Tulsi Sahib: Saint of Hathras

This is the second in a series of short treatise on the lives and teachings of Saints. It is primarily being written to introduce them to English-speaking people. It aims at making them familiar with the essence of the Saints teachings without burdening them with too many details about their lives.

The saints, or perfect Masters as I should prefer to call them, hold a unique position in the world. Not only do they achieve the highest purpose of life, namely union with God, by going through a course of intense meditation, but, in the teeth of opposition from orthodox religion and at the risk of their lives, they also burden themselves with the duty of instructing sincere seekers how they too can attain God Realization. And they accept nothing in return for their labour of love. Thus, they are the greatest benefactors of mankind.

The teaching of the Saints and their code of ethics and morality are the results, not of any philosophical reasoning, but are based on their spiritual experiences. Consequently of necessity, while their approach may be different the teachings of all Saints are identical in character. A thread of underlying unity runs through all their teachings. Nevertheless, their writings, mostly poetical, by virtue of the circumstance of their lives, the different languages used by them and the literary devices employed, lend a personal flavour which can best be enjoyed in the original.

This book on Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, whose Voluntary renunciation of the renunciation of the princely heritage and adoption of a life devoted to spiritual pursuits lends a romantic interest to his life story contains some of his best known poems ably translated by Professor Janak Raj Puri, assisted by Mrs. Chandravati Rajwade and Mr. Virendra Kumar Sethi. Our thanks are due to Mrs. Marilyn P. Durrant and Mr. Barry Berman for typing the manuscript during their visit to this colony, and to Miss Louise Hilger who as usual has assiduously done the work of going through the manuscript, reading the proof and seeing the book through the press.

S.L. Sondhi
Secretary
Radha Soami Satsang Beas
May 1978