True Association Of A Sadhu

[Paramhamsa Vani]

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

You are presently giving your attention to your own body and other bodily relations, but you should give your energy for the service of a true devotee, the sadhu, the suddha bhakta. You should associate with them correctly, not superficially, externally. The sadhu is thinking about the service of his object of worship: Radha-Govinda-Mahaprabhu. If you follow that thought, even from a great distance, then you are associating with the sadhu. But, remaining in physical proximity to the sadhu does not necessarily imply association. You have gone to the Math and you have slept in the same room, by the side of the sadhu. The sadhu was thinking about the worship of Sri Krishna but you were thinking about something else. Can you have association with the sadhu like this? We once saw a Babaji Maharaj who had been going from temple to temple, always performing harinama. While he was lying on the bed, we noticed that there were many bugs in it. They were "associating" with Babaji Maharaj. What were they doing? They were sucking his blood! Direct contact! This is not association. There are other kinds of insects, such as lice, who like to remain in the best part of the body: the head. What do they do? By sitting on the head, the best part of the body of the sadhu, they suck his blood. Merely remaining in the vicinity of the sadhu is not sadhu-sanga. The sadhu is thinking about the Supreme Lord and how to serve Him, but I am thinking how to exploit the sadhu. This is not sadhu-sanga. You can have sanga from a distance if the purpose is correct. The end justifies the means. If the end is bad, everything will become bad.

--- Jagad-guru His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj