Blessed are They who Get the Company of Saints
Be not disturbed by occurrences in worldly life, or troubles of fate, nor any upadhi; to be unmoved by these is true samadhi. A shadow is not washed and cleansed even if it falls on mud or dirt; that applies to the body, too, but the saints alone are able to realize this. Divest yourself of all desire, keep your mind clear, unprejudiced, and innocent, like a child's. It will be your highest achievement if you maintain your discriminative power alive and awake and keep the mind occupied in nama. Thorough contentment will be your reward if you still vagrant, futile fancies, and keep the mind busily engaged in Rama-nama. A perfect sadhu is one who surrenders himself completely to God, and who is delightfully engrossed in the contemplation of God. Enjoy peace of mind by burning all urge of desire and relinquishing all awareness of self. Believe honestly that you belong only to Rama and that He belongs to you.
One who abandons the 'body-am-I' feeling can alone profit by association with a saint. Do not attach importance to the body or bodily action of a saint; you have to transcend your own body-consciousness in order truly to comprehend Him. To have love for nama is the mark of a saint. Saints really make life fruitful for those who honestly associate with them. Even after the physical body of a saint dies, his influence on the world continues to act. So we remember him and seek to serve him day and night. Blessed, indeed, are they who live in association with a saint. One who has unflinching faith in a saint will definitely attain to God. Keep your attention riveted on a saint even while your body maybe attending to worldly business.
Saints never forget that Rama is the real doer, and therefore they can guide others. We should have darshan of a saint, and follow his advice always and in case of difficulties, so that worldly life will be easier for us to go through. If we follow a saint as an ideal, we shall never come to harm. Having thus achieved contentment, we should also guide others to the means thereto.
One who yields himself up to a saint completely, need seek no other means for salvation. Unfortunate, indeed, is he who happens to meet a saint but turns away from him.
* * * * *
