Satsang

Satsang / Satsanga / Satsangam is a word which comes from Sanskrit, meaning to associate with true people, or to be in the company of true people.  It is also related to sitting with a sat guru, or in a group meeting seeking that association. 

Etymology
Satsang is a Hindi term derived from the Sanskrit सत्सङ्ग or satsangha based on the following root words: 

 Sat (Sanskrit) = true; see also Sacca, Sacha and Satyagraha
 Sangha (Sanskrit) = company or association

Satsanga can be translated as an association of the good and is usually employed to denote a group of pious individuals and, in common usage, a devout audience receiving religious instruction. 

Concept
According to Liselotte Frisk, satsang is:.  

This typically involves listening to, or reading scriptures, reflecting on, discussing and assimilating their meaning, meditating on the source of these words, and bringing their meaning into one’s daily life.  For adherents, satsang becomes a way of being and a practice that governs actions and interactions with others.  It has been likened to being part of the universe and contributing to it in their best capacity while learning and getting support from it at the same time. 

According to Jiddu Krishnamurti, satsang means "association with the good:
The idea behind satsang is that a favorable environment such as the presence of holy people, listening to holy scripture or music, allows an individual to elevate his mind from one that is worldly towards a higher level of thought.  It is said that Satsang constitutes one of the four ways - along with contentment, the spirit of inquiry, and self-control - by which people who are "drowning" in samsara (repetitive history) can be saved. 

See also
Sangat
Sant Mat
Katha

References

Sources

External links
 (Sanskrit)

Category:Hindu philosophical concepts
Category:Surat Shabd Yoga
Category:Rituals in Hindu worship