Dattatreya and his 24 upagurus!

[Guest guest]

since you addresses this question to dr.yadu and all advaitins, here

is my response!

 

Dattatreya then mentioned the names of his twenty-four Gurus and

spoke of the wisdom that he had learnt from each as follows:

 

"The names of my twenty-four Gurus are earth, water, fire, sky, moon,

sun, pigeon, python, ocean, moth, honey-gatherers (black bee), bees,

elephant, deer, fish, the dancing-girl Pingala, raven, child, maiden,

serpent, arrow-maker, spider and beetle.

 

1. I learnt patience and doing good to others from the *earth.*

 

2. From *water*, I learnt the quality of purity.

 

3. I learnt from *air* to be without attachment though I move with

many people in this world.

 

4. From *fire* I learnt to glow with the splendour of Self-knowledge

and austerity.

 

5. I learnt from the *sky* that the Self is all-pervading and yet it

has no contact with any object.

 

6. I learnt from the *moon* that the Self is always perfect and

changeless and it is only the limiting adjuncts that cast shadows

over it.

 

7. Just as a *sun* reflected in various pots of water appears as so

many different reflections, so also Brahman appears different because

of the bodies caused by the reflection through the mind. This is the

lesson I have learnt from the *sun.*

 

8. I once saw a pair of *pigeons* with their young birds. A fowler

spread a net and caught the young birds. The mother pigeon was very

much attached to her children. She fell into the net and was caught.

>From this I have learnt that attachment is the root cause of earthly

bondage.

 

9. The *python* does not move about for its food. It remains contented

with whatever it gets, lying in one place. From this I learnt to be

unmindful of food and to be contented with whatever I get to eat.

 

10. Just as the *ocean* remains unmoved, even though hundreds of

rivers

flow into it, so also the wise man should remain unmoved among all

the various sorts of temptations, difficulties and troubles.

 

11. To control the sense of sight and to fix the mind on the Self, is

the lesson I learnt from the* moth.*

 

12. I take a little food from one house and a little from another

house and thus appease my hunger. I am not a burden on the

householder. This I learnt from the black *bee* which gathers honey

from various flowers.

 

13. *Bees* collect honey with great trouble, but a hunter comes along

and takes the honey away easily. From this I learnt that it is

useless to hoard things.

 

14. The male *elephant*, blinded by lust, falls into a pit covered

with grass, even at the sight of a female elephant. Therefore, one

should

destroy lust.

 

15. The *deer* is enticed and trapped by the hunter through its love

of music. Therefore, one should never listen to lewd songs.

 

16. Just as a *fish* that is covetous of food falls an easy victim to

the bait, so also the man who is greedy for food loses his

independence and easily gets ruined.

 

17. There was a *dancing girl named Pingala.* Being tired of looking

for customers, one night she became hopeless. She had to be contented

with what traffic she had that day and retired to a sound sleep. I

learnt from this fallen woman the lesson that the abandonment of hope

leads to contentment.

 

18. A *raven* picked up a piece of flesh. It was pursued and beaten by

other birds. It dropped the piece of flesh and attained peace and

rest. From this I learnt that a man in the world undergoes all sorts

of troubles and miseries when he runs after sensual pleasures and

that he becomes as happy as the bird when he abandons them.

 

19. The *child* who sucks milk is free from all cares, worries and

anxieties, and is always cheerful. I learnt the virtue of

cheerfulness from the child.

 

20. The *maiden* was husking paddy. Her bangles made much noise and

there were visitors from her husband's house. To silence the bangles,

she removed them, one by one. Even when there were just two, they

produced some noise. When she had only one, it did not make any

noise, and she was happy. I learnt from the maiden that living among

many would create discord, disturbance, dispute and quarrel. Even

among two there might be unnecessary words or strife. The ascetic or

the Sannyasin should remain alone in solitude.

 

21. A *serpent* does not build its own hole. It dwells in the holes

dug out by others. Even so, an ascetic should not build a home for

himself. He should live in a temple or a cave built by others.

 

22. I learnt from the *arrow-maker* the quality of intense

concentration of mind.

 

23. The *spider* pours out of its mouth long threads and weaves them

into cobwebs. Then it gets itself entangled in the net of its own

making. Even so, man makes a net of his own ideas and gets entangled

in it. The wise man should, therefore, abandon all worldly thoughts

and think of Brahman only.

 

24. The *beetle* catches hold of a worm, puts it in its nest and gives

it a sting. The poor worm, always fearing the return of the beetle

and sting, and thinking constantly of the beetle, becomes a beetle

itself. I learnt from the beetle and the worm to turn myself into the

Self by contemplating constantly on It; thus I gave up all attachment

to the body and attained liberation."

 

**********************************************************************

This is from my group "brahmanshakti" that i posted quite sometime

ago! (courtesy-shri dattatreya peetham)

 

i will wait for dr.yadu to give the exact scruiptural reference from

srimad bhagvatam!

 

regards

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16>

wrote:

> since you addresses this question to dr.yadu and all advaitins,

here

> is my response!

>

> Dattatreya then mentioned the names of his twenty-four Gurus and

> spoke of the wisdom that he had learnt from each as follows:

>

> "The names of my twenty-four Gurus are earth, water, fire, sky,

moon,

> sun, pigeon, python, ocean, moth, honey-gatherers (black bee), bees,

> elephant, deer, fish, the dancing-girl Pingala, raven, child,

maiden,

> serpent, arrow-maker, spider and beetle.

>

> 1. I learnt patience and doing good to others from the *earth.*

 

Namaste Adi Maaji and all advaitins

 

You have just given me 24 upadeshas. It is so wonderful. I pray for

Guru's grace to be able to do adequate sravana, manana and assimilate

and live each one of the profound learnings.

Many thousand namskarams to all advaitins

Sridhar

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "asridhar19" <asridhar19>

wrote:

> advaitin, "adi_shakthi16"

<adi_shakthi16>

> wrote:

> > since you addresses this question to dr.yadu and all advaitins,

> here

> > is my response!

> >

> > Dattatreya then mentioned the names of his twenty-four Gurus and

> > spoke of the wisdom that he had learnt from each as follows:

> >

> > "The names of my twenty-four Gurus are earth, water, fire, sky,

> moon,

> > sun, pigeon, python, ocean, moth, honey-gatherers (black bee),

bees,

> > elephant, deer, fish, the dancing-girl Pingala, raven, child,

> maiden,

> > serpent, arrow-maker, spider and beetle.

> >

> > 1. I learnt patience and doing good to others from the *earth.*

>

> Namaste Adi Maaji and all advaitins

>

> You have just given me 24 upadeshas. It is so wonderful. I pray

for

> Guru's grace to be able to do adequate sravana, manana and

assimilate

> and live each one of the profound learnings.

> Many thousand namskarams to all advaitins

> Sridhar

 

Namaste Sridharji,

 

Kamala Subrahmanyam's Srimad Bhagavatham in English contains the

Avaduta Gita in detail. This book is also excellent in many other

ways.

 

Harih Om!

Neelakantan

[Guest guest]

All this means is nicely said in R^igveda - aa no bhadraaH kratavo

yantu vishvataH

 

In PuraaNa the same concepts are express in various story formats for

easier understanding and comprehension.

 

Tukaraama MaharaJ says - je je dekholi bhuuta te te maanije

bhagav.nta ||

 

All saints have said the same thing in different formats depending on

their contemporary society. It is unfortunate "WE" get attached

to "WHO" has said it rather then concentrating on "WHAT" it means

and "HOW" does it apply to us toady.

 

The situation may be different by operating principles are same.

 

Once again I would like to conclude by saying -

 

aa no bhadraaH kratavo yantu vishvataH

 

 

Regards,

 

Dr. Yadu

 

 

advaitin, "asridhar19" <asridhar19> wrote:

> advaitin, "adi_shakthi16"

<adi_shakthi16>

> wrote:

> > since you addresses this question to dr.yadu and all advaitins,

> here

> > is my response!

> >

> > Dattatreya then mentioned the names of his twenty-four Gurus and

> > spoke of the wisdom that he had learnt from each as follows:

> >

> > "The names of my twenty-four Gurus are earth, water, fire, sky,

> moon,

> > sun, pigeon, python, ocean, moth, honey-gatherers (black bee),

bees,

> > elephant, deer, fish, the dancing-girl Pingala, raven, child,

> maiden,

> > serpent, arrow-maker, spider and beetle.

> >

> > 1. I learnt patience and doing good to others from the *earth.*

>

> Namaste Adi Maaji and all advaitins

>

> You have just given me 24 upadeshas. It is so wonderful. I pray for

> Guru's grace to be able to do adequate sravana, manana and

assimilate

> and live each one of the profound learnings.

> Many thousand namskarams to all advaitins

> Sridhar