Is it necessary to live with devotees to get their association?

Certainly association with devotees is essential. However, we attain association according to our own qualification. It is not a fact that simply by living together we can take advantage of good association, and it is true that we can associate with devotees even when we live at a distance from them. Association does not necessarily mean living in the same room. However, living with devotees makes it easier to hear from them, whereas such hearing is more difficult over a distance.

We conduct festivals in the temple to give everyone the opportunity to associate with devotees, to destroy their attachment for material life, to display compassion for all the living entities, to develop a taste for chanting the Holy name, and to engage in the service of Hari, Guru , and the Vaishnavas. The Matha’s main purpose in holding festivals, reciting Srimad Bhagvatam, and discussing Hari-Katha is to awaken the soul’s constitutional position and attain the ultimate goal of life.

A Devotee is saintly. He is neither a material enjoyer nor a dry renunciant. By associating with saintly devotees, we can understand that just as material enjoyment is sinful. Confused about what to do, the pseudo-renunciants adopt the path of renunciation. Being attached or simply detached from the material world are both signs of aversion - material enjoyment and dry renunciation - we cannot attain complete shelter in devotional service. If we fail to understand the meaning of pure devotional service, we will end up either as material enjoyers or dry renunciants.