He is very much present

So wherever we meet in the name of the Father, wherever the Lord is discussed, wherever we fill each other with his love and devotion, strengthen each other’s faith to worship him, I think that is satsang, because naturally in our conversation, our master is there, the Lord is there. Without that, satsang means nothing. We always discuss the teachings, whether he is physically present or not, but naturally when he is being discussed, he is very much present.¹

Whenever Baba Ji visits a satsang centre abroad, be it in our own country or in a neighbouring country to which we are invited, satsangis turn up in huge numbers. Naturally so, for being in the company of the living master is one of the highlights in our life as Shabd practitioners. The magnetism of his presence is such that we experience a spiritual uplift, touching the core of our inner being. The impact on the audience is beautifully described by the Great Master:

You may be good or bad. There is nothing to worry about. You should gain the company of a saint and listen to his satsang. The fresh air of his invigorating spirituality will bestow upon you the same spiritual health and freshness, and in a short time you will become good yourself…. Listening to the satsang with your mind and heart, and relishing it, you will easily gain control over your senses, and your soul will become steady in the company of saints and sadhus.²

So attending the satsang of a living master is a unique experience, inspiring us with renewed determination to follow the spiritual path. There is a wonderful paradox here, though. In each meeting with Baba Ji, be it satsang or a Q+A session, he will always stress the importance of the teachings, emphasizing that he is a teacher, a guide. And the teachings tell us that the physical master, however inspiring, is not be-all and the end-all of the path. The real master is the Shabd, which can only be found within, transcending the boundaries of the physical.

During the past decades we have seen a growing number of satsang centres being created all over the world. They have created opportunities for seva, giving sangats their own Dera and venues for Baba Ji’s programmes. But most important of all, these satsang centres are a precious gift from the master to the sangat in which to hold satsang. To remain steadfast on this path we need all the help and support we can possibly muster. Satsang is crucial in this respect. We need it more than we perhaps realize. Satsang is our life-support system, giving us inspiration for our meditation. For engaging in the meditative process is our prime seva, it is doing master’s work, working with him shoulder to shoulder.

Satsang without the presence of the physical master is not of lesser spiritual quality. As emphasized by Hazur in the beginning quotation. “We always discuss the teachings, whether he is physically present or not, but naturally when he is being discussed, he is very much present.” It is his unseen presence that is behind the satsang even when he is not physically present. His divine message is being shared by the speaker with the sangat. The speaker is his agent, whether he or she realizes it or not, through whom the master is doing his work. For satsang is always his doing, the speaker being no more than a tool in his hands.

Satsang is “wherever we fill each other with his love and devotion, strengthen each other’s faith to worship him.” In satsang a spiritual bonding takes place. For we are all children of the Father, even privileged to be called master’s family. This is also beautifully illustrated by Hazur Maharaj Ji In Light on Saint Matthew:

When Christ was talking to his disciples, somebody pointed out to him that his brothers and mother were standing outside to speak with him. Christ said: “Who is my mother and who are my brethren?” My only mother and brothers are those who live in the will of the Father, who follow the path and are attached to the Shabd and Nam. They belong to my family and I belong to theirs ─ because that is an eternal relationship in which we do not part from each other.³

Often Baba Ji says that we should appreciate the Lord’s gifts, for don’t we get so much more than we deserve? He has given us a spiritual family, to whom we are related and with whom we are connected. It’s a spiritual relationship and the connection is spiritual as well. In satsang we are being touched by the master’s soul, and at a deeper level we are all interconnected. Love and devotion are being generated when we are in each other’s company. In an atmosphere charged with spirituality we are being made receptive to the spiritual currents present.

In his descriptions of the benefits of satsang, the Great Master sheds some fascinating light on the process of transformation a devotee will go through.

In satsang the Master, through his spiritual currents, bestows the gift of new life on the devotees, with the result that like moths they sacrifice themselves on the fountainhead of light and become one with it. From then on, their life does not remain their own. It becomes that of the Master. Thus they attain the state of completely merging in the Master.⁴

It is this state of being as described by the Great Master that we as struggling souls are striving for. It is the culmination of a lifelong process of ceaseless meditation. The wonderful thing is that we are being given glimpses of what it means when our life does not remain our own. This may happen in satsang, with or without the presence of the master, it’s the feeling that he is taking over. This goes hand in hand with a feeling of utter helplessness, which takes possession of our entire being, an intense longing to be with the Beloved.

There is another important side to satsang. Valuable spiritual lessons are being taught there. The depth of the teachings takes time to sink in. The meaning of passages you may have read in the course of a lifetime suddenly becomes clear. But it is not an ordinary clarity of insight; it is also closely connected to a feeling of inner joy. Rumi talks about words being veils. It is as if the veils are being lifted.

It is the attitude with which we sit in satsang that makes the difference. Not whether the master is physically there or not. As Hazur Maharaj Ji emphatically states:

Even if the master is sitting there, and we are not there mentally ─ being there, we are not there ─ for us that is not satsang. And even if the master is not there physically but is very much there in our mind, he is there; that is satsang for us.⁵