Without the Guru, the darkness of ignorance cannot be removed, just as a lamp cannot be lit without a flame. The Guru is not merely a teacher. The Guru is the manifestation of God Himself. He is the one who purifies your mind, awakens your wisdom, and leads you across the ocean of Samsara.

Led by the sage Shaunaka, they approached the wise narrator, Suta Goswami (also known as Romaharshana), who knew the Puranas and the essence of all scriptures. With folded hands, Shaunaka asked:

I bow to the Supreme Lord Dattatreya, the Guru of all Gurus, who is the embodiment of the Trinity—Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. He is the ocean of compassion, the remover of the illusion of worldly existence (Samsara). I bow to Lord Dattatreya, who resides in the hearts of His devotees and guides them across the dark ocean of life.

This text is based on the original Marathi Shri Guru Charitra attributed to Shri Saraswati Gangadhar, which is a key scripture of the Dattatreya tradition. The core teaching is that the living Guru is the only true refuge in Kali Yuga.

Pleased with Sayamdev’s devotion and concern for all beings, Shri Narasimha Saraswati replied:

Suta continued:

Suta Goswami smiled, his eyes filled with mercy. He replied:

To understand this divine truth, I shall narrate to you the holy story of the . This is the story of Lord Dattatreya, who incarnated as the sage Shripad Shrivallabha and later as Shri Narasimha Saraswati. This book is the very breath of the Guru’s grace.”