The special Advantage of a Saint
We come across many charitable and philanthropic persons who try to remove the suffering of people in the world. When someone is ill and suffers privation, these persons give them medicine. They render service. But we see no one who can take upon himself the pains of others. This is the greatness only of the Saints.
To be with them is indeed a pilgrimage where all sins are washed away.
They bestow happiness, alleviate suffering and remove all faults.
Oh Kabir! Where can I get the company of such loving Saints?
Soami Ji says:
Saints are merciful, but we do not heed their advice. They reveal to us the secret of life and put us in contact with the Word. They take the human form and live in the world. Through their Grace they help humanity to find the true Path. They even carry the load of karmas. Even then no one follows them.
Remember this well:
Saints are free from the wanderings of the mind and from sense pleasures, for through rigid discipline they have washed away all their past impressions. They do not have even the faintest tinge of them. We should try to find such a Saint and take refuge in Him. If the seeker is truly sincere, then by the Grace of God he will certainly come across one and will be redeemed. Therefore, we should try to have the company of Saints as much as possible.
Rishi Narad laid great stress on the benefit of the company of Saints.
He says:
Worship only the Saints.
Satsang is a powerful spiritual school or college, where practical lessons are imparted in Spirituality and Love. Satsang is a wonderful workshop where the tangles of the mind are set straight, and one is so chiselled that he can realize himself and God.
Guru Arjan eulogizes Satsang in the following words:
In the company of Saints the face brightens and ugliness vanishes. In their company arrogance is shed, and humility takes its place. In their company God becomes near and the mission of life is fulfilled.
The spiritual influence of Saints is indeed great. By their magnanimity, which acts like the philosopher’s stone, the wicked become virtuous, thieves give up stealing, the drunkard gives up drinking, and evil-doers abandon their evil habits. History is full of instances of such a nature. Through the glory of Saints, Sadana – a butcher, Ganika – a prostitute, Valmiki – a dacoit and Sajjan – a thug, all became Saints.
Satsang is an exalted place of pilgrimage. It removes millions of sins of numerous past lives, making the mind pure and clear. Just as fire burns away the dross of gold and makes it pure, so does the company of Saints burn away the sins of past lives and make a person pure.
There is no more complete and useful a machine for transforming evil thoughts into noble ones than Satsang. In the company of the virtuous, one imbibes virtue and becomes free of all blemishes and sins. Spiritually evolved souls always fill the environment in which they live with currents of purity. Even the worst of sinners cannot escape their influence but run noble; and in the company of Saints, one is dyed in he hue of the Lord.
Maulana Rumi says:
The face of a Saint is the answer to every question, because in His presence all our difficulties are automatically resolved without our even mentioning them.
Bathing in the holy waters of Satsang proves immediately fruitful.
Maulana Rumi says:
If you wish to meet the Lord go and sit at the Lotus Feet of a Saint, because His company, even for a moment, is better than a hundred years of sincere prayer.
The true Mosque lies within the Saints, and that is the place for our worship. Crows and cranes, like us, that live on the filth of sense pleasures, become transformed into swans by partaking of the Ambrosial Name.
Tulsi Das says:
Do not be surprised to hear of such transformations, because the value of the company of Saints is hidden.
The very Sight of Saints rids us of sense cravings. History speaks of instances where the Sight – Darshan – of Guru Nanak, Kabir, Naam Dev and Jesus Christ purified the hearts even of fallen women.
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