Sunday, May 6, 2012

How to recognize a true Saint- Part 3

Now let us throw some light on the question: How should we recognize a true Saint?  Though, one who dares to judge a Mahapurush is as silly as a child studying in kindergarten and trying to judge the capabilities of a professor, however, since infinite lifetimes many individual souls have recognized a Mahapurush and have achieved their goal by surrendering.  Therefore, on the basis of perception, interaction, and scriptural evidence, we will have to surrender to a Mahapurush.  By following this rule, infinite souls attained God and therefore, we also have to follow this rule for attaining our goal of life.  We do not have to get disappointed because if someone can do a job, then everybody can do it.  It is proved.
In earlier lectures we have learnt that, in general, there are two types of Mahapurush and two types of cheaters.  A true Saint is one who is saintly from inside and acts worldly from outside.  Our history is filled of such Mahapurushas.  Prahalad, Vibhishan, Dhruv, Pundrik Vidyanidhi are some of the examples of such Mahapurushas.  The second kind of Saint is one who behaves saintly from inside as well as outside.  Their external behavior is also saintly and they live like Saints.  Soordas, Meera, Kabir, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and all Jagadgurus come under this category. 
On the other hand, the first type of cheaters is one who is worldly from inside, but acts like a Mahapurush from outside.  It is extremely difficult to identify such cheaters.  And the other type of cheater is like an ordinary worldly person, who is visibly worldly from inside as well as outside.
To recognize a true Saint we should always keep one thing in mind.  We should not accept anyone as a Saint on the basis of someone else's words.  But only after carefully understanding, one should accept a Saint to be a true Saint. 
guru kare jāni ke govind rādhe |
pānī piye chhani ke jñānī batā de || 
                             (Radha Govind Geet -2118)
Because, suppose you have accepted someone as Mahapurush on the basis of someone else's words and later on that person say, "I had seen that saint.  He is a cheater."  Then your feelings about that saint will change and you will be deprived of the benefits from that Saint and will harm yourself.
Now arises a question: How should we recognize a Mahapurush? Generally, three types of nature are seen in a Mahapurush.  What are these types and what are the different kinds of signs, we will read in the next edition.
You must be aware of the fact that ninety percent of the people in this world accept a person to be a Saint merely for the fulfillment of worldly desires like blessing them with wealth, son, etc.  If the arrival of a Saint at a materialistic person's home brings him good fortune, then that person starts praising the Saint by saying, "He is a descended Divine soul.  He is God Himself."  People accept this statement to be true.  This results in immense faith in your heart towards that Saint.  But during the Saint's next visit to that person's home, he suffers material loss due to his own karmas.  Then, that very same person's faith is shattered.  He starts criticizing the Saint, and is not even ready to accept the Saint as an ordinary person.
However, the Mahapurush, or Saint, does not have a clue that this person accepted him as God, and later thought of him to be a devil.  On the basis of fulfillment and non-fulfillment of worldly desires, people judge and criticize true Saints.  Due to this reason, they themselves commit naamaparaadh, serious spiritual transgression, and others who accept their opinion also become a part of this spiritual transgression.  In this way, far from attaining the Divine Bliss of God, people lose whatever we have gained in the spiritual realm.  And they end up committing sins and lose this precious human life.
Therefore, we should never accept a person as a Saint based on someone else's words, even if it takes the whole lifetime to recognize and accept someone as a true Saint.  According to the scriptures, it is better to be late in finishing the work in perfect form, than to be wrong.  Moreover, we cannot progress properly on the path of devotion without the guidance of a true Saint.  And, it is also said in the Shastras that if someone is devoted to a fake saint, then the Guru as well his disciple attain hell.  Thus, the most important task,before surrendering to God, is to recognize a true Saint.
In general, there are three types of behavior seen in a Mahapurursh:
1.  Baalavat, Simple and innocent as a child - This kind of Mahapurush has a simple and innocent heart like that of a child.  He likes clear and straightforward talk and behavior.  He is neither affected by abuse nor pleased by any praise.  In fact, a Mahapurush is pleased when one abuses him.   A man abused Lord Buddha the whole day.  Then, Lord Buddha said, "This person might be tired, give him something to eat and drink.  He will get some energy back and start abusing me again."  Hearing this, the man who was abusing Lord Buddha was shocked and remarked, "My abuses did not affect him at all."  He then bowed down in front of Lord Buddha.  Lord Buddha said, "If you give something to a guest, and he does not accept it, then with whom will that gift remain?"  The man replied, "It will remain with the giver."  Lord Buddha said, "So, you showered me with abuses, but it was of no use to me, so I did not accept it.  If you would have recited something about God, then I would have accepted it.  So, with whom will those abuses remain?"  Hearing this, the man who abused understood the truth and asked for forgiveness.
Tulsidasji says:
nindak niyare rākhiye, āṅgan kuṭi chhavāya |
nit sābun pānī binā, ujjval kare subhāya ||
"The person who criticizes should be given a place in the courtyard of the house so that by his abuses, we will continuously test us, and we will realize how much pride is within us."
We recite prayers in front of God saying, "O God! Nobody is as sinful and evil as I am, please bestow Your Grace and Mercy upon me."  But the moment we come out of the temple and someone calls us, "You are an angry person, you are a fool!" we are ready to fight with that person.  Usage of abusive language is such a seed that grows rapidly, but a saint is like dead soil, where no seeds can grow and all abuses go waste with no effect.  Abuses and criticism never affect him.
2.  Jadavat, uncivilized, oblivious of the social conventions of this world - The actual state of a Mahapurush is beyond the material world.  Because, his world is the Divine realm and he is not from this material world.  The mind of a Mahapurush is constantly absorbed in the Divine Bliss of God, while bodily he wanders in this material world.  Hence, sometimes he is not conscious of the social norms and conventions of this world, and his behavior appears to be like that of a madman.
3.  Unmattavat, like a madman, without bodily consciousness - The Bhagavat states:
evaṁvrataḥ svapriyanāmakīrtya jātānurāgo drutachitta uchchaiḥ |
hasatyatho roditi rauti gāyatyunmādavan nṛityati lokabāhyaḥ ||
A Saint possesses the treasure of Divine Love.  It is the ultimate and highest attainment amongst all achievements.  It is the power through which devotees enslave God and make Him dance to their tune.  However, it is the nature of a Mahapurush to hide that Love. But sometimes, during the remembrance of his Beloved God's Name, Virtues, Pastimes, and Chantings, it becomes difficult to hide or control it, which causes his love to manifest externally.  He forgets that he is present in the material world, and starts dancing, sometimes crying loudly, laughing, singing, and jumping.  In this state, a Mahapurush behaves like a madman.  The scriptures mention the various states of these Divine emotions, as ashta satvik bhav.  By these bhavs, or Divine emotions, we can predict the depth of Divine Love within the Saint's heart.  From external appearance, this state of the Mahapurush is similar to a madman. 
Continue reading in part
Read part 1 | 2

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