10 The Guru and the Disciple
( 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 ?
Dadashri : It is like this : You should maintain the intention ( bhaav ) of being a student or 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 : Not only Dattatreya , everyone does that .