The Guru and the Disciple
119
books. So the gurus of today will not benefit you. Instead, it is
better to remain without a guru.
Questioner: According to our culture, a person without a
guru is naguno (has no qualities).
Dadashri: Where did you hear this?
Questioner: From a saint.
Dadashri: Yes, and what do they mean? It is not naguno
but naguro, meaning ‘without a guru’ (‘na’ = no). If a person
does not have a guru, people will call him a ‘naguro.’
My kanthi (a traditional necklace of tiny wooden beads
given to the disciple by his guru) broke at the age of twelve and so
people kept calling me ‘naguro.’ They kept telling me I had to
wear a kanthi and that they would arrange for me to wear one. I
asked them, “How can I get a kanthi from these people who
have no knowledge themselves and have no power to give
knowledge to others? They told me if I did not wear a kanthi,
people would call me ‘naguro.’ Now what is a ‘naguro’? I
thought that it might be a curse word or something like that. It was
not until I was older that I realized that it referred to a person
without a guru.”
Questioner: Is it necessary to go through all the vidhis
(special ceremonies and rituals) to wear a kanthi, beaded
necklace, and change clothes in order to make someone my guru?
Dadashri: There is no need for such things.
Questioner: Why do the religious gurus say that God will
help those who wear kanthis and not those who do not? Is that
true?
Dadashri: It is like this. The ‘shepherds’ have spread such
talks. Shepherds would tell their sheep, ‘Do not be a naguro and
wander around.’ So then the sheep would feel, ‘Oh ho ho! I am