“Here’, I am a disciple just as you are. The one you see is not ‘Dada Bhagwan’; it is ‘A. M. Patel’, a Patidaar from the town of Bhadran. The one sitting within is ‘Dada Bhagwan’. ‘I’ myself make everyone do jai jai kar of Dada Bhagwan [sing praise of Dada Bhagwan]. Therefore, ‘I’ too am a devotee, as are you.”

Indian spiritual leader from Gujarat

Dada Bhagwan, also known as Dadashri, was an Indian spiritual leader from Gujarat. Born Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, he founded the Akram Vignan Movement and became known for his teachings after his self-realization in 1958. He worked as a contractor for a company that maintained dry docks in Bombay before stepping back from daily business to focus on spiritual aims. His movement grew in western India and beyond, and his teaching placed strong emphasis on ahimsa, or non-violence, and vegetarianism.