96 The Guru and the Disciple
Neminath? Here some parents tell their small child to bow down to Dadaji but the child would not do that. Then when they insist, the child would eventually turn around and bow down. What does that suggest? It is the ego. That is how even Bheem had an ego and so he worshipped the pot in this way. Still, he definitely received benefits in return. This actually happened. Lord Neminath, the twenty-second one of the past twenty-four Tirthankaras, was alive at that time.
Questioner: So he was pratyaksh( present)! Dadashri: Yes, he was pratyaksh. Questioner: So in the end he worshipped him.
Dadashri: Yes, but he worshipped Lord Neminath through naming( naam) and establishing( sthapana) him as the pot.
Questioner: But worshipping the pot – is it not an inanimate object?
Dadashri: It is like this: everything in this world that you see through your eyes is all inanimate( jada); nothing is animate( chetan).
Questioner: A pot cannot give answers to our questions like you do, can it?
Dadashri: A pot will not give you the answer, but do not make someone your guru if you are going to let him down or if you are going to ruin things for him. Make him your guru only if you are going to remain sincere. I give you good advice, and then it is up to you what you do with it. There is grave danger if you discard your guru halfway through. It is better to kill yourself than to hurt a guru.
Grave danger in uprooting a guru
Do not accept a known guru as guru, and if you do, then do not turn your back on him. Use a pot if you do not like him.