Once, while wandering happily in the forest, Dattatreya met a King named Yadu, who asked him the secret of his happiness and the name of his guru. He replied, “The Self alone is my guru. Yet, I have learned from twenty-four other individuals and objects. So they, too, are my gurus.” Dattatreya then mentioned the names of his twenty-four Gurus in nature that he had learned from each:

  1. Earth: Patience and tolerance.
  2. Water: Purity and transparency.
  3. Air: To be without attachment while moving with many people
  4. Fire: To glow with the splendor of Self-knowledge and austerity(kriyas)
  5. Sky or Ether: That the Self is all-pervading and yet it has no contact with any object.
  6. Moon: That the Self is always perfect and changeless and it is only the limiting adjuncts that cast shadows over it
  7. Sun: Just as a sun, reflected in various pots of water, appears as many, so also God appears different because of the embodiment caused by the reflection of the mind
  8. Pigeons: I once saw a pair of pigeons with their young ones. A fowler spread a net and caught the young birds. The mother pigeon was so attached to her babies that she fell into the net and was caught. I learned that attachment is the root cause of earthly bondage
  9. Python: The python does not move about for its food. It remains contented with whatever it gets, lying in one place. I learned to be contented with whatever I get to eat
  10. Ocean: Just as the ocean remains unmoved, even though hundreds of rivers flow into it, so also the wise man should remain unmoved amid all the various temptations and troubles
  11. Moth: To control the sense of sight and to fix the mind on the Self, is the lesson I learned from the moth
  12. Black Bee: 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 learned from the black bee which gathers honey from various flowers.
  13. Bees: Bees collect honey with great trouble, but a hunter comes along and takes the honey away easily. From this I learned that it is useless to hoard things
  14. Elephant: The male elephant, blinded by lust, falls into a pit covered with grass, at the sight of a female elephant. Therefore, one should not fall for lust.
  15.  Deer: The deer is enticed and trapped by the hunter through its love of music. Therefore, one should never listen to only the music of the soul and not for sensory gratification
  16. Fish: 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 gets ruined
  17. Dancing Girl: There was a dancing girl named Pingala. One night, being tired of looking for a client, she had to be content with a sound sleep. I learned from this fallen woman the lesson that the abandonment of hope leads to contentment
  18. Raven(Eagle): 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 learned that people undergo all sorts of troubles and miseries when he runs after sensual pleasures and that become as happy as the bird when they abandon them
  19. Child: The child that drinks mother’s milk is free from all cares, worries and anxieties, and is always cheerful. I learned the virtue of cheerfulness from the child
  20. Maiden: The maiden was husking paddy. Her bangles made much noise and there were people around. To silence the bangles, she removed them one by one. When she had only one, it did not make any noise, and she was happy. I learned from the maiden that living among many can create discord, disturbance, dispute and quarrel. Even between two people there might be unnecessary words or strife. So, the ascetic should remain alone in solitude
  21. Serpent: 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. Archer: I learned from the archer the quality of intense concentration of mind amidst all chaos around.
  23. Spider: The spider pours out of its mouth long threads and weaves them into cobwebs. Sometimes, it gets itself entangled in the net of its own making. Humans too make nets of their own ideas and get entangled in it. The wise man should, therefore, abandon all worldly thoughts and think only of Brahman
  24. Beetle: The beetle catches a worm, puts it in its nest and stings it. The poor worm, always fearing the return of the beetle and its sting, thinks constantly of the beetle. I learned from the beetle and the worm to turn myself into the Self by contemplating constantly on It; thus I must give up all attachment to the body to attain Moksha or liberation.

While Nature has abundance to offer why stuck in one’s own cuckoos nest is a case to introspect?

Dattatreya’s enlightening words inspired the king to lead a life of austerity and meditation on the Self.

If such thought of aligning with nature arises, then rebooting human system by constantly evolving makes one adaptable to any situations.

24 guru analogy:

Bonding with beyond
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