Pravachan is ‘Param’ount

Vaidik Satsang, whether sponsored by Samaj or private family, is comprised primarily of three elements, namely, Havan, singing of Bhajans, and a Pravachan or Sermon. This format has become very familiar to devotees, and like all things familiar, can be taken for granted. So on occasions, we are tempted to disrupt this structure, or even omit a section altogether, because of external factors such as time, audience, convenience, or any other human element. But are we doing a disservice to ourselves when we modify this well-known format? For the answer we turn to the scriptures themselves, and a close examination reveals that a Satsang consisting of Havan, Bhajans, and Pravachan—that is, a traditional satsang—is an all-encompassing process that best enables us to accomplish, in a Vedic manner, what we set out to achieve in performing the satsang. Our founding Aacharyas, with great thought, have distilled and codified the contents of the Vedas into a practical and ubiquitous system that has no need for further refinements.

So what is the relationship between the traditional Satsang and the Vedas? Well we need to briefly examine the Vedas themselves. There are three principal themes presented in the Vedas, and these are Jnaana, Karma, and Upaasana – Knowledge, Action, and Worship respectively. Knowledge encompasses theories regarding God, Soul and the World; Action is the application of all such theories; and Worship is communion with God. The Rig Veda deals with Knowledge, the Yajur Veda with Action, the Sam Veda with Devotion, while the Atharva Veda is a compendium of sciences of Brahma, etc. Therefore, God gave humanity the right amount of knowledge (Rig) with which to perform actions (Yajur). But since Knowledge and Action can make us egotistic, we need Communion (Saam) with the source of all Knowledge.

In our Satsangs, when we do Havan, we are performing an action that is both immediate and symbolic. The act of Havan reminds us of the actions that we should perform in our lives. Havan is also, of course, devotion to and communion with God. But if Satsang is a way of instilling the principles of the Vedas into our lives, then performing Havan alone is incomplete.

This is where Pravachan comes in. Listening to a Pravachan satisfies our quest for knowledge. While the Havan is action oriented, the Pravachan gives us the opportunity to engage our intellectual faculty. A good Pracvachan imparts knowledge but it will also leave us pondering, perhaps sparking our curiosity about the vast knowledge contained in our Scriptures.

And finally, the singing of bhajans aids our devotion. Music affects us differently from chanting and listening. It can create quite a heightened psychological response, complementing the other aspects of the Satsang.

Thus, we can see that the underlying mechanism of the traditional Satsang is quite simple but eminently practical. It is no secret that each of us is attached to a different aspect of Satsang. While some of us like Havan, others like Bhajan singing. Yet there are others who prefer to listen to Pravachan. Depending on our individual Sanskaaras and karmas, we all have different inclinations and preferences. Our Aachaaryas, having recognised this, have incorporated all these aspects in our Satsangs, not just to fulfill our different needs, but also to create an atmosphere that fosters a more profound spiritual engagement with God. If we are travelling to a specific location, we would all use different modes of transportation depending on our proximity to the destination. We can walk, take a car, a boat, or an aeroplane, or perhaps any combination of them. Similarly, to reach the “City of God”, we need Jnaana/Knowledge, Karma/Action, and Bhakti/Devotion. In Satsangs, this translates into Havan, Bhajan, and Pravachan. To omit any of these would be a disservice to those who would have found solace in same.

Tasmin hiranyaye koshe tyare tripratishthite

Tasmin yad yakshamaatmanwat tad vai brahma vido viduh

The knower of Brahma knows that the soul has huge potentials, attains realization through knowledge, actions, and devotion. Pervading the individual souls is the Supreme Soul, worthy of reverence.