Lord Krishna speaks on the glory of Sadhus:
(Srimad Bhãgavatam 11:26:26-34)

The Lord said:
“The wise man should seek the company of Sadhus because the Sadhus, through their sweet words (‘amruta vachana’), will steady the mind (cure the tendency of the mind to hold ‘vishayãs’ (matters). Sadhus are those who seek nothing and, therefore, always think of Me, are tranquil, possess same sightedness (deem all to be God), are egoless, are above the pairs of opposites (joy and sorrow, praise and abuse, etc.) and are detached. It is My excellences that is always heard amongst such fortunate Sadhus; and these excellences eradicate the sinful tendencies of the interested listener! Those who listen to My excellences, sing them and relish them, certainly earn bhakti (devotion) and ‘sraddha’ (faith) in Me. Is there anything that has to be attained by the Sadhu who has earned Bhakti to Me - of limitless auspicious qualities, the Brahman and Bliss Consciousness?

Just as cold and fear of darkness leaves a person coming close to the fire, so too, does the fear of ‘samsãra’ (life) and the ignorance born off it leaves the one who is in the company of Sadhus. The Self-realized, serene Sadhus are the highest support for the people drowned in the dangerous ocean of ‘samsãra’ (life) just as a strong boat is to a drowning man. Just as food is the life giver to living beings, just as I am the refuge of the distressed, just as Dharma is the wealth of the dead, so too, are the Sadhus the refuge of those who are in fear, being drowned in ‘samsãra’.

The risen up Sun bestows only one sight viz. the physical (external) sight, whereas Sadhus bestow spiritual sight of the form and formless Jnana. Therefore, Sadhus are verily the devatas, the relatives, the Atman and Me!”

Srimad Bhãgavatam (10:84:9-13)

“Welcoming the great Sages viz. Vyãsa, Nãrada, Chyavana, Devala, Asita, Vishwãmitra, Satãnanda, Bharadwãja, Gautama, Parasurãma and his disciples, Vasishtha, Galava, Bhrigu, Pulatsya, Kasyapa, Atri, Mãrkandeya, Brihaspati, Dvita, Trita, Ekata, Sanaka, Kumãras, Brahmadeva’s son Angiras, Agastya, Yãjnavalkya and Vãmadeva, Lord Krishna says,

“Your darshan, the greatest amongst Yogis, is rare even for the celestials. We have been blessed with such a darshan. This is verily the ‘phala’ (fruit) of our birth. Thus, our life has become fruitful. We had always deemed a dip in the Holy rivers as ‘tapas’ and only the images as Gods. Men of such little merits as we are, we do not deserve this rare fortune of touching, hearing, conversing and worshipping You.

Worship of the holy waters and the divine images of Gods take a long time to destroy the sins of the worshipper and purify him. But, the Sadhus purify them by their mere darshan. Moreover, fire, sun, moon, stars, earth, water, sky, air, speech and mind create the feeling of difference of oneself from others. Therefore, their worship does not efface the sin born of ignorance (the feeling of differences); whereas the Sadhus who are free of such feeling of differences immediately destroy the ignorance of the worshippers.

One who deems this body made up of the three humours as the Self, his wife and children as his own, only idols of clay and wood as God, the water pools as the holy waters and fails to recognise the Sadhus as the Atma, as his very own, as verily the God and the holy water, is akin to an ass!”

Srimad Bhãgavatam (10:86:51-57)

“Lord Krishna, during His visit to Srutadeva’s home along with the great ones like Nãrada, Vãmadeva, Atri, Vedavyãsa, Parasurãma, Asita, Aruni, Suka, Brihaspati, Kanva, Maitreya, Chyavana and others, illuminates the host on the glory of Sadhus:

“Oh! Brahmin! These Maharshis have come here to bless you! They wander about purifying the world by the dust of their feet. Gods in holy idols, Holy waters and Holy places take a long time in purifying man. They also earn their purifying quality only from the divine looks of Sadhus. A holy man excels others by birth due to his virtues; greater is one who is a ‘tapasvi’ (one who practices severe spiritual austerities); greater still is one who is content with whatever he is blessed with. Can the greatness of the one who worships Me be then questioned? This four-armed form of Mine is not dearer to Me than the Sadhu who is the very embodiment of the Vedas while I am the embodiment of all the Devas. Not realising this, men take (only) the idols as God and insult Me who Am in the form of Sadhus. The Universe consisting of the moving and inert things and their cause have come about due to the Will (‘sankalpa’) of God. Therefore, the Sadhus realise that everything is verily ‘Bhagavat swaroopa’ (form of God). You should, therefore, worship these Maharshis with full faith. It is akin to worshipping Me directly. No ‘phala’ would accrue by the performance of puja to Me with various offerings while insulting the Sadhus.”

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