The Indian yogi Huzur Swamiji Maharaj (Seth Shiv Dayal Singh) (1818-1878) drew from Tantric, Hindu, Sikh, and Sufi traditions to formulate his own cosmology and spiritual path. Later his teachings were to form the basis of a new religion, called Sant Mat ("Teaching of the Saints") or Radha Soami ("Lord of the Soul"), which currently has several million followers in Northern India.

Chakras and Worlds

Huzur Swamiji taught that there were six lower worlds, associated with the six lower chakras, and six higher, the lowest of which was associated with the crown chakra, the highest centre in all other Indian chakra-doctrines. In other words, he claims to have gone further, and hence attained a more developed occult teaching.

The lower worlds constitute the material and lower spiritual universe, called Pinda, "body"; the higher ones, each associated with a divine melody or vibration (shabda or nada), were the higher spiritual worlds, the worlds of Universal Mind (Brahmandi). Each world is a heavenly region, ruled over by a particular god. And each world appears to be the highest, until one goes beyond it to the next world. By attuning oeself to the vibrations of the higheror "heavenly" worlds, one can ascend through the various planes, until one reaches the level of God, beyond all the worlds.

The following table summarises Huzur Swamiji's cosmology:

Some of these terms have been adapted from other various sources. Dashama-dwara (sometimes "Daswan Dwar") for example in Natha tantra for a small hole or vacuum at the root of the palate chakra (talu chakra) Natha tantra for a small hole or vacuum at the root of the palate chakra (talu chakra), meditation upon which brings about a transcendent state of consciousness. Here Dashama-dwara - the 10th door - refers to the macrocosmic equivalent. See this page for a diagram of the Sant Mat universe

These profound teachings refer to complex emanations, hypostases and so on. Sahasraara, the crown chakra, is a reflection or copy of Maan-sarovar, which itself is a copy of Sat Lok.

In later developments of Sant Mat teaching, there are like the 6 chakras of Physical, 6 chakras of Astral and 6 more of Causal- Supra Causal; then there are 3 more of the Spiritual, last of which is Radhaswami. See this page for further correspondences.