This is the first of a three-part series centering on my personal remembrance of Charan Singh (1916-1990), who was the spiritual leader of Radha Soami Satsang Beas from 1951 to 1990. As such, it isn’t a biography, but rather partial glimpses of my own recollection of how I came to know of Charan, and why I eventually took initiation from him into the meditational practice of Surat Shabd Yoga.

I realize that much of what I write here is of a deeply personal nature and reflects more on my own life trajectory and perceptions than providing an objective look at Charan’s life and work. I didn’t write this as a devotional eulogy to my deceased spiritual teacher, but more selfishly as a way for me to write down key moments of my association with him (both when he was alive and after his death) for over four decades. The motivation for doing this primarily stems from my desire to provide a readable narrative for my two boys, Shaun and Kelly, since they know precious little about my early life, why I meditate so much today, and why I have been strict vegetarian for over 45 years.

This narrative may also partially explain, given my erstwhile skepticism of most things religious, why I strongly believe in the Jain concepts of ahimsa and anekantavada (non-violence and multiple points of view, respectively).

This particular installment only covers the first 22 years of my life and culminates with my formal initiation into the sound current practice on November 26, 1978.

The second part will focus on the intervening 12 years, up until Charan Singh’s death on June 1, 1990, and will describe my repeated trips to the Dera, Delhi, and Mumbai.

The third and last part will center on what transpired for the last 303 years between 1990 and 2020.