View source for Sadhu does not mean having a big beard and nice dress or saffron-colored dress. That is not sadhu. Sadhu is described in the Bhagavad-gita, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah

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[[Category:Described in the Bhagavad-gita]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB12910DelhiNovember141973_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="57" link="Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973">
<div class="heading">Sādhu does not mean having a big beard and nice dress or saffron-colored dress. That is not sādhu. Sādhu is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). That is sādhu, who has no other business than to serve Kṛṣṇa.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973|Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">If you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, if you do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then you are simply wasting your time. There is no meaning of writing big, big comments on Bhagavad-gītā, uselessly waste you time and waste others' time. This is the real point, śraddhā. Kṛṣṇa said, by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa everything will be done. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. So if one has no śraddhā, faith, on this instruction of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65|BG 18.65]]), then there is no use, simply waste of time.</p>
<p>If we come to this point, ādau śraddhā... This is called śraddhā. Then the next stage is ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). If one has..., one is convinced that "Surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, my all business will be perfect," this is called śraddhā. Then we have to seek out who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, sādhu-saṅga ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 22.83|CC Madhya 22.83]]). Sādhu means Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Sādhu does not mean having a big beard and nice dress or saffron-colored dress. That is not sādhu. Sādhu is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.30|BG 9.30]]). That is sādhu, who has no other business than to serve Kṛṣṇa. He is sādhu. He is sādhu because he has accepted the principle, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]). Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.30|BG 9.30]]). You cannot say, "Oh, he has got some bad principle in his life. Although he is worshiping Kṛṣṇa wholeheartedly, but he has got some defect." Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, api cet su-durācāraḥ. Even if he has got so many defects of his life, because he has dedicated his life for Kṛṣṇa's service, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.30|BG 9.30]]). So if you have got śraddhā that by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa your all purpose of life will be practical or fruitful, then you have to associate with such persons who are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, sādhu-saṅga ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 22.83|CC Madhya 22.83]]). Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Therefore our this movement is called International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.</p>
<p>So actually, one by one, as people are coming to the association of the society, automatically he is becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is practical. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. This is sādhu-saṅga. Sādhu-saṅga does not mean to associate with some saffron-colored men. Sādhu-saṅga means to associate with Kṛṣṇa conscious person. This is śāstra. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu... This is Rūpa Gosvāmī's direction, that if you want to develop your love for Kṛṣṇa, this is the process. Because real purpose of life is not dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). And that will be explained here. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. What is the Absolute Truth? What is the aim of life? Then this is the process. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā. Practically we have seen. These boys and girls, Europe and America, they first of all came to me, and they associated, abided by my orders. Then automatically they wanted to be initiated. We are doing that. Every day we are initiating some new devotees. So this is called bhajana-kriyā. You'll be automatically anxious. If one associates with sādhu, then he will be automatically anxious to accept bhajana-kriyā, initiation. Then you have to rise early in the morning, you have to offer maṅgala-ārati, you have to do this, you have to do that. Twenty-four-hours program is there. That is called bhajana-kriyā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Anartha means useless habits. Just like one smokes. It is useless habit. By bad association one becomes a smoker, one becomes a drunkard, one becomes a meat-eater, one becomes a gambler. These are anarthas. So everyone in this age, everyone is associated with these anarthas. But if he takes to kṛṣṇa-bhajana, bhajana-kriyā, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Practically you can see. These boys and girls, they are no more meat-eaters, they are no more taking any intoxicants, they are no more gambler. No more illicit sex hunters. No. Everything stopped. This is our prin... This is called mukti. This is called mukti. As soon as you get rid of these bad sinful activities, you are mukta. That is called mukti. And after mukti, tato niṣṭhā, then we have got firm conviction: "Yes, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only business." Tato niṣṭhā, tato ruciḥ. Then you increase your taste. Tato niṣṭhā athāsaktiḥ. Then you become attached to Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>That is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, bhakti-yoga. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. When you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa... That is required. Increase... You have got attachment for your family, for your body, for your society, for your country, everything. That's all right. But you have to convert them. You have to increase attachment for Kṛṣṇa. That is called bhakti-yoga.</p>
:mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
:yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
:asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
:yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
:([[Vanisource:BG 7.1|BG 7.1]])
<p>Kṛṣṇa says in the Seventh Chapter, in the beginning.</p>
<p>So everything is there. If we actually want to make our life perfect, the directions are already there in our... We have got the Vedic knowledge, treasurehouse of spiritual knowledge, and the Bhagavad-gītā is the gist, is the summary. Gītopaniṣad. It is called Upaniṣad. If you simply study Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without foolishly interpreting it... That will spoil. Don't interpret. Just like you are given paramānna, or kṣīra. Everyone knows what is kṣīra, milk and rice cooked together with sugar, very nice foodstuff. But if you add with it several grains of sand, it becomes useless. You can add it, simply a few grains of sand—we spoil Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī has advised how to save yourself from this rascaldom. He says, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam. Hari-kathā. Kṛṣṇa is speaking Bhagavad-gītā; therefore it is called hari-kathā, kṛṣṇa-kathā. So Sanātana Gosvāmī says, "If it is uttered by avaiṣṇava, who is not a devotee, he is a professional man, so-called scholar and politician, don't hear it. Don't hear it." Avaiṣṇava: "Because he is not a Vaiṣṇava." Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathā. Hari-kathā means Kṛṣṇa's words. They are very purified. That's all right. But śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Why? Because sarpocchiṣṭaṁ yathā payaḥ. Just like milk. Milk is very good food, but if it is touched by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. If you eat that kind of milk, your life will be finished. Similarly, our only request is that don't try to read Bhagavad-gītā commented by unauthorized so-called scholars or politicians. Simply read Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Simply accept what Kṛṣṇa says. Then you will be benefited.</p>
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