Good company yields happy living

The real character of an individual cannot be judged by his external grab but by his thought content and conduct. One’s thought content and doings show what one is. Therefore constantly examine your thoughts and conducts.

You will be able to distinguish between your good and evil thoughts and conduct only so long as your critical faculty is awake. When a man judgement is obscured his faculty of distinguishing good from evil gets lost. Nay, if through a vicious atmosphere and evil thought he begins to mistake evil for good, he falls an easy prey to degradation; for then on perpetrating a sinful deed he erroneously feels that he is doing a virtuous act and on succeeding in a sinful deed he erroneously feels that he is doing a virtuous act and on succeeding in a sinful design he glories in his achievement and accounts himself successful in life. Therefore, to the best of your ability keep your critical faculty awake through the unimpeachable fellowship of saints and study of purely sacred literature.

Uplift is not so easy and quick as degradation. The world is full of many a slippery ground. Be vigilant, always guard against a fall and constantly go on striving vigorously to rise or advance on the right path.

Vicious company is mainly responsible for the fall of man that follows in the wake of his loss of judgement. Vicious does not consist in the fellowship of a depraved person alone. Every object of every sense-organ can serve as evil company. Every living being or object, contact with which through the visual, auditory, olfactory or tactile sense or the sense of taste leads one to mistake sin for virtue and evil for good and arouses an undue bankering for luxuries constitutes evil company. Literature, scenes, men, food and drink, wearing apparel and ornaments, locality and chit-chat – all these can serve as evil company. Therefore ever be on your guard against evil company. Always cultivate good company.

Satsanga (good company) is not the name of any particular living being locality or object. ‘Sat’ denotes God, ‘Sat’ stands for right conduct and ‘Sat’ comprises noble thoughts. Satsanga is that company which intensify love for God, helps good conduct and awakens noble thoughts as a matter of course. Reckon Satsanga as invaluable riches; so wealth, fortune or virtue can compare with Satsanga. Satsanga completely rid a man of all sin and suffering and turns him into an embodiment of transcendental virtues and bliss. Satsanga is an incomparable wealth.

The contact of the sensual world appears delightful at first sight and appears so due to the outgoing tendency – the pleasure-seeking nature of the senses. But the contact of the sensual world is akin to sweet poison. It is ignorance of its true nature and inwardness that lends it a blissful and delightful colour. Those whose eyes of wisdom are open are able to perceive directly its inner and true character which is ghastly as the terrible and disastrous consequences to which it leads. Therefore, as far as possible diligently turn your mind and senses inward, keep them devoted to ‘Sat’ try to keep them ever and constantly linked with God. Then alone will human life be fulfilled and the woeful stream of mundane existence gets dried.