Shloka 17
The Deliverance of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva
Yamala-Arjuna Līlā Prelude and Culmination
दरिद्रस्यैव युज्यन्ते साधव: समदर्शिन: । सद्भि: क्षिणोति तं तर्षं तत आराद्विशुद्ध्यति ॥ १७ ॥
daridrasyaiva yujyante sādhavaḥ sama-darśinaḥ sadbhiḥ kṣiṇoti taṁ tarṣaṁ tata ārād viśuddhyati
Saintly persons, equal in vision, readily associate with the poor, but not with the rich. By the company of the virtuous, the poor man’s thirst for material desire is quickly worn away, and the impurity within his heart is cleansed; thus he soon becomes purified.
It is said, mahad-vicalanaṁ nṝṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām ( Bhāg. 10.8.4 ). The only business of a saintly person or sannyāsī, a person in the renounced order, is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sādhus, saintly persons, want to preach to both the poor and the rich, but the poor take more advantage of the sādhus’ preaching than the rich do. A poor man receives sādhus very quickly, offers them obeisances, and tries to take advantage of their presence, whereas a rich man keeps a big greyhound dog at his door so that no one can enter his house. He posts a sign saying “Beware of Dog” and avoids the association of saintly persons, whereas a poor man keeps his door open for them and thus benefits by their association more than a rich man does. Because Nārada Muni, in his previous life, was the poverty-stricken son of a maidservant, he got the association of saintly persons and later became the exalted Nārada Muni. This was his actual experience. Therefore, he is now comparing the position of a poor man with that of a rich man.
FAQs
This verse teaches that saintly, equal-visioned devotees uplift a person by reducing worldly craving (tṛṣṇā), leading to swift purification.
In the context of describing spiritual causes behind liberation and transformation, he highlights that contact with sādhus erodes material thirst and accelerates inner purity.
Seek regular company of sincere devotees—through satsanga, hearing hari-kathā, and serving—so that material cravings naturally weaken and devotion becomes steadier.