Robes of the sadhu should be honored even if they are being dressed by not a real sadhu; Every action of a saint is meaningful

Neem Karoli Baba and Dada Mukherji

 (from "The near and the dear" by Dada Mukherji):

Babaji always comes to the aid of those doing his work. Once Babaji was in his room, taking his midday rest. Two boys, Pappu and Kishore, were doing their work, giving prasad to the visitors and doing other work allotted to them. Then a young sadhu arrived with full garb and wanted to meet Babaji, who was watching from inside the room. 

Seeing that Babaji was not there, he asked Pappu to inform Babaji that a sadhu had come to meet him. The boy asked the sadhu to sit in the room, take his prasad and wait for Babaji to come out. He took this to be rudeness on the boy's part and an insult to his position. He used strong words. The boy refused to go to Babaji's room to give him his message, saying that they did not do that, but that he could ask Dada if he wanted to. The sadhu was not interested in that and went on abusing the boy. I reached there and tried to argue with him, but without any success.

While we were busy with that, Babaji came out of his room and asked me to open the door of his sitting room. As soon as he sat down, the sadhu entered and sat on the floor. Babaji greeted him, "So you have become a sadhu now; that is why I could not recognize you. When did you return from Germany? How many years did you stay? What did you learn there?"

Everyone, the sadhu included, was taken by surprise. The sadhu did not reply. Then Babaji started his treatment: "Have you forgotten that having been unsuccessful in your examination you left home, breaking open your mother's box and stealing all her ornaments? You have forgotten but I have not. Your parents were worried, running everywhere in search of you. Then in Germany, you did not learn anything. You only wanted to cheat everyone but you had to return when no more money was coming from cheating.  When did you take this ochre robe? Who gave it to you? You are not a sadhu as long as you do not change yourself. Neither your clothes nor any person will be able to make you a sadhu. You got so angry that you were ready to fight with that boy who was engaged in his own work. You have become a sadhu, but does one become a sadhu like this?"

People gathered around the room with surprise on their faces. He asked them to go to their work, and then he told me that I should take the sadhu with me and feed him, that he had come in the noon and had not taken his food. "Feed him well. You must have some sweets with you, feed him that. Tell your boys that they should not quarrel with their guests. When he has come to you in the afternoon then it is necessary for you to feed him and hear him. Go and feed him and tell the boys about it. I will remain inside."

The sadhu was in a sad state. He was hungry when he came,  but there was little hunger left for food. He had been thoroughly exposed and had lost all his courage and confidence. It appeared that he felt that he was being taunted by his own robe, along with the people standing there. All he wanted was to find a way to escape, but with so many people around he could not try that. We tried to console him and asked someone to arrange for his food. We then told the boys to go to him and express their regrets, ask for his forgiveness, and then feed him. I handed them some sweets for him and left the feeding to the boys. Once he started eating, his mental agitation calmed down and he could look at others. 

I went to Babaji's room from where he was watching everything. Then he said, "Everything is all right now. It was very necessary to rebuke him. He goes on moving about in the hills of this region. Had his true self not been exposed he would have created trouble for everyone. Now he will not come to this side anymore. You should talk to your boys. They have to do their work peacefully and not fight with anyone. It is true that he was not a real sadhu, but he was wearing the robes of the sadhu. Who can recognize a saint? You have to honor his dress. This must never be forgotten. Go and see him. He is taking his food. You stay there."

I narrated this incident one day in our satsang at Kainchi. Shukla [another close disciple of Neem Karoli Baba] said that we may not understand, but nothing Babaji does is meaningless. Whatever he does is for someone's good and for our teaching. We cannot derive full benefit from it while we still have some doubts in our minds. Without full faith in the Guru, we cannot understand his teaching.

Saints are always busy teaching you or someone else when you are with them, and there cannot be anything meaningless or superfluous in their behavior, however much we might misunderstand it. We may not know for whom the teaching is meant, but there is always someone to whom it is directed and they understand it. The saints are actually the teachings and scriptures personified. They do not teach by quoting or reciting the scriptures, but by living and practicing them, and sometimes through a little acting.