Sound is considered the direct path leading back to God.
According to the teachings, the soul is a particle of the divine that has become separated and is now entrapped in the material world by karma and the cycle of reincarnation. The human form is considered a rare opportunity for the soul to achieve spiritual liberation and return to its source.
The role of the living master The teachings place critical importance on the necessity of a living spiritual Master, or Satguru. The Master is not worshipped as God, but is revered as a guide who has completed the spiritual journey and can lead others along the same path. It is believed that only a living Master can provide the essential connection to the Shabd. This connection is given during a formal initiation (naam dan), where the Master provides instruction on the meditation technique and is said to link the disciple's soul to the inner Sound Current, taking responsibility for guiding it on its journey homeward.
The spiritual path The practical application of the teachings is centred on the meditation practice of Surat Shabd Yoga, which means "the union of the soul with the Sound Current". To support this inner practice, disciples commit to an ethical lifestyle intended to cultivate the discipline and purity necessary for spiritual progress. The path includes four key elements: A lacto-vegetarian diet, which excludes meat, fish, fowl, and eggs. This is based on the principle of non-violence (ahimsa). Abstinence from intoxicants, including alcohol and recreational drugs, to maintain mental clarity. A moral and ethical life, earning a livelihood through honest means and dealing fairly with others. A commitment to daily meditation for two and a half hours.
In addition to this individual discipline, the path is supported by community practices, including attending satsang (spiritual discourses) and performing seva (selfless service), which is intended to foster humility and devotion.
Spiritual masters The spiritual leadership of Radha Soami Satsang Beas is passed down through a lineage of Masters, known as the Sant Satgurus. Succession is determined by appointment from the reigning Master, not by hereditary right, though some Masters have been related.
Lineage of masters