Satsang – Sutras from Narada Purana

Om Namah Shivaya

Immensely grateful to Sri Devi ji for writing about Tulsi Moksham during the Navaratri. I prayed within that you write many more such posts. After reading your latest post, I was blank and scrolled many times to know what options I have, to write about it. While searching extensively in web, I went to the childhood memories where we use to attend many Keertans(Bhajans) arranged at temple premises. My mother and her friends usually ask all the kids to dance one by one while they are singing bhajans. All I remember is turning round in circle and sitting quietly and quickly closer to mother. I heard about Satsang, when uncle from our neighbourhood was travelling to attend Satsang. Uncle use to go very often, so I always thought Satsang will be bigger version of Keerthan with a very big hall and more number of people singing bhajans. That’s all I learnt about Satsang in childhood.

Coming back to the present, I considered this as opportunity to dwell into scriptures where the term Satsang is explained. I came across Bhaj Govjndam and Narada Purana through various beautiful blogs.

In Narada Purana, The Magic of Satsanga is explained from Sutras 38 to 42.

Sutra 38

मुख्यतस्तु महत्कृपयैव भगवत्कृपालेशाद्वा॥

mukhyataḥ-tu mahat-kṛpayaiva bhagavat-kṛpāleśāt-vā.

Primarily it(pure devotion) is gained through the grace of great souls, or through a little of the divine grace.

In Hinduism, Guru’s grace itself is God’s grace, since Guru is none other than Lord Narayana expressing himself as Parameswara to help the disciple.

Sutra 39

महत्सङ्गस्तु दुर्लभोऽगम्योऽमोघश्च॥

mahat-saṅgaḥ-tu durlabho’gamyo’moghaśca.

To come in contact with a great soul is indeed extremely difficult; it is impossible to know them fully; yet it is infallible in its effect.

Truly great souls are indeed at any given period of history very rare and therefore, it is not always possible for all people to come in contact with such perfect Masters. Even when we come in contact with them, it is extremely difficult to recognise their greatness. The sutra says that even though such perfect masters are rare and even when we meet them, it is difficult for us even to recognise them and yet, in case we meet and recognise a Master and learn to diligently come under his beneficial influences, they are unerringly infaliable.

Sutra 40

लभ्यतेऽपि तत्कृपयैव॥

labhyate’pi tat-kṛpayaiva.”

Nevertheless by the grace of God alone great souls are attained.

Though the cultivation of devotion in the human heart is so very difficult, through the continuous contact with great souls and by the consequent grace of the Lord an individual can attain it. Even if we obtain the company of the great souls, it itself is gained by His grace alone.

Sutra 41

तस्मिन्स्तज्जने भेदाभावात्॥

tasmins-tat-jane bhedābhāvāt.

Because between God and his devotees, there is no sense of difference.

This can mean that the true devotee of the Lord and the saint is Sri Narayana himself. The one Self plays as the world of multiplicity and therefore, there is no distinction between the seeker and sought. Especially the great ones, the grand teachers are those who have realised fully their oneness with the Supreme. Therefore, the grace of a real Guru is the grace of the Lord Himself.

Sutra 42

तदेव साध्यतां तदेव साध्यताम्॥

tad-eva sādhyatāṁ tad-eva sādhyatām.

That alone is to be accomplished; that alone be accomplished.

Thus a devotee must try to spend his time in accomplishing such mental and physical changes in his ways of thinking and acting so that he will come to open up his heart in true devotion to the inflow of Lord’s grace, the blessing of the great ones who are again none other than Narayana Himself. All that stands between him, as he is, and whom he is trying to attain and experience, is his own ego which is fed by his misconceptions and by the consequent body-mind sensification.When this ego is surrendered, the supreme Conciousness explodes into awareness and all the sense of limitations experienced earlier by the seeker is lifted off his mind in great heave.

With this, I close the post which I have taken from Narada Bhakti Sutra by Swami Chinmayananda.

I could write this, even as-is, only because of grace and blessings of Swamiji.

Pranam and Love to All.🙏