“To begin with, since it is hard to decide who is good and who is bad, it is far better to keep away from ordinary people and carry on one's sādhana apart. The mind of man has been compared to iron. The iron called the mind, if it lies with mud, gathers rust and crumbles to pieces; if it is joined with fire, it becomes pure. That is why, if one joins the company of jñānis, the company of good men, one can gain a greater fruit than from solitude. Even Nārada, the son of a maidservant, became a devarṣi through satsaṅga. Ratnākara, who lived the life of a hunter, was transformed through the company of the seven ṛṣis into Vālmīki, the first of poets. Bad company is a very great danger. Touch fire, and it does not burn you so much; but touch iron heated in the fire, and it is terrible. In the same way, the company of a sinner can be a greater sin than sin itself. So the sādhaka must conduct himself with great care in this matter.”