Guest guest Posted March 19, 2002 Report Share Posted March 19, 2002 24 GURUS OF DATTATREYA We have been listening to different stories of gurus….sometimes one gets right guru and is relieved of his ignorance and starts on the path of Moksha. But all are not so lucky…most of us either do not find right guru or sometimes are hooked up by a cheat who wastes our time and finally leave us depressed. If we keep ourself open to the universe around us, we can learn many things from it. The Universe around us is God himself teaching us various things, which we tend to forget normally. Shri Dattatreya, the great saint and incarnation of God himself was such a Soul. He saw around him towards the universe and learned his lessons. Once when king Yadu asked Shri Dattatreya about his guru he replied I have 24 gurus O king! They are Earth, Wind, Sky, Water, Fire, Moon, Sun, Pigeon, Python, Ocean, Moth, Bhanwara, Honeybee, An elephant, A deer, A spider, A prostitute (named Pingala), a Bird, A child, An unmarried girl, An Arrow maker, A snake, Fish and Bhringi insect. O learned King now I will tell you what I learnt from these Gurus. Earth : from my guru the Earth I have learnt patience, and forgiveness….As earth does not distinguish between less evolved and developed beings and gives support to all, so I wish to be. Wind: My guru wind wanders on the earth and is never confined or attracted to one place…so I have learnt from him not to be attached to anyone eventhough I may be in contact with many. Sky: sky is covered by storms, thunderbolts, heat and cold, but remains equal in all and after every storm sky shows himself as same… hence I learnt from him how to be calm and un-changed in the face of grief, sorrow and turmoils. Water: My guru water has taught me that as water if put in a pitcher does take shape of the pitcher but when poured into a river it becomes river…so we are Gods encased in the body and we should know our real selves and not by the pitcher sorrounding us. Fire: Guru fire has taught me to be illuminating and help others by our illumination powers Moon: Moon undergoes many phases….He looks like small piece changing size different day…but Moon remains of the same size. I learnt from this phenomenon that with birth and death, sorrow and happiness we may look like born or dead or happy or sad, but our realself is not affected by these Kalaas (Phases) Sun: As sun is one but looks many if seen in different pots of water….I learnt from him that God is one but seems different in different bodies. Pigeon: Once I saw a pigeon, whose wife and chidren were caught by a hunter, and that pigeon threw himself too thinking what he would do without his family and died…..I learnt a great lesson from Pigeon that attachement to family is a big hurdle in getting Moksha. Python : A python does not work hard to get his feed. He simply waits and any animal which comes near his mouth becomes its prey. I learnt from him not to desire unnnecessarily and be happy with what ever God sends to us. Ocean: Guru Ocean has taught me to be deep, thoughtful and not controlled by any wordly things. Bhanwara (Black wasp): Bhanavara takes honey out of Lotus flower and becomes so hypnotised with the fragrance of the flower that it sits in the flower which closes at sunset and the bhanvar dies in it. I learnt a big lesson from him not to be infatuated as it is fatal for the soul. Honeybee: I learnt from honey bee (1) like honey bee does not distinguish between flowers and drinks the nectal from it….I have to read all shastras and philosphies and rejecting their outward appearances I should drink the nectar of truth from them. (2) I have also learnt from them not to hoard anything in this world….like honeybee collects honey with such a great labour, but this honey is stolen by other animals and all her labour wastes. Deer: a hunter plays some beautiful tunes on his flute, and deer comes attracted and is hooked by the hunter….I thus learnt that a Yogi should refrain from entertaining things as these finally hook one into the web of Maya. Sage Shring was a great yogi but he was deflected from his penance by songs of ladies. Fish: Fish runs for a small piece of meat on the fishing hook and is killed ….and I got a great lesson that unless we have full control over our taste-buds, we can not progress on the path of Moksha. Prostitute: There was once a prostitute called Pingala. One day she decorated herself and sat on the window to attract customers. she kept sitting the whole day and sent her alluring signals to many but that day no one came to enjoy her body. In the evening she was sad and suddenly she thought," I have wasted so much energy and time just to attract sexually starved men to fulfil desire and get some money? Had I spent such a time on thinking about God, I would have changed my life forever. This thought gave her so much courage that she left prostitution and became a sanyasin. I learnt from her to avoid hope and desires and go on the path of God. Kurr Bird : Once I saw a Kurr bird who had a small piece of meat in his beak….some eagles and hawks saw meat in his beak and started attacking him fiercely. The wise bird immediately threw away the piece of meat and all the attackers rushed towards the meat, leaving him peaceful. I learnt from him a great lesson. If I cling to desires, the negative forces of the universe will continue attacking me. so better leave the desire and be safe from their attacks. (to continue...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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