Sant Kabir says – “Sadhu aisa chahiye jaisa soop subhay, saar saar ko gahi rahey thotha deyi udaay”

Meaning, he is a ‘sadhu’ who like the winnow separates the grain from the chaff; in other words, he who discards all that is unnecessary and keeps back only the meaningful.

India has been a land of seers and saints, sadhus and fakirs, gurus and swamis since times immemorial. If you thought that their number would have dwindled in the 21st century, where religion does not occupy the prominent place it did centuries ago, you are mistaken.

However, there is a perceptible difference between the holy men of yore and the majority of the saffron robed god-men of today. From all that we read from our history, it seems that most of the saintly men in the past were genuine seekers who tread the right path themselves and also tried to take others along this path.

So many of today’s ‘swamis’ are either downright con-men or start on the right path but lose the way. There would be quite a few true men of God, but as they say ‘once bitten, twice shy’ – we are now wary of them all. We are not able to distinguish between the true and the fake. Many of them get into the news for all the wrong reasons; so naturally, we are hesitant to approach any of them.

But does the fault lie only with the ‘god-men’? Aren’t we also to blame, we who bestow on them the power to make fools out of us. We have so many problems in our life, so much of sorrow, disease, heart-break, guilt, that we are always in search of a panacea; we want a quick-fix remedy for our troubles and surrendering to one who has renounced the world looks like the much sought after elixir. Their soothing talk makes perfect sense to us who are troubled.

Listening to these holy men is not the cause of the problem. When we read a book, we appreciate its fine points, without checking if the author is really a good person. Similarly when a ‘swami’ gives a discourse, and we find something good in it, we will only gain by applying those principles in our life, regardless of whether he follows them or not.

Where we go wrong is, we soon treat this holy man as God Himself. We pay obeisance to him, touch his feet, worship him. What happens then? If the person is already enlightened, if he has realized the highest truth, such behaviour does not affect him. But a lesser mortal’s head will surely turn. He may have renounced the world with a noble intention, but he may not yet have gained the wisdom to not get affected by this kind of adulation.

Vanity will raise its ugly head and flattery will please him. He will continue to advocate simplicity but may he move to a life of pleasure. He, a man of God who should be treating all men as equal may start favouring the rich and the powerful. One thing leads to another and very soon there is nothing godly left in him.

Then there are others who pretend to be men of God, with the sole intention of swindling the gullible.

So when one wants to be a follower of a particular guru or swami, he has to use his ability of discernment, keep his eyes and ears open. Listen to the holy man’s insights and follow them if one finds them helpful. Give him respect but don’t fall all over him. If you are uncomfortable with him or his teachings, just stay away.

A saint, a religious teacher is an aid to the realization of the highest truth. Don’t reduce him to the role of solver of your mundane problems. Use his teachings to live a happy and fulfilling life. Beware, he may be a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, don’t get carried away. All said and done, remember that he is also human.

Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Bengauru)

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