The intentions of a true saint are always pure. However, one can never know whether a saint is true or fake unless the intentions of that saint are well tested.
When a true saint finds someone trying to test his intentions, he would in fact be very pleased.
Shastriji Maharaj used to share an incident about Pujya Narayandasji Swami.
At the time of this incident, Narayandasji Swami was visiting villages to meet devotees living over there and boost their faith and stand on Maharaj.
A flawless brahmin devotee who had been doing satsang with Sadguru Balmukunddasji Swami lived in one of those villages though he had never met Narayandasji Swami so far.
When the saints arrived at the village, the devotee decided to test the intentions of Narayandasji Swami, and approached him, saying with due respect, “Swamiji, today let me cook and feel all the saints.”
As a brahmin, he is allowed to cook and feed the saints. He decided to cook Dudhpak and Adad-ni-Dal for saints and started necessary preparations.
When it was time for lunch, all the saints sat in a line with Narayandasji Swami sitting first in the line, and they all began to chant “Swaminarayan…Swaminarayan…Swaminarayan…” while the brahmin devotee appeared to serve the saints.
He carried both dudhpak, which is sweet, and adad-ni-dal, which is with spices. First, he would pour dudhpak into each saint’s bowl. Then, without any delay, he would pour adad-ni-dal on top of dudhpak and observe each saint’s reaction to his action.
He was curiously looking at Narayandasji Swami to see if there would be any change in his expressions.
There was not a single trace of change in the face of Narayandasji Swami as he continued to chant the names of Bhagwan.
Many of the other saints were surprised when the brahmin devotee poured dal on top of dudhpak. Some saints even covered their bowl before the devotee poured the dal and said they would take the dal later.
The brahmin realized that Narayandasji Swami was indeed a true saint and picked up Swami’s bowl to throw out the mixed dal and dudhpak and serve him with fresh dudhpak.
When the devotee picked up the bowl, Narayandasji Swami interrupted him and asked, “Bhagat, why are taking away the bowl?”
The devotee asked for forgiveness, fell at the feet of Swami, and cried, “Swami, please forgive me.”
Swami asked, “Bhagat, what is the problem?”
The devotee replied, “Swami, it was my mistake. I was testing you.”
“It is your right to test us. You should do it. And it is our right to pass the test,” replied Swami.
Thus, it is not a sin to test a saint. In fact, testing a saint is the only way to determine his purity.
There is no other way to determine if a saint is true or fake
Only when we try to find the intentions of a saint can we know who exactly he is. If no one tries to find the intentions of a saint, how else can we know the purity of that saint?
When someone tries to find the intentions of a saint, and if that saint hesitates or is not happy about it, it means that the saint has something to hide. Why else would he be afraid?
When a person files his income tax returns every year and is up to date with tax payments, then he doesn’t fear for income-tax department raiding on him.
If a person has wrong intentions, he will in fact be scared to reveal those intentions; On the other hand, if a person has pure intentions, he will in fact be happy to share those intentions.
And so, a true saint is extremely pleased and thankful when someone tests his intentions. The true saint has spent his whole life developing and nurturing his saintliness. When someone tries to find the essence of his saintliness, the true saint is in fact very pleased. So, when a devotee tests him and determines that he is indeed a true saint, the saint will be happy that the devotee found a true saint. Moreover, the saint will also know that his efforts to transform himself into a true saint were indeed successful.
On the other hand, a saint who states that it is a sin to test a saint is bluntly fake. He might say, “A saint should never be tested. A saint is like fire. Do you know what happens when you touch fire? You will simply be burnt to ashes.”
Thus, they employ different techniques to scare others from testing their intentions.
When one goes to a store to buy a household item, he does not just buy any item without first inquiring about its details. Before he buys the product, he enquires, “Which company does the product belong to? What would be the effectiveness and longevity of the product? In the future, what should I do if it doesn’t work as expected?”
On similar lines, if a saint is asked, “Swami, in the future, what should I do if you are spoiled?”
Can a fake saint tolerate that question?
References:
- Chosathpadi Katha Part 09 (Pad 09).