There are two types of saints: real saints and imitation saints. Just as an ordinary person cannot distinguish between a real and an imitation pearl, you cannot distinguish between a real saint and an imitation saint. I, alone, like a jeweler, can make out the difference.
Particularly in India we find a lot of imitation saints, and this is due to the superficial study of Vedanta. By studying Vedanta one can say: “I am God.” Sadgurus also say: “I am God.” Imitation saints also say the same thing, but with the help of Vedanta. Real saints need no such help; they say what they experience. There are also some who, after reading Vedanta, realize that they have no such experience, but they still say: “I am God.”
This is hypocrisy. There are also some imitation saints who, after reading Vedanta, have a genuine, inner feeling and say: “I am God,” although, in reality, they have no conscious experience.
If anyone confers greatness on you and begins to worship you and garland you, you know yourself that you do not deserve it. At the outset, you are tempted to accept this greatness which makes you feel happy. But your conscience will be consciously pricking you, and you will be always in a state of anxiety about future developments. You will be frequently in a fix either to accept or reject the greatness which is thrust on you.
Once you accept this conferred greatness, it becomes very difficult for you to get out of the situation. After a time, the pricks of conscience even cease troubling you, for you get used to them. Then it becomes an addiction and you cannot do without it. You then pose as a real saint. This posing will cause you to take additional innumerable births. So why pose as a saint, without the inner experience?
As for myself, I say I am the Highest of the High. Had I not been the Ancient One, I would have encouraged you to visit the so-called saints. I would have even praised them, and they also would have praised me in return. Thus a clique would get formed that would promote mutual praise to dupe the public.
If anyone of you meets an imitation saint or an imitation Avatar, what would he say to you? He would say the same thing as I do. If you tell him that Baba is the Avatar, he may even say: “I am the real one and Baba is a fraud!” When anyone approaches an imitation saint and is attracted by the outward atmosphere which he creates about him and, if owing to his faith in the imitation saint, he gets experiences, he is likely to attribute them to that imitation saint. This creates confusion.
–Date and place: 19 May 1957; Guruprasad
www.lordmeher.org (Revised 2014), p4167