Now, for recognizing a true Saint, we will be discussing
some direct evidences, some signs, which are generally seen in a Saint's
behavior.
Now we will discuss some direct evidences and notable
specialties of a Mahapurush, or a true Saint. In recognizing a true
Saint, we should be very careful regarding a few things. For example, a
genuine Saint does not grant any kind of material objects to people.
A Mahapurush never gives worldly things to people.
This is a very important point to think carefully. In the world, cheaters
play a fake act of granting material gains, like wealth, son, etc. to take
advantage of people. In the material realm, ninety percent of the people
desire worldly things. These desires are often fulfilled by people's own prarabdh,
or destiny. When people visit a fake saint and wish for a material thing,
if that desire is fulfilled, people think that it was due to the blessing they
received from that saint.
Just imagine, a Saint who understands the transitory nature
of the world and has attained God, why will he give material things to
people? If he does that, then is he a Mahapurush or a demon? Not
even God can grant a person worldly gains, if it is not destined for him.
In Mahabharat, Abhimanyu's uncle was God Shree Krishna Himself, his father was
the great Saint, Arjun, and the person who conducted his marriage was God Ved
Vyas. Yet, they could not save him from being killed in the battle.
Then how can a saint change the destiny of an ordinary person? In our
country, there is always a story of a so-called saint who has made the
impossible possible. Just imagine, if this kind of a thing would happen,
then everybody in this world would have attained the Divine bliss of God.
That so-called saint who claims to make the impossible possible would
only have to wish it, and all souls would be released from Maya. However,
even a God-realized Saint cannot make a resolution that souls attain God and be
liberated from Maya. The Saints are ready to take physical and mental
abuses from the world, then why haven't they graced us spiritually? It is
said in Mahabharat:
nābhuktaṁ kṣīyate karm kalpakoṭi śhatairapi
"Even the great personalities have to experience what
is written in their destiny." Then how can we expect Saints to
change our destiny just by their blessings. And if someone pretends to do
so, that person is not a genuine Saint.
However some people argue that a Mahapurush is: par upakār
vachan man kāyā. According to Ramayan, God is causelessly merciful, and
desires the welfare of others. So, if He fulfills their material desires
then what is wrong in it? Yes, it is true that sometimes God and Saints
break their rules and grant material things to devotees, but history bears the
fact that this was only for people who surrendered completely to God. It
was for just a few of them. Secondly, even if a Saint or God grants some
worldly thing with a special intention, he also gives the soul a special power
so that the soul does not get attached to that thing.
According to the Saints, while practicing devotion, we
should keep contact with the world only to the extent that is necessary for the
survival of this body. This is for the reason that, our mind does not get
entangled with the material world, and can concentrate on God freely and
easily. Kunti also asked for this wish from God, "O Shree Krishna!
Give me sorrow and pain, so that due to the lack of material pleasures, I can
chant Your glories.
The second point to note carefully is that a Mahapurush never reveals any
miracles or displays any siddhis, or supernatural powers. We get
into the trap of fake saints who perform miracles of a material nature.
There are mainly five types of siddhis. The lowest of all is called as tāmas
siddhi. This power is practiced by the lowest kind of people and the
result of performing this siddhi is hell.
The second kind of siddhi is rājas siddhi. This type
of siddhi is exercised by people to protect themselves. This siddhi also
keeps you within the bondage of Maya.
The third siddhi is sātvik siddhi. It contains siddhis
such as: aṇimā, laghimā, garīmā, prākāmyā, and others. With these siddhis,
a person can come to know the thoughts of other people, can take many forms of
body, can become invisible, and can perform many impossible tasks. We
might be fooled into considering this kind of a person to be God.
However, we should stay a thousand miles away from such kind of people because
they are still under the domination of Maya. Hence, if they are not able
to free themselves from the clutches of Maya, how can they do welfare for
others?
The fourth siddhi is spiritual siddhi, which is called mukti,
or liberation. A person who acquires this siddhi gets liberated from the
bondage of Maya, but with this siddhi, our own personality or individuality
gets destroyed. Just like a river, which flows into the sea and loses its
identity, in the same way, we will always be deprived of the Divine Love Bliss
of God. So, we should be very cautious with this kind of siddhi.
The great spiritual teachers have referred mukti as a witch:
bhukti mukti spṛihā yāvat piśhāchī hṛidi vartate |
tāvad bhakti sukhasyātra kathambhyudayo bhavet ||
"As long as bhukti, or worldly desires up to the
attainment of Brahmalok, and mukti, or the desire for liberation, resides in
our heart, until then, devotion can never enter our hearts."
Therefore, those who are intelligent, reject this siddhi too.
as vichārī je param sayāne mukti nirādari bhakti lubhāne
(Ramayan)
The fifth siddhi is Divine Love, which is the ultimate
attainment. In this kind of siddhi, a person not only gets freedom from
material bondage, but also relishes the ultimate Bliss of Divine Love and
receives it till eternity.
You must have understood by now that we should be very alert
and careful with the four siddhis and make attainment of the fifth siddhi as
our goal of life, which is the attainment of Divine Love. We should be
far away from the person who performs miracles otherwise we would drift away
from our aim of life.
Generally, people have a fear that a saint may curse
them. But this is against the kindhearted nature of a Saint. We
will now discuss how soft a Saint's heart is.
Our history is filled with instances of people misbehaving
with a Mahapurush, and being cursed in return. For example, the four
brothers Sanat, Sanandan, Sanak, and Sanatan, who are known as Shaunakadik
Paramahans and considered as the top most Mahapurushas, cursed Jai and Vijay to
turn into demons. Jai and Vijay were also Mahapurushas, but due to a
small mistake, had to turn into demons. An ordinary person always fears
of being cursed by a saint. If a Mahapurush can curse great personalities
like Jai and Vijay, then what chance does a normal individual have? Does
a Mahapurush bless or curse a person with reason or without a cause? No, it is
not so.
A genuine Saint neither gives false blessings nor does he
curse anyone.They follow the principle, "nindā stuti ubhay sam".
It means that they treat criticism and praise alike, so there is no question of
cursing anyone. Moreover, the Mahapurush knows that an individual soul is
ignorant and is bound to commit transgressions.
na kaśhchinnāparādhyati
"As long as a soul is under the clutches of Maya, it
cannot remain without committing sins." That means that before
God-realization, the soul will only commit sins. A true Saint knows this
fact. So, how can he possibly be angry with anyone? Saint Haridas
was beaten up by burglars so badly that he was bleeding heavily. But,
Saint Haridas prayed to God saying, "O God! They are ignorant. They
are not at fault. If you love me, then please accept my prayer and purify
their minds." Just imagine, in spite of such a painful condition,
the Saint has a kindhearted nature! If someone says that there is
historical evidence of Saints cursing people, what does it mean? It
denotes that there is a deeper meaning behind these acts. It was done for
the benefit of that individual or as a message to human kind, and not to harm
anyone or that person.
In the same manner, a Mahapurush does not give blessings to
anyone. These days, so-called saints put their hands on people's heads
and narrate long prayers of worldly blessings to cheat people. It is just
ignorance and foolishness. But, it is true that a Mahapurush wishes only
the welfare of the entire universe, as he has become complete in himself and
does not desire anything for his selfish needs.
In recognizing a Mahapurush, the strongest evidence is that
by seeing him and associating with him, our mind begins to get naturally
attached to God. Nevertheless, the extent to which the mind gets attached
to God differs from person to person. When you keep needles in front of a
magnet, the ones which are made of pure iron get attracted to the magnet faster
compared to the impure ones. Similarly, purer the heart of a person,
faster is the degree of attraction towards a Saint.
This is the reason why in history, some souls surrendered
immediately by just looking at the Saint, and attained the Divine Bliss of God.
Others had a lesser level of surrender, and some people just abused the
Saint. Yet, the one who abuses the Saint will also be elevated
spiritually, as he hears about God from him. And when the mind is
detached from the world, the knowledge given by the Mahapurush will bear fruit
and lead him to the correct path.
Another direct advantage is that a Mahapurush can solve
practical difficulties and clear doubts faced by a devotee while practicing sadhana,
or devotion. It cannot be solved by a theoretical scholar Instead,
mere theoretical learning without practical realization creates more confusion
and increases doubts in a devotee's mind.
Furthermore, if there are doubts in the mind,
one cannot practice devotion properly. Thus, only a Mahapurush who has
attained God and has thorough knowledge of scriptures can remove the doubts of
a devotee, which arise on the spiritual path. This is because the Mahapurush
himself has undergone and experienced these difficulties and situations
earlier.
Another direct evidence of a genuine Saint is that his heart
is full of Divine Love which sometimes manifests outside in the form of ashta
saatvik bhav, or Divine Love emotions.
Ved Vyas ji says:
evaṁvrataḥ svaprīyanāmakīrtyā jātānurāgo drutāchitta uchchaiḥ
hasatyatho roditi rauti gāyatyunmādavan nṛityati lokabāhyaḥ
(Bhaagavat 11.2.40)
staṁbhaḥ svedo'tha romāñchaḥ svarabhedo'tha vepathuḥ (Bhakti
Rasaamrit Sindhu)
In remembrance of his Beloved, a Mahapurush becomes motionless like a tree,
perspires abundantly, the hair on his body stand erect, his voice chokes, his
body trembles, the color of his skin changes, he sheds tears and becomes
unconscious. These are the eight signs of Divine ecstasy. By seeing
these emotions, one can predict the profound depth of Divine Love in the heart
of a Mahapurush.
In this manner, by associating with a Saint for some time and by
considering these signs, a Mahapurush can be recognized. However, we
cannot be certain that we can recognize a true Saint, as it is said in the
scriptures that with full faith and by the Grace of a Mahapurush only, one can
recognize him. It is impossible to recognize him with the material
intellect. By misunderstanding just one act of a Mahapurush, a soul could
commit spiritual transgression leading to its downfall.
Thus, with faith and by the Grace of God and His associates,
one can recognize a true Saint. And, once you find a Mahapurush, you
should do complete surrender to him in every possible way. One should
unite the mind and intellect with that of a Mahapurush. Just by doing so,
we will be able to attain our goal of Divine Bliss. At the same time, we
will go beyond Maya forever and relish the unlimited Bliss.
In this way, with the Grace of a Mahapurush our spiritual
journey begins and during sadhana, or devotion, the Guru protects the devotee
at every step. And in the end, once the heart is purified, he bestows
Divine Love causelessly. According to the rules of spiritual realm, God
does not have the right to bestow Divine Love directly to a soul. That is
the reason why the descension of God, Ved Vyas strictly declared that there is
no personality higher than the Guru.
nāsti tatvam guruḥ param
In this way, guru tattva, or entity called the Guru, is
highly respected and is non-different from the Ultimate Entity. One
cannot express the greatness of the glories of such causelessly gracious and
merciful personality, even in endless lifetimes.
No comments:
Post a Comment