Guru and Disciple

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

Page 10

The Guru and the Disciple
The Guru and the Disciple
Dadashri: He learned everything in his previous life. The idol was his nimit in this life. One needs a guru in every lifetime.
Questioner: Then can one say, "Only the guru from my previous life will do everything for me." So is it necessary to have a guru in this lifetime?
Dadashri: But you may not be able to find him in this lifetime and you may not even need him. You may even meet him in another lifetime.
Dadashri: If you do not have a guru, what would you do if while walking on a road, you come across seven more roads? Which road will you pick?
Questioner: I would take the road that my mind accepts.
Dadashri: No, the mind will accept the one that will make you wander. You cannot call that a path. That is why you need to ask and make someone your guru. Make someone your guru and ask him which way you are supposed to go. One cannot take even a small step in this world without a guru.
Did you have teachers when you were at school? Questioner: Yes.
Dadashri: Wherever you go, you need a teacher. Tell me an instance when you have not needed a teacher.
Then did you not need a professor in college? Questioner: Yes I did.
Nevertheless, you still have a very long way to walk ahead of you. You will need many gurus. You will need a guru until you attain moksha (final liberation). You will not need a guru after you attain the right vision (samkir). These talks about a guru are very serious. You cannot do without a guru.
"Guru is not necessary' is a false statement
Questioner: Many saints say that there is no need to have a guru.
Dadashri: People who say such a thing are only talking about themselves. The world will not accept what they say. The entire world accepts the guru. Sometimes you may get a bad guru, but eradicating the word 'guru' altogether, will not do.
Questioner: Many people do not make a guru.
Dadashri: That is never so. The reason behind India's current predicament is that people have started to preach, "Do not make a guru. Otherwise, India has always been a country that believed, "No matter what, you must have at least one guru (spiritual master)." Guru is necessary in worldly and spiritual endeavors
Questioner: What difference does it make whether there is a guru or not?
Dadashri: Therefore, one will need a guru above him the moment he is bom as a human. He will need a guru when he goes to school and he will need one when he goes to college. There are so many kinds of gurus. Those studying high school will need a high school guru; at that level, a first grade teacher will not do. There are many different types of gurus. No one has just one type of guru. The kind of guru one will have, will depend on what he is studying.
Then when you read a book, is the book not your guru? Unless a book is your guru, you will not read it. Do you not read something only if it is educational and beneficial to you?
Questioner: Yes, that is right!
Dadashri: You have been learning from books and you have benefited because of them. If a book shows you the way