Fed up with life, यदु (ancestor of श्रीकृष्ण) walked away from the palace & entered a forest to seek a गुरू who would initiate him into the mysteries of परम ज्ञान. One day, he came across a naked साधु, smeared with ash, radiant with bliss. यदु felt drawn to him & asked, ‘who are you?’ ‘I am an अवधूत,’ said दत्तात्रेय. Said यदु, ‘I wish to shake off अविद्या & know the अक्षर, the imperishable (the basic source of the universe). Please teach me’. Pleased by the श्रद्धा of यदु, दत्तात्रेय gave him the names of 24 Gurus from whom He acquired गुण that eventually led him towards अक्षर.

दत्तात्रेय told यदु that a child-like mind that is open, receptive & flexible & focussed on gaining ब्रह्मज्ञान will certainly attain सिद्धी. The 24 Gurus are;

पृथ्वी (1st गुरू)

From the पृथ्वी, दत्तात्रेय learned the qualities of क्षमा, unselfishness & तितिक्षा (strength to bear pain).

Often, life is hampered owing to a past fixation. A past trauma decides one’s response to similar situations in future also. Nothing is seen with freshness & innocence; is instead seen through fear & suspicion owing to past conditioning. Inadequacy, lack of confidence, poor self-esteem are in reality lack of faith or trust in ourselves.

पृथ्वी, burdened by a thankless world, stands firm & proud. She is not demoralised. She does not punish or reject herself. With immense tenderness she holds the world in her lap, unmindful of assaults on her person. पृथ्वी is thus symbolic of श्रद्धा, having a capacity to hold together herself and all associated with Her, with great compassion, giving of Herself totally to the situation which asks of Her, with an unflinching steadiness. पृथ्वी is thus my first गुरू.

वायु (2nd गुरू)

I observed that air is pure and odorless in itself. And it blows on both sweet & 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 2nd गुरू.

आकाश or Space (3rd गुरू)

From the 3rd गुरू, I have come to appreciate the idea that the same आत्मा that resides in all animate & inanimate forms in the whole universe also resides in & gives life to an individual body. Clouds get created owing to action of fire (Sun) on water present on the earth while clouds move owing to air – all these actions are however possible only within space/ sky without which no such creation / movement are possible. Equally, space is not concerned with these multiple movements and transformations. Similarly, in the presence of आत्मा, the body (viz made up of elements water, air, etc) does various actions when principle of Time plays upon or stirs the three Gunas (सत्व, रजो and तमोगुण) present within the body. This आत्मा however is something else other than the body and must not be mixed up with it.

(A modern analogy – Electricity is present in the bulb but the bulb is not electricity – equally, electricity is present both outside and outside the bulb and will always be there whether bulb is there or not)

Water (4th गुरू)

From my 4th गुरू, water, I learnt the extent of compassion I need to develop within me as a योगी. Pure, holy, naturally loving and sweet, a योगी exercises a sanctifying influence on men, in which respect he resembles the holy waters of the Ganga which purify men by sight, contact and praise. Water to me is thus symbolic of the COMPASSION of a yogi that flows to the world continuously nourishing and refreshing.

Fire (5th गुरू)

My 5th गुरू was fire which burns up all that is put into it while retaining its own essence as fire. Similarly, a perfected योगी retains his essence even though he engages with the people of the world. Such a योगी consumes the food offered by the donors only to burn up the past and future sins of the donors. Also, Fire reminds me of परमात्मा who is present within our body just like (principle of) fire within fuel – when we invoke or activate this परमात्मा , the inner fire in the form of higher ज्ञान is lit up causing the defects of अविद्या (ignorance of ब्रह्मज्ञान) within us to be burnt up.

Moon (6th गुरू)

My 6th गुरू is the moon which is a reminder of an unchanging essence beneath an illusory visible change outside. The moon gives the appearance of waxing & waning yet there is actually no intrinsic change in it. Likewise the moods and changes in humans are qualities of body and mind which keep changing while our आत्मा (our core essence) is really not subject to change.

Sun (7th गुरू)

The sun as 7th गुरू brought to my mind qualities of egoless-ness and all pervasive presence. From the sun that takes water from the ocean by evaporating it and returning it as life-giving rain water (Sun does not get anything in this process), I realised that a योगी accepts the objects of the senses with his sense organs not for his own enjoyment but to release them to the needy people at the proper time. Further, the Sun’s light is reflected in gutters, rivers, streams, puddles, and looks different according to the contents & qualities of the water, but in itself, the Sun is the same. So to, the आत्मा in different bodies seems to take on the qualities of the body, but in reality is the same one everywhere.

कपोत or Pigeon (8th गुरू)

कपोत taught me that excessive” emotional attachment to family can make mind restless and senses lose control; such a person loses opportunity to expand and is instead lead to destruction. A कपोत & wife had little babies which were caught in a net by a hunter. The mother cried piteously on seeing her kids in the net & lured herself towards the net to her death. The father कपोत saw no future for himself after losing his family and he too lured himself towards the net and died. I learnt from this that “too much” emotional involvement results in the destruction of ability to think rationally. The higher yearning is wished away by preconceived notions, rigidity of mind and intellectual clutter.

अजगर or Python (9th गुरू)

Seeing a python eat only what came to it, not setting out in search of food, I learned the value of surrender (meaning that if one surrenders to nature, if one is rightly oriented, nature will itself provide for one’s means of survival and one need not panic and run all over the place).

(while this may look like a message for a संयासी, the message for गृहस्त like us is that we must also not panic in situations of crisis & pursue panic-driven incoherent solutions. Instead, we may bear out the crisis with patience & a solution will emerge to such a calm mind).

सागर or Ocean (10th गुरू)

योगी must remain still and calm but deep and profound, unfathomable, inviolable, boundless and unperturbed like the ocean. The ocean receives all rivers, all the waters of the earth, some clean, some polluted, yet it remains unaffected and retains its essential ‘oceanness’. Freedom from disturbance (irrespective of the joyful or depressing events that enter into our lives) was the lesson I learnt from the ocean.

पतंगवत् or Moth (11th गुरू)

Seeing a moth drawn to its destruction by its infatuation with the glittering flame, the योगी must realise how desire (clothes, ornaments, etc which offer attraction to man as objects of enjoyment) can lead to destruction. Such an infatuation for objects deprives a man of discriminative vision. This in turn generates an intense attachment to them leading to such a person becoming a victim to the sense objects and thus perishing.

मधुकरी or Bee (12th गुरू)

Flying from flower to flower, a bee takes enough honey (or essence) while leaving the flowers unbruised & unhurt. A योगी must only seek the essential teachings of all scriptures of varying importance (rather than get lost in the detail). Also, a योगी must take enough भिक्षा as much as his palm can take without burdening any गृहस्त. Further, excess honey stored by a bee does not benefit the bee as someone else uses it up. A योगी must thus learn this lesson from a bee and take only enough food as is required for the time being and not store even for evening or tomorrow.

(While this may be seen as inapplicable to a ordinary गृहस्त but is actually pushing us to live a “need-based” rather than a “desire-driven” lifestyle. )

गज or Elephant (13th गुरू)

An elephant gets beaten by a more powerful rival when it is attracted to a she-elephant and fights with a rival. My 13th गुरू is this elephant which taught me that when one is in the path of pursuit of the highest truth, one should not be deluded by the distractions of sensual desire (food, music, etc). Even a small thought of such desires can pull one down from one-pointedness in one’s search or one’s area of pursuit.

Honey-gatherer (14th गुरू)

The bee speeds his time making honey which the honey-gatherer enjoys. Similarly, wealth accumulated by a miser who neither enjoys it himself nor gives it for charity is used by someone else who knows about it. I realised that most often people spend their lifetime gathering possessions in the faint hope that they will give them happiness and security. Not only do these possessions not give any inner security but the majority of people are so busy gathering possessions that they do not have time to enjoy them. They are enjoyed by other people.

हिरण or Deer (15th गुरू)

On one occasion the योगी watched a deer. Nimble and swift of foot, it was on guard and alert. A hunter who failed to catch it realised that the animal was interested in or distracted by music. Knowing its vulnerability, he distracted it by doing an imitative cry of a doe and caught it. Any vulnerability is a weakness on the spiritual path. एकाग्रता or one-pointedness is lost. In no time, the sadhak who has raised himself with great effort is plunged into रजो & तमोगुण. One should always be aware of one’s vulnerable point and be alert on the path so that one does not go astray.

Fish (16th गुरू)

The fish is caught because the bait with the worm is a temptation. The योगी was alerted to this obstacle while watching the fish. By abstinence, wise men conquer all the senses except that of taste whose craving only becomes intensified by too much abstinence. Only if the craving for taste has been conquered, all other senses are as good as conquered.

पिंगला (17th गुरू)

Once पिंगला, a courtesan/ dancing girl, waited for her clients. After a long wait & no client gracing her home, her calm exterior turned into anguish & anxiety. But no one came that day. In a flash, she became utterly disgusted with herself & thought, ‘It is because of my greed for money and yearning for pleasure that I suffer.’ At the height of suffering; she turned her चेतना within & a great change took place in her. ‘Had I but sought महाविष्णु who lives within me with the same intensity, I would not be in this plight now’. With this, she closed the door of her house & had a great sleep. This INSTANT BUT PERMANENT वैराग्य of पिंगला was inspiring as also her विवेक which highlighted her greed orientation to herself following which she easily “permanently” dropped her yearnings (like the dropping of a garment).

(Two good points – 1) ease of dropping comes after years of experience & 2) This वैराग्य can come about with pursuit of any career)

कुरर or Sparrow (18th गुरू)

From a कुरर, I learnt that a man who knows two things opens up the possibility to infinite joy – 1) the more a sense object is considered desirable and sought after, the more it is a source of sorrow and suffering and 2) that ownership as a concept is meaningless & a man really owns nothing. I watched a small sparrow flying with a piece of food in its beak, immediate a flock of birds attacked it. The sparrow continued to hold on to its food for a while but once the attacks from the big birds became intense, the little sparrow dropped its food. Immediately, the sparrow was at peace being free from such attacks. I thus learnt that feelings of ownership of sense objects and pursuing these vigorously bring sorrow and being free from these brings about happiness.

बाल or Child (19th गुरू)

I saw a little child playing relaxed and untouched by the past. A child lives from moment to moment. He does not remember the abuse & pain of a moment ago, nor does he dream of the future. All of him is present at every moment. There is no tension in play, no competition, no feeling of effort in conduct of activities – just sheer joy & fun & celebration. I learnt that only two types of people are free from worries and immersed in joy – one a child while other being a true योगी.

कुमारी or Girl (20th गुरू)

The 20th गुरू was a young girl who was alone at home when she had unexpected visitors. She seated them with respect and then went into the inner room to prepare food for them. While pounding the rice her conch bangles (a poor girl’s ornament) made a noise knocking against each other. Ashamed that sound of conch bangles will betray poverty of her house, she broke these bangles one by one so that the noise would not disturb her guests until she had just two on her arm. When these too made a noise she broke one so that she had just one.

Wandering as I do to learn truths directly from life, I understood from this episode that one should walk alone on spiritual path. If too many people live together, quarrel will be the result. Even if two are staying together, time will be wasted on mutual conversations and not focus on the आत्मा. So I travel alone like the single bangle on the girl’s arm conversing with none.

Arrow Maker (21st गुरू)

An arrow maker’s mind is fully concentrated on the arrow-head he is forging and is unaware even if a king’s retinue is passing by. A योगी mind is similarly focussed on आत्मा as pure Self-awareness and is without any experience of inside & outside and of objects pertaining to them. After gaining mastery over आसन & प्राणायाम (3rd & 4th state of योग), one should fix mind on the Universal Being in a state of ध्यान. Through वैराग्य, one should check outgoing tendency of mind and through अभ्यास, one should check the mind tendency to sleep. Such ध्यान enhances सत्वगुण & eliminates रज & तमोगुण. Over a period of time, one even goes beyond सत्वगुण and the mind gets extinguished like fire that has consumed its fuel. This mind state is like the no-mind state of the arrow maker.

सर्प or Snake (22nd गुरू)

A snake lives alone and always lives in a hole built by others. A योगी must similarly be a lone wanderer, homeless, always vigilant, difficult to recognize by externals, solitary, without assistants and reserved in the mode of speech. Also, a योगी should have no home of his own but rest in others’ home temporarily

(This may not be palatable but the key message is to dissuade people from living life with the concept of “ownership” to material objects owing to ills associated with this concept).

Spider (23rd गुरू)

A spider weaves its web from its mouth, sports in it for some time and then withdraws the web into itself. Through this act of a spider, I have come to understand that the परमात्मा also creates, spreads & then withdraws the Universe into Himself. At the end of कल्प, श्रीनारायण, the sole Reality, destroys by His power of Time the whole Universe which His own माया has created. When Time has brought the त्रिगुण into equilibrium, He exists as the Sole Reality, being Himself His own support, the residual base of all & the Master of प्रकृति & पुरुष. When the creative cycle begins again, Time viz but his Will, agitates His own माया constituted of त्रिगुण and manifests the all pervading spirit known as Mahat. Our entire universe is threaded by Him & all जीव (individual life beings) transmigrate from one life to another because of Him only.

Wasp & Worm (24th गुरू)

The 24th गुरू was a wasp. The wasp is said to take an worm, keep it in its nest, and keep stinging it every now and then until the worm becomes one-pointed with fear. It is as if the worm is continuously meditating on the wasp in its terror – this goes on until the worm transforms itself fully by taking on the trait of its tormentor & itself become a wasp. The situation is like that of Sambhrama योग that कंस practised. His fear of कृष्ण made his mind so one-pointed that he attained oneness with कृष्ण. I learnt from this that whatever area/ object a person concentrates his mind on, whether be it from fear, love or animosity, that person attains the state of that area/ object of focus.

Conclusion

Apart from various गुरू, I also learnt वैराग्य & cultivation of विवेक from my body. वैराग्य came on the realization of impermanence of the body subject to numerous births & deaths with misery as its fruit. विवेक came to be cultivated only through a body experience of various cravings of taste, smell, etc all its life. We are very lucky to be born with a human body. In the early stages, the परमात्मा only created beings like fish, insects, birds, etc but not satisfied with them, He created the human mind capable of achieving a Universal Vision. This subject of universality of being is very profound and one must therefore seek multiple Gurus to enable oneself to cultivate वैराग्य & विवेक – the key ingredients for success of our human life. Thus instructing यदु, just as दत्तात्रेय came by chance, He went away without any particular destination.

।। स्वस्ति ।।