About the Necessity of a Guru

Hemadpant has left no note, no memo about what Baba said regarding
this subject, but Kakasaheb Dixit has published his notes regarding
this matter. Next day after Hemadpant's meeting with Sai Baba,
Kakasaheb went to Baba and asked whether he should leave Shirdi. Baba
Said, "Yes". Then someone asked - "Baba, where to go?" Baba said,
"High up." Then the man said, "How is the way?" Baba said, "There are
many ways leading there; there is one way also from here (Shirdi). The
way is difficult. There are tigers and wolves in the jungles on the way."
I (Kakasaheb) asked - "But Baba, what if we take a guide with us?"
Baba answered, - "Then there is no difficulty. The guide will take you
straight to your destination, avoiding wolves, tigers and ditches etc. on
the way. If there be no guide, there is the danger of your being lost in the
jungles or falling into ditches." Mr. Dabholkar was present on this occasion
and he thought that this was the answer Baba gave to the question
whether Guru was a necessity, and he thereupon took the hint that no discussion of the problem, whether
man is free or bound, is of any use in spiritual matters, but that on the
contrary real Paramartha is possible only as the result of the teachings
of the Guru, as is illustrated in this chapter of the original work in the
instances of great Avatars like Rama and Krishna, who had to submit
themselves to their Gurus, Vasishtha and Sandipani respectively, for
getting self- realization and that the only virtues necessary for such
progress are faith and patience.
Author Hemadpant