CHAPTER – 22

Suvrat said:-

Shri Hari, whose lotus - like face was stared by all his devotees, sitting in that assembly, spoke to all the persons, who had taken resort to him.’ 1

Shri Hari said, Here, in this sect, which belongs to Uddhava, everybody is addressed as Satsangi; a person whose company is good. So I request all of you to become worthy of that name. 2

Our preceptor believes that a person can become free from the bondage of birth and death only by Satsanga; company of righteous or good persons. So, I shall expound the term Satsanga, to all of you. Please listen to it, very attentively. 3

The word Satsanga denotes the Supreme Brahman; and the persons who have taken shelter in it are deemed to be saintly. Their religion, i.e. Bhagavat Dharma), and the scriptures relating these three comprise the related triad. 4

There in, Lord Vishnu is regarded as the Supreme Brahman; and His human form is this Lord Krishna. Even though in human form, His activities are super human; He is superhuman, merely enacting the dramatic role of a human being. 5

The person who follows this path, laid down by Him, are called Sad-bhaktas i.e. good devotees. I shall now explain that very path and those rules, that have come down directly from the Lord. 6

In the treatise: Shrimad Bhagavat, it is said that Narad told this to Yudhishtir at the end of Rajasuya sacrifice. Here, I am explaining it elaborately. 7

Narad said:-

After bowing down to the Unborn Lord (Brahma), I shall explain to you the Sanatan Dharma, which I heard from the God Narayan Himself, for the betterment of people. 8

That Narayan who took birth in the womb of the daughter of Daksha, namely Murti, through Dharma (Prajapati), in the form of His own apportionment, is still practising penance in the Badarikashrama for the betterment of the people. 9

Oh King ! Lord Hari, the very embodiment of all the Vedas, is said to be at the root of the Dharma, which is memorized by the knower of it; and there by the self is gratified. 10

1.Truth, 2. Kindness, 3. Penance, 4. Austerity, 5. Endurance, 6. Self-perusal, 7. Restraint of temptations, 8. Firmness of mind, 9. Non-violence, 10. Celibacy, 11. Sacrifice, 12. Self-study, 13. Straight-forwardness, 14. Satisfaction, 15. Equality-attitude Service to all, 16. Gradual detachment from material enjoyments, 17. Contemplating on the adverse circumstances, regarding affliction, 18. Observance of silence, 19. Self scrutiny, 20. Equal distribution of food and other things, among all beings, according to their requirements, 21. Thinking about others, by putting them in the position of one’s own diet, 22. Hearing Him, 23. Singing His praise, 24. Remembering Him, 25. Rendering services to Him, 26. Worshiping Him, 27. Bowing down to Him, 28. Servitude or slavery, 29. Friendship to Him, 30. Complete self-surrender: this is the right way of conduct, consisting of the above thirty qualities, recommended for all the human beings in the society. One who possesses these qualities is sure to please the Supreme Self. 11-15

Thus, Shri Narad narrated this code of conduct of the virtuous people to Yudhishthira. I shall principally explain it, in brief. 16

1:The term Truth means that speech which is beneficial to all the beings. 2:Compassion or kindness means to sympathize with and share the sorrows of other people; but at the same time, it should not result into self-bondage. Compassion, that may bring censure to oneself or to one‘s colleagues, is actually speaking not kindness; and is never approved. 3: Penance means observing various vows like Krucchra etc. Fasting is sticking to one’s own rules of conduct. 4: Austerity is of two types: internal and external. The external austerity means to purify oneself by soil and water, to avoid the contact of sinful people; to keep away from liquor and meat; and avoid admixture of castes etc. Internal austerity means to think about the welfare or happiness of everybody as one’s own self and to wash (out) the mental and physical impurity by healthy thinking. 17-21

5: Endurance means to face courageously the hurdles or sorrows that might have occurred due to ill-luck; 6: Self-perusal is the power of discrimination between good and bad. 7: Restraint of temptations from five sense organs means, balanced condition of mind. 8:Firmness of mind is the control of the external and internal sense organs. 22-23

9:Non-violence denotes not hurting deliberately, by any means any living being, from a nit (egg of a louse) upto a human being; and not commiting suicide, even for attaining heaven. 10: Celibacy means avoiding interactions or the company of females in eight ways by non house-holders. For the householders, avoidance of the of contact with any lady other than his wife and copulation, even with his own wife, during observance of a vow; or on the day of Shraddha or any such occasion, is also included in celibacy. Widows should avoid the company of man in eight ways. Married ladies should avoid the company of a man other than her husband. 24-27 

11: Sacrifice means to give away the things, as per one‘s capacity except his wife, 12: Self-study means to utter anthologies and chants etc., favorable to one’s own self and as per one‘s own capacity. 13: Straightforwardness means absence of crookedness; 14: Satisfaction regarding food, clothes etc. in case of food and the things that one gets by luck and not by stealing; 28-29

15: Equality attitude means offering service without discrimination, to those who have taken resort to Krishna and who observe the rules of celibacy. Service means behaving oneself with servitude. 16: Gradual detachment from the worldly pleasures, leading to recurrence of the cycle of birth and death and indifference to base instincts. 17: Those persons who aspire for the worldly pleasures in various ways and suddenly face with some great calamity – such situation is called contemplation of the adverse circumstances. 30-32

18: Silence means deliberately keeping oneself away from unnecessary talks, by discriminating between good and evil conversation. 19:Introspection means to perceive the self separately from the body. i.e. as detached from the body. 20: Equal division means distributing food and water to the living beings, as required by them.; and then after that consuming it for one self. 21: The thought of all pervasiveness of the Lord Vishnu, respect to all beings, abandoning the ego and jealously is considered as thinking about others by putting one’s deity in their position. 33-35

22: To listen to the sweet stories of the Lord Vishnu is called Shravana or hearing. 23:To sing His qualities with love is called Kirtana i.e. praise. 24:Remembering means always thinking about Him or His image, that is kept in one‘s heart. 25: Rendering service means always following Him or attending Him very sincerely and consistently. 26. Ijya i.e. worship means adoring God with due rites according to one’s own capacity. 27: Ava-Nati i.e. to bow down means to pay regards by lying down on the ground completely, with all the eight limbs. 28: Servitude, slavery or bondage means dedicated service to Him; 29:Friendship means excessive love towards Him; and 30: Total devotion or means complete consignment of the self to Him or to become one with Him in every possible way. 36 - 39

Thus, I have (explained) the Saddharma, the righteous path with all its thirty attributes and I have explained the meaning of the word Sat and its three fold nature (of God, His devotees and His teaching). 40

The literature that discusses the meaning of the word Sat with its threefold nature, may it be in detail or brief, is called the scripture of the righteous path. 41

Following eight treatises are considered as preaching the rules of the righteous path; they are: Vedas, Shrimad Bhagavata purana, Vidura-niti, Vishnu-sahasra-nama, Bhagavad-gita, Brahmasutras of Badarayana Yajnyavalkya Smriti and Vasudeva Mahatmya. 42-43

Other treatises which also agree with the previous eight works (mentioned above) are also believed to be useful for the persons who are desirous of liberation and are (also) considered as the scriptures of the righteous path. 44

Thus, I have explained the word Sat (Right). Now I shall discuss the word Sanga,i.e. company. Steady and sincere devotion and association with Krishna, the righteous soul means company. 45

Sant-Samagam means services offered to the sages and the gentlemen, by worshipping them and following their dictates; and not leaving the righteous path even in case of eventuality of adverse situation. 46

It is necessary to hear, discuss and read the scriptures laid down by the sages with utmost interest and making others to read them is necessary to enhance the devotion towards Lord Krishna. 47

Those people who experience this company of four-fold devotion, on this earth, are deemed to be the Satsangis, in this Uddhava cult. 48

Those absolute devotees are also known as noble people, the followers of Bhagavata (religion), disciples of Vishnu and the learned by the seers of the scriptures. 49

After death, these devotees attain the best abode called Golok where the Lord Shri Krishna, supreme one resides in the company of Radha. 50

Those who leave this righteous company and indulge themselves in other sinful activities are called unrighteous companions. 51

Kala, the supreme spirit regarded as the destroyer of the universe- a personification of the destructive principles. Maya, the cosmic illusion, Svabhava, i.e. natural course, Karma, i.e. unseen action, or the basic nature or the fundamental bondage of deeds, and the Tamasic deities of personified wickedness, not being independent, are designated as Gods of vicious nature. 52

Those who behave against the instructions of Sruti and Smriti; and instead of worshipping the Supreme Lord Vishnu, worship the destructive spirits Kala and others, seven though termed as saints are in fact non-righteous. 53

Hypocrisy, ego, quarrel, violence, greed, anger and lust, are outcome of irreligiousness; they are sinful, wicked and religious illusions. 54

Where these mal-attributes are discussed arbitrarily, that dogma is known as unrighteous doctrine: whether it is small or big. 55

The persons who adhere to these four vicious phenomena (Kala etc.) are said to be hypocrites; and thus they are considered as the propagators of fraud etc. 56

People of bad intellect, are gradually deceived by the hypocrite preceptors by seizing their wealth, wives etc.; and are in the end, deserted and thrown out. 57

They often take resort to genuine teachers; yet when they fid it difficult to follow their code of conduct, they again leave them and take resort to atheists wicked persons and behave monkey-like. 58

Thus, after death these so-called wicked persons go to hell along with their teachers. Thus I have kindled the lamp that explains the real meaning of the word Satsanga (good company). O you devotees! You should know it thoroughly, and try to keep yourself in the company of saints and God and stay along with me every day. 59 - 60

A person who takes resort to this lamp in the form of Satsanga (keeping company of the good people); and by hearing and discussing about the lamp that destroys the darkness in the form of adverse thinking, becomes free from the bondage of birth and death and from the darkness of ignorance. He attains the eternal happiness, as aspired by him. 61

Suvrat said:-

His devotees, listened to this discourse of the preceptor, who was the only recourse of refuge to them. They mastered the teachings very meticulously. With His permission, they returned to their residence. He (Shri Hari) also, went to His hermitage. 62

Thus ends the twenty-second chapter entitled, ‘Narration of enlighting of the lamp of the Satsangi i.e. Company of the good people,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra, (the rules of the code of conduct). 22