traits of saint and wicked

bharata asks from lord rama, "o protector of suppliant, tell me clearly and severally the distinguishing traits of good and wicked. " lord rama said, "hear brother, the characteristics of saints which as told in the vedas and puranas are innumerable. the conduct of saints and wicked is analogous to that of sandalwood and the axe. mark brother: the axe cuts down a sandal tree, while the latter in its turn perfumes the axe by imparting its virtue ( frarnance ) to it. "for this reason sandalwood ( in the form of paste ) finds its way to the head of images of gods and is loved by the world so much; which axe has its steel edge heated in the fire and beaten with a hammer.

saints as a rule has no hankering for the pleasures of sense and are very mines of amiability and other virtues. they grieve to see others in distress and rejoice at sight of other's joy. they are even minded and look upon none as their enemy. free from vanity and passion, they are conquerors of greed, anger, joy and fear. tender of heart and compassionate to the distressed, they cherish guileless devotion to me in thought, word, and deed; and giving honor to all, they are modest themselves. such souls bharata are dear to me as life. having no interested motive of their own they are devoted to my name and are abodes of tranquility , dispassion, humility and good humor.

again, know him for all time, dear brother, a genuine saint whose heart is a home of such noble qualities as placidity, guilelessness, friendliness, and devotion to the feet of brahmanas, which is the foundation of all virtues. they never swerve from the control of their mind and senses, religious observances and correct behavior and never utter a harsh word. 

now hear the characteristics of impious association with whom should be scrupulously avoided; for their company even brings woe, even as wicked cow ruins her company of a cow of noble breed. the heart of the wicked suffers terrible agony; for they even burn at the sight of others prosperity. wherever they hear others reviled, they feel delighted as though they stumbled upon a treasure lying on the road. devoted to sensuality, anger, arrogance and greed, they are merciless, deceitful, crooked and impure.

they bear enmity towards all without rhyme or reason: nay, they behave enmicaly even with those who are actively kind to them. they are false in their dealings; falsehood is their dinner, falsehood is their breakfast. they speak honeyed words just like peacock, that has stony heart and devours the most venomous snake.malevolent by nature they enjoy others wives and others wealth and take delight by slandering others. such vile and sinful men are demons in human garb. 

lord rama speaks about maya and bhakti

Once upon a time, as the Lord was sitting at ease, Lakshma addressed Him in guileless words: “ O Lord of gods, human beings, sages and all animate and inanimate creation! I ask of You as of my own master. Instruct me, my lord, how I may be able to adore the dust of Your feet to the exclusion of everything else. Discourse to me on spiritual wisdom and dispassion as well as on mayaŒ (Illusion); and also speak to me about Bhakti (devotion), which You make an occasion for showering Your grace.” “Also explain to me all the difference between God and the individual soul, so that I may be devoted to Your feet and my sorrow, infatuation and delusion may disappear.”

“I will explain everything in a nutshell; listen, dear brother, with your mind, intellect and reason fully absorbed. The feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and ‘you’ and ‘yours’ is maya (Illusion), which holds sway over all created beings. Whatever is perceived by the senses and that which lies within the reach of the mind, know it all to be MŒyŒ. And hear of its divisions too: they are two, viz., knowledge and ignorance. The one (ignorance) is vile and extremely painful, and has cast the ego into the sink of worldly existence. The other (knowledge), which brings forth the creation and which holds sway over the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) is directed by the Lord and has no strength of its own.

Spiritual wisdom is that which is free from all blemishes in the shape of pride etc., and which sees the Supreme Spirit equally in all. He alone, dear brother, should be called a man of supreme dispassion, who has spurned all supernatural powers as well as the three Gunas (of which the universe is composed) as if of no more account than a blade of grass.”

“That alone deserves to be called a Jiva (individual soul), which knows not MŒyŒ nor God nor one’s own self. And Ýiva (God) is He who awards bondage and liberation (according to one’s deserts), transcends all and is the controller of MŒyŒ.” “Dispassion results from the practice of virtue, while spiritual wisdom comes of the practice of Yoga (concentration of mind); and wisdom is the bestower of liberation: so declare the Vedas. 

And that which melts My heart quickly, dear brother, is Devotion, which is the delight of My devotees. It stands by itself and requires no other prop; whereas gyana (knowledge of God in His absolute formless aspect) and Vigyana (knowledge of the qualified aspect of God, both with and without form) depend on it. Devotion, dear brother, is incomparable and the very root of bliss; it can be acquired only by the favour of saint. 

I now proceed to tell you at some length the means of acquiring Devotion, an easy path by which men find Me. In the first place a man should cultivate excessive devotion to the feet of the BrŒhmanas and secondly he should remain engaged in his own duty according to the lines laid down by the Vedas. This induces an aversion to the pleasures of sense and dispassion in its turn engenders a love for My Cult (the Cult of Devotion). This will bring steadfastness in the nine forms of Devotion and the mind will develop an excessive fondness for My sports. 

Again, one should be extremely devoted to the lotus feet of saints and should be persistent in the practice of adoration through mind, speech and action. He should recognize Me as his preceptor, father, mother, kinsman, lord, deity and all and should be steadfast in My service. A thrill runs through his body as he sings My praises; his voice gets choked and his eyes flow with tears; he is free from lust and other vices, pride and hypocrisy. I am ever at the beck and call of such a devotee. “ Nay, I ever repose in the lotus heart of those who depend on Me in thought, word and deed and who worship Me in a disinterested way.” 

Lakshmana was greatly delighted to hear the above discourse on the discipline of Bhakti (Devotion) and bowed his head at the feet of the Lord.

from aranya kanda, ramcharitmanasa