6 The Guru and the Disciple
enlightened spontaneously , but that is an exception . Otherwise , there is no gnan ( knowledge ) without a guru .
Questioner : It is said that Lord Rushabhdev destroyed his karmic bondage on his own , so does that mean that he did not need anyone ?
Dadashri : But he had taken some help earlier on . He asked for help from a guru two or three lives before . No one has become free without enlisting help . There is a nimit even in this . It was the people during the time of Lord Rushabhdev who claimed that the Lord destroyed his karmic bondage on his own . However , it is not possible to do this on one ’ s own – it has never happened that way before and it never will . That is why you will always need a nimit .
Questioner : Who were the gurus of Lord Mahavir ?
Dadashri : Lord Mahavir had many gurus , but not in his last couple of lifetimes . It is not so easy to become spontaneously enlightened . Tirthankaras do not need a guru in their final life .
How long is a guru necessary ?
Questioner : Eklavya ( a student of Dronacharya who trained Arjun in archery but refused to train Eklavya ) attained powers ( siddhi ) and became a master archer , even though he had no guru . So is it not possible ?
Dadashri : The siddhis that Eklavya acquired were exceptional , but this is not always the rule . Every rule can have an exception ; moreover , these exceptions are rare . However , because of the exception , we cannot accept the rule as a blanket rule . If a person does not have a guru in this life , then he would have definitely met one in his previous life !
Questioner : In Eklavya ’ s case , he did not learn from Dronacharya guru , but instead he learnt in front of the guru ’ s idol !