Meditation Talk - 04 Jan 2016- Morning

There Is No Pilgrimage Like Satsang

LIKE I HAD PRAISED THE IMPORTANCE of the human body and the human life yesterday, and like all Saints have praised the human body and human life, likewise, Satsang has also been praised by all Saints. There is no pilgrimage like Satsang. When we go to Satsang we come to know of the Reality. We are able to discern between truth and falsehood, and we come to know the importance of the human life. We should go with all our love and affection when we sit and attend our Satsang because, in that, we get the glory and greatness and we get the Grace of the Master.

I used to do the deity worship of Hanuman. This was from a very tender age, till I was about fifteen. And then, I met someone who spoke to me about Durga. I started praying and doing "Omkar" jap and worship of Durga after that.

So, I was about sixteen, seventeen years then, and one guru had given me a jap of "Omkar", and the worship of Durga. I used to do that very regularly. There was a fast to be kept every Monday, so I used to fast on Mondays and regularly do this jap. I used to do this very lovingly and I used to work in a mill.

On Mondays, I would fast, but I would still go for work. And when I came back from work, I used to do the puja of Durga and I used to do the jap, and then I would distribute parshad on that day.

So, I followed that very lovingly and with devotion, and as a result, I got what is called vakyasiddhi, which is a mystic power. What I would say would happen and would become true.

Now, once when I was going for a walk in the evenings, (this was by the seaside in Worli), when I was returning, I saw this board saying 'Radhaswami Satsang' by Baba Somanath Ji in the evening, 7:00 to 8:00. There was no person present there. It was a board and there was a photograph of Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and Somanath Baba Ji. A Satsang was playing on a tape recorder. Baba Somanath Ji was in Bangalore then, and I listened to that Satsang with a lot of focus and attention.

So, when I listened to the Satsang, I had a lot of questions in my mind, and those got answered in that Satsang. A lot of my doubts got cleared in that Satsang. In just one Satsang itself, I realized that this is the only Path to meet God Almighty.

After the Satsang, I went home and I bowed to Durga, the deity, and I said, "I will now be pursuing the path stated in the Satsang." And, thereafter, I followed Satsang.

So, I used to listen to Satsang then and thereafter, every day. And throughout the day, I used to be completely lost in the thoughts of that Satsang. I would keep on thinking about it and remembering what was said in the Satsang. While walking to the mill, I used to think about it. While working in the mill, I used to think about it. And even while returning home, I used to think about it. This way, in about one and a half months, I started to feel a strong attachment to the Guru. So, it became so much and I got so obsessed that, when the cloth was made in the mill, I could see the image of Somanath Baba Ji on the cloth also. I could see Him everywhere. And I had actually physically never met Him till then.

So, the pangs of separation were so strong that I was missing Somanath Baba Ji. And then, after about a month or so, I decided to leave the job and go and meet Somanath Baba Ji.

On the salary day, I collected my payment. In those days, they paid about three hundred to four hundred rupees. So, I collected that money and went straight to the Bombay Central Bus Station, and I took a bus to Bangalore. The ticket in those days for Bangalore was about eighty rupees.

When I came to Bangalore, I went to the ashram and I met Baba Ji, and I bowed down to Baba Ji. And the love and affection were so profound that I completely forgot myself. I forgot about my body, and I just stayed bowed before Baba Ji.

He was trying to wake me up, but I was so intoxicated there that I had no bearings about myself then.

So, after five minutes or so, I got hold of myself and I sat down, and Somanath Baba Ji asked me whether I was going to take Darshan and return, or I was going to stay in the ashram and do seva?

So, I replied that I wanted to do seva. And, thereafter, Baba Ji kept me for seva in the ashram, and I continued to stay there.

The reason for telling you this is to highlight the importance of Satsang. It was with one Satsang that I got completely transformed. So, it is very important to attend Satsang with all love and devotion. And whatever is said in the Satsang, we have to ponder on it, think on it and we have to internalize all that is said in the Satsang. And then, we have to actually practice what is said there. And that will bring about a complete transformation. Also, when we listen to Satsang with love and affection, a lot of our karmas are also getting redeemed, and our load is also getting relieved.

So, therefore, Saints have always sung the praises of Satsang. When we go on a pilgrimage, we have a bath. And that bath only cleanses the body outwardly. It is only the power of a Satsang that cleanses the dirt of karmas that have accumulated on the soul.

Saints say, "There is no pilgrimage like that of a Satsang." And, therefore, we should listen to the Satsang with love and affection, and we should follow what is said in that Satsang. When we are in our respective homes and we are listening to Satsang there on a tape or a CD or otherwise, we should then stop all the other work that we are doing, and we should listen to that Satsang with full focus and attention and with the same love and devotion. Listening to that Satsang at home like this is as good as listening to a Satsang in the presence of a Living Master. So, therefore, we should listen to Satsangs with love and affection.

Now, this time in the morning is very good. We are fresh in our mind. And a quiet and fresh mind is good for meditation. We should use this time, close our eyes, and sit for Simran and Dhyan.