Acharya Tulsi
There live about 6 million sadhus (ascetics) in India, Their job is to do meditation, to preach religion, to help in the performance of religious ceremonies and distribute merit. The word carries with it the conception that a sadhu is a person who has renounced his home, who puts on saffron, white or other special kind of robes, is more or less acquainted with the scriptures, performs puja and lives on aims. Generally, an ascetic is supposed to abjure woman and possessions. However, certain traditions recognise ascetics who have wives and children, have not recounted their families, and are engaged in acquiring possessions. Basically, such is the faith of the Indian people that the very word, sadhu evokes respect and the word ‘temple’ evokes obeisance. What kind of personal life an ascetic leads, whether he possesses the ideal qualities of a sadhu, what he is doing and why—irrespective of these questions, the faith associated with the mere name and form of an ascetic requires a solid ground for sustenance. Otherwise the coming generation might grow allergic to the very mention of an ascetic.
The future of ascetic institutions lies in the character of the ascetic constituting them. Those ascetic who are alive to the necessity of maintaining the purity of their character, prove good for themselves, as well as for the society and the nation. For those who, ignoring character, get caught in the vicious cycle of acquisition of more money, more pupils, more fame and more amenities, it becomes difficult to get out of it. To be called anascetic to accept obeisance, and yet in one's conduct to fall for below the level of even a good householder, is a great hoax on oneself and others.
In those ascetic institutions, where there is no tradition, no discipline, no prescribed code of conduct, and no character, anything can happen and all kinds of evil get established there- That is how we find thousands and thousands of ascetic using hemp and other intoxicating drugs, hoarding money, and running institutions for personal advantage. Their activities provide no direction to the society, nor can they win good reputation there. They become indifferent to their own spiritual progress and conduct. And yet they may have devotees in hundred-thousands. Because this is India. No serious probing is done here into the nature of religion or the ascetic. They are indiscriminately accepted as a national heritage to preserve which is meritorious and a matter of pride.
When the ascetic institutions with a glorious tradition, history, culture, prescribed rules and character, stray out of their bounds and display licentious conduct, the cultural values seem to wither away. Even a common house—holder found guilty of grossly violating tradition and culture is roundly condemned by society, with the possibility of his being excommunicated. What kind of blind faith is it then that after a man has put on the robe of an ascetic; all his actions should go unchallenged!
If those who are reputed as world-forsakes, the followers of a respectable tradition, claiming to show the right path to the public, and known to have renounced wealth and grandeur to adopt the ascetic living of a sadhu, come to own bank accounts, are wholly concerned with the acquisition of wealth, get religious places built for themselves, keeping with them their little children and pre-occupied with their board and lodge and schooling, accept child-ascetic without enquiring into their aptitudes, simply to fill the need for disciples, print and sell books, keep accounts of income and expenditure, and self—pityingly cry and beg if a voice ls raised against their conduct and character, and do their utmost to stifle that voice—are such people worthy of being called sadhus?
Those ascetic who indulge in witchcraft, give spells for material gain, profess to study the lines of your hand, make horoscopes, foretell profit and loss in business, and do God knows what else have actually put ascetic on the shelf, and merely putting on the robe of an ascetic are constantly misleading the public. But so strong is the blind faith of the public that all those people who mint money through various malpractices hitherto mentioned, are still looked upon as the true ascetic. The people are disposed to think that a sadhu no matter what he does is at least better than themselves. Such thinking is the outcome of stupidity, not of intelligence. The fear in the mind of the public that a sadhu if displeased, might invoke a curse, makes the conduct of an ascetic all the more licentious, and improper. The point to consider here is that if the ascetic had such a power to bestow good or ill at his sweet will, why should he be obliged to indulge in trickery for a mere sum of Fis.500-1000/- It is all a hoax, an imposition, and an exploitation of the religious beliefs of the people.
The word ‘sadhu’ is a lofty word.lt is the carrier of a classic civilization. lt has its own importance and credibility. lf people taking to ascetic are not able to maintain this importance and credibility, it would raise such walls of doubt and fear around the word ‘sadhu’ as might destroy its efficacy altogether.
A dog wounded by the blow of Sufi saint, went to the great Sufi saint, Abu Said. He showed him his injured paw, and demanded punishment for the offending saint, who justified his action saying, "This- creature spoiled my cloth and, therefore, I gave him a beating." Abu Said to the dog, "The matter will be decided the Dal! of Judgment. Meanwhile you may claim damages. What will it be?" The dog said, "This man is a Cheat l saw him wearing the robe of a Sufi and was, therefore, content to walk beside him. The path was muddy. A few splashes of mud issuing from my feet fell upon his robe, and he attacked me with his staff. By this action, he has lost his credibility, and is no longer worthy of his cloth. I want that as a punishment he should take off his robe, so that nobody is taken in by him in future."
An ascetic's robe constitutes the first brick of the foundation of trust in him. Anyone who, after putting on the robe, violates its decorum, and acts like a common householder, shakes the foundation of his trust and demolishes it. It is a blot on the name of, not any particular sadhu, but the entire institution of sadhus It is, therefore, incumbent upon every sadhus to be vigilant so as not to violate the code of conduct laid down by tradition and his institution, and to keep within his limits; and live in accordance with the prescribed way, and contribute through his noble conduct to the establishment of moral and spiritual values in the country.
