24 Gurus of Dattareya-Lesson 1-DharaniMatha Guru

November 4, 2005

Dear Datta Janas,

(Postings made by Shreeram Balijepalli in Smarthrugaami-Dattavibhavam )

Link:

Let us learn one by one the value of each Guru of DattaBhagavan and why he chose even inanimate objects to be His Guru.At the outset I would like to say that these are just symbolic expressions of an Avadhutic heart and not to be taken literally.Dattatreya had an anthropological Guru in the for of Lord Shiva.

Dattatreya mentions about his 24 Gurus to a king who happened to visit his Ashram.

Dattareya's First Guru is

Mother Earth:

Below I proffer an analysis of why he chose Mother Earth as His First Guru and what we can learn from that and apply to it our modern life situations trenchantly.

Dattatreya says to the king upon being enjoined to reveal his Gurus,

"Mother earth is my first guru. She taught me to hold those who trample me, scratch me, and hurt me lovingly in my heart, just as she does. She taught me to give them my best, remembering that their acts are normal and natural from their standpoint..."

Yielding, receptive, responsive, devoted, submissive. Warm and nourishing, the Earth embraces and cares for us. The Earth is our Mother. When treated with respect, the Earth returns her bounty and sustains life. If abused, the Earth can become barren, poisoned.

Earth is green mixed with brown. The cycle of life, of energy and its transformation, occurs within the Earth. Earth is both new growth and rich decay. Earth is nutrients both given and received. Earth is green valleys, dark mountains, a peaceful glen. Earth is moderated by its opposite, the Sky, and is strengthened by its complement, Water. Water enriches Earth and makes it fertile.

In parent-child relationships, earth represents showing compassion, nurturing, giving, making sacrifices, and providing support. When you think of Earth, think of the generative power of creation in giving one's bounty to another. At its best, Earth represents the act of providing food, shelter, and love to a child. Feeding a child is part of the element of the earth. Hugging, kissing, caressing and other forms of nurturing a child's spirit are part of the element of the earth as well.

Where there is love and compassion, there is Earth. It is the Earth that embraces us, provides us with our home.

Children need the quality of earth too. We can teach them how to be kind and compassionate, how to keep someone safe from danger, how to share and give, how to embrace someone in pain.

We can help them realize that they have such bounty within that they can give back to life, to others, by giving expression to such earth elements. By doing so, we help them get their feet on the ground.

(Baby Dattatreya)

Dattatreya hare krishna unmatta ananda dayakaDigambara mune bala pishcha jnana-sagara"Oh Dattatreya, who is Shiva and Krishna and the crazy bestower of bliss You are the naked ascetic, the sage of the vow of silence, the child, the demon, the ocean of knowledge"

Earth teaches us with the nature of "Proactive-ness".One should not "React" to situations.

Just imagine the wreacking of vengeance of Earth if it were to "react" But Mother Earth "pro-acts" Else we all will be finished. The ozone hole was a "proaction"...a reaction would have been the poisioning of the human beings with the noxious fumes. Mother Earth gives a warning. Proactive behaviour is not grovelling. It is not becoming aggressive either.

Life situations these days need proaction not reaction.

Proaction should lead to the following Action not Reaction.

If suppose you were flailed with calumnous aspersions by your colleagues then a reaction will spoil the fine fabric of your peace. Alternatively a proactive situation will pave way for the thing to be ameliorated.They have to be discussed and the misunderstanding sorted out.

Patience is another great virtue taught by Mother earth.

This sprouts from her non-reactive nature.

'Poruthinrundhor Bhoomiyai Alwaar""(Those who are patient will rule the earth)

Shirdi Sai Baba said

he needed two pisae' (two "pennies") " Shraddha and Saburi" when anyone offered Him Guru dakshina.(money offering to Guru). The second quality,Saburi, is what is called "patience".He even used to take symbolically two paise from his devotees.But what he actually asked (shraddha and Saburi) was not given (Shraddha, incidentally eans faith and more....please see my old posting on the quality of Shradhha in Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru group.)

If one is not patient...one will end up as a patient in the hospital!(with heart attack,blood pressure or other serious diseases)

Infact I have a book with me by name

"The joy of laziness"-by Peter Axt. This book is very good though I bought it for the heck of it! Here he says how life should be slowed down and taken at ease. Some thing to munch on for a non-stressed person like me!

Earth too is very slow but steady.Have you ever seen summer come fast or the plant sprouting before time?

Earth teaches us five simple lessons to be happy.Just implement these right now and see the difference.You will be surprised that if the name of Datta is taken and these 5 simple lessons are implemented then Bhuma Devi will make the "light" happen in your life.

5 Lessons

1. Free your heart from hatred. --Earth hates none.All are Her children be it Hitler or Jesus!

2. Free your mind from worries.--Quality of earth is to remain free.Freedom is an expression of earth.It allows all organisms to proliferate and live harmoniously.

3. Live in simplicity-Dont we say "He /She is a very down-to-earth person.".??..there you have the answer!This is a life-lesson. I like Edward De Bono and his lessons in lateral thinking very much.,He has written one book named "Simplicity" .It is a very good book.

However "simplistic" means foolishness. Lot of people do not know the difference between being simple and being simplistic.The later is being foolish and naeive.

(Edward De Bono,Father of Lateral thinking,my thinking Guru! )

If one says "I can change this situation for the better" One is being simple.

If one says "The situation will change for the better for me" One is being simplistic!

4. Give more.--Earth gives it's very blood(petrol),it's all ...be it water,be it minerals or food. Be like the earth and frame it in your mind to succeed.The more you give the more you get.But do not give to get! This is the subtle point....else you miss the point and fall to the ground(and there you have mother earth again taking you into her arms!).This is a material lesson.

5. Expect less.--Mother Earth just expects love from you all.To treat her with care nothing else. Even this humans do not do!

Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurologicalladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk ofdifferent forms of intelligence, each with its strengths and weaknesses.This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December'stsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after theebbing surf to their watery graves!, and all the 'dumb' animals made it into the mainland!

Earth thus gives chances and too much of atrocities will find a way of it's own to be boomaranged! Earth does not expect anything.

The same is with relationships too.Too much of expectations means the person has low-self esteem.You must release the bird with love and not cage it.If it loves you it will come back to the cage and you never have to fear it flying again.This is a Relationship lesson.

Below is one popular story. But still it is relevant for this posting.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity ... boiling water each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it

softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff . Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee

bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? Count your blessings, not your problems.It is said that Mother Earth was askd why she was so patient"She said I count the blessing that Iam Lord Vishnu's divine consort.That is all I need. That alone is enough to console me"

Dattatreya started with his First Guru as Mother Earth and did Her sadhana because He felt that patience is an utomost parinirvanic quality in anyone. Only two people can be patient with impunity a dead body and Gods!

Choose one among the two

(Idiyappa Isha Siddhar of Thiruvannamalai)

Choose to be a God not a deadbody with your tensions and stress borne life.

Each time you feel like cursing. Think of Mother Earth. How many times would you have urinated on Her,spat on Her,thumped Her angrily for no fault of Her's?....Did she do these things back at you?

Bless even one person once and you will be blessed by all. Curse even a baby and the whole world will curse you back!

Bless Divine Mother Earth!

Bless Rajarajeshwari Ma in this Holy instant!

Submitted at the blue lotus feet of my Anthar-Guru,Swa-Guru and Parama-Guru!

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli