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		Word	Meaning
1		Satsang	This word means, 'Seeking in earnestness, the company of good and religiously pious'. Hindu Dharma makes few basic prescriptions to all human beings, irrespective of their social status and psychological propensities, to enable them to lead their life with least of commotion. Apart from lofty philosophical and metaphysical directions aimed at the transcendental realm, the wise sages of the ancient India (Bharat) were men of great pragmatism. They realized quite adequately that all human beings should lead their day-to-day life with their full mental health. Mere absence of abnormal behavior in a human being, they knew is not 'Mental-Health'. They recognized the absolute necessity of each human being to be a cohesive positive factor, to make the collective society full of peace and balance. Though Hindu religion may give an impression of propagating philosophic 'individualism', as regards to working out the riddle of destiny, in the matters of community living, they advocated and practiced perfect sense of togetherness. Each one was made to feel that they are only performing their bit of duty, for the common good, as ordained by cosmic divine order. Thus, according to Vedic vision, no one is free from the chain of cause-and-effect (Karma), which connects endless cycle of birth-and-death, until absolute realization dawns. Thus, whosoever does any sort of violation against any form of life; they cannot escape without having to reap the "fruit" of their crime. All actions, either good or bad, have their corresponding situations by way of residual effects, which have to be inescapably faced. All human activities are born out of egoistic self-consciousness. Thus, being self-centered, our activities surely produce residual fruit to be reaped. This is the broadest based cultural and religious belief-system prevailing in the length and breadth of India, for many millennia. Notwithstanding such an in-built corrective factor to check human behavior, due to the innate human temperamental shortcomings, misbehaviors by way of violence and exploitations could not be ruled out. Psychological inadequacies of humankind have their roots in a very deep-seated abnormality, which is the sense of egoistic individuality. Seers of the east were extremely alert to this reality. Hence, they worked out a regimen for one's daily life, which kept to a greater extent human ego well under check and subdued. 'Satsang' was one of the most positive ways of life, which was prescribed to people for balancing their egoistic outlook. The popular connotation of this word is, 'To be in the company of pious and good people'. But, this word has much deeper reach of implications. 'Sat' = 'Truth', 'Eternal', 'Changeless', 'Good', 'Wholesome'. 'Sang' = 'To meet', To mix with', 'To befriend', 'Confluence', 'To merge into'. Thus, it is easily discernible that 'Satsang' is not just to be in the company of pious. Apart from seeking the company of good and pious people, one should change inwardly, so as to emotionally merge with the sublime realm of ego free state. Hence, it is not just while in the proximity of good and pious one is sober, even while engaged in the worldly activities one has to be in constant touch with THAT, which is 'Wholesome' and 'Good'. This quality of constant mentation is called as 'Manan' (Contemplation). In olden times, in India even activities like music, poetry, art, dance, sculpture were not merely entertainment oriented. All these activities of aesthetics were devotedly god oriented. In each of these, the attention of the practitioner and the audience both alike were drawn to the godliness, which was seen as the changeless reality, eternally pervading the ever-changing everyday world. Music and poetry was prevalent in every walk of life. All activities like agriculture, weaving, house building, pot making etc., were done to the tune and beat of music and poetry. There are special folk songs and dances in every region of this country, whose contents are the praises, in great devotion of some godly personifications. There is also a very rich and colorful heritage of tribal art, song and dance containing transcendental messages! Even proverbs and adages, which are used in the daily life, draw the human attention away from egoistic self-conscious limitation, towards the transcendental possibility. Religious festivals and even marriage ceremonies are full of such songs and dances! All these are various forms of 'Satsang'. Thus, 'Satsang' has a far reaching implication. Even in today's India, notwithstanding the onslaught of western culture, still 'Satsang' in all its ramifications, are present in the collective consciousness of people in India.

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