Satsang is the first step in spiritual life. Thus, as indicated in the SGGS (Sri Guru Granth Sahib), we just collect "filth" when we are not with Satsang. It's the "filth" of Maya, the "filth" of ignorance, the "filth" of Haume (false ego-sense), inner garbage or pollution — expansion of Bikaars (negative propensities of the mind) such as lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride or arrogance, jealously, stubborn mindedness and their numerous variations.

• hir jn sMq imlhu myry BweI ]myrw hir pRBu dshu mY BuK lgweI ]myrI srDw pUir jgjIvn dwqy imil hir drsin mnu BIjY jIau ]1]imil sqsMig bolI hir bwxI ]hir hir kQw myrY min BwxI ]hir hir AMimRqu hir min BwvY imil siqgur AMimRqu pIjY jIau ]2]vfBwgI hir sMgiq pwvih ]BwghIn BRim cotw Kwvih ]ibnu Bwgw sqsMgu n lBY ibnu sMgiq mYlu BrIjY jIau ]3]mY Awie imlhu jgjIvn ipAwry ]hir hir nwmu dieAw min Dwry ]gurmiq nwmu mITw min BwieAw jn nwnk nwim mnu BIjY jIau ]4]4]: Har jan sant milahu mere bhaaee...: O servants of the Lord, O Saints, O my brothers, let us join together! Show me the way to my Lord. I am so hungry for (His Darshan). Please fulfill my faith, O Life of the World, O Great Giver. Obtaining the the Lord's Darshan, my mind is fulfilled. ||1|| Joining the Satsangat, I chant the Bani of the Lord's (Praise etc.). The Sermon of the Lord's Name is pleasing to my mind. The Amrit (Ambrosial Nectar) of the Lord's Name is so sweet to my mind. Meeting the Satguru, I drink in this Amrit (of this Name). ||2|| By great good fortune, the Lord's Sangat (that shows the way the Lord) is obtained, while the unfortunate ones wander around in doubt, enduring painful beatings (of Bikaars). Without good fortune, the Satsang (guild of the Ttrue and the Wise ones, Holy Company, Association of Truth etc.) is not came upon; without this Sangat, people are stained with the filth (of Bikaars or negative propensities of the mind, sins etc.||3|| Come and meet me, O Life of the World, my Beloved. Please bless me with Your Mercy, and enshrine Your Name within my mind. Says Nanak, through the Guru's Teachings, the Sweet Name becomes pleasing to the mind, and the mind becomes drenched and delighted with the Naam. ||4||4|| (sggs 95).

But, seemingly, it sounds paradoxical that without "good fortune" one cannot come across the Satsang, and, as a consequent of this, one ends up collecting nothing but inner "filth" in life, and his mind remains stained with Bikaars! Furthermpre, Baabaa Nanak in the following verse indicates that it's only the good deeds (Karma) of the past that bestows Naam (the Lord's Name) upon one.

• ibnu Bwgw sqsMgu n pweIAY krim imlY hir nwmu hrI: Bin bhaagaa satasang na paaeeai karam milai har naam haree: Without good fortune, the Satsangat is not obtained. By one's (good) Karma, the Lord's Name is received (sggs 1171).

By reading these verses one may get a sense of pessimism and entertain the idea that if he is not fortunate or if it's not in his destiny to obtain Satsang, then it's not his problem. He may then consider to play the "wait and see" game and continue living the usual life. This is not what the Gurbani is advocating here. It's simply making us aware of the web of Karma that one's past Karma can cause spiritual enlightenment or spiritual fall, signifying the gripping effects of one's deeds. In fact this alone should be enough to give us incentive to mend our Manmukh ways (the lifestyle of "filth")! To put it otherwise, adherence to the spiritual life (Gurmukh Lifestyle) for every individual is not optional, and that failure to do so attracts a penalty. These verses also remind us that we cannot continue on the path of Manmukhtaa, and that we can correct at least the future!

• so ikCu kir ijqu mYlu n lwgY ]hir kIrqn mih eyhu mnu jwgY: So kish kar jit mail na laagai. Hari kirtan mahi eh man jaagai: Make only those efforts by which mental "filth" — lust, anger, greed, bondage, pride, jealousy, stubborn mindedness, etc. — may not attach to you (sggs 199).
  
• Dwqur bwjI plic rhy nw aurvwru n pwru: Dhaatur baajee palach rehe naa ouravaar na paar: Engrossed in this transitory drama, (Manmukhs) are of no avail in either this world or the next (sggs 29).

• hlqu plqu duie lyhu svwir: Halat palat dui lehu savaar: Embellish both this world and the next (sggs 293).

In other words, in him whose identity with the divine is not present, the false ego-sense (Haume) in one's achievements stands out, thereby binding him to the consequences of Kaarmic actions. With regard to the Satsangat, Baabaa Nanak in a verse of Sri Raag specifies a strict criteria for it, in which he defines as to what the real Satsangat is. Although congregational worship is important, but as indiacted in the following verse, not every congregation can necessarily be called Satsangat.

• sqsMgiq kYsI jwxIAY ] ijQY eyko nwmu vKwxIAY]eyko nwmu hukmu hY nwnk siqguir dIAw buJwie jIau: Satsangati kaisee jaaneeyai. Jithai eko naam vakhaaneeyai. Eko naam hukam hai Nanak satgur deeaa bujhaai jeeou: How is the Satsangat to be known? There, (only) God's One Name is chanted. The One Name is the Hukam (Will of God); O Nanak, the True Guru has given me this understanding (sggs 71).
• gurmuiK swD syeI pRB Bwey kir ikrpw Awip imlwvY: Gurmukh saadhh seyee prabh bhaae kar kirapaa aap milaavai: The Gurmukhs are the Holy, pleasing to God; in His mercy, He blends them with Himself (sggs 881).
• koeI gurmuiK sjxu jy imlY mY dsy pRBu guxqwsu: Koee gurmukh sajan je milai mai dasse prabh gunataas: If I meet the Gurmukh, my spiritual Friend, he will show me God, the Treasure of Excellence (sggs 40).
• kwmu k®oDu loBu mohu jx jx isau Cwfu Dohu haumY kw PMDu kwtu swDsMig riq jIau: Kaam krodh lobh mohu jan jan siou shaad dhohu houmai kaa fandh kaat saadhasa(n)g rati jeeou: Renounce lust, anger, greed and attachment (i.e. all evil passions); give up your games of deception. Snap the noose of egotism, and let yourself be at home in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy (sggs 1403).
• nwnku isK dyie mn pRIqm swDsMig BRmu jwly: Nanak sikh dayi mann preetam saadhasang bhram jaale: Nanak gives this advice: O dear mind, in the Saadh-Sangat, burn away your doubts (sggs 79).
• swDsMgiq scu KMf hY vwsw inrMkwry: Saadhasangat sach khand hai vaasaa nirankaare: Saadh Sangat is the abode of Truth, the formless Lord abides there (Vaar Bhai Gurdaas Jee, 34).
• haumY mUil n CuteI ivxu swDU sqsMgY: Houmai mool na shhutayee vin saadhoo satasangai: Ego is never eradicated without the Saadhoo's Satsangat (sggs 1098).
• swDsMgiq ibnu qirE n koie: Saadhasangat bin tariou na koi: Without the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, no one swims across (sggs 373).
  

Sat means the Supreme Truth or God, and Sang means association or to associate with That Truth. Clearly, not every and any Sang or Sangat is qualified to be called Satsangat. The SGGS urges us to focus consciousness on the Satguru (Guru's Word or His Teaching) and become the Gurmukh (Self-realized, Jeevanmukta, the one who abode in the Truth). Because, as the SGGS puts it "the Lord is not realized any other way." Such Satsangat will sweep our minds clean of the inner "filth".

• nwnk gurmuiK CutIAY hir pRIqm isau sMgu: Naanak gurmukh shutteeai har preetam siou sang: O Nanak, by becoming the Gurmukh, you will be saved (from the crooked ways of Bikaars: negative propensities of the mind) and (this is how you will abide) with God i.e., God Consciousness (sggs1410).
• gurmuiK mDusUdnu insqwry ]gurmuiK sMgI ik®sn murwry ]dieAwl dmodru gurmuiK pweIAY horqu ikqY n BwqI jIau ]2]:Gurmukh madhusoodan nistaare. Gurmuk sangee Krisna Muraare. Diyaal damodar gurmukh paaeeai horat kitai na bhaatee jeeou ||2||: Those who become the Gurmukhs, they are emancipated by the Lord (Madhusoodan = who killed the demon named Madhu). The Lord Krishna Muraare (the name Krishna literally means All-attractive or All-beautiful, and Muraare = who destroyed the demon named Muraare) becomes the Gurmukh's Companion (Friend etc.). By becoming the Gurmukh, find the Merciful Lord (Daamodar = fountain of mercy). He (the Lord) is not realized any other way ||2|| (sggs 98).
• cwr vrn siqsMg gurmuiK myilAw: Chaar varan satsang gurmukh meliaa: The people of all the four Varnas sit together in the company of the Gurmukhs (Vaars Bhai Gurdaas, 3).
• mnmuK sau kir dosqI suK ik puCih imq ]gurmuK sau kir dosqI siqgur sau lwie icqu: Manmukh saou kar dosatee sukh ki pushhahi mit. Gurmukh saou kar dosatee satgur saou laai chit: O friend, (tell me) if you make friends with the Manmukhs, how can you expect Sukha? Make friends with the Gurmukhs, and focus your consciousness on the True Guru (sggs 1421).
• juig juig pIVI clY siqgur kI ijnI gurmuiK nwmu iDAwieAw: Jug jug peerree chalai sathigur kee jinee guramukh naam dhhiaaeiaa: As Gurmukhs, who meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, age after age, they are the Family of the Satguru (sggs 79).
• siqguru syivhu haumY mlu jweI: Satigur sevihu houmai mall jaaee: By serve the Satguru, the filth of ego departs (sggs 852).
• siqguru Byit BieAw mnu inrmlu jip AMimRqu hir rsnw: Satigur bhet bhaiaa manu niramal jap amrit har rasanaa: Meeting with the Satguru, (one) meditates on the God's Amrit-Name and his mind becomes immaculately pure (sggs 383).

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org