Satsang is of great importance in Hinduism and it literally means the company of the good. Satsanga implies association with the good and it sustains spiritual life. It is far superior to ascetic practices and is the only effective method of crossing the sea of delusion in the Kali Yuga (the dark present age), according to Hindu scriptures. Association with ‘Truth’, the eternal and abiding ‘Reality’, is possible only by taking recourse to spiritual means, reading the knowledge texts which contain the elixir of spiritual wisdom, and by being in the company of saintly men who embody truth. By the law of association, the company of the wise, truthful and evolved beings leads one to the path of virtue, and the company of the unholy drags one to the path of evil. Through contact with the wind, dust rises in the air; if it joins low-flowing water, it becomes mud and stinks, says Ramacharitamanasa (Bala Khanda). That is why the wise shun the company of the vile (budha nahin karahin adhama k