Sri Anandamayi Ma (1896–1982), was one of the most revered spiritual figures of modern India.
The passages discussed here come from Words of Anandamayi Ma, a collection of her responses to questions asked by devotees during gatherings and spiritual meetings. These conversations were recorded and translated by Brahmacharini Atmanananda, one of Ma’s disciples.
The sections in bold are Ma’s words.
The Transforming Power of Satsang
Concerning the value of religious and philosophical discourses, Sri Ma said:
By listening repeatedly to discussions and discourses on topics of this kind, the path to first-hand knowledge of what has been heard gradually opens out.
Now this is really to be marked out in our minds, because it is virtually unanimously considered that “mere words” count for very little and that intellectual consideration and discourses are of little–or contrary–value.
Now Ma does not say such things will produce first-hand knowledge, but She does inform us that by fixing our intellects on the consideration of such things, their very source and psychic vibration as intentional, intellectual entities in their own right will enable the intellectual opening which can result in our becoming able to engage in the path which will culminate in first-hand knowledge: yoga sadhana.
The mind is a field of vibrating energy, and the scope and quality of its perceptions is determined by the quality and the extent of its thoughts and intellectual perceptions. As the adage says: Thoughts Are Things. Concepts are actual entities in the subtle energy field of the mind and intellect. And by their “satsang” higher awareness can first become a potential and then eventually, if the mental focus is not ended or deflected, an actualized force of realization. That is why Sri Krishna declared to Arjuna:
“Great is that yogi who seeks to be [one] with Brahman, greater than those who mortify the body, greater than the learned, greater than the doers of good works: therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi” (Bhagavad Gita 6:46).
Single-Mindedness in Spiritual Life
You know, it is as when water uninterruptedly dripping on a stone finally makes a hole in it, and then a flood may suddenly surge through which will bring Enlightenment.
Therefore reading words of spiritual wisdom and listening to discourses on spiritual wisdom, when done with true, inner attention and aspiration, can bring about a literal breakthrough in understanding and awareness.
How Satsang Leads to Direct Spiritual Knowledge
Be it the perusal of Sacred Texts, listening to religious discourses, engaging in kirtan–God must be the alpha and omega of whatever is done.
Personal self-realization must be the ultimate aim of all religious and spiritual activities, inner and outer. For God is the Self of our Self, and therefore the ultimate goal of all the sadhaka thinks or does–especially japa and meditation.
When reading, read about Him, when talking, talk of Him, and when singing, sing His praises.
This intentional, one-pointed focusing of the mind and heart on God and God alone must be the constant activity and condition of our mind and intellect. The ego-mind and its worshippers will instantly panic at its consideration and begin frantic and even hysterical rejection of such “fanaticism” and “unbalanced mentality.”
Compromise with ignorance and delusion is the fundamental mentality of most supposedly philosophical or religious people. “A balanced life” is their ideal which is, as I say, compromise, neither balance nor reason.
Since God is The All That Is, it is only practical good sense that the genuine spiritual aspirant will consider God his sole focus and aspiration, that everything in his life must be in conformity with divine reality–his own sole reality. Saint John Vianney used to tell people: “Go to God like a shot out of a cannon!” That is intensely single minded. And Ma is indicating the same intensity.
Intelligently Adapting to Individual Uniqueness
These three practices are intrinsically the same; but because people respond differently, the same is expressed in three different ways to suit each person’s temperament and capacity for assimilation.
So each person must engage in them according to his own intellectual and spiritual character and aspiration. Therefore spiritual aspirants will not be identical in their personal spiritual pursuits, and that it as it should be. In the Bhagavad Gita (3:35) Krishna says:
“It is better to do your own duty [dharma], however imperfectly, than to assume the duties of another person, however successfully.”
Each sadhaka is a distinct individual in touch with his own inner being, and should live his life, both secular and spiritual, as an expression of that interior reality. So Ma is telling us to conform ourselves to the highest spiritual principles, but in conformity with our own inmost being–which is far above our personal inclinations and personalities.
Ma is not saying, “Suit yourselves.” She is saying, “Conform yourselves” to spiritual principles, but in the manner that reflects and expresses the truth of our inner being–not ego-personality.
FAQ: Satsang and Spiritual Practice
What is satsang?
Satsang is association with truth, either through scripture, spiritual discourse, or the presence of realized souls.
Can reading spiritual books be satsang?
Yes. When done with attention and aspiration, reading becomes a form of satsang that transforms the mind.
Why is repetition important in satsang?
Because the mind is gradually reshaped through repeated impressions, just as water eventually wears away stone.
Is satsang necessary for realization?
It is one of the most powerful aids, as it prepares the mind for direct knowledge.
Sacred Visions
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