(Lord Kapila says to Mother Devahuti in response to her question of what is triguna and how votaries can get attachment to God (Nirguna Bhagavan): Certainly, the mind is the cause of attachment, but the mind is also the cause of emancipation.)

When the mind is attached to the external potency (triguṇa) of the Supreme Lord consisting of the three primeval qualities — sattva, rajaḥ and tamaḥ, it causes bondage. When the mind is attached to nirguṇa (Transcendental) Bhagavan, it causes deliverance from the clutches of Māyā (illusory energy). Mother Devahūti is an associate of Supreme Lord. Kapiladev has appeared from her. She is asking Him questions for our welfare. She again asked‚ “Please explain clearly what triguṇa is? Right now it’s a bit abstract for me. Also, how votaries can have attachment to God (nirguṇa Bhagavān) when we can’t even see Him?”

Kapila Bhagavān replied,

prasaṅgam ajaraṁ pāśam ātmanaḥ kavayo viduḥ
sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam

Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same attachment, when applied to the Sadhus, opens the door of liberation. (SB 3.25.20)

It is already stated that triguṇa is sattva, rajaḥ and tamaḥ, the three primeval qualities of the external potency of the Supreme Lord. By rajoguṇa living beings are created, by sattva-guṇa they are sustained and by tamo-guṇa they are destroyed. The body is triguṇa because it is born by rajo-guṇa, it exists for some time by sattva-guṇa, and is destroyed by tamo-guṇa.

Attachment to the body and to other bodily relationships and exchanges with them is the cause of firm bondage. Practically what is triguṇa? This body and the bodies of people associated with it are all triguṇa. We can’t see their souls, only the bodies. This body will stay for some time and then perish. Therefore the relationships with gross bodies and exchanges with them are the cause of firm bondage. However if the same exchanges are done with a Sadhu, then door to liberation will be opened.

How can an aspirant get attachment to God (Bhagavān), because He is not speaking and there is no exchange of thoughts with Him, except in rare cases? How can aspirants get attachment to nirguṇa Bhagavan? Although knowing fully well that all mundane relationships are most transitory, still, because of their connection with the body, they become attached to them. Not just with our family members but even outside people.

However even though Supreme Lord is not talking in the deity form but sadhus are moving and talking in this world. Are they not? A genuine sadhu is rare. If we want quality we can’t get quantity and vice versa. One good character person can bring welfare to thousands and millions of people. However all the characterless people together can’t bring welfare to even a single person. In British Era an engineer designed the Howrah Bridge. Nobody is able to even understand it and repair it now. All are engineers, per say. One scientist can invent a medicine which can help six billion people of the world. So what is more valuable – quantity or quality? A genuine devotee of Krishna is rarely found. However one such person can deliver even a universe! If everyone is asleep who will wake them up. But if one is awake he can awaken everyone. Similarly one awakened soul can awaken all the sleeping souls.

After Mahaprabhu’s and six Goswami’s disappearance why the dark age has descended? All the great scholars were present but no one could understand Mahaprabhu’s teachings. By wordly erudite bhakti can’t be understood. Then Supreme Lord sent His own associates. If Bhaktivinod Thakur and our Paramgurudev had not appeared would we have met our Gurudev? We would have remained in dark.

We have seen so many kirtan parties, otherwise, going from village to village. They have a competition amongst themselves as to who can exhibit greater bhava (devotional ecstatic symptoms). There was kirtan party but no one will come to attend their kirtans. They once advertised a devotee possessing bhava has come. They had actually fixed a person to pretend such bhava against a small fee. Thousands of people came to their kirtan to see this. So as per the plan during the kirtan that person fell down below and started rolling as if in great devotional ecstasy. However that place was full of red deadly ants. They started biting and he couldn’t withstand that pain and immediately got up. The people who invited him shouted upon him as to why he got up so early. That was not as per their plan. This person said look I can’t die being bitten by ants for a little fee. Then everyone assembled understood and went away. So this kind of bhava (for money) may be found but real bhava, a pure devotee is extremely rare.

Fortunately for us, Bhaktivinode Thakur had done a prophecy that now the lineage of pure devotion will not be broken again.

So a votary should associate with the sadhus sincerely,

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam

By the process of six-fold behavior—to give and take, to offer food and take prasādam, and to divulge their heart to sadhus—the sadhu will open his heart.

We should not imitate sadhus as to how they sleep, how they sit, how they walk. We will also do like that. This is imitation. Sadhus purpose is only how to satisfy Supreme Lord. One can associate with a sadhu even being thousand miles away and may not associate in his physical proximity.

When bugs are there in the bed of a bona fide sadhu and in direct contact with the sadhu, are they associating with the sadhu or sucking his blood? Exploitation of sadhu is not association of sadhu. Remaining at a distance, if anybody follows the instruction of a bona fide sadhu and practically acts upon those instructions, it will be considered actual association of the sadhu.

Govind Maharaj of our Sarbhog Math used to illustrate imitation by a story.

There was once a peddler who maintained his family by selling caps. He would carry the caps on his head in a wicker basket. He would walk through the streets all day long selling these caps, taking his food along with him and eat along the way. He spent the day walking along the road, shouting, "Very nice caps for sale today! Price reduced! Only Rs. Ten. Take! Take! Take!" People would come and purchase his caps and he would thus maintain his family. But one day, even though he had spent the entire day shouting, he could not get any money. Not a single person had bought anything. Needless to say, he was very disappointed. Toward the afternoon, he became fatigued from so much walking. So, he sat under a big banyan tree. Being hungry, he ate the food that he had brought with him. After having eaten, he became drowsy and began to yawn. As he was so tired, he thought, "Let me lie down for some time." He spread a chadar on the grass beneath the tree and lay down. He placed the wicker basket, filled with caps, by the side of his head. He also kept a cap on his head and fell asleep.

After some time, some monkeys came from nearby and climbed up into the banyan tree. From the top of the tree, they could see that someone was sleeping underneath, who had a cap on top of his head, and next to him was a wicker basket-full of caps! "Oh!" they thought. "Let us get those caps!" They descended the tree and, silently, they approached the basket. Each monkey took one cap and put it on his head. In this way, all the caps were emptied from the basket. The monkeys became very satisfied with themselves by having put the caps on their heads. They climbed back up the tree and started to jump about from one branch to another with great delight, shrieking, "Kak! Koo! Kak! Koo!"

Hearing the sound of the monkeys, the peddler woke up. He was surprised to see that it was now evening. He looked at his wicker basket and saw that it was empty. "What? Not a single cap was sold but the caps are all gone! Who took them?" He looked about and saw the monkeys with the caps. "Now I have eaten all the food and have none left. If I have no food to give the monkeys, they will not return the caps." Now, this peddler realized that he had nothing to give the monkeys. "If they surround me, I shall be killed by them!" he thought.

He became enraged and shouted, "You have taken all that I have! Why have you not taken the cap on my own head? Here, you should take it!" He took his cap and threw it at them.

The monkeys saw this and, taking their own caps in their hands, threw them at the peddler below. Because the peddler had thrown his cap toward them, they also threw their caps toward him. Now their caps were on the ground and they were left with nothing. They do not know why one wears a cap. They simply imitate. Such imitation is not beneficial. You have to know the purpose of Sadhus. You will be able to follow by knowing the purpose.

Who is a Sadhu? There are two kinds of characteristics of sadhus. There is the original qualification, and when that original qualification exists, taṭastha characteristics will be manifested, which may be indicated as concomitant qualities. First, the accompanying characteristics are explained:

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sadhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.21)

'Forbearance, compassion, well-wishing friendliness to all living-beings, no vision of foes (as sadhus see all as coming from the same source and thus inter-related), calmness, serenity and simple heartedness.'

The original qualities are then described:

mayy ananyena bhāvena
bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām
mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas
tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.25.22)

'Exclusive and firm, one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord, giving up karma (varṇāśrama dharma) and kinsmen for worship of Bhagavān, sincerely hearing and speaking harikatha with the sole object of serving the Supreme Lord and not for any other ulterior motive.’

One does not become a sadhu just by leaving Varnashrama Dharma or kinsmen if it is not done for Supreme Lord. Unable to maintain a family if someone leaves them then he won’t be called a Sadhu. Such incident happened in our Kolkata Math. A person of around 50 year age came to our Math. He says that I understand that human life is for performing Hari bhajan. You are all devotees so please give me an opportunity to stay here and perform bhajan. I don’t’ want to return to the wordly life.

Then one Mahatma asked him, “Are you married? Do you have wife and children?”

He said, “Yes.”

“Then how would you live here?”

“No. I’ve understood it’s all temporary. I will not go back”.

“But your family will not leave you. They will take you back!”

“No! they can’t take me back”.

Then he was allowed. I was also there. Once I was coming downstairs. His wife came there searching for him and saw him. She said to him, “What are you doing here?”

He said “I’ve understood this world is not good and I have left world to do bhajan”.

“You had not thought of it while marrying? Now you have family. Your children are there. Any you left everything on my head and enjoying here. Come with me!”

She just took him away in front of me. He also went. We also couldn’t do much as law is on her side.

Therefore it’s said those who leave kinsmen only for Supreme Lord. They take exclusive shelter of my katha and don’t do business by becoming professional speakers. They speak Harikatha for satisfaction of Supreme Lord. So Sadhu’s svarupla lakshana (primary quality) is he will have interest in shravan and kirtana. Others have interest in worldly talks can spend night discussing them but sleep during Harikatha.

Once there was a famine. In Hazara Math. There a young man came begging. A mahatma asked him that why are you begging. You stay here in the Math and do bhajan. Follow all the rules. Take the remnants of Supreme Lord. Follow regulative principles. Don’t take onion, garlic. Listen Harikatha morning and evening. Young man agreed to everything. He also had no shelter.

In two months period this young man gained good health. He’d regularly come for taking Prasad but he was not seen in Harikatha. He said I get headache in Harikatha. But it feels good in taking Prasad, even better during festivals but not in Harikatha! He was told but you should listen to Harikatha. So gradually this person took an employment somewhere, started taking prohibited food and finally left the Math. He had only come to Math for protection at that time. He didn’t have Sukriti. A duhskriti-van (not having devotional piety) person will not be interested in bhajan, how much ever opportunity is given.

There was another person who came from Bangladesh to our Mayapur Math. He was given bedding, mosquito mat etc. He stayed for two-three months. After that he fled along with bedding, mosquito mat and a wall clock.

Therefore everyone can’t perform bhajan even after being given opportunity.