Shrimad Rajchandra And Mahatma Gandhi

Author(s): Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal

Page 38

Shrimad Rajchandra's Message
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Through this satsang, he spoke of attaining not ordinary happiness but the eternal bliss of the soul. To him, satsang meant bringing detachment in one's life and absolute faith in one's soul.
In the context of satsang he spoke of the soul's malaise, its welfare and eventually of its experience. The soul's malaise is nothing but absence of satsang. The soul's welfare meant the benefit to the soul through satsang. And this would eventually lead to the experience of one's soul. Thus through satsang, one can rid the soul of its malaise and progress towards its own experience, thereby firmly establishing oneself on the path to liberation.
What if one does not get to participate at all in satsang? In this context, Shrimad wrote about his own experience during his childhood in Vavaniya, “Without any participation in satsang, this poor soul does not acquire the ability to discriminate and thus remains deluded.”
What if a hypocrite joins a satsang? What if he does not have an innate desire for satsang but just to prove that he is spiritual, he starts attending satsang? Shrimad comments that one needn't worry much about such a person. His true nature will be revealed in a very short time. If such a deluded person were to enter satsang, what selfish motive would he seek to fulfil? In a true satsang, there is no talk about livelihood, material pleasures, dogmatism or apathy towards devotion. Such a person may attend satsang once out of curiosity, but there will be no attraction for him to attend the second time. Indeed, if an unworthy person participates in satsang, it does not affect the satsang, but in reality his true nature will be recognised by all.
Some may say that just as seekers get together for satsang, so evildoers gather together for their own objectives. Similarly, even those seeking sensual pleasures may gather together to think