Kabir, who seeing a woman grinding corn, said to his Guru, Nipatniranjan, "I am weeping, because I feel the agony of being crushed under this wheel of worldly existence, like the corn in the hand-mill." Nipatniranjan replied, "Do not be afraid, hold fast to the handle of knowledge of this mill, as I do and do not wander far away from the same, but turn inward to the center and you are sure to be saved."

Ikkyu, a famous Zen teacher of Ashikaga era, was the son of the emperor. When he was very young, his mother left the palace and went to study Zen in a temple. Prince Ikkyu also became a student. When his mother passed away, she left him a letter. It read:

"To ikkyu, I have finished my work in this life and am now returning to eternity. I wish you to become a good student and to realise your Buddha-nature. You will know if I am in hell and whether I am always with you or not. If you become a man who realises that the Buddha and his follower Bodhidharma are your own servants, you may leave studying and work for humanity. If you don't and yet wish to, avoid thinking fruitlessly. Your mother, not born, not dead. September 1st. P.s.: The teaching of Buddha was mainly for the purpose of enlightening others. If you are dependent on any of its methods, you are naught but an ignorant insect. There are 80,000 books on Buddhism and if you should read all of them and still not see your own nature, you will not understand even this letter. This is my will and testament."

Once upon a time, sages Vishwamitra and Vasishtha debated the relative merits of tapasya and satsang. Vasishtha asserted that satsang was a spiritually powerful path. Vishwamitra insisted that tapasya was supreme. Vishwamitra, burst into Vasishtha's satsang and demanded that they ask Ananta Sesh Naga to resolve this difference of opinion. After much persuasion, Vasishtha agreed to humor Vishwamitra.

Ananta Sesha said, "I am carrying the burden of the entire universe on my head all the time. This gives me a terrible headache. Lend me the powers that each of you has acquired through tapasya and satsang. I will try each in turn and decide which is more effective for my headache."

In the yoga Vasishtha , sadhu-sanga or satsang is affirmed as one of the four gatekeepers of moksha. The others are self-restraint, contentment and self-awareness. Befriending even one of these gatekeepers is sufficient to enter Godhood.

The Shrimad Bhagvata Purana describes how the orphan Narada grows up in the company of saints. Merely through association, he is blessed with a direct vision of God. As Narada Muni, he then travels the universe glorifying The Lord and sharing the benefits of his satsang.

In a satsang one remains rapt and absorbed in the presence of God. The enlightened ones see the lord everywhere, in every rock and in every heart. They dwell in eternal satsang. Just as a sandalwood tree spreads its fragrance to all other trees around it, enlightened saints spread their spiritual fragrance to all those who gather around them. Over time, more and more people gather around these venerated saints.

The satsangis in turn, lovingly pull into their charmed circle other spiritual seekers from among their near and dear ones. Thus does the love of the divine spread through the universe. For, one does not spray spirituality with water cannons upon the multitude, but one gently pours the love of God from one human heart to another and so, it permeates the universe.

To draw a seeker into the satsang circle, his false ego is used as the bait. Before you break a coconut on the ground, you need to lift it high into the air. Similarly, false ego is inflated by other satsang is as a preamble to its annihilation.

First, Vishwamitra gave Ananta Aesha all the spiritual powers he had acquired through a lifetime of tapasya. Ananta Sesha's headache remained unchanged. Then Vasishtha transferred the spiritual powers he had acquired to Ananta Aesha. Suddenly, the weight of the universe seemed to lift from Ananta's head. 

He smiled and said, "My headache is gone. The spiritual power of a satsang is more supreme. When people gather in a satsang, the collective weight of their mental burdens vanish. They transcend their minds and move onto a spiritual plane attaining yoga with the divine."

While visiting a Himalayan kingdom, the Master decided to visit the temple there. As he walked in with his local guide through the temple gates, he saw two large, ferocious dogs chained to the iron grills at the entrance. Their tongues were wagging, the saliva was dropping and they were barking non-stop. Just the kind of sight that could instill fear in a general mind!

"Don't worry, Master!" Said the helpful guide. "I know they look really scary. But the chains are very strong and there is no way the dogs can break free!" The Master continued to walk through the long courtyard, toward the main temple. Even as he tried to concentrate on the temple's history that the guide was narrating, he kept looking back at those dogs and his ears seemed to be echoing with the noise of their barking.

As he looked back one more time, he could not believe what he saw. The dogs had broken free from their chains and were running towards him. Instantly the Master started to run too. Directly towards the dogs! Yes, he began to run-not away from the dogs, but towards them! And guess what happened? The dogs were so surprised to see the master running towards them that they quietly turned and went back towards the gate!