Talk by Dr. Harbhajan Singh, St. Gilgen, Austria, 13 May, 1989
Satsang works as a hedge against lots of negative factors. You have to save your flower and fruit (that Master has implanted in you). For this purpose one must wait till the weekend to meet together. When you sit together, lots of problems are automatically off. Christ also said, “Where more than two sit in my name – there am I.” Master says that it is beyond praise when people sit in His sweet remembrance. You cannot praise enough a place, where people sit in His name, where they decide about their future, where people decide about their work: to live for others, to forget their old problems and surrender them to the Master Power. You are given back a heritage here, that had been lost. You regain it!
By coming to the Satsang you get everything,
provided you detach consciously from the world.
You get a boost, a conscious boost in life, that will help you to develop in the worldly way as well as in the spiritual way. Master has passed through these actions and reactions. He knows the ups and downs in the life of His disciples and He knows how to cure (all illness). He has all remedies.
So Satsang is a place where you may or may not see the Master Power, but He is with each one of us. He hears (us). He searches the heart of everyone of us. He tries to resolve all problems of the disciples by way of His power, because (in Satsang) you are directly under His vibration.
A Satsang is a place, where the negative has no effect at all, where Master has a free will to give you any type of grace which is needed for you either in the worldly way or in the spiritual progress. He knows better what to do, what to give and what not to give.
Satsang is a place where you need not worry about your shortcomings, where only devotion plays a big role.
You should come (to Satsang) leaving all other things aside – take your heart (only)!
I tell you, when we hear something (in Satsang), we say, “It is good if we get this thing!” Mentally we (also) think that it is good if we get it, but from heart we want something else. We don’t want this thing by heart. If we want it by heart, it is given. The solution is already there.
Master used to give the example of Majnu, the lover of Laila. One time he was told, “God wants to see you!” He said, “Well, if He wants to see me, He should come in the form of Laila.” He does not need God, provided He comes in the form of Laila. So, when he dies, whom will he meet – Laila or God? He will certainly meet Laila, and not God! He has to come back into the world to suffer again with this attachment.
So far our wishes are fulfilled, we are happy with Master. When they are not fulfilled, we are not happy with Master. So this is (due to) the disturbance of the mind. Control your mind and rise above your problems! Whatever you want to do (from your mind), that will not be sufficient for you; it may take you the other way.
I tell you, a man who does not come to the Satsang, who does not present himself to the illuminate form of the Master when Satsang is going on, his journey is delayed.
One must come (to Satsang)! Master says, even if you are sick, then see how you are helped by the Master Power.
There are lots of instances in the life of various devotees and Masters. They had a turning point in their life when they obeyed one hundred percent their Master’s teaching. When they fulfilled the desire of the Master a hundred percent and they jumped over the barriers created by the negative power, Master gave them something which is admirable (in the eyes) of all people who will ever come into the world.
There are histories about those persons. They loved the commandment of the Master more than the attachment, more than the beauty and all other things of the world. They said, “This is all nothing.”
You know, one time Master’s son was sick and the doctor told Him, He should get leave, as it was just possible that the child may no longer live physically. So Master got leave, but there was a time fixed by Master Sawan Singh to make Satsang in Amritsar.
Master said, “Yes, it is the order of my Master. I must go to attend this Satsang. God knows … I cannot save the child. It is His work, it is Master’s work. So why should I miss duties.” Leaving His child in a very precarious condition, He went directly to the Satsang in Amritsar. After finishing the Satsang He thought, “Now I have travelled half the journey (already) and my Master is not far away from this place – let me see Him physically.” So He went there. At once Baba Sawan Singh got up from the bed and became very sad. Our Master asked Him, “Master, why are You sad?” He replied, “What is the condition of the child?”
I tell you, these personalities know each and everything; they know how to hide themselves but they are very sure about each and everything – they know the heart of everybody. But they keep the secret of everybody in their heart. They try to rectify through (their) radiation by overcoming (things) directly inside and so they try to make such one get rid of his problems. He has lots of ways to rectify someone.
Master said, “O my Master, why are You sad? Only by speaking out Your name lots of problems go away without any reason – why do You think like this?”
Baba Sawan Singh said, “Kirpal, since You have thrown this burden from Your shoulder, I have to carry it. I have to think over it.” When Master went back the child was fully okay.
I am giving you these examples only that we must know the significance of the Satsang. We must present ourselves. Do you think it is the physical body that you bring here?
You should come consciously. Your attention should be there! Your attention will bring you here. If you put your attention somewhere, you will be there.
If somebody is sitting here physically and his attention is working outside, he is not in the Satsang; he is somewhere else and he won’t get this fruit that is given.
So, Satsang is such a place where you have lots of things to do and to finish with. It is a court of God where you can decide about your future life, where you can decide for the coming generation, where you can decide for the whole creation, I tell you.
It is a place of refuge for the soul. Master always seeks a place entirely devoted to this purpose. No other business should be there. Holy places should be kept fully sanctified, because there He dwells. When it is built in this direction it carries vibration to thousands of people. Those who come to such places, they are affected with it.
Master said, “Always keep His place neat and clean, holy and shining.” This will help you, this will help all others.
Your devotion will pay. Come with good thoughts and do good deeds. Think about God and think about the betterment of others.
Consciousness awakes when you get together, when you want to learn together, when you want to sit together, when you have the sweet remembrance of the Master Power – this vibration.
Through the vibration this consciousness is increasing. It cannot be bought, you cannot get it only from the books. By sitting together you feel the presence of the Master and through vibration everything comes directly to the soul. You will definitely feel some change in your life without interruptions.
In India there was a queen, whose name was Dhara Ram. Although she was the wife of a great king, she would go to a competent Master – about which her husband was very much annoyed. Many times he told her not to go there. But when the king had gone to sleep she used to go there. She, however, said, “No, I am not going!” Whenever he got up (to control her) he found her in her bed.
But even then he doubted her presence in the palace; so he went straight there (where Satsang was held). He did not go inside, but instead took one of her shoes that were standing outside and took it back to the palace. This was an extraordinary shoe, endowed with jewels and diamonds.
So the king thought that he had caught her and she would be very answerable to him now. He wanted to teach her a lesson. When Satsang was finished, she came out and found both shoes standing there. She put them on and went back home.
Seeing the same shoe the king was very much astonished. (Really surprised he said,) “Here is your shoe!” She said, “No, this is the shoe which you have brought, but here are the right shoes. This is a gift from my Master.” Who had provided the shoe? The God Power within. He had helped her because she was true. She did much to sacrifice her wishes. Although she was a queen she did not have great wishes for her convenience or for her health. She was very regular in her meditation and regularly went to her Master.
She could live without food, but (could not live) without Satsang. She knew that there was the bread of life and water of life. Without this water she ever felt thirsty and without this bread she ever felt hungry.
Satsang is a place where the subject comes up automatically – you do not have to bring it. All grace is coming automatically.
You know, if in a worldly class one student does not go to school one day, he is one lesson behind the others. If he does not go for ten days, he is at least ten lessons behind the others. And those vagabonds, who dither to and fro, enjoying the world only, they are all the time late. They lose their life, they lose their subject.
So with spirituality it is a similar condition. Master has prepared all the subjects (that we should learn). If you take one step in favour of the Master, that helps the Master to overcome those problems arising in that direction. But if we do a little thing here and a little thing there without being regular at any place – what will happen? Our progress will be harmed. We will not be able to progress further.
So today I am telling you about the importance of Satsang. It is not a new subject. It has been our subject since we came into the world. We have always needed the company of such a competent Master. You have established this place – it is a holy place. What will you call a place where God Himself lives? He comes to hear you, He comes to see you – He comes and loves you. He gives His life-impulse. He does everything for His children.
Such a good place you have built, and what if you are not present at this place?
So much we can say that it is a fault (not to be here).
Such a place you will not find anywhere else. You will get whatever you need, without asking for it. Worldly people make prayers, but they are not heard. Here prayer is heard – there is even no need to make a prayer; it is already heard.
Master always stressed the need of Satsang. Wherever Satsang was held, Master was very accurate (with it). Regular food was provided there.
This grace must grow, and it will grow with consciousness. The more you develop it, the more it will work. How happy you are when your child is very conscious. You want him or her to learn. When a little child is growing up and starts speaking, you like whatever it speaks.
When Master is able to transfer His thoughts to His child, Master is very happy. But if we are not transferring to the Master, He cannot help us. He wants to transfer His power to the child in thought, this is what He likes. He wants to develop each one of us on the very same pattern as He has developed.
He does not want to minimize His position. He is a king; He is capable of developing lots of kings. All His children are kings.
At the time of Master some disciples said, “Master, we do not come to Satsang on Sunday because we are fully occupied with the children and instead of this we play tapes of your Satsang and feel happy.”
Master answered,
“It is true, the Master Power is always with you,
when you are at home or in the desert,
when you are in the forest or anywhere —
Master Power is with you.
But take it for granted that on Sunday
Master is only in the Satsang-centre.
He is not available anywhere else.”
— Sant Kirpal Singh
So, I am telling you these things from the life of the Master. These are very unique things. So, if you want to see your friend and you want to have His grace, then leave everything and come directly here.
Satsang is a place where decisions are taken. The angle of vision of most of the Saints has changed during the time of Satsang. Master Power or His attention works wonderfully there. He sees who is receptive and who wants to carry this vibration with him.
You know what you have to do after Satsang: Take everything whatever you have learned, keep it close to yourself for your further use and don’t spoil it! Don’t let it loose. If you have to go back home, go sweetly and put in time for meditation. Too much talking or whiling away the time for nothing is an obstruction on the way.
A Satsang, I tell you, is something like a parshad – parshad for those who are receptive. They take it and use it.
So, Satsang is in itself a perfection. We must come to the Satsang to attain that perfection – an all-over perfection.
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