Shun the Company That Corrupts
As holy company elevates, bad company drags the soul down; Narada warns the devotee to avoid all corrupting association.
In Sutra 43, Narada gives the complementary warning: 'Duhsanga sarvathaiva tyajyah' — 'Evil company should be shunned by all means.' Just as the company of the holy awakens love, the company of the worldly and the corrupt inflames lust, anger, greed, and confusion, leading the heart astray. The devotee must be discerning and resolute, withdrawing from associations that erode devotion. This is not arrogance toward others but careful protection of a tender inner flame. Narada's counsel echoes the universal observation that environment shapes character, and that even the strongest resolve can be slowly eroded by constant exposure to influences that pull in the opposite direction.
Evil company should be shunned by all means.
Narada's warning aligns with the Stoic counsel of Epictetus to avoid corrupting companions, and with modern findings that behaviors and attitudes spread contagiously through social networks.
Narada Bhakti Sutras
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- What the Narada Bhakti Sutras say about friendship
The other half is harsh: duhsanga sarvathaiva tyajyah — bad company is to be given up by every means. Narada supplies no test for telling a difficult friend from a corrupting one, and read carelessly the sutra will license dropping anyone who inconveniences your piety.