"Sadh Sangat"

 

Musings from a Recliner ---- ’Sadh Sangat” ---- 09th Oct 2020 ~ Lally Virk

Since I have been away from my brothers for quite some time, I thought what better day, than today, to ‘add my log back to the ‘member piece and rekindle the light and fire once again’………!!!! 

These musings are about the concept of “Sadh Sangat” in one’s spiritual journey.

“SADH SANGAT”

Though a ‘Sangat’ or ‘congregation’ is there in almost all religions and for more or less the same purpose, but in this piece I will restrict myself to the “Sadh Sangat” of “Sikhism”……lest I meander into some controversial waters !!!! 😊

The origins of the ‘Sangat’:

Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism. As he travelled, he started to gather people together to sing hymns, worship and learn about the oneness of humanity and the one true God 'Waheguru ji'. He referred to these groups as the sangat. Guru Nanak believed that being part of a community would help individuals come closer to 'Waheguru'.

Sikhs believe that the community is a vital part of their personal journey towards God.

Guru Nanak established several practices that led to Sikhs’ belief in the importance of community:

• Guru Nanak rejected the caste system and taught about the oneness of humanity. This means that everyone should be treated equally at all times.

• Guru Nanak invited all people, regardless of caste, religion or gender, to his home for religious singing (kirtan) and collective worship. Everyone sat together in the same room. Members of the different castes would sit next to one another, which was something many people had not done before.

• Guru Nanak urged people to join this group of individuals, who were all seen as equal, to find God and become ‘Gurmukh’.

“Sangat”……. let’s first understand the meaning and the extreme importance of ‘Sangat’ in the overall development and evolvement of an individual. 

As per the scriptures a “Sangat” is a gathering or congregation of people getting together to further themselves spiritually.

‘Sangat’, quite simply explained means the ‘Company we Keep'.

Now let us understand what is ”Sadh Sangat”:

What is “Sadh Sangat” as is normally understood in Sikhism. “Sadh” is a Saint and “Sat” means True. Wherever people gather to sing the praise of WaheGuru ji, or to talk about Him, they are referred to as “Sadh Sangat” – a “holy gathering" of true and spiritually inclined people.

The Sikh Gurus laid great emphasis on attending a holy assembly. ‘Sangat’ influences the personality and character of the devotees. It produces divine harmony and internal bliss. It helps in the attainment of Truth, but ‘Sangat’ is only available with the blessings of WaheGuru ji. The society of the truthful is not available without good fortune and His Grace.

In the presence of ‘sangat’ the novice receives the Guru's instructions and acquires the qualities of the “Sadh Sangat” through the “Bani” (God's Word) recited from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib ji. 

Like children consciously and unconsciously imitating their parents, the Sikhs become imitators of their masters or the ideal ‘human being’ and acquire some of their positive traits.

The Guru tells us that in “Sadh Sangat” is found "Satgur Chatsal" or ‘Satguru's School”. It is in this school of the holy congregation that the "Har Gun" or "virtues of the Lord" are learnt by the ‘Sikh’ or "student of spirituality".

Bhagat Kabir says: "ਜੋ ਜੈਸੀ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਮਿਲੈ ਸੋ ਤੈਸੋ ਫਲੁ ਖਾਇ ॥ Jo jaisī sangaṯ milai so ṯaiso fal kẖāe. According to the company it keeps, so are the fruits it eats." {Guru Granth Sahib ji p 1369}. 

Bhagat Kabeer Ji has the best answer :

Kabeer man pa(n)khee bhio audd audd dheh dhis jai ||

Kabeer, the mind has become a bird; it soars and flies in ten directions.

Jo jaisee sa(n)gat milai so taiso fal khai ||86||

According to the company it keeps, so are the fruits it eats. ||86||

(Salok Bhagat Kabeer Ji, Ang 1369)

 

In this Shalok, Bhagat Kabeer Ji tells us that the mind is like a bird. Birds fly in all directions. Birds zoom and swoop and soar and can change directions quite quickly. In other words, the mind is ever-changing.

Because the mind doesn’t have a form of its own, our state of mind depends largely on the company we keep. Therefore, ‘Sangat” has a great effect on our thoughts, words, and actions.

‘Kaahoo dhashaa ke pavan gavan kai barakhaa hai kaahoo dhashaa ko pavan baadhar bilaat hai ||

Just as wind blowing from a particular direction causes rain while another direction blows the clouds away.

‘Kaahoo jal paan ke’ee rahat arog dhehee kaahoo jal paan biaapai birathaa bilalaat hai ||

Just as drinking some water keeps the body healthy while some other water causes one to fall sick. It troubles the patient no end.

 

‘Kaahoo gireh kee agan paak saak sidh karai kaahoo gireh kee agan bhavan jaraat hai’ ||

Just as the fire of a house helps in cooking but the fire raged in another house burns the house to ashes

 

‘Kaahoo kee sa(n)gat mil jeevan mukat hui kaahoo kee sa(n)gat mil jamapur jaat hai ||549||

Similarly someone’s company liberates, while other’s company leads one to hell. (549)

(Bhai Gurdas Ji’s Vaaran)

 

To expand a bit further on this ‘Vaar’, notice how in the preceding examples the very last line of the ‘Vaar’, the same element is used to describe two different scenarios?

• Wind: Can either cause rain to fall or can cause the clouds to move somewhere else

• Water: can help keep the body healthy (if clean) or can cause illnesses (if dirty)

• Fire: can help with cooking food (if controlled) or can set the house on fire (if not controlled).

Sikhs believe that being part of the sangat is a very important part of life. It is essential if they are to move through the five stages of liberation (the Five Khands). Being part of the Sangat allows people to develop spiritually and become more Gurmukh. 

Who is a ‘Gurmukh’ ?

Becoming ‘Gurmukh’ means getting rid of haumai, which is selfishness, ego and pride. Sikhs believe that haumai conceals the divine spark of God in a person…..instead, Sikhs must live a life of virtue - a God-centred life.

Now let us understand the ‘The five stages of liberation’ (the Five Khands):

Sikhs believe that they have to go through several stages (khands) to reach mukti, when the soul is free to find and become one with God. These stages are like the stages of a long journey, so they usually do not happen in one lifetime, but over several lifetimes. As Sikhs progress through these stages, they become closer to the understanding of truth and therefore closer to Waheguru.

Sikhs do not believe in isolating themselves in order to focus on Waheguru. They believe that the community, or sangat, plays a very important part in the development of humans. They believe that God created humans to be with other people and so it is part of daily life that Waheguru is revealed.

The Five Khands (stages) of liberation

Piety

This is the first stage. All Sikhs are born into this stage, and during this stage they meet with God through commitment and dedication. Sikhs begin to devote their lives to Waheguru during this stage.

Knowledge

During the second stage of knowledge, Sikhs gain knowledge of Waheguru through dedicating their lives to God. During this stage, the person comes to better understand Waheguru and the importance of the world. They realise how vast the universe is and how little they know about Waheguru. They realise that there is much more to know about life. They become spiritually aware of Waheguru.

Effort

The third stage brings the previous two stages together. During this stage, Sikhs devote their lives to Waheguru with an understanding of why. They develop their intelligence as far as possible and understand how they can become closer to Waheguru. During this stage, Sikhs realise the importance of the three foundations of Sikhism (Kirat Karna, Wand Chakna and Nam Japna). They also become disciplined in their daily acts of worship.

Grace

The fourth stage is only reached when Waheguru takes a part in the development of the individual. Grace is a blessing from God that is given and not earned. Through God’s love and grace, Sikhs can spiritually grow. Sikhs only reach this stage once they have overcome the vices and made the virtues habits.

Truth

This final stage is when Sikhs find and understand the truth about Waheguru. This stage cannot be described, only experienced.

In this day and age or ‘Kalyug”, it is difficult to find good company let alone “Sadh Sangat”.  So how does one find this "good holy company" and how does one recognise the company that you have found as “Sadh Sangat” ?

The answer to the first part is not easy. 

Gurbani tells us that " ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਵਡਭਾਗੀ ਪਾਈਐ ॥੨॥ Sāḏẖsangaṯ vadbẖāgī pāīai.” {Guru Granth Sahib ji p 180}. 

So it is not an easy task to be granted with good company. One needs to actively seek to find the company of wise and saintly people. Do “Ardas” and ask for the gift of good company as this is not easy to find. All prayers are answered and with Waheguru’s blessings, you will be endowed with the “Sadh Sangat”.

However, the second part has been answered by the Guru in very clear terms thus:

The Sadh Sangat has so much value and importance, but this value is not appreciated by most of us and we do not take advantage of this opportunity. It is only with Waheguru’s blessings that one finds the chance to be with the company of the holy, yet one never appreciates this and does not see the purpose of it as one is so caught up in one’s worldly matters.

Guru Nanak ji said, “The true Guru is found in the Sat Sangat, the true congregation. Day and night, praise the word of his Shabad” (22:15). True Sangat is always in remembrance and realization of God. You are a direct result of the company you keep and by your association with Gurmukhs, you will become a purer soul, since “the Gurmukhs train their minds to contemplate on the lord, the supreme soul” (18:14).

“Join the ‘Sadh Sangat’, the company of the holy and vibrate and meditate on the jewel of the Naam” (12:7). 

“Jeo pankhi ikatar hoye fir bichrhey thir sangat har har dheyailae” (GGS Page 862).

Jeo - as

Pankhi - birds 

Ikatar hoye - fly together 

Fir bichrhey - go apart

Thir - stable

Sangat - company

Har har - Waheguru ji

Dheyailae - meditate 

People are like birds who fly together then go apart…..meditating on Waheguru ji's name they become stable. 

"In autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying in a ‘V’ formation, you might like to ponder as to why they fly that way. 

As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a ‘V’ formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range, than if each bird flew on its own. 

People who share a common direction and sense of community, can get where they are going more quickly and easily, because they are traveling on the thrust of one another. 

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. 

If we have the sense of a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are heading the same way we are. 

When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south. 

Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What message do we give when we honk from behind ? 

Finally - and this is very important - when a goose falls sick or is wounded by gunshot and falls out of the formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. 

They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies and only then do they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with their own group. 

Kindly contemplate on the above and, and let us pledge to "stand by each other like that."

(“The Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat”)

“The Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat”

The Powers that be, probably heard our “Ardas”………yes in ‘Kalyug’, sent 200 plus enlightened, though evolving, souls in the summer of 1975 to ‘congregate’ at the foothills of the famous ‘Sinhagad Fort’ in this amazing township known as Khadakvasla, to enter the hallowed portals of the revered ‘National Defence Academy’ as it’s 54th Course.

Forty five years later this same bunch, by now having having fulfilled their worldly duties and evolved immensely, once again congregated together in what I would term as, our “Sangat” – “The Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat” – in a lighter vein, the ‘sangat of the holy and unholy’, yet of “US” !!

(The 54th Course, The National Defence Academy)

Before I go any further, kindly go over the following :

A man, who regularly attended family meetings suddenly without any notice stopped participating.

After a few weeks, one very cold night the leader of that group decided to visit him.

He found the man at home, alone, sitting in front of a fireplace where a bright fire burned. 

The man welcomed the leader. There was a great silence.

The two men only watched the dancing flames around the logs that crackled in the fireplace.

After a few minutes the leader, without saying a word, examined the woods that formed the fire and selected one of them, glowing most brightly of all, removing it to the side with a pair of tongs. Then he sat down again.

The host was paying attention to everything, fascinated. Before long, the lone member flame subsided, until there was only a momentary glow & the fire soon went out.

In a short time, what was previously bright light and heat had become nothing more than a black dead piece of wood.

Very few words had been spoken since the greeting.

Before preparing to leave, the leader with the tongs picked up the useless piece of wood & placed it again in the middle of the fire. Immediately, the member piece of wood was rekindled, fueled by the light & heat of the burning coals around him.

When the leader reached the door to leave, the host said: Thank you for your visit and for your beautiful lesson. I'll return to the group soon. 

 Yes, I am back in ‘My Sangat’………….!!!!!

Because each member that withdraws takes away the fire & heat from the rest.

Today, with the Blessings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the positive energy sent by all ‘my sangat’ as well as thousands of well-wishers from all over the world, I declare with great pride that we have been victorious once again and a large portion of this credit is attributed to my brothers from this very ‘Sangat’ who gave me a shoulder to lean on during those troubled days when I was beginning to buckle under. Thank you guys……..you all know who you are !!!!

The euphoric feeling that envelops all of us the minute we hear these words, "54th Course Get-Together"..... that is the 'sangat' we yearn for and look forward to. That back-slapping, that camaraderie, the teasing, that feeling of oneness, of well-being and last but not the least the resounding laughter that echoes on and on long after we have departed-----that, my brothers, is the "Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat" I refer to........!!!!!!

It is also good to remind us that we are all responsible for keeping each other's flame alive and burning.

And we must promote the union among us so that this fire is really strong, effective and lasting. 

It doesn't matter if sometimes we are bothered by some misunderstandings…….but this is our ‘Sadh Sangat”, and ultimately it will ensure that it all evens out !!! What matters is to be connected or simply to know that we are not alone.

Let's keep this flame alive and glowing with our love for each other. 🔥🔥👊

Lastly, let us hold our hands, bow our heads, form our ‘circle of love’ of the “Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat”, and let our combined positive energy engulf us all in ‘Happiness, Peace & Tranquility’ !!!

“The Bamboodoor Sadh Sangat”

All for One - One for All

Kujh Yaaran Nu Si Parkhiya Main;

Kujh Yaari Meri Parakh Gaye;

Lakh Bura Keha, Kujh Russe Na;

Kujh Bina Kahe Hi Harakh Gaye;

Kujh Vaarde Si Jaan Mere To;

Kujh Aayi Musibat Sarak Gaye;

Kujh Mere To Vichad Ke Khush Hoye;

Kujh Saanu Vekhan Layi Taras Gaye !!!!

“Nanak Naam Chardi Kalan, Tere Bhané Sarbat Da Bhala”

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