- The company of the holy, chanting His name and glories, and constant prayer to Him.
- It is necessary to keep the constant company of holy people. The disease is chronic. One has to act on their advice and not just listen to them. One has to take medicine and control one’s diet.
- Whatever work a man does, he must keep the company of the holy from time to time. If a man is devoted to God, he will seek holy company himself. A hemp smoker keeps the company of other hemp smokers.
- The company of holy men is always essential. Holy men bring you in contact with the Lord.
- One should take a little trouble to seek the company of the holy. At home one only talks of worldly matters. There is always one ailment or the other. The parrot says, ‘Rama, Rama,’ only when it settles on a perch. While flying through the jungle, it only squawks.
- It is good to associate with sadhus every now and then. Man always suffers from the disease of worldliness. The company of sadhus mitigates it to a large extent.
- What is the way? Chanting His name and glories, associating with sadhus, and praying to Him with a longing heart.
- The path of knowledge and discrimination is difficult. Parvati, revealing Her different forms to her father, Giriraj, said: ‘Father, if you want the knowledge of Brahman, associate with holy men.’
- There are many ideas written in books. But the authors of the books do not assimilate the ideas themselves. It is only by keeping the company of holy men that one can internalize them. It is only when a holy man with genuine renunciation instructs them that people listen. When a mere pundit writes a book or lectures, people do not assimilate much.
- People living in the world need the constant company of the holy. It is necessary for everyone. Even a sannyasin must associate with holy men.
- You have to keep the company of the holy to understand these things. You have to live with an Ayurvedic physician to know which pulse beat indicates phlegm, which bile, and which wind.
- You are householders. It is essential that you keep the company of holy men. Association with them brings faith in God. How can people gain faith and love for God if holy men do not chant the name and glories of God?
- There is a way: holy company and prayer. Unless you go to a doctor, you can’t be cured. One day of holy company is not enough. It is always necessary, because the disease is chronic. Without going to a doctor, you don’t know how to diagnose the problem. You have to be with the doctor, here there and everywhere. Only then can you understand if it is phlegm or bile.
- There is another benefit of holy company: only the thought of what is Real comes to mind – what is Real, what is eternal, that is, God. What is unreal is transitory: the mind should discriminate. No sooner does an elephant raise its trunk to eat the plantain tree of a stranger but the mahout goads it.
- A strong wind raises a lot of dust. Then you can’t distinguish a mango tree from other trees. You can only see well when the tempest has blown over. When the first tempest of divine love has blown over, you gradually come to see that only God is the eternal substance and all else is transitory. Without the company of the holy and the practice of austerity, you can’t realize this.
- When Bhagavati took birth in the house of Himalaya, She appeared before Her father in many forms. Himalaya said, ‘Mother, I want to see Brahman.’ Bhagavati said to him, ‘Father, if that is what you desire, you’ll have to associate with sadhus.’ You’ll have to keep the company of the holy and live in solitude from time to time, leaving behind your worldly activities.
- That’s why you can’t understand spiritual things with the help of this kind of intellect. You need to keep the company of holy people. Associating with a physician, you learn how to feel the pulse.
- A person finds peace in the company of sadhus. A crocodile stays under water a long time. It comes up to the surface from time to time to breathe deeply. Then it is at peace.
Service to Holy
- They who make the right use of money, that is, spend it on the service of the deities, of sadhus and devotees, and give it away in charity, succeed. Only they really achieve their goal.
- When I touch money, my hand twists and my breathing stops. There is no harm in using money to lead a spiritual life, to serve deities, and to spend on sadhus and devotees.
- Something should be offered to sadhus and devotees. Those who have money should offer something when they come across such persons.