Sadhus should never wander alone. They should always be in the company of other Sadhus. When travelling from one town to another, they should always go in a pair or a group. Similarly when going to somebody’s house, they should never go alone. Krutyachintamani adds generally, ‘After sunset, one should not wander alone. They should not wander with unrighteous people nor enter a village through some secret pathway.’ These commandments can be interpreted to be in the context of our safety also. However it is also the case that one can achieve salvation more easily through the company of other saints or righteous people and therefore Shastras speak of ‘Ekanta’ (residing alone) to be interpreted as living amongst those that are righteous.
Kapil Deva explains this: ‘Elders have said that infatuation or attachment (Ashakti) is a means to bondage of the soul. However if such a person becomes attached to a Sadhu-Purusha then the doorway to the heavens can open for him.’ Thus our Shastras command that one should always associate with the righteous and renounce the company of the sinful.
One can achieve greatness through ‘Satsang’ (association with the righteous). For this reason, Lord Swaminarayan himself considered Satsang to be a great tool for salvation and before departing from the Earth, he established Sadhus, Shastras and Mandirs such that Satsang could flourish through these tools. This effort continues today through initiation of new Sadhus, publishing of Shastras and the building of new temples throughout the world.