Holy Company

What is Satsanga?

It is just the narrow aisle behind the door in Tirukkovalur.
Just a space for one spanning for two accommodating standing for three and all together with the transcendent thrust as the four. All four in good unison consciousness. Such is good company.

The first entrance of spirituality is Satsang. And holy company is very precious and immeasurable. Is it for nothing that Sri Adisankara says 'by holy contact all wrong contacts wither away. Bad contacts gone make the intellect strong. When the intellect is strong and unshaken it is verily freedom in life.'

Holy company has the capacity to bring the Transcendent above alive on earth. Our Ego is the multiheaded snake Kaaliyan. To quell it we need the feet of Sri Krishna to dance on its heads. Holy company is verily those divine feet of Krishna. Sages are the sacred feet of the Supreme Soul. Sri Krishna Premi used to say in a talk. 'why do you bother that you are not having company? Resort to holy books. Great sages will meet you there in those pages. When you open Bhagavata the great Suka himself will come and talk to you. If you open Bharata the great Vyasa will give you company. You will never be alone.' Premi has a point in saying that.

In those times of old to meet holy company you have to travel physically, time-consuming and very exerting. But in our days how facile and helpful is technology! Kaliyuga is not all that bad. It has its benign aspects also. In Kali, the Divine Name and the Holy Company are very powerful. Whether we travel in person or we make virtual contacts modern science and technology have made things much more easier and joyful. It is up to us to put things in proper use. Take for instance Puri Jagannath ! How holy the land is! What association of Holy Personages! The great Chaitanya with his singing HariBol! Sri Ramakrishna brought some sand from the land of Brindavan to be laid in his Dakshineswar sadhana cottage. When he went there he saw divine visions. But when we visit we see only carts and trains, monkeys and birds only. Yea we have willfully closed our inner eyes and introvert ears. We have forgotten how to open them also. No problem. When the right time comes the buds will blossom! When the tunes from His flute reach our souls, the drooping shriveled hearts will light up and aflame again the journey will be resumed! Till that time perhaps we can play with pebbles.
Srirangam Mohanarangan

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