Guru and Disciple

Author(s): Dada Bhagwan
Publisher: Mahavideh Foundation

Page 11

The Guru and the Disciple
The Guru and the Disciple
and gives you directions, then is that book not your guru? Therefore, even a book is your guru.
You learn from teachers, from books, from people; all are considered gurus. So is the whole world not your guru?
Questioner: Today's psychology says that one should leave the outside support and rely on one's own support. The outside support, whatever it may be, makes a person dependant. If a seeker uses external support he becomes dependant and therefore handicapped.
Dadashri: That should not be the way, one should not become handicapped by relying on external support. One should leave the external support and live on his own support, but until one can rely on his own support, he must rely on external naimistic (instrumental support). Does a book become a nimit (an instrument) or not? Is everything not in animit form? That is why if today's psychology tells you to let go of your support, you should let go of that support to some extent. However, you do need to take support to some extent, you need the support of books and many other things.
(thin gravy made out of yogurt and various spices, usually eaten with rice), you will have to ask someone about the ingredients! Whomever you ask is a guru. So there is a need for a guru wherever you go. You need a guru for everything. Now, if you need some legal work done, your lawyer is your guru. Do you agree? So regardless of what you do and where you go, you need a guru. The guru is necessary everywhere.
Questioner: So if one wants to go all the way to moksha, he will need a guru.
Dadashri: You need a guru for wherever you want to go. If you are traveling by car and want to take the highway, then you (may) need to ask someone, if not, you will end up traveling in the wrong direction. A guru is necessary in matters related to the worldly life and a guru is needed in matters of nischay (spiritual path). Therefore, it is important to understand what a guru is and who can be called a guru.
A Guru is anything or anyone you learn from
Questioner: So as far as religion is concerned, should we have just one guru or should we have multiple gurus?
One man was saying that he did not need a guru, so I asked him, "Tell me who did not have a guru? Is your mother, who instilled noble values within you, not a guru? The one who said to you, 'Son do this way, okay? Be cautious. Be careful here' etc.; if she is not a guru, then what is she?"
Questioner: That is true.
Dadashri: It is like this: You should maintain the intention (bhaav) of being a studentor a disciple in every situation. In reality, you should make the whole world your guru. You can learn from even the trees. What do we do to the mango tree? In order to pick the mango off the tree, we use a stick and beat at the branches, but even then, the tree gives us its fruit. If we learn just this virtuous attribute from the tree, how well we would progress spiritually! The tree too is a jiva (embodied soul)! It is not just a piece of wood
Questioner: Dattatreya made some animals his guru. In what sense was this?
Dadashri: So the mother is the first guru. She will teach the son how to wear clothes. A child has to learn even that and his mother teaches him. She teaches him how to walk and do other things. In which lifetime has he not walked? He has walked for infinite lifetimes, but he has to learn the same thing again and again.
If the wife is not at home and you want to make kadhee
Dadashri: Not only Dattatreya, everyone does that.