Follow the Mentality of Sadhu

[Paramhamsa Vani]

Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!

If you associate with the conditioned souls of this world, bondage will become stronger. If you associate with suddha bhaktas, by your good fortune, your natural eternal function, which is to have exclusive devotion to the Lord, will start to sprout. You should associate with the sadhus. How and where can I get sadhus? If I get a sadhu, how can I associate with him? From a distant place, can I get the association of a sadhu?

Only external nearness is not closeness. Bugs also associate with the sadhu by sucking his blood; they exploit him. But from a distance, a thousand miles away, if a person is following the footsteps of Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Radha Krishna, then he is following the mentality of the sadhu. He is associating with the sadhu.

You may think, "The posture sadhu is sitting, I’ll sit like that. The posture sadhu is walking, I'll walk like that. The posture sadhu is lying, I'll lie like that.” Imitation is not good. Our only purpose is to serve Krishna and His devotees, not anything else.

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