26 The Guru and the Disciple
knowledge ( updesh ); such a person can be regarded as a guru . Had I met Krupadudev , even for just five minutes , I would have made him my guru ; that is what I had understood . I have not made anyone my guru . I have done darshan ( seen with reverence ) of many other saints , but I will not make anyone my guru until my heart accepts him . There is no doubt that the saints I had met were true saints , but acceptance by the heart is also needed .
Respect for the Gurus of the past life
I do not have a guru in this lifetime , but that does not mean I never had a guru before .
Questioner : So did you have a guru in your previous life ?
Dadashri : Without a guru , man cannot progress . For that matter , no guru has progressed without a guru . What I am saying is that not a single person has been without a guru .
Questioner : Who was your guru in your previous life ?
Dadashri : Whoever he was , he must have been good . How can I know more about him now ?
not ?
Questioner : Even Shrimad Rajchandra had a guru , did he
Dadashri : He did not meet a guru in his lifetime . He had said that if he had met a satguru , he would have followed him everywhere ! His Gnan , however , was real . In his ultimate state , the Gnan that manifested within him was Atma Gnan .
Questioner : Even the Gnan that manifested in you , did so without a guru did it not ?
Dadashri : I had brought such a karmic account from the past . In the past I met gurus , I met Gnanis and from them I have brought forth the merit karmas ( punya ). My progress must have halted due to some mistake on my part . I did not have a guru in this lifetime , but I must have had one in the previous life . In my