XIII

The first advance is to win saintly company,
So said Lord Rama, supreme Goal of man.
Nothing can compare with such companionship.
The greatest sinner finds salvation through it.
Man finds great wealth—the Name—in such company.
His heart is filled with the chanting of the Name.
He sings and laughs in the ecstasy of the Name
And is rocked on the waves of supreme bliss.
The saint has the Name as his great treasure,
He saves men from sin and sorrow by the Name.
As water is rarely found in the desert
So is the hope of happiness in this world.
If thou art sure worldly pleasures are vain,
Then take quick shelter at the feet of the saint.
With the saint’s blessings thou wilt be free from fear.
Sing victory to the Name, the Lord’s servant, Sitaram!

XIV

To what shall I compare the holy man?
The philosopher’s stone? It’s much inferior.
The philosopher’s stone will turn iron into gold.
But it can’t turn a thing into its own likeness.
The saint is the philosopher’s stone by whose touch
One is made to be like the saint himself.
Shouldst thou wish to save thyself and others
Seek the saint’s company and chant the Name.
Recite the Name in company and alone.
In the woods and glades and in lonely gardens.
Whatever thou wishest while chanting the Name
That wish of thine will be quickly fulfilled.
The man with a desire obtains it through the Name,
The man without desires wins the Lord’s love through it.
Such is the Name; forget it no longer.
Repeat the Name, Sitaram, servant of the Lord.