Patita Pavana das Adhikary:
satyammātā pitājňānam
dharmobhrātā dayāsakhā
śāntihpatnī kşamāputrah
şodete mama bāndhavāh
(A sadhu, when asked about his family, gently replied,) “Truth is my mother and realized knowledge is my father, righteousness is my brother, mercy is my friend, inner peace is my wife, forgiveness is my son. These six are my kinsmen.” (Chanakya Niti-shastra 12.11)
Commentary: Herewith the great pandit praises the qualities of satyam (truth), jnanam (realized knowledge), dharma (righteousness), daya (mercy), shanti (inner peace) and ksama (forgiveness). Shrila Prabhupada once mentioned that he saw a saffron-clad sadhu sitting with some worldly householders in a Delhi dharmsalla discussing day-to-day topics: “I realized that the ‘sadhu’ was merely an ordinary man. He was an ordinary man dressed as a sadhu only.” A true sadhu will take a mundane question and turn it into an opportunity to teach.
Genuine renunciates will not discuss family matters, hence the sadhu’s wise answer to a materialistic question. The greatest sadhu of the first half of the Twentieth Century, Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, emphasized that a sadhu’s association is best understood through his speech which, abandoning social grace, cuts to the heart of the truth. He said, “There is no doubt that the words of the sadhus possess the power of destroying the evil propensities of one’s mind. The sadhus in this way benefit everyone who associates with them. There are many things, which we do not disclose to the sadhu. The real sadhu makes us speak out what we keep concealed in our hearts. He then applies the knife. The very word sadhu has no other meaning than this. He stands in front of the block with the uplifted sacrificial knife in his hand. The sensuous desires of men are like the goats. The sadhu stands there to kill those desires by the merciful stroke of the keen edge of the sacrificial knife in the form of unpleasant language. If the sadhu turns into my flatterer, then he does me harm, he becomes my enemy. If he gives flattery, then we are led to the road that brings enjoyment, but no real well-being.” (from Shri Chaitanya’s Teachings, p. 26-7)
The inspiring qualities possessed by a genuine sadhu are described in the Shrimad Bhagavatam by none other than the Supreme Lord Himself in His incarnation as a sadhu, Shri Kapiladeva, “The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful, and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides in the scriptures, and his characteristics are sublime. Such a sadhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For the sake of the Lord, he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships and friendly acquaintances within the world. Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities.” (SB 3.25.21-23)