The Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees

A sādhu is one who is engaged in devotional service to the Lord without deviation (bhajate mām ananya-bhāk). titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥsuhṛdaḥ sarva-dehināmajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥsādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ “The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.” (Bhāg. 3.25.21) A sādhu is suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām, the friend of everyone. Why then should the rich, instead of associating with sādhus, waste their valuable time in association with other rich men who are averse to spiritual life? Both the poor man and the rich man can take advantage of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and here it is advised that everyone do so. There is no profit in avoiding the association of the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said: sat-saṅga chāḍi’ kainu asate vilāsate-kāraṇe lāgila ye karma-bandha-phāṅsa If we give up the association of sādhus, saintly persons engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and associate with persons seeking sense gratification and accumulating wealth for this purpose, our life is spoiled. The word asat refers to an avaiṣṇava, one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and sat refers to a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa’s devotee. One should always seek the association of Vaiṣṇavas and not spoil one’s life by mixing with avaiṣṇavas. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), the distinction between Vaiṣṇava and avaiṣṇava is enunciated: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥprapadyante narādhamāḥmāyayāpahṛta-jñānāāsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ Anyone who is not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa is a most sinful person (duṣkṛtī), a rascal (mūḍha), and the lowest of men (narādhama). Therefore one should not avoid the association of Vaiṣṇavas, which is now available all over the world in the form of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.