Dada Bhagwan - Biography

Biography

Born in the village of Tarsali, Gujarat, India, to a spiritually elevated mother, Dadashri was instilled from birth with a profound understanding of nonviolence, empathy, generosity, and the benefit of spiritual penance.

From an early age, Dadashri exhibited unique spiritual characteristics, some of which were:

• At age 13, in Mathematics class, he deduced that, just as zero was the common indivisible factor within all numbers, the divine was the common indivisible factor within all living beings.
• A natural contrarian, Dadashri would not allow himself to be dictated by social norms, cultural biases, or unexamined beliefs.
• He insisted upon ultimate Self-authority in all his pursuits, whether worldly and spiritual.

As he grew older, Dadashri maintained an avid priority of spiritual purpose. Even as he entered into marital life and later into a business partnership, he experienced no interest or satisfaction in worldly matters. Instead, he remained one-pointedly focused on his search for eternal truth and Self-realization. He read extensively, contemplated scriptures of world religion, and was particularly inspired by the writings of Shrimad Rajchandra.

Dadashri possessed a unique ability to maintain his inner spiritual focus even while actively engaged in worldly life. Some examples of this are:

• He ran his contracting business with utmost integrity and ethics – an exceptional trait given the prevalent corruption of the industry in his time.
• He paid himself the minimum salary possible, choosing instead to live simply and to leave profits for the benefit of his business partner.
• He maintained all personal and business relationships fastidiously – and always with loving reverence. Over the course of his life, it is reported that he had no interpersonal conflicts – including with his wife or business partner.