Who has a better external appearance? A fake saint or a true saint? A fake saint will have a better external appearance than a true saint because a fake saint is the master of making up external exhibitions and showing off something that is not present in real; showing off is the day-and-night business of a fake saint.
On the other hand, showing off is no business of a true saint; a true saint doesn’t know how to exhibit externally as much as a fake saint does.
In terms of external appearance, no one can reach the standards of the fake saint. In terms of purity of intentions, no one can reach the standards of the true saint.
A fake saint is bold to exhibit his appearance; a true saint is bold to hold to his pure intentions.
Brahmanand Swami was very bold about the purity of his intentions and made a friendly challenge to Shreeji Maharaj to verify it.
Once Shreeji Maharaj thanked all the saints for all their sincere seva to Him and praised them saying, “You all are great saints. All of you are truly comparable to great souls like Brahmaji, Shivji, Naradji, etc.,”
Brahmanand Swami replied, “Maharaj, why are you making fun of us?”
Shreeji Maharaj replied, “I am praising you. Why do you think I am making fun of you?”
Brahmanand Swami said, “Maharaj, you are in fact making fun of us. From the moment I met You and knew You, did this Brahmanand perform any malicious acts? Did I have such acts at least in thoughts? On the other hand, the people whom we are compared with did mistakes even after realizing You. So how can You compare us with them?”
That is the purity of a true saint’s intentions.
A fake saint is always better than a true saint in gaining followers
The public determines whether a saint is true or fake based on his public presence. The public judges a saint’s authenticity based on his teachings and his external appearance. As a result, the public falls into the trap of a fake saint and associates with him.
In today’s society, what one says in public is the deciding factor. If a fake saint preaches the best possible advice, people consider him as the best saint ever even if he is a completely different person in his private life.
A fake saint is one step ahead of a true saint. Their primary focus is, “how can I look original. How can I be better than the original?” And they are successful in achieving that. Thus, a fake saint is better than a true saint in appearance, words, and teachings.
Let us say there is a true saint and a fake saint who is acting as if he is a true saint. Who among them would win the competition of “Best Saint”? Definitely the fake saint would win the race.
What is the difference between Lord Krishna and Pradyumna? Lord Krishna and Pradyumna looked alike, yet Lord Krishna is the incarnation of Ram (Bhagwan) while Pradyumna is the incarnation of Kãm (Cupid).
However, the people of Dwarika used to get confused between Lord Krishna and Pradyumna. By seeing Pradyumna walk, they all used to think, “This is in fact our Krishna walking.” They would know the truth only when Pradyumna comes closer.
Then they would say, “Ah, we were fooled. He is not our Krishna, but he is Pradyumna. He is not Ram, but he is Kãm.”
The difference between Lord Krishna and Pradyumna is very thin. Externally, Pradyumna is as good as Krishna in appearance, braveness, and every other virtue. Similarly, the external difference between a fake saint and a true saint is very thin.
A true saint’s katha will not be as enjoyable as a fake saint’s katha. This is because a true saint will talk about the truth while a fake saint will talk about topics that appeal to the public. A true saint speaks what he knows while a fake saint speaks the highest possible statements available.
Why does a fake saint always try to be better than a true saint? Because, if a fake saint is not better than a true saint in appearance, words, and teachings, then his survival would be in deep trouble, as no one will follow him or support him.
References:
- Chosathpadi Katha Part 09 (Pad 09). ✿