The beginning of spiritual life is śraddhā, faith. Ādau śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (CC Madhya 23.14-15). First of all, faith, and faith has been described by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī as . . . faith means viśvāsa. So he explains:
- 'śraddhā'-śabde-viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya, sudṛḍha niścaya
- kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
- (CC Madhya 22.62)
This is the śraddhā. Śraddhā means firm faith. As Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
So unless one has got faith. Why one should consider himself that, "I must be completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa," unless one has got faith? Therefore faith is the beginning. And to create faith, Kṛṣṇa has explained about Himself in the whole Bhagavad-gītā. So one who is fortunate, after reading Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly, he'll have a strong faith in Kṛṣṇa. If you have failed to achieve this status of faith, then there is no question of progress.
That is explained by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī: śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya (CC Madhya 22.62). Śraddhā means firm faith, with conviction, "Yes, if I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then all my business will be perfect, all my spiritual life will be perfect." Therefore Kṛṣṇa says śraddhāvān bhajate; with śraddhā, with full faith. Ādau śraddhā. Beginning is śraddhā.
If one has developed a little śraddhā . . . just like we are giving chance throughout the whole world by this propaganda, opening centers to create little śraddhā. And if the śraddhā is there, then next stage is sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). If one wants to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if he has developed a little faith in it, the next stage is to associate with sādhu.
And who is sādhu? Sādhu . . . sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. So sādhu means very tolerant. In another place, sādhu is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ. In another place in the Bhāgavata the sādhu is described:
- titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ
- suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām
- ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ
- sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ
- (SB 3.25.21)
A sādhu, the first qualification is he must be a staunch devotee of Kṛṣṇa, or God, whatever you say. That is sādhu. That is the basic definition . . . religion means to abide by the orders of God. That is religion. And sādhu means who is staunchly a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. These are the description of sādhu. Therefore sādhu-saṅga means to associate with devotees, those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. That is sādhu-saṅga.