Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

 

First you must decide what sat-sangha is. It means association with sat or reality. One who knows or has realized sat is also regarded as sat.

 

Such association with sat or with one who knows sat is absolutely necessary for all. Sankara has said that in all the three worlds there is no boat like sat-sangha to carry one safely across the ocean of births and deaths.

 

Sat-sangha means sangha [association] with sat. Sat is only the Self. Since the Self is not now understood to be sat, the company of the sage who has thus understood is sought. That is satsanga. Introversion results. Then sat is revealed.

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Dhyana Vahini - Post 25

Chapter IX

Swami says,  

Seek company of the good; avoid company of the bad

But you have to pray to the Lord with one-pointed concentration. This type of single-mindedness comes only out of the pure quality (sattva-guna), and that again is the product of meditation. Therefore, you must cultivate good qualities, and in order to develop these, you should desire the company of the good (satsang). 

Your real companions, from whom you derive the maximum good, are those who talk and discourse about the Lord, about truth, about the service (seva) of others, and about love that considers all as equal. Association with such people is certainly association with virtuous people, for these are the real virtuous people.

Those who never speak of the Lord, or those who are not even aware of Him; who are busy multiplying and strengthening the bonds of worldly existence (samsara); who preach and practise falsehood, injustice, and oppression, and who advise you to stray from the path of dharma —treat those not as your friends but as people to be avoided at all costs. Theirs is the company of wicked people. 

Associating with such leads to committing wrongs against your will, uttering words that should not be uttered, doing deeds that should not be done, and, consequently, treading the downward road to ruin.

People who fear neither sin nor God are capable of venturing into any wickedness; this is no cause for surprise. So, seek the company of those possessed of these two fears; this is the true good company. 

The company of people who have not even an iota of these two is evil and should be dreaded. The aspirant must always yearn for good company (sath-sang). In that company, there is no chance for the growth of greed or for will power (icchasakthi) to attain anything. 

Whether easily available or not, seek and join only good company. Seek and realise permanent satisfaction and contentment. Do not distract yourself by pursuing temporary satisfaction.

It is profitless for a true aspirant to associate with men who spend their time in worldly affairs. If you don’t secure friends of the type I mentioned, be solitary, without associates; you do not lose anything thereby. 

Never even think of the company of the wicked. Do not get entangled in their wiles. If possible, when you get the chance, advise them about the right, but do not yield to their words. 

In fact, do not even entertain the desire to be in the place where they are present. If you cultivate these characteristics, then both repetition of the divine name and meditation will become easy for you and will yield quick results.”

Introspection

Swami often says, “Tell me your company and I shall tell you where you are, where you stand (in your spiritual path)

If we are blessed with a steady and clear mind, with clarity of our spiritual goal and can be master of our mind, then, we may not seek any company at all. We can enjoy the bliss of “alone -ness of SELF”.

But in most cases, it is possible to be like this. Each one is born with a typical sanskara which manifests into vasanas which give rise to certain type of thoughts- Vritti and with those thoughts, we end up  doing some or the other action and keep piling up  fresh karma.

Importance of seeking (even if it is durlabham, even if it is difficult) good company, company of Wise, company of Men of wisdom, company of Spiritual masters who can help us focus our mind on the only goal of our human birth, cannot be over emphasized as it largely shapes up our spiritual  evolvement.

Men who mislead us, take us to evil/ undesirable path are too many. But men of wisdom are few. 50% of success in our spiritual  journey is achieved the moment we are able to seek and attain the company of men of wisdom who can impart us all the spiritual teachings not only as text/ bookish knowledge but also from their own experience, from their own evolvement from Dhanava to Manava and then to Madhava.

Swami Sivananda writes on Satsang, thus:

“ Sage Narada says in his Bhakti Sutras, "The company of the great is very difficult, even inaccessible, but it is infallible." Association with saints is infallible in its operation.

Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad Gita, "The same am I to all beings; to Me there is none hateful or dear; but those who worship Me with devotion are in Me and I am also in them." 

Though the rays of the sun fall equally on one and all, it is the face of the diamond that dazzles more than anything else. Although God is equal for one and all, He manifests more vividly in the heart of a sage, which is made transparent by purity.

Steps to satsang

The first step of satsang is keeping company with righteous and good people and serving them. From there, knowledge of the essential nature of our own Self, the divine or supreme Self dawns. 

Then comes vairagya, dispassion, towards the things of this world, and a yearning for God, bhakti. When bhakti becomes strong, then we become the beloved of the Lord. We are dear to Him and chosen by Him. Finally, the direct vision of the Lord will follow.

Good and bad company

A spiritual aspirant should avoid every kind of negative company. The effects of bad company are disastrous. The mind becomes filled with negative ideas by contact with bad companions. 

Just as a nursery is well-fenced in the beginning to protect the plants, so you should protect yourself carefully from unwanted influences. You should avoid at all costs people who lie, steal, gossip and who seek out sensory pleasures.

The human mind is a very receptive instrument. If you place it in negative company, it will acquire negative tendencies. If you place it in holy company, it will acquire divine traits. When thinking of saints, the mind becomes molded into the shape of the qualities of which it thinks, and thereby it becomes pure.

Anything that brings impure thoughts to the mind is bad company. Even a sober person begins to drink in the company of a drunkard. Negative company leads to passion, anger, delusion, loss of memory and discrimination.

Real satsang

There are few people in this world who can think correctly for themselves and who depend on their own intelligence in the pursuit of truth. These people are their own teachers and do not require any other guide. Their satsang consists of meditation on the highest intelligence or consciousness. 

People who cannot think correctly and who are swayed by passion and delusion constitute the large majority. They require a good and wise guru in order to lead a disciplined life. 

Their satsang consists of the company of the guru, service to him and direct instructions from him. It is only the sincere and earnest sadhaka who knows the real value of satsang.

Real satsang gives the aspirant inner spiritual strength to face the struggles of life, overcome temptations, manage inner cravings and fill the mind with positive divine thoughts. The company of a saint can transform anyone. 

Faith in God, in the scriptures, attachment and devotion to God, slowly develop in those who have regular satsang. Satsang is the greatest of all the purifiers. Without satsang, the mind filled with impurities cannot be turned towards God.

From satsang one receives practical lessons in control of the mind, concentration and meditation. Satsang is, therefore, vital for householders who have to engage in worldly duties. It awakens their spirituality. 

Satsang inspires the spiritual aspirants who are treading the path of renunciation. There is nothing so inspiring, elevating, indispensable and delightful as satsang.”

Love. 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 24

Chapter IX

Swami writes, 

 

Discuss the good in others, not the bad

The good should never even discuss the evil that others do, for that will contaminate them. The stories of Druva and Prahlada will, if listened to, grant merit and show the path, and the stories of Savithri and Anasuya will destroy the roots of evil and strengthen character. How does this happen? What is the explanation? They are all holy, and their careers are blameless; therefore, to discuss them and their lives is worthwhile and beneficial. That is the explanation. 

Some critics of “good people” justify their own carpings by saying that they are trying to correct the good people still further and make them even better! No, they are really provoking the good people to evil and drawing that evil upon themselves. They are themselves becoming evil people.

Never think about the badness or evil of others. If you can manage it, always keep trying to turn them to good ways and giving them good advice. One should cultivate peace of mind, the charitableness and eagerness to promote the welfare of all that is necessary for the attitude. These can come only through repetition of the divine name and meditation. The wealth derived from repetition of the Lord’s name and meditation is good qualities (sadguna). Good qualities clean the exterior and also purify and ennoble the inner tendencies.

Waves originate in the upper layers of the sea. They are caused by the wind, so the wind can be said to have that power. So too, the mind of the intelligent person is full of thoughts and opinions. When the proper atmosphere is present, these spring up and roll in from all directions.

 

The Lord assumes the yearned-for form

In the same manner, the Lord is manifest in the picture or image that one worships, but is this due to any special excellence of the picture or image? No. The picture, the photo, the image — these are and remain as picture, photo, and image. 

The fact is that on account of the intensity of the devotion of the devotee, the Lord cannot desist from manifesting Himself for them. For that reason, He assumes — in stone, wood, or paper — the form that the devotee contemplates and meditates upon and worships. 

He materialized from a pillar for Prahlada’s sake! For Vamana, He became visible in a stone! For Markandeya, He issued from a linga (egg-shaped stone)! In order to fulfill the yearning of the devotee, Hari, the Immanent Basic Being of the Universe, will come in any form, in anything, at any place.

 

Introspection

There was no need to introspect as the author vividly remembered what he had read in this context and he could access that and share with you.

Regular Worship Unveils The Divinity In The Idol

Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The picture comes to life. The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems. The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol. It is like a powerful lens that focuses the sun’s rays on to a bundle of cotton. The lens is not fire and the cotton is not fire either nor can the sun’s rays, by themselves, burn the cotton. When the three are brought together in a particular manner, fire is generated and the cotton is burnt. Similar is the case with the idol, the Sadhaka and the all-pervading Divinity. Puja makes the idol shine with divine resplendence. God is then enshrined in the idol. 

The Image, A Mass Of Chaitanya

The idol is only a symbol of the Divine. A devotee does not behold therein a block of stone or a mass of metal. It is an emblem of God for him. He visualises the Indwelling Presence in the Murti or image. 

For a devotee, the image is a mass of Chaitanya or consciousness. He draws inspiration from the image. The image guides him. It talks to him. It assumes human form to help him in a variety of ways. The image of Lord Siva in the temple of Madurai in South India helped the fuel-cutter and the old woman. The image in the temple of Tirupati assumed human form and gave witness in the court to help his devotees. There are marvels and mysteries. Only the devotees understand these.

When Idols Became Alive

For a Bhakta or a sage, there is no such thing as Jada or insentient matter. Everything is Vasudeva or Chaitanya — Vasudevah Sarvam Iti. The devotee beholds actually the Lord in the idol. 

The Murti is the same as the Lord, for it is the vehicle of expression for the Mantra - Chaitanya which is the Devata. The same attitude should the devotee have in regard to the Murti in the temple, which he would evince if the Lord would appear before him in person and speak to him in articulate sound.”

(Extract from Swami Sivananda’s article on “Philosophy and significance of Idol worship”)

In essence, as much as Brahman is all pervading, how can Brahman be not there in the idol which is worshipped by the Bhakta??

Thus, when the devotion is single pointed and Bhakta reaches the most intense stage in his devotion, Chaitanya, which is present in the idol ( as much as it is pervading the entire creation) chooses to manifest as the form of  lord whose image in there in the idol, and the idol speaks, the idol blesses, the idol hugs the bhakta!!

 

Love.