Learning From The Nature

Learning From The Nature

24 Gurus of Dattatreya

As per the Bhartiya wisdom stories Dattatrey is a son of Sage Attri & Mother Anusuya. Dattatreya is considered as one of the powerful Devata in our society. As per the stories he had 24 Gurus from nature. These Gurus have taught him the different aspects of life and living. Let’s see who are these Gurus of Dattatrey Maharaj and what are they teaching us. This is a big story and part of the eleventh Skanda of Bhagwatam. If you have time and want to enjoy the original full text then I would highly recommend you to read or listen to audio on this. In the interest of time, I am summarizing below the 24 Gurus of Dattatreya

1. The Water (Jal): Always flows towards down and rest on the lowest point. If you want to settle in life then high is not the place but the lowest is the place. If you are a seeker of knowledge then that is always the place where people can shower their knowledge upon you.

2. The Earth (Prithvi). Forgiveness and patience. Continuously move. Everything for others.

3. The Sky (Akash). Rain, Fire, Air which are required for agriculture and producing grain comes from Akash. But Akash never claims on any of the produce. Live like Akash. Another property of the Akash is, it can never be contaminated.

4. The Air (Prana Vaayu). We need little air to survive. We cannot take that more than our lungs capacity. Be content with small do not try to hoard, if you hold air for longer you will die. Secondly, when air is in control it is good when it is out of control, it becomes a cyclone. So, learn the importance of control from the air. We should have control over tongue, food, taste. Live a self-controlled life. Otherwise, it is a disaster for yourself and others. Outside Vaayu goes to all the places but does not get stuck in one place. So, keep moving in life. Vayu carries the smell of whatever it touches, it doesn’t have its own smell. So it is moving with Nirlipta bhava.

5. The Fire (Agni). The heat of the fire cannot be suppressed. It is an integral part of a fire. Fire consumes everything but doesn’t hold anything. Fire is present in wood always and sometimes comes out but when comes out it burns the same wood where it was resting. Uncontrolled anger in our life is like that.

6. The Sun (Surya). Attracts water and finally throw that completely back to the earth. Similarly, noble people attract so many things but they never get attached or entangled to any.

7. The Moon (Chandra). Based on the movement of the moon, it looks of different shape and sometimes completely disappears but, in reality, Moon is always complete. Its fullness is not affected by what we see. Atma in the body is complete, no matter whether we see it or not.

8. Ocean (Samudra). The deeper ocean is always silent. No matter how much is the rain, it never overflows.

9. The Body (Sharir). Body and pain both are related. As long as a body remains there are chances of pain occurring in life for you and others around. There is no hope that you have a body and never pain.

10. The Sense Organs (Gyanendriya): Object attracts sense organs, the mind gets pulled because of sense organs, body part moves because of desires of mind to catch the objects around. So, till the time sense organs are not restrained and the mind is not trained there is no hope for happiness in life.

11. A Python (Ajgar). If survival is the only goal, then Python does not move much from his place and all the food comes to him and he survives for many years. Not much effort is required for survival. So don’t waste your life just running for survival. Have some meaningful goals, know that and work for that.

12. An Elephant (Haathi). An elephant is so powerful that it cannot be controlled easily by humans. But just by showing one she-elephant, a mighty elephant can be captured without much effort. No matter how powerful you are, if you have some weakness, iota of attraction for opposite sex then that is good enough for making you a slave.

13. A Dear (Hiran). A musk deer keep running in the whole forest in the search of that smell that is coming from its own musk. A desire for enjoyment that is coming from our own mind keeps us running our whole life until we know the source of joy is inside like musk in the dear.

14. A Pigeon (Kabootar). Excessive love for family, children, people around is the cause of pain and self-destruction. We need to learn when to let things go away. If you want to hold it against their will or against the nature you will suffer. And try to understand this is not love but Raag, a kind of desire.

15. A Fish (Machali). No matter whether it is small fish or big fish, when they jump on the food and hook is inside their mouth they cannot run away. This way they become the food of others. Be careful when you choose your food, business, prospect. If you are careless then there are high chances that very soon you will become the food of others. And your world will shrunk from the ocean to a pond of fisher.

16. A Bumble Bee (Bhavara). A bumble bee goes out to get food for himself from the flower. But when it is attracted by some flower and want to take rest in the same flower then flower will close in the night and bumble bee will die inside that.

17. A Honey Bee (Madhumakhi). To takes its food, it goes to all kinds of flowers and does not suck the juices of only one flower. A saint or sadhu should not trouble only one place or village for his food. Keep moving, this way he will help society in many ways. Otherwise he becomes burdon and people want to get rid of him/her.

18. A Kite fly (Patanga). Death of the kite fly happens when it falls in love with fire. It loves that fire so much that finally, it jumps into it. Therefore understand, in the longer run, excessive attraction to the opposite sex will destroy you.

19. A Crane (Kraunch Pakshi). A crane bird hold meat in his beak is flying speedily and an eagle follows him. A crow thinks that the eagle is his enemy and keeps flying with more and more speed till the time when he cries for help and meat piece fall on the ground and the eagle runs away in different direction. Then crane realizes I was not the enemy but this eagle had eyes on my food. Sometimes when you feel the entire world is after you then let things go. You will come to know everything is fine.

20. A Spider (Makadi). Create its own web, travels in that, and finally consumes it. The creator creates the world in the same way, lives in it, and consumes it by his own illusionary powers.

21. A Honey Extractor (Madhuha). Honey is accumulated by a honeybee by their hard work, but it is enjoyed by somebody else. So do not waste your energy in the accumulation of excess. Understand you are unknowingly working for others and you won’t be able to enjoy all this.

22. An Arrow Maker (Baan Banena Wala). If your attention on your work is supreme then that engrossment is enough to forget the entire world around you.

23. A Girl (Kanya). When there is a single bangle in the hand no matter what work she does it does not make any noise. If you want to live a life that is free of conflict and fight then the only way is to live alone.

24. A Small Boy (Balak): Without bothering about their ego, they will fight and within a few minutes they will start playing together again.

My one more.

1. Copper Pot (Tamra Patra): It becomes dirty everyday, but you cannot notice that. All of sudden you realize that is has become ugly and then you clean that. Body is like that. We become sick everyday, but we don’t notice this. All of sudden something when something serious happens we come to our senses, but sometimes it is too late. Therefore it alway to good to clean copper pot everyday, even if you find it is shining. Otherwise sometimes it too late and too painful.

Hari Om Tat Sat

Yours Truly Hari