esoteric religious sect of India that has followers among both Hindus and Sikhs. The sect was founded in 1861 by Siva Dayal Saheb (also called Śivdayāl (Siva Dayāl Sāheb)), a Hindu banker of Āgra, who believed that human beings could perfect their highest capabilities only through repetition of the śabd (“sound”), or nām (“name”), of the Lord. Rādhā soāmi signifies the union of the soul with God, the name of God, and the sound heard internally that emanates from God. Great emphasis is placed on the “congregation of truthful people,” the satsaṅg.

On the death of Siva Dayal Saheb, the Rādhā Soāmi sect split into two factions. The main group remained at Āgra. The other branch was started by a Sikh disciple of Siva Dayal Saheb named Jaimal Singh. Members of this latter group are known as the Rādhā Soāmis of Beās, because they have their headquarters on the bank of the Beās River, near Amritsar.