Article No. 500!! A Milestone And A Proud Moment

My Esteemed Readers !

It is with a sense of satisfaction leading to inward joy that I am enclosing my 500th Article on

" The Twenty Four Gurus--The Story of Avadhuta Dattatreya" and share my joy with you.

As most of you are aware, I started this voluntary exercise of writing weekly articles on 29th January 2000 with a readership

of just 6 members. . Today, after 9 years and 3 months, the membership has grown to 106 families all over the world. It is

nothing but Divine Grace that I have been able to complete all these 500 Articles within 500 weeks, with no interruption

whatsoever. I claim no credit for this.

I JUST HOLD THE PEN ; HE MAKES THE FINGER MOVE AND WRITE ; HAVING MOVED , IT WRITES EFFORTLESSLY

God willing and His giving me good health and energy, I intend continuing the exercise. I now seek your Encouragement, Good

Wishes and Blessings.

May God Bless You !


B.M.N. Murthy, Saturday 2nd May 2009


TWENTY FOUR GURUS [ Preceptors]


“And this our life, exempt from public haunt
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything”

---As You Like It [Act 11, Scene 1]

So said Shakespeare in his famous comedy ‘As You Like It’. Much before the Bard conceived this idea, one of our most ancient scriptures ‘The Bhagavatha Purana’, has dealt at length about the concept of ‘learning from nature’ in the 11th Canto where it deals with the ‘Uddhava Geeta’ of which the episode of the ‘Avadhuta and his 24 Gurus’ is a part. The episode is about the Knowledge of the Highest Order leading to Self-Realization, as expounded by the foremost Avadhuta, Lord Dattatreya. An Avadhuta is one who has shaken of all worldly ties who represents the highest development of life of the spirit attainable by a human being. Dattatreya, son of Sage Atri and his wife Anasuya and considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was such an Avadhuta. He acquired this sacred knowledge from observation of the activities and nature from
24 different aspects of creation.. He had an occasion to impart this knowledge to King Yadu, the founder of the Yadava Dynasty to which Lord Sri Krishna belonged.

The 24 creations of nature whom Dattatreya considered as his preceptors are:
Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Sky, Sun, Moon, Pigeon, Python, Ocean, Moth, Honeybee, Elephant, Honey-gatherer, Deer, Fish, Dancing Girl, Hawk, Child, Maiden, Hunter, Serpent, Spider and the Wasp.

1. Earth: His first teacher was mother Earth. He observed that people trample, spit , dig, burn, break, and disturb the earth in every conceivable way but the earth does not get angry or get disturbed or excited but remains cool and composed. On the other hand, it continues to help people by providing grains, water, vegetables, fruits, minerals etc. The earth thus taught him the qualities of endurance, patience, compassion, helping attitude and selflessness.

2. Air: The wind carries with it both bad odour and good smell and does not get attached to either. This taught him a sense of detachment. The realization also dawned on him that the seeker after truth should remember that the Atman too, like the air, is divine in its essential nature and does not get affected either by good or bad actions.

3. Water: Water is pure and useful to all living beings in several ways and is freely available. It purifies, cleans and quenches the thirst of others. This taught him the lesson that one should be pure at heart always and render volunteer and selfless service without anticipation of reward.

4. Fire: Fire taught him about the quality of illumination and effulgence. Fire burns everything; it gives out light and removes darkness. Similarly the seeker must be like fire, destroying all evils and continue shedding light. His self-knowledge should dispel the darkness of ignorance around him.

5. Sky: The sky taught him the nature of all-pervading Brahman which is all round us, everywhere and not in contact with any object. The seeker must learn that deep within himself is the unlimited, infinite space of pure awareness which is the Self.

6. Sun: The Sun taught him that one should do his duty regularly and in time, treat every one alike. Although there is only one Sun in the sky, its reflections [Pratibimbas] are found in various reservoirs, tanks, rivers, seas and even in the smallest earthen water pot. The seeker should learn similarly that all the Jeevatmas in all individuals are but reflections of the one and only Paramatma.

7. Moon: The moon taught him that Reality is unchanging while appearances are illusory. The moon seems to wax and wane in our sight but it remains ever the same. So too, the Self is perfect and changeless while man rises or falls according to his actions in life.

8. Pigeon: A pair of pigeons taught him an unforgettable lesson that attachment is the root cause of all worldly bondage. The Avadhuta once observed that a pair of pigeons and their fledgling were attached to each other so much that they would not tolerate separation. Once when the parents were away in search of food, a hunter caught the little ones in their nest. Seeing this on their return and unable to bear the separation, they jumped into the nest to join the fledgling and were also trapped. Thus the entire family was trapped in misery and got perished at the hands of the hunter.

9. Python: The python taught him that God looks after all creatures according to their needs. The python is a gigantic creature which cannot move about nimbly to gather its food. Yet, God in His wisdom and mercy sends food to this creature. The aspirant must learn from the python the spirit of surrender and acceptance, in the total faith that God will deal with all of us according to Karmic deeds.

10. Ocean: The Ocean taught him the quality of tranquility, of being unmoved by the incidents and accidents in life. Just as the ocean remains calm and in place even as hundreds of rivers and waterways pour into it and disturb its calmness, similarly the seeker should learn to maintain equanimity of mind even in the midst of turbulences in life.

11. Moth: The moth gets attracted by the brilliance of the flame, plunges straight into it and embraces death. This taught him that overindulgence in sensuous objects and excessive desire for material objects would lead to destruction.

12. Honeybee: The honeybee taught him that the nectar of life is gathered from different sources. Similarly, the seeker must learn that spiritual qualities can be imbibed from all sorts of experiences. Another lesson taught was to avoid hoarding beyond one’s own need for an unknown and indefinite future, just as the honeybee gatherer comes and sets fire to the beehive.


13. Elephant: Lured by the sight of the female elephant, the male elephant foolishly walks into a pit camouflaged with grass and get trapped. The elephant taught him to be wary of temptations and lust.

14. Honey Gatherer: The honey gatherer is a bird which is a kind of a robber among the flora and fauna. After the industrious bees have worked hard to gather and collect honey, they store honey in the hives to enjoy it later. At this time the honey gatherer arrives and steals the honey. This taught him the lesson not to hoard beyond his requirements for an unknown and uncertain future

15. Deer: The deer is often lured and trapped by the hunter by a strange device. They play upon the drum creating a kind of music that enthralls the deer to pursue the sound of music and in the process the deer falls into a trap. For the Sadhaka, ‘the enchanting music’ represents the fleeting, alluring sensory pleasures. When one is lured by these material pleasures, he will have no time for higher loftier objects.

16. Fish: Just as the fish is caught by the food in the bait, the spiritual aspirant should have control over his senses and not fall prey to every temptation.

17. Dancing Girl: Pingala, a young dancing girl who cared only for money, once pined for the company of her paramour so long till the early hours of the morning in vain that she got completely disgusted with her profession and gave it up altogether. This taught him to practice the virtue of dispassion and to concentrate the mind towards loving God.

18. Hawk: A hawk had a piece of flesh in its mouth and because of it; other stronger birds like vultures pounced on it and caused pain. The moment the hawk dropped the flesh, all the birds flew away. The lesson was ‘ Renounce and you shall be free and fearless’

19. Child: The child taught him the value of carefree existence and true happiness. When you scold or speak harshly to a child, the child cries but he forgets your anger and harshness soon. And smiles at you happily. He does not harbour any grudge or resentment. He holds no evil against you any longer. Similarly, the aspirant must cultivate this quality of child-like innocence and simplicity, which will enable him to be positive and cheerful at all times, with all people.

20. Maiden: In a village when some guests came home unexpectedly while her parents were away, a village maiden had to go inside the kitchen and pound rice. Her bangles started jingling and making too much noise. Embarrassed, she removed all her bangles except one which restored the calmness. From this, the Avadhuta learnt that ‘bonds and attachments’ of this world add to stress and clamour of life and the multiplicity of wants hampers calmness which is required for Self-Realisation.

21. Hunter: Once a hunter was do deeply engrossed sharpening his arrow that he did not notice even when a Royal procession passed by him. This taught the Avadhuta the virtue of single-pointed attention or Ekagra-Chitta and how our mind should always be oriented towards God so as to avoid too much attachment and attention to the ephemeral.

22. Serpent: The serpent taught Dattatreya the lesson of non-possession and independence. A serpent does not make a home for itself; it dwells in holes dug by other animals. And a serpent lives on its own-not in groups or with other serpents. An aspirant must learn to do without possessions and attachments.

23. Spider: The spider spins its web out of its own saliva and sometimes he himself gets entangled in it. Thus, we must guard against getting ourselves in the web of our own desires. Also, the spider reminds us that this vast Universe is a web of delusions created by Brahman. The world is made up of the substance of God.

24. Wasp: The wasp, in its life-cycle, passes from the egg through the larva and the pupa into the final form. Its teaches us not to identify ourselves with the body—our physical form—and that we are the Atman, the immortal Self which is ever ready to fly towards God and Liberation!

These were the 24 Gurus or Preceptors for Avadhuta Dattatreya who himself acknowledged them as such.

“Agjnana Timirandhasya Gjnanjana Shalakaya

Chakshuh Unmilitam Yena Tasmai Sri Gurave Namah”

--“A Preceptor is one who opens the blind eye of his student which is closed with the darkness of ignorance, by applying the balm of knowledge. To such a Guru, my humble prostrations!”



B.M.N.Murthy




ARTICLE NO. 500---TWENTY FOUR GURUS, The Story of Avadhuta Dattatreya
Created: Friday, May 1, 2009 8:56 PM