Sādhu
Sādhu · sādh-u, “one who accomplishes; the good”
Grammar: masculine noun, from the root sādh (to accomplish, to bring to the goal): “one who is good, one who goes straight”. Also called sajjana and satpurusha, “the good”.
Meaning: a good person who harms no being, bears everything with patience, and has given up attachment to saṃsāra and taken refuge in Śrī Hari. In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa the company of the sādhus is the open door of moksha.
In the scriptures: the Bhāgavata Purāṇa gives the marks of the sādhus and praises their company.
The marks of the sādhu. Kapila tells his mother Devahūti that sādhus have forbearance and dayā (compassion) for all beings; they do good by nature, have no enemy born or yet to be born, are peaceful, and have good conduct as their ornament. They give firm, one-pointed bhakti to him, leave their kin for his sake and renounce all karma. They take refuge in him alone, hear or tell his holy accounts and fix their minds on him, and so sorrows cannot afflict them. Only those who have given up all attachment to saṃsāra are sādhus, and Kapila tells Devahūti to seek their company (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 25).
No harm and no anger. Śrī Vishṇu tells Pṛthu that sādhus bear no harm or anger towards other beings, and that they are the best among humans, for the body is not the ātmā (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 20). When Pṛthu addressed his people, the pitṛdevatās, the devatās, the ṛtvijas and the sādhus praised him, saying “Well said!” (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 21).
The company of the sādhus. In the stotra that Rudra teaches the Pracetas, the sādhus bathe inwardly in the glory of Śrī Hari and outwardly in the Gaṅgā, born from his feet, and so wash away their stains. Rudra prays for the company of compassionate, pure sādhus as the grace Śrī Hari should show (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 24).
Even vision. Śrī Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit how Nārada saw the sons of Kubera, Nalakūbara and Maṇigrīva, proud of their wealth. Nārada says that the sādhus see all equally, yet association with them comes only to the poor; through it thirst for food goes and the inner instrument is quickly purified. The good, even-minded, take refuge at the feet of Śrī Hari and have no need of the wealth-proud, whom it is best to disregard. When Śrī Kṛshṇa freed the two, he told them that as sunrise removes darkness from the eyes, darśana of the good who see opposites evenly removes the bondage of saṃsāra, and that their minds rest wholly on him (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 10).
Related terms: Satsaṅga · Sat-purusha · Bhakti · Samadṛshṭi · Saṃsāra · Moksha
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 3, Chapter 25; Skandha 4, Chapters 20–21, 24; Skandha 10, Chapter 10