Organizing a Satsangh

How to organize a Ramana Satsangh

A Ramana satsang is a group of devotees of Sri Ramana Maharshi who gather together to strengthen their experience of the presence of Sri Ramana, deepen their understanding of his teachings, and receive inspiration from fellow seekers on the path of practice as taught and lived by the Master. These meetings usually take place at devotees homes on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. You can check for a satsangh group near you by clicking here.

Devotees find it inspiring to join like-minded devotees in studying, chanting a reflecting on the Master’s teaching. If there is no Satsangh near where you live, you may wish to organize a satsangh group in your area. Satsangh can be modeled along the following lines

1. Reading from Talks with Ramana Maharshi
2. Satsang Recitations
3. Listening to a talk on the teachings of Bhagavan or watching a video on devotees, Ashram events from the Ashram Youtube Channel.
4. If parents bring their children to the satsang, the children are encouraged to sing a bhajan or song from the Ramana Bhaje Namam CD or from some other composition on or about Sri Ramana. After the children have participated, adults may be invited to sing individually.
5. Silent Meditation: this will vary from 15 minutes to an hours.
6. A final reading from books like letters from Sri Ramanasramam, You can access suggested readings for Ramana Satsangs by clicking here.

This concludes the satsang. Often arrangements for refreshments are made and then served to the devotees at this time.

Post-COVID, many centers have embraced a hybrid satsang model where satsangs are held at the homes of devotees but also made available online. The host just needs a Zoom or Google Meet account and the right audio/video set-up to enable online participation. The hybrid model enables many more devotees, even those who live far away, to benefit from satsang.

Guidelines to set up a Kendra

• SriRamanasramam does not permit the solicitation of donations. We expect this principle to be upheld at all our recognized centers. Centers should only be run through voluntary donations made by devotees. Fundraisers in the name of Bhagavan are not permitted.
• You should have a clear set of objectives for your group.
• Often, these objectives can be met by meeting on a regular basis at the homes of devotees or by renting a facility. Careful thought should be given to financial resources before deciding to purchase a facility.
• You should have a core set of very committed devotees who will ensure that the group meets regularly and stays focused on Bhagavan’s teachings.
• We encourage you to visit other established Ramana Kendras, meet with the devotees there, and use them as resources as you set up your Kendra.