You have all assembled here in order to have darsana of, pay obeisances to and take bath in the holy Ganges which has emerged from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. More importantly, you have had an opportunity to take darsana of and pay your respects to all the Vaiṣnavas who have assembled here from afar. I have firm faith that the Lord will be happy with all these deeds.

Whenever one acts in relation to the Lord or for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, whether unknowingly or without proper understanding, then this is known as bhakti-unmukhi-sukṛti—a pious deed that culminates in pure devotion. As the number of such pious deeds increase, in due course of time, one gets an opportunity to associate with a pure devotee of the Lord (sadhu-saṅga).

In the Bṛhan-naradiya Purana (4.33) it is said:

bhaktis tu bhagavad-bhakta-
saṅgena parijayate
sat-saṅgah prapyate pumbhih
sukṛtaih pūrva-sañcitaih
(Hari-bhakti-vilasa 10.279)

This means that due to pious deeds accumulated in previous births, a living entity gets the association of a sadhu and in that association, learns to discriminate between good and bad. Those who are deprived of sadhu-saṅga do not possess real knowledge and mistake sadhu for asadhu, sat for asat, and vice versa. Therefore, sadhu-saṅga is essential.

It is not easy to get sadhu-saṅga. As already mentioned, only when one has accumulated sukṛti from previous births or this birth is one given an opportunity to associate with sadhus.

This is also described in Bhakti-rasamṛta-sindhu (1.4.15-16):

adau sraddha tatah sadhu-
saṅgo ’tha bhajana-kriya
tato ’nartha-nivṛttih syat
tato niṣṭha rucis tatah
athasaktis tato bhavas
tatah premabhyudañcati
sadhakanam ayam premnah
pradurbhave bhavet kramah

When a living entity accumulates sukṛti in large numbers, then that living entity develops faith (sraddha) in the Supreme Lord. In this verse, sraddha means visvasa, or firm faith. When one’s faith in the Supreme Lord becomes firm, then by the influence of that faith, one practises the regulative forms of devotion under the guidance of the devotees of the Lord. Such a person gradually develops the samskaras or habit for liking the association of sadhus. Wherever he goes, he always yearns for sadhu-saṅga. This is the reason why one person engages in much sadhu-saṅga and another does not, even when presented with the opportunity to do so. Lord Kṛṣna explains this to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gita (7.16):

catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukṛtino ’rjuna
arto jijñasur artharthi
jñani ca bharatarṣabha

“Only four kinds of pious men worship Me, namely the distressed (arta), the desirer of wealth (artharthi), the inquisitive (jijñasu), and one who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute (jñani). But if one has no sukṛti, or if one has the opposite—duṣkṛti—then even if one is severely distressed or in dire need of money, one never surrenders unto Me.”

Out of these four kinds of devotees, the jñani is the best. But if even the jñani has no accumulated sukṛti then even he does not surrender unto the Lord:

na mam duṣkṛtino mūdhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahṛta-jñana
asuram bhavam asritah
(Bhagavad-gita 7.15)

The Lord says that others do not surrender unto Him because they are rascals and are bewildered by His threefold external potency. Although human beings, they are the lowest among men. All their knowledge has been stolen by illusion, and they have now accepted the atheistic nature of demons. Such a person says, “Where is God? Where is Rama? Where is Kṛṣna? There is no God, and even if He exists, why should we surrender unto Him?” Such a proud, duṣkṛtivan living entity does not have faith in the Supreme Lord or worship the Supreme Lord even when diseased or undergoing difficulty. In other words, only pious persons have faith in the Lord and associate with sadhus.

Sadhu-saṅga does not mean simply remaining with the sadhu, or sleeping on the sadhu’s bed, etc. If this were so, then the lice in the sadhu’s hair or the bedbugs in the sadhu’s bed would also be associating with the sadhu. This is not real association; they are not following the sadhu but are there to suck the blood of the sadhu. The sadhu always thinks about the Supreme Lord while others always think about sense objects. Sadhu-saṅga means acting according to the order of the sadhu or according to the internal mood of the sadhu.

By associating in this manner, one will develop a mental disposition like that of the sadhu. Saṅgat sañjayate kamah (Gita 2.62). If one associates with a thief, he develops the habits of a thief and becomes a thief himself. Similarly, if one associates with a sadhu, one becomes a sadhu oneself and is able to distinguish between good and bad. After this, one will try to learn about sad-vastu, the Supreme Lord, and in order to achieve the service of the Supreme Lord, one will surrender unto the pure devotee of the Lord.

There are two types of faith:

1. Laukika-sraddha: customary or worldly faith.
2. Tattvika-sraddha: ontological faith.

If one goes to the temple, pays obeisances to the Lord or serves the devotees to satisfy the requirements of customs prevalent in the society, then this is classified as laukika-sraddha. Tattvika-sraddha, however, is completely different from this.

In Sri Caitanya-caritamṛta (Madhya 22.62), Srila Kṛṣnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes the word sraddha as follows:

‘sraddha’-sabde—visvasa kahe sudṛdha niscaya
kṛṣne bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Sraddha means “firm faith,” i.e., to not only believe in God but to have firm faith (sudṛdha-visvasa) that the Supreme Lord is the lord of all other controllers or isvaras, that He is omnipotent, and that if we serve the Lord, all our familial, societal, political and other duties will be automatically served. If the Lord is satisfied, everybody is satisfied. This type of firm faith in the Lord is known as sraddha according to Srila Kaviraja Gosvami.

The Lord also says in Srimad Bhagavad-gita (9.24):

aham hi sarva-yajñanam
bhokta ca prabhur eva ca

“I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices.”

ekale isvara kṛṣna, ara saba bhṛtya
(Caitanya-caritamṛta, Ādi 5.142)

“Lord Krsna alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants.”

isvarah paramah kṛṣnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
(Brahma-samhita 5.1)

Brahmaji says that Sri Kṛṣna is the Supreme Controller of all controllers. He is the origin of all, yet He has no origin. He brings satifaction to the senses, He is the maintainer of the earth, and He is the only reason for the satisfaction of the soul. If one serves and worships Him, all living beings—be they human beings, animals, birds, demigods and demigoddesses—are automatically served.

devarṣi-bhūtapta-nṛnam pitṝnam
na kiṅkaro nayam ṛni ca rajan
sarvatmana yah saranam saranyam
gato mukundam parihṛtya kartam
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.41)

Srimad-Bhagavatam says that we living entities are all indebted to the demigods, sages, forefathers, other living beings, relatives, guests, etc., but one who surrenders unconditionally to the Supreme Lord is immediately freed of all such debts. Also, in the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the best of devotees Sri Narada says, “Consider the attempt to water a large tree. You could pour water on the leaves or fruits of the tree, but the tree will not blossom or grow if watered in such an improper manner. However, if you pour water on the roots of the tree, the tree will consume that water and distribute it to all its parts and eventually, the whole tree will be nourished.” Narada says further that when food is provided to the stomach, the food is distributed to all parts of the body. Similarly, when we serve that Supreme Lord Acyuta who is the cause of all living and non-living beings, all are automatically served:

yatha taror mūla-niṣecanena
tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhah
pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam
tathaiva sarvarhanam acyutejya
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.31.14)

In this verse, the Lord is called Acyuta. The word acyuta means one by whom no one is ever made to fall down, or in other words, one who has an eternal relationship with all living beings. By serving Lord Acyuta, one serves all the demigods, forefathers, parents, relatives, children and all other living entities. By serving the Lord, one fulfils all kinds of material and spiritual duties and obligations. Such firm faith in the Supreme Lord is known as sraddha, and one who possesses this firm faith is known as sraddhalu. Only such a sraddhalu person experiences the need for sadhu-saṅga, and at that time, begins his search for sadhus. To understand this better, let us suppose that you or someone else at your home has contracted a disease but you are all unaware of it. When you find out about the disease, will you not look for a doctor immediately? Certainly you will. If you are unable to locate a doctor near your house then you will look for him in your village and then nearby villages and then cities. Similarly, when you come to know of the disease of repeatedly entering the material world by taking birth painfully, of suffering under the threefold material miseries and of dying with extreme agony, a disease known as bhava-vyadhi (the disease of material existence) in the scriptures, will you not look for a doctor—the sadhu—to cure such a disease? In other words, only when a living entity has tattvika-sraddha in the Supreme Lord will he experience the need for sadhu-saṅga and search for the sadhu. At this point, one will get sadhu-saṅga in proportion to one’s faith. With the association of sadhus one acquires knowledge about right and wrong. When knowledge of sat and asat awakens in oneself, one surrenders unto the lotus feet of the spiritual master. The Hari-bhakti-vilasa mentions that before taking initiation, the spiritual master should observe the disciple and the disciple should observe the spiritual master for at least one year. Once they develop mutual affection, love and faith, then with the mercy and instructions of his spiritual master, the disciple will be able to advance towards the supreme destination. If the disciple does not have faith in the spiritual master or if the spiritual master is a materialist or possessed of greed, anger, etc., then the disciple should not take initiation from him. Conversely, if the spiritual master does not have faith in the disciple, then the disciple will not be benefited because the spiritual master will not reveal his heart to a disciple who is wanting in faith. In other words, when the disciple has firm faith in the spiritual master, and when the spiritual master has great affection for the disciple, only then will the disciple be able to receive transcendental knowledge from the spiritual master, and on the basis of that knowledge, he will take up sadhana (spiritual practices), according to the order of the sad-guru, in order to achieve the desired goal—love of God.

All conditioned souls have four anarthas or defects which remain during the stage of sadhana¹. However, if the sadhaka (practitioner) continuously practices devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee then all these anarthas cease.

Once free of anarthas, the mind of the sadhaka becomes firmly situated in devotional service at the Lotus Feet of his object of worship. This is known as niṣṭha. At this stage, the restlessness of the mind ceases completely. After developing niṣṭha, if the sadhaka continues sadhu-saṅga with increased earnestness, then he experiences joy within his heart at performing bhajana. This stage of niṣṭha characterised by joy is known as ruci (taste). As the sadhaka’s taste for devotional service increases, his taste for material sense enjoyment averse to Kṛṣna decreases. When a major portion of his anarthas have vanished, the sadhaka experiences ruci characterised by persistence. This is known as asakti (attachment). After reaching this level, the sadhaka works solely for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord and His devotees. He becomes agitated if unable to perform bhajana. At this point, he has achieved his life’s objective. It is only up to here that the living entity has to practise sadhana or regulated devotional service.

When this asakti becomes fully developed, it is known as bhava (spiritual sentiment), rati (attachment) or premaṅkura (a sprout of prema). At this stage, the devotee’s heart melts with love. When this bhava attains a stage of undeviating possessiveness (mamata) for the object of worship, it is known as prema, or transcendental Divine Love. This prema is the ultimate and supreme goal of every living entity. A living entity at this stage has achieved its highest attainment. At this stage, the four kinds of liberation appear insignificant or abhorrent to the living entity, what to speak of the goals of dharma, artha, or kama.

---

¹ - The four anarthas are:
1. Svarūpa-bhrama: (Misconception of self) In reality, the constitutional position of the jīva (living entity) is that he is an eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. The jīva’s inherent duty is to serve the Supreme Lord, but when he forgets the Supreme Lord, the Lord’s police force of māyā punishes the forgetful jīva by sending him to the prison house of the material world. After entering the material world, the jīva receives designations provided by māyā according to his karma. Just as one who has studied law becomes a lawyer, or one who has studied medicine becomes a doctor, or similarly, a teacher, minister, prime minister, etc., the jīva acquires various kinds of material designations. Upon receiving these designations, the materially conditioned jīva proudly begins to think, “I am a lawyer,” “I am a doctor,” “I am a teacher,” “I am a prime minister,” etc.

Apart from these, there are more subtle designations such as, “I am an Indian,” “I am a Pakistani,” “I am an American,” “I am an African,” etc.

Even more subtle designations are, “I am a brāhmaṇa,” “I am a kṣatriya,” “I am a vaiśya,” etc.

Still more subtle designations are, “I am wealthy,” “I am poor,” “I am strong,” “I am weak,” “I am a woman,” “I am a man,” etc.

In this way, the jīva becomes entrapped by the designations that accompany a multitude of material bodies and forgets his true constitutional position—who he really is. Apart from this, he becomes illusioned about the actual identity of the Supreme Lord and of the sādhu, by which he mistakes the sādhu for asādhu, the Vaiṣṇava for avaiṣṇava, and vice versa. In the language of the scriptures, this is known as svarūpa-bhrama.

2. Asat-tṛṣṇā: (Evil non-eternal desires) Where there is svarūpa-bhrama, there will also be asat-tṛṣṇā; if I consider myself to be the body, then it is certain that I will have a thirst for material objects. In other words, when I consider myself to be asat, then my goal will also be asat. This thirst or desire for objects of enjoyment is known as asat-tṛṣṇā.

3. Aparādha: (Propensity to commit offence) There are ten offences to be avoided when chanting the Holy Name, such as blaspheming the devotees, disobeying the spiritual master, etc. Similarly, there are 32 to 64 offences to be avoided while worshipping the Supreme Lord. These offences have been described in the scriptures.

4. Hṛdaya-daurbalya: (Weakness of heart) This defect of the jīva also arises from svarūpa-bhrama. Having forgotten his true identity, the poor living entity has no knowledge that he is not this perishable body but a soul that can never be cut by any weapons, nor burnt by fire, nor withered by the wind, nor moistened by water. The jīva is ever-young and immortal, but on account of not knowing his true identity, he mistakes the dismantling of the body composed of five material elements (ether, earth, water, wind and fire) into its constituents to be his own death. He is afraid of death at every moment. In this way, he becomes overwhelemed by sorrow at the death of his temporary, false relatives and kinsmen. All these sentiments of the living entity are known as hṛdaya-daurbalya.