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How to associate with saintly

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur

Our nature is determined by the company we keep. We acquire the characteristics of the people with
whom we associate.

yasya yat-sarigatih purnso

manivat syat sa tad-gunah
sva-kula-rddhyai tato dhiman
sva-yuthdn eva sarhsrayet

"Like a mirror, a person takes on the qualities of those with whom he comes in contact. One who is
intelligent should therefore seek the company of those who have the same ideals in order to develop
their good qualities in himself."

The Bhagavata also says,

sango yah sarhsrter hetur

asatsu vihito'dhiyd
sa eva sddhusu krto
nihsangatvdya kalpate

(BRS 1.2.229).

"If one keeps the company of the wicked, then the result will be a life of deep entanglement. Even if
we don't judge who is a good person and who is bad, we will still receive the results of such
association. On the other hand, if we associate with the saintly, we will be freed from all material
attachment."
(SB 3.23.55)

The Bhagavata goes on to detail the results of bad association:

satyarit saucam days maunah

buddhir hrih srir yasah ksamd
samo damo bhagas ceti
yat-sangdd ydti sariksayam

DEVOTEES

tesv asdntesu mudhesu

khanditdtmasv asddhusu
sarigarh na kurydc chocyesu
yosit-hridd-mrgesu ca

"One should at all costs avoid association with those lamentable creatures who have become the
playthings of the opposite sex. They are lacking in peace, are constantly bewildered, and their concept
of self is fragmented. Indeed there is no enchantment more powerful, no bondage for one surer than
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that which comes through the association of the opposite sex and through the association of the
womanizer. By keeping such company, one loses the qualities of truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy,
gravity, intelligence, modesty, beauty, reputation, forgiveness, control of the mind and senses, and
good fortune."
(SB 3.31.33-35)

However, it is not enough to simply avoid bad association. It is our duty to carefully seek out and
associate with saintly persons. In the Bhagavatam, Kapila Deva lists the signs of what kind of sadhus
we should associate with:

titiksavah hdrunikdh
suhrdah sarva-dehindm ajdta-satravah sdntdh
sddhavahsddhu-bhusandh

mad-dsraydh hathd mrstdh

srnvanti kathayanti ca tapanti vividhds tdpd
naitdn mad-gata-cetasah

to ete sddhavah sadhvi

sarva-sariga-vivarjitdh
sarigas tesv atha to prdrthyah
sariga-dosa-hard hi to

Kapila Deva said, "O mother! Saintly persons who are tolerant, merciful and friendly to all creatures,
who do not make enemies and are peaceful, ornament the society of the pious. They take shelter of me
and engage in constantly hearing and chanting about me. The various kinds of material miseries thus
do not affect them, because they are always filled with thoughts of my pastimes and activities. O
virtuous lady! Sadhus such as

these are free from all attachment. You should pray for the association of such holy men, for that will
counteract the pernicious effects of contact with unholy persons."

(SB 3.25.21, 23-4)

We should not prejudge anyone on the basis of their dress, thinking they are or are not sadhus.Even
after we have given up faultfinding, gossip and criticism, we should still look for these qualities in
someone before we accept them as a sadhu.

becoming a society of the cheaters and the cheated.

Let us remember this: sadhus are not numerous. Nowadays, genuine saintly devotees are so rare that I
found it difficult to find a single person fitting the above description, though I traveled all over Bengal
in search of such a one.

Mahadeva Shiva told Devi, "O Bhagavati! Out of thousands and thousands of people seeking
liberation, perhaps one will actually achieve the signs of liberation. Of those who achieve liberation,
hardly any ever attain spiritual perfection. Of those liberated and spiritually perfected beings, perhaps
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one shall some day become a devotee of Lord Narayan as the result of associating with saintly
devotees. The pure devotee is completely peaceful and therefore very hard to find."

Now if a devotee of Narayan in the peaceful mood (sdnta-rasa) is as rare as that, is there any need to
tell you how much rarer is a devotee of Krishna in the erotic mood?

In this Age of Kali, we have lost all idea of what standards of

behavior apply to the sadhu. It is distressing to observe that we We consider devotees of Krishna
with all the signs and
accept anyone who wears the dress of a renunciate as a saint- symptoms described by Kapila
above to be supreme amongst
ly person, no matter how unqualified they are. We are thus all sadhus. Association with such highly
advanced devotees is of the greatest importance.

Lord Brahma tells us what will come of such association:

tavad ragadayah stenah tavat karagrharii grham tavan moho'righri-nigado yavat krsna na to janah

"In our conditioned state, desire and hatred are like thieves
that steal our spiritual wealth. When we are conditioned, our
family and household become like a prison in which we are
trapped. And our illusion is like the chains to which we have
been shackled. This is our distressful condition, O Krishna,
until we become attached to the company of your pure devo
tees and are able to reside in their midst. From that day
onward, desire no longer acts like a thief that robs us, but
becomes a friend and remains completely fixed on your lotus
feet. From that day onward, our home becomes transcendent
and an abode of eternal bliss. From that day onward, even our
bewilderment serves the goal of devotion and helps us to
advance in spiritual life." (SB 10.14.36)

Therefore Lord Brahma goes on to pray,

tad astu me natha sa bhuri-bhago bhave'tra vanyatra to va tirascam yenaham eko'pi bhavaj jananam
bhutva niseve tava pada-pallavam

"O my lord, allow me to have that great good fortune, either in

this life or somewhere else, even if it be in the body of a lowly
creature, whereby I can live amongst your intimate devotees
and serve your lotus feet." (SB 10.14.30)

By the association of pure devotees of Krishna we achieve such an elevated state. Now it is very
important that we consider what we need to do in order to get such devotional association. The popular
opinion is that if we find a sadhu, then we can get the benefit of associating with him by paying
obeisances to him, massaging his feet, drinking the water that washes his feet, eating the remnants of
his food and giving him a little money. It is true that these activities show respect to the sadhu and it is
certain that some benefit accrues from such service, but this is not sadhu sanga.
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The Bhagavatam tells us what is meant by sadhu sanga:

to vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-mayah

stri-sudra-huna-sabara api papa jivah
yady adbhuta-krama-parayana-sila-siksas
tiryag jana api kim a sruta-dharana ye

"By surrendering to and learning from the pure devotees of the

Lord, the wonderful hero, even people from groups leading sinful lives, such as unchaste women, the
laborer class, the Huns and other uncivilized tribes, or even the birds and beasts, can not only
understand the illusory energy, but become liberated from its clutches. In view of this, what can we say
of the learned and self-controlled?" (SB 2.7.46)

In this verse, the compound word adbhuta-krama-parayanasila-siksah can be broken down as follows:
adbhuta-krama ("the wonderful hero") refers to Lord Krishna. Parayana means "dedicated to"; those
who are dedicated to the wonderful hero, Krishna, are the devotees. The word sila means "character."
Thus, the entire compound refers to those who make all efforts to learn (siksa) from the example and
teachings of the devotees and then to follow them. Only those who make such an effort, and no one
else, can truly know the nature of the illusory energy. And they alone can completely cross over the
illusory energy All those who are normally disqualified from making spiritual progress-women, lower
castes, outcastes or foreigners, what to speak of the birds and beasts-can learn from the devotee's way
of being and thus easily cross over the material ocean. This being the case, can there be any doubt that
learned scholars who follow the example and character of the devotees also easily escape the illusory
energy?
The purport is that though someone may be learned and have taken a high birth, if he does not follow
the devotees, there is no chance that he can overcome the powerful force of Maya. Birth in a high caste
has no ultimate benefits. Nor do diligent study of the scriptures and dry renunciation result in
liberation. Riches and physical beauty are of no help, either. Only if you make a great effort to
understand the character of the pure devotees and follow their way of acting and being can you hope to
attain pure devotional service to Krishna.

We often see materialistic persons bow down to the saintly persons and say, "O merciful one! Give me
your blessings for I am exceedingly lowly How can I be freed of my materialistic tendencies?"
However, these words are a kind of pretense, because in their minds, such persons think that the only
real gain is monetary and the only purpose of life is accumulating material goods. Such people's hearts
are filled with an obsession for accumulation. Day and night they think about how they can improve
their social standing. They are afraid that the devotee might curse them that they will lose their riches,
so they make a false show of humility and devotion. If the pure devotee ever should truly bless them
and say, "May your desire for sense gratification be gone forever and all your wealth be lost," the
materialist would answer, "O revered sir, such blessings are in truth a curse. If such things were to
happen, they would not do me any good, only ruin me." Do you see how

I their behavior is hypocritical?

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We may have come into contact with saintly persons many times in our lives, but no benefit has come
to us from this association because of our duplicity. Therefore we should be careful to sincerely follow
the example set by the sadhus we meet. That will result in our making some spiritual advancement.

Say to yourself: I will always try to learn all about the nature and character of the genuine sadhu, and
then I will try to form my own character on that sadhu's model. This is the teaching of the Srimad
Bhagavatam.