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The Guru and t
he is the satdev; when he speaks he is the satguru and listening
to him is satdharma; all three are the Gnani. Only this - the Gnani
- should be your deepest devotion (aradhana). Do not concern
yourself with anything else. Otherwise, you will have to worship
the three separately.
Questioner: In Jainism, there is no such thing as a guru.
Dadashri: No, it is not the way you are saying. The very
foundation of Jainism is based on dev, guru, and dharma; it is
entirely based on satdev, satguru, and satdharma. What did
Lord Mahavir and the twenty-four Tirthankaras say? They said
that the world could not do without a guru. Therefore, when
satdev, satguru, and satdharma are all together, there will be
moksha. Have you heard something like this?
Satdharma is the Lord’s spoken scriptures and agamas
(collection of 45 main Jain Scriptures). Satdharma is there for
sure; we have scriptures that are the Lord’s spoken words, but
without a guru, who can explain them to us? In the current time
cycle, the satguru is not to be found. This is because a satguru
must have Atma Gnan (Self-knowledge); he must be enlightened!
A satguru is definitely needed. If he comes to your house begging
for alms, you should give him something to eat and you in turn
have to go to him to learn. This is how the Lord has arranged it.
Everyone, even an eighty-year-old man, needs a satguru. And
what is satdev? It is the vitarag (the fully enlightened one) Lord.
Now if a Vitarag Lord is not present, you should keep His murti
(idol). But the satguru must be present; his idol will not do.
It is not enough to make a guru in only the mind
Questioner: It is true that one must have a guru. But what
if I make someone my guru in only my mind, will that do?
Dadashri: No, it will not do. If you make a mistake, you
need someone to tell you so. As far as believing through your
mind is concerned, say, for example, you see a girl and you believe