|| Lord Dattatreya and the twenty-four Gurus ||
Once King Yadu saw Lord Dattatreya (Avadhoot) in a forest and addressed
him "Swami Ji, you are indeed quite capable, energetic and wise. Such
as you are, why do you live in the forest, free from all desires? Even
though you have neither kith and kin nor even a family, how could you be
so blissful and self-contented?"
The Avadhoot (one who has shaken
off all worldly desires) replied, "My bliss and contentment are the
fruits of self-realization. I have gained the necessary wisdom from the
whole creation, through 24 Gurus. I shall elaborate the same for you".
Shri Dattatreya had twenty-four teachers from nature "many are my
preceptors," he told King Yadu, "selected by my keen sense, from whom
acquiring wisdom freely, I wander in the world…. The earth, air/breeze,
sky, fire, the sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, elephant, ant, fish,
Pingala the courtesan, arrow-maker, infant/playful boy, the moon,
honeybee, deer, bird of prey, maiden, serpent, spider, caterpillar and
water are my twenty four preceptors.
1. Earth: All creatures,
in accordance with their previous store of karma (action) assume
different physical forms and live on earth. People plough, dig and tread
the earth. They light fires on it. Still, the earth does not swerve
from its course even by a hair’s breadth. On the other hand, it feeds
and houses all creatures. Seeing this, I learned that the wise one
should never swerve from his vow of patience, love and righteousness
under any circumstances and one should dedicate his life for the welfare
of living beings. The earth along with its mountains and rivers is my
first guru.
2. Air: I observed that air is pure and odorless in
itself. And it blows on both sweet and foul-smelling things without any
discrimination or preference. Though it momentarily seems to take on
the smell of its surroundings, in a short while, it reveals its pristine
quality. From this I learned that a spiritual aspirant should live in
the world, unaffected by the dualities of life like joy and sorrow and
by the objects of the senses. He should keep his heart’s feeling and his
speech unpolluted by vain objects. As I have learned all this by
observing it, air is my second guru.
3. Sky: The soul is also
like the sky, which is omnipresent. I have noticed that sometimes the
sky (or space) gets thickly overcast, or filled with dust or smoke. At
sunrise and during night, it apparently takes on different colors. But
in fact, it ever retains its colorless self, and it is never touched or
stained by anything. From this I learned that a true sage should remain
ever pure like the sky or space, untouched or unaffected by anything in
the phenomenal universe in time, including his own physical processes.
His inner being is totally free from emotional reaction to things and
events even like the space. Thus I accepted the sky or space as my third
guru.
4. Fire: My fourth teacher is the element of fire.
Sometimes, it manifests itself as blazing flames; sometimes as
smoldering embers, covered by ash. But it is always present in all
objects as latent heat. The god of fire accepts the offering of
everyone, irrespective of his moral worth and burns down his sins; and
it still remains the ever-pure divinity as the fire-god; he is untainted
by the sins of such devotees. So too, a sage of perfect realization
should accept food of everyone, burn down his sins and bless the giver.
Though fire has no specific form of its own, when it is associated with
fuel that burns, it assumes such apparent forms. So too, the true Self,
though formless in itself, appears in the forms of deities, human
beings, animals and trees when it is associated with the respective
physical structures. The source of all forms in the universe, as also
their end, remains ever mysterious. All the things are manifest only in
between their origin and their end. Their source and end is the true
Self, which is eternal, unchanging, unmanifest and omnipresent. The
nature of the element of fire is such. The manifest fire transforms the
various things it consumes into the same ash. So too, the wisdom of
self-realization rejects the manifest forms and properties of things as
illusion and realizes their one original essence as itself. Thus the
element of fire is my fourth guru.
5. Sun: My fifth guru is
sun. Though the sun we see in our daily life is one, it appears as many
when reflected by water in different vessels. Similarly, the one real
Self manifests itself as many selves of living creatures when reflected
by their physical structures. As Sun illuminates the many forms in
nature to our visions, the sage too illuminates the true nature of all
things to his devotees.
6. Pigeon: I have gained wisdom from a
pigeon too. Once a pair of pigeons lived together on a tree. They bred
their young and were bringing them up with deep affection and love. One
day, a hunter caught the young fledglings in a snare. The ladybird,
which returned from the forest with food for its young ones, saw their
plight and, unable to leave them, she leapt in the snare to share their
fate. Shortly after, the male pigeon turned up and, unable to bear the
separation from its sweetheart, it too jumped in the snare and met its
end. Reflecting on this, I realized how, even after being born as an
intelligent human being, man is caught in the coils of possessiveness
and brings about his own spiritual destruction. The self, which is
originally free, when associated with the body sense, gets identified
with it, and thus gets caught in the endless cycle of birth, death and
misery. Thus the pigeon was my sixth guru.
7. Python: The
python is a sluggard, unwilling to move out briskly for its prey. It
lies in its lurch and devours whatever creature it comes across, be it
sufficient to appease its hunger. From this I learnt that the man in
search of wisdom should refrain from running after pleasures, and accept
whatever he gets spontaneously with contentment. Like the python, he
should shake off sleep and wakefulness and abide in a state of incessant
meditation on the Self. Thus the python was my seventh teacher of
wisdom.
8. Sea: Contemplating the marvelous nature of the
ocean, I have gained much wisdom. Any number of overflowing rivers may
join it, yet the sea maintains its level. Nor does its level fall even
by a hair’s breadth in summer, when all the rivers dry up. So too, the
joys of life do not elate the sage of wisdom, nor do its sorrows depress
him. Just as the sea never crosses its threshold on the beach, the wise
one never transgresses the highest standards of morality under the pull
of passions. Like the sea, he is unconquerable and cannot be troubled
by anything. Like the unfathomable ocean, his true nature and the depths
of his wisdom cannot be easily comprehended by anyone. The ocean, which
has taught me thus, is my eighth guru.
9. Moth: I often
observed that the moth (or, more precisely, a grasshopper) is tempted by
fire to jump in it and get burnt down. So too, the unthinking man is
enticed by the illusory pleasures of the senses and thus gets caught in
the ceaseless cycles of birth and death. On the other hand, the wise
one, when he catches even a glimpse of the fire of wisdom, leaves
everything aside, leaps in it and burns down the illusion of being a
limited self. Thus the moth was my ninth guru.
10. Elephant:
The elephant was my tenth guru. The human beings raise a stuffed
cow-elephant in the forest. The wild tusker mistakes it for a mate,
approaches it and then skillfully bound in fetters by the cunning human
beings. So too, the unregenerate man is tempted by the opposite sex and
gets bound by the fetters of infatuation. The seekers after liberation
should learn to be free from lust. The elephant was thus one of my
teachers.
11. Ant: The ant stores up lots of food materials
which it neither eats nor gives away in charity to any other creature.
In consequence, other more powerful creatures are tempted to plunder the
ants. So too, the man who lays by treasures of merely material things
becomes a victim of robbery and murder. But the ant has something
positive to teach us, too. It is a tireless worker and is never
discouraged by any number of obstacles and setbacks in its efforts to
gather its treasure. So too, a seeker after wisdom should be tireless in
his efforts for Self-Realization. This noble truth has the little ant
taught me and became my eleventh guru.
12. Fish: The fish
greedily swallows bait and is at once caught by the angle-hook. From
this, I realized how man meets his destruction by his craving for
delicious food. When the palate is conquered, all else is conquered.
Besides, there is a positive feature in the fish. It never leaves its
home, i.e. water. So too, man should never loose sight of his true Self,
but should ever have his being in it. Thus the fish became my twelfth
guru.
13. Pingala: The thirteenth guru that has awakened my
spirit is a prostitute named Pingala. One day, she eagerly awaited a
particular client in the hope that he would pay her amply. She waited
and waited till late in the night. When he did not turn up, she was at
last disillusioned and reflected thus: "Alas! How stupid I am!
Neglecting the divine spirit within, who is of the nature of bliss
eternal, I foolishly awaited a debauchee (sensualist) who inspires my
lust and greed. Henceforth, I shall expend myself on the Self, unite
with Him and win eternal joy. Through such repentance, she attained
blessedness. Besides, reflecting on its obvious purport, I also realized
that a spiritual aspirant should likewise reject the lure of lesser
spiritual powers, which are mere by-products of sadhana (spiritual
practice). I learned that the temptation to secure things from other’s
hands are the seeds of misery; that renunciation of these is the sole
means of realizing infinite joy.
14. Arrow-maker: Once I
observed an arrow-maker who was totally absorbed in molding a sharp
arrow. He grew so oblivious of all else that he did not even notice a
royal pageant that passed by. This sight awakened me to the truth that
such single-minded, all-absorbing contemplation of the Self
spontaneously eliminates all temptation for the trivial interests of the
world. It is the sole secret of success in spiritual discipline. Thus
the arrow-maker is my fourteenth guru.
15. Playful Boy: Little
boys and girls know neither honor nor dishonor. They do not nurse a
grudge or a prejudice against anyone. They do not know what is their
own, or what belongs to others. Their happiness springs from their own
selves, their innate creativity and they do not need any external
objects or conditions to be happy. I realized that the sage of perfect
enlightenment is also such. A playful boy thus happened to be my
fifteenth guru.
16. Moon: Of all things in nature, the moon is
unique. It appears to wax and wane during the bright and dark
fortnights. In fact, the lunar globe ever remains the same. In this, it
is like the self of the man. While a man appears to pass through the
stages of infancy, boyhood, youth, maturity and old age, his real self
remains unchanged. All changes pertain only to body and not to the self.
Again, the moon only reflects the light of the sun, but has no such of
its own. So too, the soul or mind of man is only a reflection of the
light of awareness of the real Self. Having taught this truth, the moon
became my sixteenth guru.
17. Honeybee: Honeybee wanders from
flower to flower and, without hurting them in the least, draws honey. So
too, a spiritual seeker should study all the Holy Scriptures but retain
in his heart, only that which is essential for his spiritual practice.
Such is the teaching I imbibed from my seventeenth guru, the honeybee.
18. Deer: It is said that deers are very fond of music and that
poachers employ it to lure them before hunting them. From this, I
learned that passions and sensual desires will soon bog down a spiritual
aspirant who has a weakness for merely secular music, till he
ultimately loses whatever spiritual progress he has achieved earlier.
The deer that taught me this truth is my eighteenth guru.
19.
Bird of prey: A bird of prey is my nineteenth guru. One day, I saw one
such carrying away a dead rat. Many other birds like crows and eagles
attacked it, now kicking on its head and again pecking on its sides in
their endeavor to knock off the prey. The poor bird was thus very much
pestered. At last, it wisely let its prey fall and all the other birds
rushed after it. Thus freeing itself from so much botheration, it sighed
in relief. From this, I learned that a man who runs after worldly
pleasures will soon come into clash with his fellow-beings who too run
for the same, and has to face much strife and antagonism. If he learns
to conquer his craving for worldly things, he can spare himself much
unhappiness. I realized that this is the only way to the peace in the
world.
20. Maiden: Once, I observed a family visit a maiden’s
house, seeking her hand in marriage for their son. At that time, her
mother was away from home. So the maiden herself had to entertain the
guests with refreshments. She at once started pounding food-grains with a
pestle. The bangles on her hand started knocking against each other,
pounding sound. She was afraid that the guests might hear the sound and
be unhappy for having caused her so much of trouble. As a Hindu maiden,
she is not expected to remove all the bangles on her hand at any time.
So she kept two on each hand and removed all the rest. Even then, they
were knocking against each other and were making noise. So she kept only
one bangle on each hand this time and she could finish her task in
quiet. Reflecting on this, I realized that when a number of spiritual
seekers live together, a lot of unwanted gossip ensues and no spiritual
practice can be pursued with a single-minded effort. Only in solitude, a
spiritual aspirant can carry his task. Knowing this truth, I henceforth
resorted to solitude. Thus, a maiden happened to be my twentieth guru.
21. Serpent: I observed that a serpent never builds a dwelling for
itself. When white ants have raised an anthill for themselves, the
serpent eventually come to inhabit it. Similarly, worldly people have to
endure many hardships in raising houses for themselves, while a recluse
monk does no such thing. Worldly men raise the monasteries and the monk
lives in them; or, he leaves in old dilapidated temples, or underneath
shady trees. The serpent moults, leaving off its old skin. So too at the
end of his life Yogi leaves his body deliberately and in full awareness
of his own true self and is not frightened by the phenomenon of death.
On the other hand, he casts off his old body as happily as he does his
worn out clothes and dons new ones. Thus has my twenty first guru taught
me.
22. Spider: The spider is my twenty second guru. It weaves
its web from the thread in the form of a fluid. After sometime, it
gathers up the web into itself. The supreme projects the whole creation
out of itself and after sometime, withdraws it into itself at the time
of dissolution. The individual soul too, bears the senses and the mind
within itself and, at its birth as a human being or any other living
creature, it projects them out as the sense organs, organs of action and
the whole body. In accordance with its latent tendencies, the creature
thus born, gathers up all the means and objects needed for its living.
At the end of its life’s duration, the soul again withdraws the senses,
mind and acquired tendencies at the hour of death. Thus have I learned
from the spider.
23. Caterpillar: The caterpillar is also one
of my teachers of wisdom. The wasp carries its caterpillar to a safe
corner and closes it up in its nest and goes on buzzing about it. The
young caterpillar is so frightened by the incessant buzzing, that it
cannot think of anything else than the buzzing wasp. Through such
unintermittent contemplation of its mother, the caterpillar too, soon
grows up into a wasp! In a like fashion, a true disciple is so charmed
and over-awed by the spiritual eminence of his own guru that he cannot
think of any one other than him. Through such contemplation, he soon
blossoms into a great spiritual master himself. The caterpillar is thus
my twenty third Guru.
24. Water: Water is my twenty fourth
Guru. It quenches the thirst of every creature, sustains innumerable
trees and all creatures. While it thus serves all living beings, it is
never proud of itself. On the other hand, it humbly seeks the lowliest
of places. The sage too should likewise bestow health, peace and joy to
every creature that resorts to him. Yet he should ever live as the
humblest of God’s creation.
With such humility and devotion, I
looked upon the whole of God’s creation as my teacher, gathered up
wisdom and, through patient effort I realized my goal of spiritual
enlightenment.
śvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
![ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದೂ ಕೂಡಾ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಒಬ್ಬ ಸುಳ್ಳುಗಾರ, ಆತ ಮೋಸದಿಂದ ದ್ರೋಣ-ಕರ್ಣರನ್ನು ಕೊಲ್ಲಿಸಿದ, ಧರ್ಮರಾಯನಿಂದ ಸುಳ್ಳು ಹೇಳಿಸಿದ, ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ಕದ್ದ, ಗೋಪಿಯರ ಸೀರೆ ಕದ್ದ, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿಯಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿದು ಗೊಂದಲಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗುವವರಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇದು ಯಾವುದು ಧರ್ಮ ಹಾಗೂ ಯಾವುದು ಅಧರ್ಮ; ಯಾವುದು ಸತ್ಯ ಹಾಗೂ ಯಾವುದು ಸುಳ್ಳು ಎನ್ನುವ ಪರಿಜ್ಞಾನವಿಲ್ಲದಾಗ ಆಗುವ ಗೊಂದಲ. ತಿರುಳನ್ನು ನೋಡದೇ ಮೇಲ್ನೋಟದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತರೆ ಸತ್ಯ ನಮಗೆ ಅರ್ಥವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಒಂದು ಘಟನೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ: ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನ ತೊಡೆಯನ್ನು ಭೀಮನಿಂದ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಮುರಿಸಿರುವುದು. ಇದನ್ನು ಬಲರಾಮ ಕೂಡಾ ಅಧರ್ಮ ಎಂದು ವಿರೋಧಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆಗ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಉತ್ತರ ಬಹಳ ರೋಚಕವಾದುದು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ: “ಧರ್ಮ ಆಚರಣೆ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ತರುತ್ತದೆ ನಿಜ; ಆದರೆ ಯಾವುದು ಧರ್ಮ, ಯಾವುದು ಅಧರ್ಮ ಎಂದು ತೀರ್ಮಾನ ಮಾಡುವುದು ಕಷ್ಟ” ಎಂದು. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನನ್ನು ಉದ್ಧೇಶಿಸಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ: “ನಿನ್ನ ತೊಡೆ ಮುರಿದದ್ದು ಅಧರ್ಮ ಎಂದಿಯಲ್ಲ, ಆ ತೊಡೆ ಎಂತಹ ತೊಡೆ? ತುಂಬಿದ ಸಭೆಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯನ್ನು ಅರೆನಗ್ನಾವಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಳೆದು ತಂದು, ತೊಡೆತಟ್ಟಿ, ‘ನನ್ನ ತೊಡೆಯಮೇಲೆ ಬಂದು ಕೂಡು’ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದೆಯಲ್ಲ; ಪರಸ್ತ್ರೀಗೆ ತಟ್ಟಿದ ತೊಡೆಗೆ ಇದು ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ. ಇಷ್ಟು ಮಾಡದೇ ಹೋದರೆ ಈ ದೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಧರ್ಮದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಏನಾದೀತು” ಎಂದು ಕೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣ. ಈ ರೀತಿ ಮೇಲ್ನೋಟಕ್ಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ವ್ಯತಿರಿಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡರೂ ಕೂಡಾ, ಅದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಬೇರೆ ಆಯಾಮದಲ್ಲಿ, ಸತ್ಯ-ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದೆ ತೆರೆದು ತೋರಿಸಿದ ಭಗವಂತನ ಅಪೂರ್ವ ಅವತಾರ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾವತಾರ. ಈ ಸತ್ಯ ತಿಳಿದಾಗ ಮಾತ್ರ ನಮಗೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾವತಾರ ಅರ್ಥವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ...
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