sādhavaḥ kṣīṇa-doṣās tu sac-chabdaḥ sādhu-vācakaḥ |
teṣām ācaraṇaṁ yat tu sad-ācāraḥ sa ucyate ||
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 3.12)
“Sādhus are those who are free from faults, and the word ‘sat’ is a signifier of a sādhu. Their conduct is called sadācāra (proper conduct).”
ākṛṣṭiḥ kṛta-cetasāṁ sumahatām uccāṭanaṁ cāṁhasām
ācaṇḍālam amūka-loka-sulabho vaśyaś ca mukti-śriyaḥ |
no dīkṣāṁ na ca dakṣiṇāṁ na ca puraścaryāṁ manāg īkṣate
mantro’yaṁ rasanā-spṛg eva phalati śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmātmakaḥ ||
(Lakṣmīdhara; cited in Padyāvalī: 29; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.15.112)
“This mantra consisting of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name attracts [even] the highly exalted of purified mind, dispels [even] extremely severe sins, is easily available to [all] people who are not mute, including [even] caṇḍālas, controls the fortune of mukti, does not consider dīkṣā, donations, or prepartory rites (puraścaryā) in the least, and bears fruit just by touching the tongue.”
sat-saṅga eva tat-sāmmukhye dvāram ity uktam | te ca santas tat-sammukhā evātra gṛhyante, na tu vaidikācāra-mātra-parā anupayogitvāt |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 186)
“It has been said that sat-saṅga is the only gateway to intentness upon Tat [i.e., the Supreme Entity (Para-tattva)]. And in this regard only those who are intent upon Tat are accepted as the sat, and not, rather, those who are merely adherent to Vedic conduct because of [those mere adherent to conduct’s] being unsuitable [i.e., intentness upon Tat is the primary characteristic of sādhutva (being a sādhu), and because those who lack this characteristic, regardless of whether they are formally adherent to Vedic conduct or not, are not sādhus in the true sense, their association is unsuitable for those seeking intentness upon Tat because it will not give rise to such intentness].”
guṇāyanaṁ śīla-dhanaṁ kṛtajñaṁ
vṛddhāśrayaṁ saṁvṛṇate’nu sampadaḥ |
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.21.44)
“Good fortune continuously worships in full one who is an abode of good qualities, possessed of the wealth of good conduct, grateful, and sheltered in elders [i.e., wise and well-experienced persons].”
saṁspṛṣṭvā vaiṣṇavān viprān viṣṇu-śāstra-viśāradān |
cīrṇa-vratān sadācārāṁs tad-uktaṁ yatnataś caret ||
(Kūrma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 12.415)
“After inquiring from Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇas who are well-verses in Viṣṇu-śāstra, who have performed vratas [themselves], and who are of proper conduct (sadācāra), carefully follow their statements.”
pranaṣṭaḥ śāśvato dharmaḥ sadācāreṇa mohitaḥ |
tena vaidyas tapasvī vā balavān vā vimohyate ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.254.21)
“The eternal dharma is completely lost when one is deluded by sadācāra. [Even] A learned person, or an ascetic, or a powerful person, may be deluded by this.”
anugantuṁ satāṁ vartma kṛtsnaṁ yadi na śakyate |
svalpam apy anugantavyaṁ mārgastho nāvasīdati ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha; Sāra-samuccaya)
“If one is not able to follow the path of the sādhus completely, then it should be followed at least a little. One [who remains] situated on the path will not come to ruin [whereas those who give up will never be successful].”
śruti-smṛti-sadācāraḥ svasya ca priyam ātmanaḥ |
samyak saṅkalpajaḥ kāmo dharma-mūlam idaṁ smṛtam ||
(Yājñavalkya-smṛti: 1.7; cited in the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā, and Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.7 and Bhakti Sandarbha: 58)
“The Śruti, the Smṛti, proper conduct (sadācāra), the satisfaction of one’s own mind, and desire arising from proper resolve—these are known as the basis [i.e., the pramāṇa, the means of knowing] of dharma.”
vedo’khilo dharma-mūlaṁ smṛti-śīle ca tad-vidām |
ācāraś caiva sādhūnām ātmanas tuṣtir eva ca ||
(Manu-smṛti: 2.6; cited in the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā, Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā, and Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.11.7 and Bhakti Sandarbha: 58)
“The basis of dharma is the entire Veda, the Smṛti [i.e., the Smṛti-śāstras] and the sensibility of those who known it [i.e., of those who know the Veda], the conduct of the sādhus [i.e., sadācāra], and satisfaction of [one’s own] mind.”
asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra |
‘strī-saṅgī’ eka asādhu, ‘kṛṣṇābhakta’ āra ||
(Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta: 2.22.84)
[Śrīman Mahāprabhu to Sanātana Gosvāmī:] “Avoidance of bad association—this is the conduct of a Vaiṣṇava. Someone who is attached to women is one [type of] non-sādhu, and a non-bhakta of Kṛṣṇa is another.”
