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Qualities and character of a sadhu

0:01Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Now, what is he? The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful, and friendly to all living entities.

0:23He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. But as well, because you think so. Tolerant. Very tolerant. And Chanakya Pandita said, "Kāmā rūpaṁ tapasvinām."

0:46Kṣamā tapasvinām. Their first beauty is how much is forgiven. How much he has learned to forgive. Kṣamā rūpaṁ tapasvinām. So what is the explanation? A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord.

1:20His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled.

1:30A devotee travels all over the country from door to door preaching, "Be Krishna conscious, be a devotee of Lord Krishna. Don't spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization of Krishna consciousness."

1:45These are the preachings of the sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls.

1:57One of his qualifications, therefore, is kāruṇikā, great mercy to the fallen souls.

2:02While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposing elements, and therefore the sādhu or devotee of the Lord has to be very tolerant.

2:11Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They don't like it. That is their disease.

2:21The sādhu has the thankless task of imposing upon them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence.

2:31Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Chaitanya's principal assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and Mādhāi.

2:43But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver the fallen souls. One of the qualifications of a sādhu is that he is very tolerant and is merciful to all fallen souls.

2:54He is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well.

3:03It is said here sarva-dehinām, which indicates all living entities who have accepted a material body.

3:09Not only does the human being have a material body, but other living entities such as cats and dogs also have material bodies. The devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone: cats, dogs, trees, etc.

3:21He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement.

3:28Shivananda Sena, one of the disciples of Lord Chaitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dog transcendentally.

3:36There are many instances where a dog got salvation by association with the sādhu because the sādhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities.

3:46Yet although a sādhu is not inimical towards anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sādhu has many enemies. What is the difference between an enemy and a friend? It is a difference in behavior.

4:03A sādhu behaves with all conditioned souls for their ultimate relief from the material entanglement. Therefore, no one can be more friendly than a sādhu in leading a conditioned soul.

Adherence to scripture and authority

4:13A sādhu is calm, and he quietly and peacefully follows the principles of scripture. A sādhu means one who follows the principles of scripture and at the same time is a devotee of the Lord.

4:24One who actually follows the principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because all the shastras instruct us to obey the orders of the Personality of Godhead.

4:33Sādhu, therefore, means a follower of the scriptural injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All these characteristics are prominent in the devotee.

4:41A devotee develops all the good qualities of the demigods, whereas a non-devotee, even though academically qualified, has no actual good qualifications or good character. What is this? Going on.

4:55That's just the old reception room. What is it? They're making alterations. I don't know exactly what they're doing. The guests all go there. So in the past it's just been a big empty wasted room.

5:15So now what they're doing is making it a big preaching room with photos all around and book tables set up in such a way that someone can just walk in. It's an exhibition. And they're breaking the wall or what? No, no.

5:41They made a big door. So it's easily... you can walk straight in from the outside. You saw that door yesterday. Now what they're doing is they're building shelves and bookcases. Would you like him to stop it until you left?

6:05If I stop them, I'll get a lot to go. They manufacture ideas and spend money. Everyone manufactures money. And break it. Do it. Dig it. Money is coming at this point. They cannot access whatever is there.

6:40Big, big idea, big, big belly. And money you have to do. Give me one line, give me one line. I make idea. Oh, many rooms you can make showroom? Why breaking this door, breaking that door? Too many cooks wise.

7:47repairing and who starts additional alteration, who never stop, I do not have to stop. Now they yesterday that Bhīṣma said, yeah, yeah, no, Bhīṣma suggested that three feet high, seven feet high, three times.

8:29Everyone will satisfy. And spend money. Any friend you bring him, feel such so that he may spend. And what from many... that is your... I am your friend, I am giving a good suggestion. Break it.

9:01I'm a friend to beat your head.

Divine authorship and universal service

9:13There was a Mughal king like Najibuddin... or someone. Nizamuddin. Nizamuddin, there is a tomb in Delhi. He was a poet.

9:33So if some friend comes, he will read some writing, and he said, the friend: "Why don't you make like this?" "Oh, it is good." "Alright." He'll do it. Whatever is happening. And when he goes away, then again make his own.

9:58The secretary was: "Why you attend?" "What can I do? Satisfy my friend, and that is nonsense." Therefore I am again for like... So we have to do that. As soon as you call anybody, he'll give you some suggestions.

10:25Make this alteration, make this suggestion. Mm. So description of this is there. It is very nice. Where they will find these gifts all over the world. I think there's only one person who's following that description.

11:21No, I was saying about my word's description, how perfect it is in any subject matter. I have tried to explain what is there, and I will explain it. That is not my explanation. That is not this explanation.

11:57I cannot explain now; that moment I took it, that means Krishna. I can understand. This description is very nice. Although it is my writing, you know, but I know it is not my writing. It is Krishna. So

12:29we should read Bhagavatam, all this. Vidvan bhagavata-śrava. Otherwise, waste of time. So we have to check that closely. They say it's very close. Then you are only intelligent, all are fools.

13:13That means you are fool number one. Yeah, but in India... If you think like that, no, and now you cannot say Indians. Now we cannot say only Indians who are saying Krishna. Whole world. That is God.

13:36They are not fools and rascals; they are educated, they are civilized. Why is that nationality? Yesterday I was telling you, I think, caraṇam. Caraṇāmba. Caraṇāravindam. Caraṇāravindam.

14:10That the Englishman who was ruling over us, now here is an English boy, is giving a massage and fanning. What is the reason?

14:23Unless he feels something, obligation, that he has given us Krishna, what business he has got — not a party — for all of you, to give such valuable free service? Unless there is this sense. What do you think?

14:42We have no obligation. You are European, I am American, I am Indian. It is through this via media, Krishna. This is pratyakṣa. That proves Krishna is God. Yaj-janmāntara-tapa-phala-labhya-mānava-tanu-dhāriṇām.

15:13Because we have got sense that we have got God, therefore they are feeling so much. Krishna is God, there is no doubt about it. They're making the flight now. Is somebody there? Yeah. So we shall follow strictly. Here is God.

15:54Take, because if you are serious after God, here is that. Please. What is the answer?

Early preaching and attracting followers

16:07If he's serious about... I think this paper wrote that, that village, we thought God is dead. Right. Huh? East Village, is that paper? Long ago. Village Voice. Village? Village Voice. Ah, yes.

16:31They told first, that we thought God is dead. And actually this, we are dancing in the name of God. Yes, in the picture. Sorry? This French Partagon is... Oh, that's a tune nanny too. Yeah.

16:54Oh, they are the first candidate to dance with my... I didn't know the two n... I recognize Hayagriva, but that's not Hayagriva, it's Brahmananda. Hayagriva's picture of Brahmananda and the two tune and say the parapass line and tap up and there's Kate and I just sat down on the phone.

17:13Boy, was these kirtanas with the... And this is Kīrtanānanda Swami sitting down? Yes, uh, Brahmananda, Kīrtanānanda standing together. Kīrtanānanda sitting, ye... Yeah, he's sat next to you. He's shaved up. This was key.

17:58This was published in New York Times. New York Times with picture? Yeah, that picture was published in Voice, Village Voice. Yes. Big picture. One place. But find something. Otherwise, why this would happen? I believe to that.

18:32But he has gone. It's a very historic picture. And only the tree. I was sitting and speaking to, and... I come back from the park to my apartment, at least two dozen people will come with me like a Pied Piper. Huh?

18:59There's a story in the West about a man called the Pied Piper. He went to one place and played a flute, and everyone, all the children followed him away from the village.

19:11You're like the Pied Piper who went to the West, took all the children. If you know French language, you can read it. Oh, you know? Yes. What is written there? I would say that... I'm not sure that's correct, so I agree.

19:49And the heading says: "Are you from India?" Oh, yeah. That was where he met you on the street. Yes, he first of all met me on the street and asked me this question. And I brought him, yes.

20:02"Uh, I have taken one apartment here, you come here with me." Then I came back to show him the apartment. And from the next day they began to come. Yes. And this... Then at 26 Second Avenue they began to come regularly.

20:29Mukunda, you were already? Yes, Mukunda was before that. What, when was this then? This was when Kīrtanānanda and Brahmānanda came. That was after Tompkins Square Park.

20:42That was, that was after Hayagrīva and... This isn't simultaneous. This is the fall of nineteen sixty-six. I was born on the bar on Sunday. Uh, and began from three. How do you know that big degree? What is it? In the hand.

21:12Tom. Tompkins Square. Just explaining how you came to America and that in three years you spread the mantra over the Western world. Yogeśvara has many pictures of this. I saw all of them once. He is a good collector.

Nature of true spiritual happiness

21:46What is that reason? What is that reason? To, uh, foresee things, and after that we can arrive at long-term solutions. Ask, what is the problem and what is the solution? What is the problem that you require a solution for?

22:07Any problem which comes... No, what is that? That I want to know. Problem is of being happy in the world. These are Vedas. You must distinctly say that this is happiness, that this is a problem.

22:27What is your... what is the idea of happiness and what is the problem that I want? That I'm not very much clear at this still. Happiness. Suppose if you can get a nice palate over these for eating, we will be happy.

22:47You have the dog also. If you can get some good eating, you will be happy. So where is the difference between the dog's happiness and your happiness? This... the happiness should be combined with mental peace.

23:06What is a mental peace? To rest in yourself only, don't run after worldly things. Yes. But that is not possible for the animal. Therefore, to remain happy within yourself, that is the prerogative of the human being.

23:34But we are not trying for that purpose. We are trying to be happy by eating, by sleeping, by sex, or by defense. This is our platform of happiness. A dog cannot go to the restaurant.

23:53But a human being, if he goes to the restaurant and he can eat palatable dishes, he thinks he is happy. But what is that eating? In your standard, you feel happiness.

24:08Whereas in this... on this tree, you'll find a pig is happy by eating stool. One man's food, another man's poison. So eating happiness is there, but the standard is different.

24:27Therefore, this eating is common, and happiness derived from eating is as good by the dog as by the king and human being. No, right? Yes. So we should draw happiness in this way, and what we got?

24:54Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam. What is happiness that is beyond the senses? The sense happiness is there by the pig and the man. But his standard of sense happiness is different from the man's.

25:16The standard may be different. But the happiness derived from the subject matter is same. There's no divisions. So the happiness lies above the senses. Above our indriyas. Ah, happiness means spiritual happiness. That is one.

25:38Therefore I began my work. So long one is after material happiness, he remains at happiness. That's right. Because the animal cannot derive spiritual energy. Right. They do not know. The man can know.

25:59Just like this boy is coming from very... coming in America, but he is now happy in this. I take him giving up everything. Leaving many things.

26:14He has got money, he has got beautiful wife, he has got home, everything, but he has given up. Not easy example. In our country, there are many, many big kings, rājarṣis, just like Bharata Mahārāja.

Renunciation of material wealth

26:31He was the emperor of the whole world. He gave up everything at the age of 24 years: young wife, young children. Right. There are many examples.

26:46So actually we have lost our culture, the objective, and therefore we are suffering simply by holding meetings, and of course these things will go on. Government has only remained the way it taxes.

27:11Whether people are happy... and they are happy that they have got the power to tax. Nice. That's just a little bit sounds like... Super. Do you remain in Mussoorie? Yes, I did Mussoorie.