Yoga Sutra 1.26

पूर्वेषाम् अपि गुरुः कालेनानवच्छेदात् ॥२६॥

pūrveṣām-api-guruḥ kālena-anavacchedāt ॥26॥

1. pūrveṣām: of those who came before
2. api: even, too, also
3. guruḥ: teacher, guru
4. kālena: by time
5. anavacchedāt: not limited by time

Not being limited by time he is the guru of the earliest gurus.

Ishwara is the Jagatguru - Unconditioned by time, He is the teacher of even the most ancient teachers. He is the first teacher; sages from ancient times learned from this pure and supreme consciousness. Even today one can attain this truth directly from Ishwara through various sadhanas. Earlier the knowledge used to pass on from one generation to the next, through Guru-sishya tradition, known as shruti.

References

• Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, published in 1976.