Following are 24 Gurus
1)Earth(Pruthvi)
Whatever people do to it, the earth does not get agitated over it but coolly tolerates it. Similarly a viveki (a person of discriminating capability) should not get agitated by what people do and say. If somebody is doing some harm a viveki should not waver from his path and take that action of the doer as a result of the past karma of both the doer and the viveki himself.
2) Air(Hava)
Though one is enjoying sensual pleasures he should not get involved in it. This is learnt from the air. Though the soul is concealed with the body made of prithvi etc. He knows that his soul is not involved in it. First as air coming through flowers and carrying their fragrance is not involved in them. When air passes through fire it seemingly gets hot and when passing over water it looks as if it is cool. But when it is away from both it retains its quality of being neither hot nor cold. When it passes through a flower, it looks as if it possesses a good smell. But the smell does not belong to it. Thus air, even though it has got a role in several actions, is not really involved in them. Similarly atman does not posses bodily qualities though we feel as if it is associated with them.
3)Sky(Akash)
The sky cannot be divided and is not attached with anything; (though we see so many objects in the sky) atman also is indivisible and unattached like the sky. Just as the sky is unaffected by the moving clouds similarly atman is unaffected by the body which is made up of panchabhutas. Hence a saint, though he is one among the movable and immovable objects, sees himself as Brahman, being incorporated everywhere with his spread and becomes himself like the sky.
4) Water(Pani)
If one have the qualities of purity etc. Then he can have the capacity of cleansing. This has to be learnt from the waters. The sage also cleans the entire humanitya nd purifies them like the holy waters (like Ganges), with his affection, sweet talk, pleasant visual presence, with his pure touch and prayers. Holy Ganges also does all these.
5) Fire(Agni)
Lesson no.1: Just as fire’s purity is not affected by putting any material in it, similarly the sage who is full of splendor due to excessive jnana and penance who is having self control and who is not receiving anything, is not affected by any food he takes.
Lesson no. 2: Fire is sometimes hidden in ash and is sometimes is visible clearly. He is worthy of worship by those who are desirous of uplift. A sage also accepts certain things and removes all its past and future mishaps.
Lesson no. 3: High and low are not the natural characteristics of atman, but are of the human body. This lesson 1 learnt from agni (fire) just like the flames of a log of wood is high or low depending upon the size of the wood and has nothing to do with the characteristic of fire similarly though atman is spread in high and low, it does not have any such inherent differentiating qualities.
Lesson no. 4: Just as the flames of the fire or the waves of the tide move up and down and cannot be distinguished separately. Similarly the birth and death of the human bodies also can not be distinguished due to the speed of evolution hence; I learnt vairagya from the fire, seeing the temporary existing of the body.
6) Moon(Chandra)
I learnt from the moon, that atman is having no births and deaths. Moon, though a full entity, is apparently seen as waxing and waning. Similarly atman, though not having any birth or death is seen as apparently born and dying due to its association with the body.
7)Sun(Surya)
As the sun heats up the water through his rays and re-supplies the same to earth in the form of rain similarly yogi also accepts the worldly experiences and returns them to the needy, as and when necessary. He does not get involved in that. A single sun reflects in different vessels containing water as many suns. Similarly the single atman reflects in different bodies as different atmans.
8) Pigeon
A dove was very fond of his female partner who after satisfying his desires got all things done through him. After getting two young ones the couple got more involved in them. Once when the couple has gone out for taking food for the young ones, a hunter caught the young ones in a net. After coming back the female dove being afflicted by the misery of the young ones got herself entangled in the net. Unable to live without the young ones and his beloved partner the male dove also got himself stuck in the ne t. Thus all of them lost their lives. A householder even though he has got the human birth superior to all other beings, also gets entangled in worldly affairs, just like the dove couple.
9) Python(Ajagar)
The python does not move its place in search of food. Whatsoever comes to his own way, it devours them without giving any consideration for quantity or taste. A yogi also should be satisfied with whatsoever he gets by his fate. He should not endeavour in search of his material needs.
10) Ocean(Samudra)
Lesson no. 1 a yogi is pleasant outside and serious or serene internally. His real nature is unfathomable and unconquerable. He does not have the differentiations of time and place. He is without emotions. He is like a calm sea or ocean.
Lesson no. 2 just as an ocean neither increases due to excessive inflow of river waters nor decreases due to stoppage of flow of river waters. Similarly a yogi should not be excessively happy or sad as a result of good or bad occurrences.
11)Firefly(Kajawa)
Just as the insects are attracted through the shining of fire and fall into it and get destroyed finally, a man gets attracted due to the sight of a beautiful female and actually ruins himself. This is the destruction caused by attraction of visual pleasures (roopa).
12) Bee(Madhmashi)
Lesson No. 1 - A mendicant should partake food only to the extent for the sustenance of the body. He should not harass the householder. Just like a honey-bee is satisfied with small quantities of honey attained from one flower and moves to another flower. If it remains to extract the honey fully it is likely to get locked up in the flower when the sun sets. Similarly a mendicant is likely to get entangled in worldly affairs if they get involved in a particular place. (Attraction of Gandha).
Lesson No. 2 - Just like a honey bee takes the essence from the flower (honey) similarly a yogi should take only the essence of all Shastras.
Lesson No. 3 - One should take only handful of food which he should consume immediately. He should never store for future. Those who store with perish like a honey-bee.
13)ELEPHANT
Even if made of wood, a sanyasi should not touch a lady even with his feet. One who touches female will attain disaster just like a male elephant falls in the trap prepared by men being attracted by the female elephant kept in the pit. (Attraction of Sparsha). A viveki also should not forcibly attain a lady who is like his death. He will court disaster just like a tusker is killed or attacked by more powerful elephants.
14) Ant(Mungi)
The ant stores up lots of food materials which it neither eats nor gives away in charity to any other creature. In consequence, other more powerful creatures are tempted to plunder the ants. So too, the man who lays by treasures of merely material things becomes a victim of robbery and murder. But the ant has something positive to teach us, too. It is a tireless worker and is never discouraged by any number of obstacles and setbacks in its efforts to gather its treasure. So too, a seeker after wisdom should be tireless in his efforts for Self-Realization. This noble truth has the little ant taught me and became my eleventh guru.
15)DEER
Vanaprastha or Sanyasi should not listen to the folk songs other than divine songs. Otherwise they are likely to be trapped in samsar maya just like a deer gets trapped after hearing the song of a hunter or like rishi Rishyasringa who got trapped by the songs and dances of women. (Attraction of sabda)
16) FISH
A fish is trapped in the hook attached with a prey, when it tries to swallow the prey i.e. Due to desire of taste. Vivekies are able to conquer other types of desires but not the desire for tastes. But unless he conquers this he cannot be accepted as conqueror of Senses (Attraction of Rasa).
17) PINGALA THE PROSTITUTE
Shree Dattathreya told yadhu that he learnt the Lesson of Detachment (vairagya ) from Pingala.
There was a prostitute called Pingala in the city of Mithila. Once she was on the doorsteps, well dressed with ornaments to receive a suitable customer and take him inside for sexual satisfaction. She was selective of the customers, for the higher dividend ie. more money from the customer’s pocket. Being selective, she had to discard many initial customers. Everytime she was thinking that the next man may pay me more and thus went on rejecting all the customers. In between when no one turned up, she used t o go inside and sit and again come out when somebody came outside. Thus she was moving in and out in the night for a long time ie. up to midnight.
When she was tired, after midnight, she started thinking of the ultimate ie. God the almighty and detachment started entering her mind. She started singing as below which demonstrates how her detachment became the sword to cut off worldly desires. Those who have not become detached can’t forget the existence of the body.
“Alas, How I desired to have full satisfaction (of sex) from a mere human being. This is due to my ignorance and childishness. How I mistook as my husband , A human being, who cannot give any happiness or happiness- Seeming things while I forgot the god who lives inside me who is sat, chit and ananda and capable of fulfilling all desires and is also permanent.
By selling my flesh and getting wealth and happiness from hen - pecked miserly and pitiable human beings, I have given pains to my atma. Deplorable is my fife. Who else, other than myself will consider as husband, this body which is made up of bones and covered by skin, nails, hair etc. and also containing urine and excreta, even though I had opportunity to have company of good people.
In this city of philosophers and sages (Mithila), I am the only fool who desired for the human beings instead of the almighty who is sat, chit and ananda and capable of fulfilling all desires.”
As Pingala become detached from the worldly desires by the grace of god. She decided to bestow her soul to god and enjoy with him.
Nobody other than the almighty god is worshipable.
Pingala considered herself lucky as due to the blessings of god her miseries became cause for detachment. She abandoned all desires on worldly matters and sought shelter under god. She was happy with what she got without efforts and was fully concentrating on him.
Once she became desire less she become peaceful and went to sleep. The lesson learnt from Pingala’s story is that “Desire is the biggest sorrow, detachment is the greatest happiness.”
18) KURAVA BIRD
Once a Kurava bird (Maina) had a piece of flesh in its beak, for which other birds quarrelled with it. So it left it and became free from worries. Thus acquisition is sorrow and rejection or sacrifice is happiness. Men acquire objects of their best choice but the very same objects become the source of misery for themselves in future. So a wise man never keeps attachment with any worldly object and thus enjoys the Brahmanda.
19)A CHILD
A child, having no pride, is always happy and enjoys Brahmanda. The similarly between a perfect sage and a child is as follows. Both are fully engrossed in the supreme joy, while a child, being ignorant is not attempting for anything, the sage is free from all worldly desires.
20)VIRGIN GIRL
Some guests came to the house of virgin girl whose marriage was to be performed. At that time her parents and other relatives have gone to some other place and thus she had to receive and honour the bridegroom’s relatives. For their food, when she was pealing the paddy by paddling, her bangles made noise. When she heard the noise, she felt that it may affect the guests who may understand the poverty of the family; she broke all the bangles except 2 each in each hand. Then also she felt the sound of 2 bangl es. She then broke on more and kept only one in each hand. Then there was no noise. I observed her action and found that crowd makes differences of opinions and clashes. When two persons of similar ideology live together, then also there will be continuous talking. Hence it is preferable to be alone to have spiritual attainment.
21) WEAPON MAKER
The weapon maker is so grossly involved in sharpening the tip of the weapon, that he does not see even the king who moves in front of him with all followers and songs etc. Similarly a Yogi also does not notice about the outside worldly affairs but only fixes his mind in Brahman.
How to keep the mind concentrated without any distraction. Conquer the seat (Aasana Jaya), Conquer the breath (Prana Jaya ) and attain the ultimate aim by detachment and constant efforts. Destroy rajas and tamo gunas. Then the mind becomes clam without desires and thus gets cleaned. The concentration is easily possible.
22) SNAKE
Snake live happily in the holes made by other animals. As human being have an unstable body, it is fruitless to construct big houses which sometimes leads to big sorrows. A saint should travel alone like a snake, having no fixed house, without attachments and should not be recognisable by actions as to which Varna he belongs, without help and talk only if necessary.
23) SPIDER
A spider makes the net from the thread taken from its own mouth and catches its prey, enjoys it and after sometime absorbs the net. Similarly the supreme Lord creates the universe from his own Maya and expresses it outside. Then destroys the entire universe and absorbs it. Thus it is taught from the spider that God created Solar system without the help of any external agency.
24)INSECT
Those who are fully devoted to god can attain his saroopya. This is shown by the example of the Insect. This insect brings one worm and keeps it inside its earthen cage. The worm is afraid of the insect and is always thinking of it and ultimately attains the form of the insect. The transition takes place without changing its original form. Similarly a devotee can very well attain sarropya after leaving original body. There is no wonder at all. Either with fear, or anger or with affection if anyone always t hinks of God he can attain sarroopya.
