24 Preceptors of Shri Dattatreya

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24 Preceptors of Shri DattatreyaOnce King Yadu saw Lord Dattatreya (Avadhoot) in a forest andaddressed him "Sir, you are indeed quite capable, energetic andwise. Such as you are, why do you live in the forest, free from alldesires? Even though you have neither kith and kin nor even afamily, how could you be so blissful and self-contented? "The Avadhoot replied, "My bliss and contentment are the fruits ofself-realization. I have gained the necessary wisdom from the wholecreation, through 24 Gurus. I shall elaborate the same for you".Shri Dattatreya had twenty-four teachers from nature "many are mypreceptors," he told king yadu, "selected by my keen sense, fromwhom acquiring wisdom freely, I wander in the world…. The earth,air/breeze, sky, fire, the sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, elephant,ant, fish, Pingala the courtesan, arrow-maker, infant/playful boy,the moon, honeybee,

deer, bird of prey, maiden, serpent, spider,caterpillar and water are my twenty four preceptors.1. Earth: All creatures, in accordance with their pervious store ofkarma (action) assume different physical forms and live on earth.People plough, dig and tread the earth. They light fires on it.Still, the earth does not swerve from its course even by a hair'sbreadth. On the other hand, it feeds and houses all creatures.Seeing this, I learned that the wise one should never swerve fromhis vow of patience, love and righteousness under any circumstancesand one should dedicate his life for the welfare of living beings.The earth along with its mountains and rivers is my first guru.2. Air: I observed that air is pure and odorless in itself. And itblows on both sweet and foul-smelling things without anydiscrimination or preference. Though it momentarily seems to take onthe smell of its surroundings, in

a short while, it reveals itspristine quality. From this I learned that a spiritual aspirantshould live in the world, unaffected by the dualities of life likejoy and sorrow and by the objects of the senses. He should keep hisheart's feeling and his speech unpolluted by vain objects. As Ihave learned all this by observing it, air is my second guru.3. Sky: The soul is also like the sky, which is omnipresent. I havenoticed that sometimes the sky (or space) gets thickly overcast, orfilled with dust or smoke. At sunrise and during night, itapparently takes on different colors. But in fact, it ever retainsits colorless self, and it is never touched or stained by any thing.From this I learned that a true sage should remain ever pure likethe sky or space, untouched or unaffected by anything in thephenomenal universe in time, including his own physical processes.His inner being is totally free from

emotional reaction to thingsand events even like the space. Thus I accepted the sky or space asmy third guru.4. Fire: My fourth teacher is element of fire. Sometimes, itmanifests itself as blazing flames; sometimes as smoldering embers,covered by ash. But it is always present in all objects as latentheat. The god of fire accepts the offering of everyone, irrespectiveof his moral worth and burns down his sins; and it still remains theever-pure divinity as the fire-god; he is untainted by the sins ofsuch devotees. So too, a sage of perfect realization should acceptfood of everyone, burn down his sins and bless the giver. Thoughfire has no specific form of its own, when it is associated withfuel that burns, it assumes such apparent forms. So too, the trueSelf, though formless in itself, appears in the forms of deities,human beings, animals and trees when it is associated with therespective

physical structures. The source of all forms in theuniverse, as also their end, remains ever mysterious. All the thingsare manifest only in between their origin and their end. Theirsource and end is the true Self, which is eternal, unchanging,unmanifest and omnipresent. The nature of the element of fire issuch. The manifest fire transforms the various things it consumesinto the same ash. So too, the wisdom of self-realization rejectsthe manifest forms and properties of things as illusion and realizestheir one original essence as itself. Thus the element of fire is myfourth guru.5. Sun: My fifth guru is sun. Though the sun we see in our dailylife is one, it appears as many when reflected by water in differentvessels. Similarly, the one real Self manifests itself as manyselves of living creatures when reflected by their physicalstructures. As Sun illuminates the many forms in nature to

ourvisions, the sage too illuminates the true nature of all things tohis devotees.6. Pigeon: I have gained wisdom from a pigeon too. Once a pair ofpigeons lived together on a tree. They bred their young and werebringing them up with deep affection and love. One day, a huntercaught the young fledglings in a snare. The ladybird, which returnedfrom the forest with food for its young ones, saw their plight and,unable to leave them, she leapt in the snare to share their fate.Shortly after, the male pigeon turned up and, unable to bear theseparation from its sweetheart, it too jumped in the snare and metits end. Reflecting on this, I realized how, even after being bornas an intelligent human being, man is caught in the coils ofpossessiveness and brings about his own spiritual destruction. Theself, which is originally free, when associated with the body sense,gets identified with it, and thus gets

caught in the endless cycleof birth, death and misery. Thus the pigeon was my sixth guru.7. Python: The python is a sluggard, unwilling to move out brisklyfor its prey. It lies in its lurch and devours whatever creature itcomes across, be it sufficient to appease its hunger. From this Ilearnt that the man in search of wisdom should refrain from runningafter pleasures, and accept whatever he gets spontaneously withcontentment. Like the python, he should shake off sleep andwakefulness and abide in a state of incessant mediation on the Self.Thus the python was my seventh teacher of wisdom.8. Sea: Contemplating the marvelous nature of the ocean, I havegained much wisdom. Any number of overflowing rivers may join it,yet the sea maintains its level. Nor does its level fall even by ahair's breadth in summer, when all the rivers dry up. So too, thejoys of life do not elate the sage of wisdom, nor

do its sorrowsdepress him. Just as the sea never crosses its threshold on thebeach, the wise one never transgresses the highest standards ofmorality under the pull of passions. Like the sea, he isunconquerable and cannot be troubled by anything. Like theunfathomable ocean, his true nature and the depths of his wisdomcannot be easily comprehended by anyone. The ocean, which has taughtme thus, is my eighth guru.9. Moth: I often observed that the moth (or, more precisely, agrasshopper) is tempted by fire to jump in it and get burnt down. Sotoo, the unthinking man is enticed by the illusory pleasures of thesenses and thus gets caught in the ceaseless cycles of birth anddeath. On the other hand, the wise one, when he catches even aglimpse of the fire of wisdom, leaves everything aside, leaps in itand burns down the illusion of being a limited self. Thus the mothwas my ninth guru.10.

Elephant: The elephant was my tenth guru. The human beings raisea stuffed cow-elephant in the forest. The wild tusker mistakes itfor a mate, approaches it and then skillfully bound in fetters bythe cunning human beings. So too, the unregenerate man is tempted bythe opposite sex and gets bound by the fetters of infatuation. Theseekers after liberation should learn to be free from lust. Theelephant was thus one of my teachers.11. Ant: The ant stores up lots of food materials which it neithereats nor gives away in charity to any other creature. Inconsequence, other more powerful creatures are tempted to plunderthe ants. So too, the man who lays by treasures of merely materialthings becomes a victim of robbery and murder. But the ant hassomething positive to teach us, too. It is a tireless worker and isnever discouraged by any number of obstacles and setbacks in itsefforts to gather its treasure.

So too, a seeker after wisdom shouldbe tireless in his efforts for Self-Realization. This noble truthhas the little ant taught me and became my eleventh guru.12. Fish: The fish greedily swallows bait and is at once caught bythe angle-hook. From this, I realized how man meets his destructionby his craving for delicious food. When the palate is conquered, allelse is conquered. Besides, there is a positive feature in the fish.It never leaves its home, i.e. water. So too, man should never loosesight of his true self, but should ever have his being in it. Thusthe fish became my twelfth guru.13. Pingala: The thirteenth guru that has awakened my spirit is aprostitute named Pingala. One day, she eagerly awaited a particularclient in the hope that he would pay her amply. She waited andwaited till late in the night. When he did not turn up, she was atlast disillusioned and reflected thus: "Alas! How

stupid I am!Neglecting the divine spirit within, who is of the nature of blisseternal, I foolishly awaited a debauchee (sensualist) who inspiresmy lust and greed. Henceforth, I shall expend myself on the Self,unite with Him and win eternal joy. Through such repentance, sheattained blessedness. Besides, reflecting on its obvious purport, Ialso realized that a spiritual aspirant should likewise reject thelure of lesser spiritual powers, which are mere by-products ofsadhana (spiritual practice). I learned that the temptation tosecure things from other's hands are the seeds of misery; thatrenunciation of these is the sole means of realizing infinite joy.14. Arrow-maker: Once I observed an arrow-maker who was totallyabsorbed in molding a sharp arrow. He grew so oblivious of all elsethat he did not even notice a royal pageant that passed by. Thissight awakened me to the truth that such single-minded,

all-absorbing contemplation of the Self spontaneously eliminates alltemptation for the trivial interests of the world. It is the solesecret of success in spiritual discipline. Thus the arrow-maker ismy fourteenth guru.15. Playful Boy: Little boys and girls know neither honor nordishonor. They do not nurse a grudge or a prejudice against anyone.They do not know what is their own, or what belongs to others. Theirhappiness springs from their own selves, their innate creativity andthey do not need any external objects or conditions to be happy. Irealized that the sage of perfect enlightenment is also such. Aplayful boy thus happened to be my fifteenth guru.16. Moon: Of all things in nature, the moon is unique. It appears towax and wane during the bright and dark fortnights. In fact, thelunar globe ever remains the same. In this, it is like the self ofthe man. While a man appears to pass

through the stages of infancy,boyhood, youth, maturity and old age, his real self remainsunchanged. All changes pertain only to body and not to the self.Again, the moon only reflects the light of the sun, but has no suchof its own. So too, the soul or mind of man is only a reflection ofthe light of awareness of the real self. Having taught this truth,the moon became my sixteenth guru.17. Honeybee: Honeybee wanders from flower to flower and, withouthurting them in the least, draws honey. So too, a spiritual seekershould study all the Holy Scriptures but retain in his heart, onlythat is essential for his spiritual practice. Such is the teaching Iimbibed from my seventeenth guru, the honeybee.18. Deer: It is said that deers are very fond of music and thatpoachers employ it to lure them before hunting them. From this, Ilearned that passions and sensual desires will soon bog down aspiritual

aspirant who has a weakness for merely secular music, tillhe ultimately loses whatever spiritual progress he has achievedearlier. The deer that taught me this truth is my eighteenth guru.19. Bird of prey: A bird of prey is my nineteenth guru. One day, Isaw one such carrying away a dead rat. Many other birds like crowsand eagles attacked it, now kicking on its head and again pecking onits sides in their endeavor to knock off the prey. The poor bird wasthus very much pestered. At last, it wisely let its prey fall andall the other birds rushed after it. Thus freeing itself from somuch botheration, it sighed in relief. From this, I learned that aman who runs after worldly pleasures will soon come into clash withhis fellow-beings who too run for the same, and has to face muchstrife and antagonism. If he learns to conquer his craving forworldly things, he can spare himself much unhappiness. I

realizedthat this is the only way to the peace in the world.20. Maiden: Once, I observed a family visit a maiden's house,seeking her hand in marriage for their son. At that time, her motherwas away from home. So the maiden herself had to entertain theguests with refreshments. She at once started pounding food-grainswith a pestle. The bangles on her hand started knocking against eachother, pounding sound. She was afraid that the guests might hear thesound and be unhappy for having caused her so much of trouble. As aHindu maiden, she is not expected to remove all the bangles on herhand at any time. So she kept two on each hand and removed all therest. Even then, they were knocking against each other and weremaking noise. So she kept only one bangle on each hand this time andshe could finish her task in quiet. Reflecting on this, I realizedthat when a number of spiritual seekers live together, a

lot ofunwanted gossip ensues and no spiritual practice can be pursued witha single-minded effort. Only in solitude, a spiritual aspirant cancarry his task. Knowing this truth, I henceforth resorted tosolitude. Thus, a maiden happened to be my twentieth guru.21. Serpent: I observed that a serpent never builds a dwelling foritself. When white ants have raised an anthill for themselves, theserpent eventually come to inhabit it. Similarly, worldly peoplehave to endure many hardships in raising houses for themselves,while a recluse monk does no such thing. Worldly men raise themonasteries and the monk lives in them; or, he leaves in olddilapidated temples, or underneath shady trees. The serpent moults,leaving off its old skin. So too at the end of his life Yogi leaveshis body deliberately and in full awareness of his own true self andis not frightened by the phenomenon of death. On the other hand,

hecasts off his old body as happily as he does his worn out clothesand dons new ones. Thus has my twenty first guru taught me.22. Spider: The spider is my twenty second guru. It weaves its webfrom the thread in the form of a fluid. After sometime, it gathersup the web into itself. The supreme projects the whole creation outof itself and after sometime, withdraws it into itself at the timeof dissolution. The individual soul too, bears the senses and themind within itself and, at its birth as a human being or any otherliving creature, it projects them out as the sense organs, organs ofaction and the whole body. In accordance with its latent tendencies,the creature thus born, gathers up all the means and objects neededfor its living. At the end of its life's duration, the soul againwithdraws the senses, mind and acquired tendencies at the hour ofdeath. Thus have I learned from the

spider.23. Caterpillar: The caterpillar is also one of my teachers ofwisdom. The wasp carries its caterpillar to a safe corner and closesit up in its nest and goes on buzzing about it. The youngcaterpillar is so frightened by the incessant buzzing, that itcannot think of anything else than the buzzing wasp. Through suchunintermittent contemplation of its mother, the caterpillar too,soon grows up into a wasp! In a like fashion, a true disciple is socharmed and over-awed by the spiritual eminence of his own guru thathe cannot think any one other than him. Through such contemplation,he soon blossoms into a great spiritual master himself. Thecaterpillar is thus my twenty third Guru.24. Water: Water is my twenty fourth Guru. It quenches the thirst ofevery creature, sustains innumerable trees and all creatures. Whileit thus serves all living beings, it is never proud of itself. Onthe other

hand, it humbly seeks the lowliest of places. The sage tooshould likewise bestow health, peace and joy to every creature thatresorts to him. Yet he should ever live as the humblest of God'screation.With such humility and devotion, I looked upon the whole of God'screation as my teacher, gathered up wisdom and, through patienteffort I realized my goal of spiritual enlightenment.Baba is every where just feel him and keep on saying `Om Sai Ram' to whom so ever you meet.OM SAI SRI SAI JAI JAI SAI!!! Let us pray at the lotus feet of Bhagwan Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards himJai Gurudeva DattaJai Sai RamSwamy MhadevanBow to Shri Sai-Peace be to allBaba Bless you ever!!!