“If a person has the dress of a sadhu and speaks sweet words but is bitter and unclean in their mind and deeds, then Tulsi says they have no prayer of attaining Shri Rama, as they are like the fish stuck in the dark ocean of material sense objects.” (Dohavali, 153)

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बेष बिसद बोलनि मधुर मन कटु करम मलीन।
तुलसी राम न पाइऐ भएँ बिषय जल मीन ॥

beṣa bisada bolani madhura mana kaṭu karama malīna।
tulasī rāma na pāiai bhae~ biṣaya jala mīna ॥

1. Abusing children

“Oh my goodness, I could not believe it. When I first heard the allegations, I thought it was crazy. No way that guru could ever do that to children. Simply impossible. They speak so well on shastra. Just hear what they have to say on verses from Bhagavad-gita, for instance.

“But where there is smoke, there is fire. Too many people have come forward. They have provided testimony to an excruciating level of detail. I would recommend against reading their accounts; take my word for it.”

2. Abusing women

“Wow, it seems that these leaders really hate women. You can tell by their behavior. The rest of the people, those in the congregation, seem more saintly to me. I dare not voice this observation, lest I invite verbal and physical abuse. But it is the truth; these leaders are frauds.”

3. Punishing dissenters

“I don’t know about you, but if someone wants to criticize me, in a peaceful manner, I will accept it. If the words are unwarranted, I will try to suitably respond. If they are warranted, I will take it as grace from above, that I should try to correct my ways.

“Well, that does not apply to the leaders in this particular spiritual institution. Expose just one of their many crimes and they will take you out. You will be banned from the temple. Your library card will be expired, indefinitely. It is like the access to the properties is the only thing that substantiates their positions of power. These people are corporate officers, not renounced saints.”

4. Skewed interpretations of shlokas

“Umm, I’m pretty sure that is not the purport to the verse they were speaking of. I don’t know where they concoct these understandings. It is simply nonsense. Something must be wrong behind the scenes. It is like they actually hate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are embarrassed by His transcendental features, and so they try to cut those down through an impersonal interpretation.”

5. Disrespect for those who came before them

“How do you change someone’s books after they have left this world? Can you explain that to me? Especially if that person was your life and savior, your spiritual guide. These cheaters offer every excuse in the book (no pun intended), but their actions are inexcusable.

“It is like they are envious of the guru. The most obvious sign is the change to the cover art. On one of the books, it used to be a closeup painting of Krishna and Arjuna. In the more recent versions, since they keep changing, you have a zoomed out view of the battlefield. It is obvious that they are embarrassed by Krishna, to be associated with Him, and so they are trying to turn Krishna into an abstract concept.”

…

It is like they are playing a part. As if a casting call went out for a soon-to-be released production depicting a community dedicated to spiritual life. The role for protagonist is still open. The qualifications are a pleasant countenance, the ability to walk and talk the part, and to convince others that you are genuinely interested in the welfare of all.

Goswami Tulsidas gives a warning, applying to both the person pretending and those who may be contemplating accepting shelter. A person can wear whatever they want. There is freedom of expression in this area, and so there is the opportunity to exploit.

स्वम् परित्यज्य रूपम् यः परिव्राजक रूपधृत् ||
जन स्थाने मया दृष्टः त्वम् स एव असि रावणः |

svam parityajya rūpam yaḥ parivrājaka rūpadhṛt ||
jana sthāne mayā dṛṣṭaḥ tvam sa eva asi rāvaṇaḥ |

“You are indeed the Ravana I saw in Janasthana, who gave up his real form and took the form of a wandering religious mendicant.” (Sita Devi speaking to Hanuman, Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 34.15)

There is the infamous use of this trick documented in the Ramayana history. The ten-headed ogre named Ravana, relying on his ability to change shapes at will, took the guise of a parivrajaka mendicant. He looked harmless and kind, but he had the worst intentions in mind.

With the pretend spiritual leader, they may say all the right things. They may look perfect for the part; almost too perfect. It seems as if they have the mannerisms rehearsed. They never show signs of being a real human being, of thinking, feeling, or willing.

Even worse is that their deeds behind the scenes are terrible. They may still hold positions of prominence. They may be one of the select few who have been self-appointed to run an institution. They may travel the globe on executive class accommodations and never have to worry about renunciation.

Nevertheless, because of their wicked deeds and their bitter mind they are stuck in the material world. The comparison is to the fish. The fish can only stay in the water. There is no other suitable habitat. They have no means of escaping, but there is a kind of endlessness to the time and space available for indulging the senses.

This may present a concern to those who are looking for guidance. If we cannot tell by outward appearance or the words spoken, then what hope is there? This should not be that difficult to overcome, as even in ordinary affairs there is all sorts of cheating that takes place.

Employers run a background check on prospective employees. When marriage is a consideration, the parents might want to learn more about the family of the person wishing to wed their son or daughter. There is a reason for the saying, “Trust, but verify.”

If a person is stuck in the material world, if they are completely driven by the senses, then how will they attain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Deficient that mercy, how can they expect to save others? Whereas the cheaters like Ravana use means of deception to further their own interests, there are those like Hanuman, who may not have the appropriate outward appearance, but who are forever dear to Sita and Rama.

In Closing:

With marked clothes to meet,
Speaking words soft and sweet.

But when unclean in mind,
And wicked deeds to find.

Then to perpetual misery bound,
Like fish in ocean found.

Shri Rama by devotion won,
Steady with duplicity none.

Categories: dohavali 121-160, the five

Tags: fake gurus, god, hare krishna, hinduism, poem, poems, poetry, religion