evilcompany

THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF EVIL COMPANY

The effects of evil company are highly disastrous. The aspirant should shun all sorts of evil

company. The mind is filled with bad ideas by contact with evil companions. The little faith in God

and scriptures also vanishes. A man is known by the company he keeps. Birds of the same feather

flock together. These are all proverbs or wise maxims. They are quite true. Just as a nursery is to be

well-fenced in the beginning for protection against cows, etc., so also, a neophyte should protect

himself very carefully from foreign evil influences. Otherwise he is ruined totally. The company of

those who speak lies, who commit adultery, theft, cheating, double-dealing, who indulge in idle

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SVADHYAYA OR PIOUS STUDY OF HOLY BOOKS

talks, backbiting and talebearing, who have no faith in God and in the scriptures, should be strictly

avoided. The company of women and of those who associate with women is dangerous.

Vilwamangal attended once the nautch party of Chintamani. His whole Antahkarana was

poisoned. He was the virtuous son of a pious Brahmin. All his good traits disappeared. He fell in

love with her. He ruined his life. There are thousand and one instances like this. In Andhra Pradesh,

Vemanna also was spoiled by evil company in the beginning. There is nothing more dangerous than

evil company. If the wife has no religious tendencies and is of a worldly nature, her company also is

tantamount to evil company. That is the reason why scriptures speak very highly of solitary places

in the Himalayas and on the banks of the Ganga.

What Constitutes Evil Company

Bad surroundings, obscene pictures, obscene songs, novels that deal with love, cinemas,

theatres, the sight of pairing of animals, words which give rise to bad ideas in the mind—in short,

anything that causes evil thoughts in the mind constitutes evil company. Whatever induces in us

evil tendencies, impure ideas, and likewise, is to be considered as Kusanga. Kusanga is an antonym

of Satsanga. It means ‘the company of the evil.’

Place, food, water, family, neighbourhood, sight, literature, criticism, livelihood, and the

mode of meditation or worship are the ten most important factors which according to their nature

either serve for us as Satsanga or Kusanga.

Aspirants generally complain: “We are doing Sadhana for the last fifteen years. We have

not made any solid spiritual progress.” The obvious answer is that they have not totally shunned evil

company. Newspapers deal with all sorts of worldly topics. Aspirants should entirely give up

reading of newspapers. Reading of newspapers kindles worldly Samskaras, causes sensational

excitement in the mind, makes the mind outgoing, produces an impression that the world is a solid

reality, and makes one forget the Truth that underlies these names and forms.

The So-called Friends

If you put an ounce of alum in ten maunds of milk, the whole quantity of milk becomes unfit

for drinking. Even so, evil company, even for a few minutes, will nullify the good effects created by

Satsanga for ten years. Evil company is an enemy of devotion. Give up evil company. Take

recourse to Satsanga or company of the saints.

The so-called friends are real enemies. You cannot find even a single unselfish friend in this

universe. Be careful. Friends come to have idle talks with you and they waste your time. They want

to pull you down and make you also worldly. Do not be carried away by the flowery speech of such

friends. Cut off connection ruthlessly. Live alone at all times. Trust in that Immortal Friend who

dwells in your heart. He will give you whatever you want. If you cannot have positive Satsanga of

Mahatmas, have negative Satsanga with books written by realised sages, saints and Bhagavatas.