Dr. Ishwar Puri

Ishwar Chandra Puri Ji (1926–2020) lived a life defined not by position or accomplishment, but by pure devotion to his Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji — Hazur Maharaj, whom he lovingly referred to as the Greatest Master.

Initiated on March 9, 1936, at the age of nine, Ishwar Ji was accepted by his Master into a sacred bond that, in the Sant Mat tradition, signifies far more than instruction. Initiation is the Master’s acceptance of the disciple as an eternal companion — an outer guide in this world and an inner guide in the realms beyond.

From that day forward, his life was anchored in that relationship. His path was clear: obedience to the Master’s teachings and loving service at His feet.

Throughout his life, he remained a humble and faithful disciple. His identity was never built around authority or status, but around discipleship. He often reminded seekers that whatever he knew or shared came solely through the grace of his Master.

Though he later rose to distinguished roles in public service in India, including serving as Chief Secretary of Punjab, and pursued advanced studies at Harvard University, these were outer chapters of his journey. His real life was inward — a life of constant remembrance and inner communion with his Master, whose guidance he experienced not only outwardly but within.

Everything he did — whether in government service, academia, or spiritual teaching — was grounded in a single commitment: to honor, preserve, and serve the vision of the Great Master.

The Great Master, Baba Sawan Singh Ji, wrote in letters to his American disciples that the axis of spirituality would gradually shift to the West — particularly to the United States of America.Ishwar Ji personally heard these words and carried them deeply within his heart.

In time, that vision became his field of service.

In 1964, responding both to the Master’s foresight and to the growing spiritual hunger of Western seekers, Ishwar Ji established the Institute for the Study of Human Awareness (ISHA) in Chicago.

What he brought to the West was not a new teaching, but the timeless Sant Mat path — expressed in language that Western minds could understand and practice. Without altering its essence, he translated its depth into a framework that was clear, rational, experiential, and accessible.

For more than five decades, he conducted retreats, meditation workshops, and satsangs across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and India. His approach was deeply compassionate yet intellectually rigorous. He emphasized that spirituality is not a system of belief, but a direct inner experience available to every sincere seeker.

He explained the path of Surat Shabd Yoga in simple yet profound terms, helping seekers understand:

• The distinction between attention and awareness
• The seat of consciousness at the third eye
• The inner Sound Current as the connecting link to Totality
• The essential role of love and devotion in spiritual ascent

He often reminded seekers that spirituality must be practical, almost scientific — something to be explored and verified within one’s own consciousness.

In this way, he did not merely carry the teachings westward; he created a bridge through which modern minds could approach an ancient inner science with confidence and clarity.

On the auspicious day of the Great Master’s Bhandara — April 2, 2019 — Ishwar Ji took another deliberate step in fulfilling his Master’s vision by establishing Science of Self Knowledge in Canada, operating as CISHA (Canadian ISHA).

This was not the creation of a new movement, nor the formation of a religion. It was the continuation of a living teaching — a way to preserve, share, and make practical the inner science he had received from his Master.

With clear instructions and careful guidance, he formed a Board to steward this work in Canada, ensuring that the teachings would remain experiential, non-sectarian, and centered on meditation rather than doctrine.

The purpose was simple and universal:

To provide a space where individuals — regardless of background, culture, or belief — could explore meditation, consciousness, and the deeper meaning of life through direct inner experience.

He emphasized repeatedly that Sant Mat is not about conversion or outer identity. It is about awakening what already exists within — the attention returning to its source, the discovery of the inner Sound Current, and the realization of one’s true spiritual nature.

In establishing Science of Self-Knowledge in Canada, Ishwar Ji ensured that the teachings would continue not as an institution of belief, but as a living reality in the lives of sincere seekers.

On December 23, 2020, Dr. Ishwar Chandra Puri Ji left his physical body. Yet the work to which he devoted his life continues.

He consistently emphasized that the true connection with the Master is inward — through meditation and the living current of consciousness. That inner path remains open to every sincere seeker.

His legacy lives in the clarity with which he presented Sant Mat, in the institutions he established to preserve its experiential nature, and in the bridge he built between East and West.

Above all, his legacy is found in discipleship — in loving service to the Master.