Dattatreya's 24 Gurus- Lesson 4-Vayu Gurudeva

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Dear Datta Priya Vallabhas, Continuing my thread on the 24 Gurus of Dattatreya let me broach upon the fourth Guru of Dattatreya. Vayu- Wind. The king then asks... King: Who is your fourth guru, sir? Dattatreya:

Wind is my fourth guru. The wind moves unceasingly, touching flowers and thorns alike, but never attaches itself to the objects it touches. Like the wind, I learned not to prefer flowers over thorns, or friends over foes. Like the wind, my goal is to provide freshness to all without becoming attached. These 24 symbolic Gurus of Datta as Taoistically selected by Him to impart lessons of Vairagya,Karuna,Sahaja and Mudita. He being a Sahaja Marga Avadhutha loves nature and it's elements. The panchabhutas thus form his first five Gurus. The thrid element is Air or Vayu.Again it has two levels as earth and water i.e.eternal atom and perishable Karya. One can feel air, as we breath in or out.We feel the storm or strong breeze which are temporary but air at atomic level remains around us eternally. In the Purana there is a mention of 49 types of Maruts or winds.Seven are important namely 1. Pravaha 2 Avaha; 3,Udvaha 4. Samvaha; 5 Vivaha; 6 Parvaha and 7.Paravaha. The wind which takes the water from the ocean is called Udvaha. Vayu Deva as depicted in Vedas. Guruvaayurappan,Dattatreya and Vayu Bhavan have a connection The Gurupavanapura-Mahatmya which forms part of the Narada Purana alludes briefly to its history and sanctity. The story goes that King Janamejaya, son of King Parikshit, wished to avenge his father's death which was brought about by the deadly Takshaka , a Naga chief. He accordingly performed a sarpa yagna in which thousands of innocent reptiles perished.As a result of the victims' curse he become afflicted with leprosy. The disease manifested itself at the very touch of his bride, Jyotishmati of Avanti , on the very day of their marriage.

He obtained no relief from medicines. In despair he was on the point of taking his own life when the sage Dattatreya appeared before him. Moved by the king's sufferings, the sage suggested a remedy: propitiation of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur. He then revealed to the monarch the glory of that deity. "The deity at Guruvayur," said Dattatreya, "is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana and Narayana Himself was the first to worship Him." At the beginning of the Padma Kalpa. He gave it to Brahma and it was by the grace of this deity that he was able to carry out his allotted task of creation.At the beginning of the Varaha Kalpa, Sutapa and Prisni who had no

children, prayed to Brahma for the gift of a son. The creator gave them the deity and said that their wish would be fulfilled by worshipping it. Pleased with their sincere and deep devotion, Lord Mahavishnu Himself appeared before them. Three times they asked Him for a son and every time He said, "Be it so" and added that He would be born to them as their son at three successive births and they would have the good fortune of worshipping the divine deity too during all the three janmas In due course, Prisni gave birth to a son, who was named 'Prisnigarbha'. In their second life, as Kasyapa and Aditi, the couple worshipped the same deity. The Lord incarnated

Himself as Vamana in order to deliver the demon king Bali who was a threat to the demigods.Kasyapa and Aditi were born as Vasudeva and Devaki in their third life. They received the deity from Dhaumya and through its grace Lord Krishna was born to them. After slaying Kamsa, Krishna moved to Dwaraka where He built a temple in which He installed the deity of the Supreme Lord Himself and worshipped it after the death of His parents.When the time came for the Lord's ascent to Goloka Vrindavan, Lord Krishna told His foremost disciple and devotee Uddhava that the purpose of His appearance was over and that He would soon disappear. Uddhava was plunged in grief thinking of the terrible fate that would befall the world in kaliyuga during His absence. The Lord pacified His devotee by saying that He would manifest Himself in the deity and shower His blessings on His devotees and ward off the evil effects of Kaliyuga. He asked Uddhava to take good care of the deity during the

impending submergence of Dwaraka in the sea and install it at a spot equally holy in consultation with Brihaspati (Guru), the preceptor of the demigods.Accordingly, Brihaspati accompanied by his disciple, Vayu, the god of the winds, arrived at Dwaraka. Sri Krishna had already departed for His eternal Abode and varuna, the sea-god was in occupation of Dwaraka. The deity was being tossed in the sea by the surging waves. At the suggestion of Guru and Vayu, Varuna withdrew. The wind god carried the deity on his head and both set out in search of a sacred place for its installation.After wandering through a lot of places in North India, at last, as they were entering Kerala through the Palakkad gap, they were met by Parasurama who had created Kerala and who Himself was going to Dwaraka in search of the very deity they were bringing.At this time, Kerala was afflicted with rheumatism. Unable to bear the suffering people journeyed together to Parasurama's

mulasthana. or headquarters at Thrissoor and appealed to him to afford them some means of relief. At the same time, Narada muni happened to pass through Thrissoor. He was deeply moved by the sight of such a vast assembly of rheumatics writhing in pain. He advised Parasurama to bring the deity which Sri Krishna had worshipped at Dwaraka and install it in the most sacred spot in Kerala. By worshipping the deity, Narada muni said, people would be cured of the malady. Parasurama now led the way for Guru and Vayu and they all came near a beautiful lake full of lotuses. On one side of it there were Lord Siva and Parvati to welcome them. The lake was none other than

Rudrathirtha where Siva taught the Rudragita to Pracetas. "This place", said Siva to them, " was marked out long ago for the deity of Narayana; I shall most gladly leave Rudrathirtha and live with Parvati at Mammiyur on the opposite bank." ( ISKCON'S PROJECT site is situated immediately near this famous Mamiyur Shiva temple and a stones throw behind the main temple of Guruvayur )Sprinkling the holy waters of the Rudrakupa on the deity and offering worship to it, Siva turned to Guru and Vayu and said "You two together should perform the installation; as you are the founders of this sacred temple, this place shall be known as Guruvayupura." The deity of Guruvayur is endearingly called Guruvayurappan, the Lord (appan) of Guruvayur. Guru and Vayu brought Vishwakarma, the architect of the demigods and built the temple. Such is the mahatmya of the deity of Guruvayur as narrated by the sage Dattatreya. After hearing this story of the Lord in full, Janamejaya,

accompanied by the sage Dattatreya, went thither and practiced devotional service for four months under his direction. He was present for all the temple programs and took only prasadam of the Lord. At last one night while asleep, janamejaya felt the Lotus hands of the Lord pass over his body from head to foot. When he opened his eyes he found to his joy and wonder that the racking pains had ceased and the festering sores healed. He returned to his kingdom filled with devotion to the Lord of Guruvayur to Whom no one prays in vain Taoism Taoism is a religion that had its development in China. Like so many other world religions, there are a variety of sects and movements as well as philosophical understandings within Taoism. Basic Tenets Taoism begins with the concept of One (known as the Tao). It is thought to be indefinable. Taoism then develops the concept of Two, known as Yin and Yang, the opposing forces. This is understood and spoken about in a variety of ways. Taoism then

reports the triune concept of Three. This is seen as the development of all things. It is sometimes expressed through the three purities of Human, Earth and Ethics. Taoism then moves to understanding of Four, seen as the basic elements of Earth, Wind, Fire & Water and their interactions with each other. Thus the crux of Taoistic health and life is in the four which includes Wind.Ofcourse the fifth is Metal but that is out of the scope of this posting. Wind frees the mind. When one is sick doctors advice the patient to have fresh air.The gentle zephyr of wind on one's face does more good that what a medicine can do. This is the inherent quality of wind which possesses Chi energy in it. Son of wind is Hanuman who is a great God in the Hindu Pantheon. Below is a reference from Mahabharatha for about Vayu. The body is furnished with the senses are dominated over by the Sadhyas and many great beings of mighty strength. These gave birth to an invincible son named Samana. From Samana sprang a son called Udana. From Udana sprang Vyana arose Apana, and lastly from Apana sprung the wind called Prana. That invincible scorcher of all foes, viz., Prana, became childless. I shall now recite to thee the different functions of those winds. The wind is the cause of the different functions of all living creatures, and because living creatures are enabled

to live by it, therefore is the wind called Prana (or life). That wind which is the first in the above enumeration and which is known by the name of Pravaha (Samana) urges, along the first course, masses of clouds born of smoke and heat. Coursing through the welkin, and coming into contact with the water contained in the clouds, that wind displays itself in effulgence among the darts of lightning. The second wind called Avaha blows with a loud noise. It is this wind that causes Soma and the other luminaries to rise and appear. Within the body (which is a microcosm of the universe) that wind is called Udana by the wise. That wind which sucks up water from the four oceans, and having sucked it up imparts it to the clouds in the welkin, and which, having imparted it to the clouds present them to the deity of rain, is third in the enumeration and known by the name of Udvaha. That wind

which supports the clouds and divided them into diverse portions, which melts them for pouring rain and once more solidifies them, which is perceived as the sound of the roaring clouds, which exists for the preservation of the world by itself assuming the form of the clouds, which bears the cars of all celestial beings along the sky, is known by the name of Samvaha. The fourth in the enumeration, it is endued with great strength so that it is capable of ending the very mountains. The fifth wind is fraught with great force and speed. It is dry and uproots and breaks down all trees. Existing with it, the clouds come to be called by the

name of Valahaka. That wind causes calamitous phenomena of many kinds, and produces roaring sounds in the firmament. It . is known by the name of Vivaha. The sixth wind bears all celestial waters in the firmament and prevents them from falling down. Sustaining the sacred waters of the celestial Ganga, that wind blows, preventing them from having a downward course. Obstructed by that wind from a distance, the Sun, which is really the source of a thousand rays, and which enlightens the world, appears as a luminous body of but one ray. Through the action of

that wind, the Moon, after waning, wanes again till he displays his full disc. That wind is known, O foremost of ascetics, by the name Parivaha. That wind which takes away the life of all living creatures when the proper hour comes, whose track is followed by Death and Surya's son Yama, which becomes the source of that immortality which is attained by Yogins of subtile sight who are always engaged in Yoga meditation, by whose aid the thousands of grandsons of Daksha, that lord of creatures, by his ten sons, succeeded in days of old in attaining to the ends of the universe, whose

touch enables one to attain to Emancipation by freeing oneself from the obligation of returning so the world,--that wind is called by the name of Paravaha. The foremost of all winds, it is incapable of being resisted by anybody. Wonderful are these winds all of whom are the sons of Diti. Capable of going everywhere and upholding all things, they blow all around thee without being attached to thee at any time. This, however, is exceedingly wonderful viz., that this foremost of mountains should thus be suddenly shaken by that wind which has begun to blow. This wind is the breath of Vishnu's nostrils. When urged forth with speed, it begins to blow with great force at which the whole universe becomes agitated. Hence, when the wind begins to blow with violence, persons conversant with the Vedas do not recite the Vedas. The Vedas are a form of wind. If uttered with force, the external wind becomes tortured." "Having said these words, the puissant son of Parasara bade his son (when the wind had ceased) to go on with his Vedic recitation. He then left that spot for plunging into the waters of the celestial Ganga.'" In the four Vedas, a striving towards One was being aimed at by the worship of different cosmic principles, such as Agni (fire), Vayu (wind), Indra (rain, thunder, the sky; also the King of gods), etc. each of which was variously, by clearly different writers, hailed as supreme in different sections of the books. The control of wind is essential for Kundalini practices. The life-bearing wind when controlled in the mind will lead to great siddhis. Vayu or wind

also bears an important role in Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine. (Kerala Ayurvedam) There are three constitutions according to Ayurveda they are Vata, Pittha and Kapha. In this vata

refers to the wind element in our body. Control of air thus forms a significant part of spiritual advancement. The five lessons which we can learn from wind is Lesson 1: Keep moving Do not cling to experiences experiences are what they stand for they are "ex" Just embrace the POWER OF NOW. Be in the now and keep moving like the wind. If wind or air stagnates in one place then just imagine how things would be. The same happend with spirituality.Infact there are no clear cut distinctions between Spirituality and Materiality. One has to embrace God in life completely in all aspects be it abundance,money prosperity or to your day to day life. Just keep moving. Lesson 2: Touch all but do not let it stick. The air touches the rose and the fowl smelling slush yet it remains the same. It does not have a fragrance. When we say air has a fragrance what we really mean is the fragrant molecule of the rose. Air perse does not have any fragrance. This is a direct lesson from Dattatreya who tells us the quality of Vairagya. Lesson 3: Provide freshness sans bias. How often have you heard the term "She/he was like a fresh breeze in the stale environ" People like smiling faces and happy attitudes deep inside. If one thinks they can air their greivances and get

away then they will be in for a "reality shock". They cannot get away with the karma attached to that act. Positivity in ife is truly a great asset. Lesson 4: Be present without being conspicuous. One must do service without showing off too much except when and where necessary. Service is just that word....it is not "self-advertisement".Unless some self advertisement serves a purpose excess indulgence in it will lead to an untempered ego and a heavy arrogance filled attidude in one self. Being present when one needs is the crux in any good relationship but trying to show off is a real put off especially when the person has no stuff. No one is a fool these days and people will see through the show one day! Spiritually speaking one should do service to Datta without too much of pomp and glory for oneself. Lesson 5 Be formless This is the greatless lesson air or wind can teach It truly is very formless and yet so very powerful.It's power arises from it's formlessness. This is a

truly Taoistic perspective which has been spiritually imbibed into the Datta tradition where the formless is embraced as the Ultimate and the Avadhuta rushes into a delirium which befits a Parabrahmic siddha. Formlessness is also a good life-strategy. The moment a form is taken it becomes weak and open for criticism from all including oneself.To do things surprisingly and without notice increases one's power both inside and outside. Formlessness when it comes to meditation is very important as from Saguna one must slowly but steadily advance into nirguna. When these five lessons are put into

practice thinking the sweet name of Dattatreya Avadhuta Samrat,then wonders...no miracles happen. It has already happened in a few people to whom I gave these lessons. Incorporate it and see the goodness and blessinsg of Dattatreya flow into your life. He verily loves you more than your mother and father combined. For you and He are one. He's that rascally kind of yogi He's that rascally kind of yogiwho has no sky or earth,no hand, foot,form or shape.Where there's no markethe sets up shop,weighs thingsand keeps the accounts.No deeds, no creeds,no yogic powers,not even a horn or gourd,so how can hego begging? "I know youand you know meand I'm inside of you."When there isn't a traceof creation or destruction,what do you meditate on?That yogi built a

housebrimful of Ram.He has no healing herbs,his root-of-lifeis Ram. He looks and looksat the juggler's tricks,the magician's sleight-of-hand --Kabir says, saints, he's made itto the King's land. --from Bijak of Kabir (Probably referring deep inside His heart to Dattatreya!) Jai Girinaari!! Jai Guru Datta!! Jai AvadhutaRaja!! Yours yogically, Shreeram Balijepalli

 

 

 

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