Dattatreya is said to be an incarnation of lord vishnu who made 24 gurus in his life and he achieved enlightenment while studying these gurus. The following are the gurus of Dattatreya: the Earth, Wind, Sky, Fire, the Moon, the Sun, the Pigeon, the Python, the Ocean, the Moth, the Bumblebee,the Elephant, the Honey collector, the Deer, the Fish, the prostitute named Pingla, the Hawk, a Child, the Maiden, the Arrow maker, the Snake, the Spider and the Beetle.
1. First Guru – Earth
Dattatreya learnt from the earth its patience and forgiveness. How much harm and what mischief people do on earth; But she neither takes revenge from anyone nor cries or screams. All the creatures of the world are trying according to their destiny. They attack from time to time in different ways, knowingly or unknowingly. A patient person should understand their helplessness, neither lose his patience nor get angry. Dattatreya learnt this lesson from the mountains and trees of the earth itself, that just as all their efforts are always for the benefit of others, a saintly man should do his discipleship. Accept and learn charity from them.
2. Second Guru – Air
Dattatreya learnt this lesson from the air living inside the body that just as it desires only food and gets satisfied only after getting it. In the same way a seeker should also eat as much food as he can sustain his life. One should not desire many subjects to satisfy the senses. In short, only those subjects should be used which do not distort the intellect. Do not make the mind restless and do not indulge in useless talk.
Dattatreya learnt from Vayu, which lives outside the body, that just as Vayu has to go to many places, but does not get attached to anywhere, does not adopt the merits and demerits of anyone. In the same way, as per the need, a seeker should also go to different types of religious and nature related matters, but does not accept his own merits or demerits. Stay focused on their goal. Do not lean towards anyone’s merits or demerits, do not develop attachment or hatred towards anyone.
3. Third Guru – Sky
All the movable or immovable things, despite appearing to be different, in reality the sky is one and undivided. In the same way, God is present in all the subtle and gross bodies in the form of soul. The seeker should see the soul as unbroken, just like the thread spread in the beads of a thread.
It is so vast that it can be compared somewhat to the sky. Therefore the seeker should realise the ethereal form of the soul. Fire occurs, water rains, food grains etc. are produced and destroyed, clouds etc. come and go due to the influence of wind; Despite all this the sky remains untouched. From sky’s point of view all this is nothing. Similarly, in the cycle of past, present and future, creation and destruction of many names and forms take place, but they don’t have any contact with the soul.
4. Fourth Guru – Water
Just as water by its very nature is clean, smooth, sweet and purifying. People become pure by visiting, touching and reciting the name of a pilgrim like Ganga. In the same way a seeker too should be pure, smooth, sweet-spoken and pious by his nature.
5. Fifth Guru – Fire
Dattatreya learnt from Agni that just as it is brilliant and luminous. No one can suppress fire with its power, as it has no container for storage and capture – it keeps everything in its stomach. Even while consuming, one should keep his mind and senses under control, do not let anyone’s fault come into his mind. Just as fire remains hidden at some places (in wood etc.) and is revealed at other places.
Similarly the seeker should also remain hidden at some places and become visible at other places. A seeker should consider that just as fire, while living in tall and crooked trees, appears to be straight and crooked or tall like them – in reality it is not like that. Similarly the omnipresent soul also appears to be the cause-and-effect created by its illusion.
6. Sixth Guru – Moon
Dattatreya learnt from the Moon that although the phases of the Moon keep increasing and decreasing. Due to the influence of time whose motion cannot be known, yet the Moon neither decreases nor increases. Similarly, all the states from birth to death are all of the body and have no connection with the soul. In the same way, the bodies of living beings keep on being created and destroyed from moment to moment.
7. Seventh Guru – Sun
Dattatreya learnt from the Sun that just as it draws water from the earth with its rays and makes it rain at the right time. In the same way, a yogi receives objects through his senses and when the time comes he also donates them. At no time does he have attachment to any object of the senses. To grossly intelligent people, the Sun was reflected in various vessels of water and seemed to enter into them. But this does not inherently make the sun many. Similarly, the distinction between movable and immovable titles shows that the soul is different in each person. But those who think so, their intelligence is thick. The fact is that the soul is the same as the sun. In essence there is no difference in it.
8. Eighth Guru – Pigeon
One should not be too attached to anyone, otherwise his intellect will lose its independence and has to suffer greatly like a dove. There was a pigeon in a forest, he had built his nest in a tree. He lived in the same nest with his female pigeon for many years. The hearts of that pair of pigeons constantly grew in affection for each other.
One day both males and females went into the woods to fetch fodder for their young. A fowler walking around happened to come out towards their nest. He saw the young pigeons fluttering around the nest; he spread out his net and caught them. They came to their nest with the bait. The dove saw her tiny children, squealing in pain.
Seeing them in such a situation, she ran to them crying and screaming and got caught in the trap herself. When the dove saw that my children, whom I loved more than my life, were caught in the trap and my beloved wife was in the same condition, he began to lament in great sorrow. Despite seeing all this, the foolish pigeon was feeling so humble that it itself deliberately jumped into the net.
The one who finds happiness only in the company of family members, subjects and people and who has lost all sense of well-being only in the maintenance of his family, can never find peace.
9. Ninth Guru – Python
Just as living beings, receive suffering as per their past karma, similarly, wherever they live in heaven or hell, they also receive pleasures related to the senses. Therefore, an intelligent person who knows the secret of happiness should not desire any kind of effort for them. Whatever he gets spontaneously, without desiring – whether it is in excess or a little – a wise man, like a python, can survive by eating only that and remains indifferent.
Like a python, he should be satisfied only with the food received as per his destiny. Even if his body has morale, sensory strength and physical strength, he remains motionless.
10. Tenth Guru – Sea
He learnt from the sea that the seeker should always remain happy and serious. His feelings should be immeasurable, immense and limitless and he should not get angry for any reason. It should remain just like a calm sea without tides and waves. God did samudra manthan to get nectar from it. Look, the sea neither increases or decreases in summer due to the floods of rivers in the rainy season. Similarly, a God-fearing devotee should neither be elated at the attainment of worldly things nor should he be sad at their loss.
11. Eleventh Guru – Moth
He learnt from the moth that just as it is attracted by beauty, jumps into the fire and dies in the water. In the same way, when a man who does not control his senses and gets attracted towards them and falls into deep darkness and hell. Truly, pleasures are the illusions of the Gods, due to which the living being remains deprived of attaining God or salvation.
12. Twelfth Guru – Bumblebee
A saint should live his life like a bumblebee without causing any kind of trouble to the householders. He should ask for some pieces of bread useful for his body from many houses. Just as a bumblebee collects the essence from various flowers – whether small or big. In the same way an intelligent man should extract their essence from all the scriptures, big and small. He should not hoard the material things anywhere, otherwise his life will become difficult like that of bees. It should be understood very well that a Saint should not make any kind of collection for morning and evening. If he collects, then like bees, he will lose his life along with his collection.
13. Thirteenth Guru – Elephant
Dattatreya learnt from the elephant that a sannyasi should never even touch a woman made of wood. Then just as an elephant gets tied to the body parts of an elephant, he too will be tied. A wise man should never accept any woman in a condescending manner; Because this is his idolised death. If he accepts, he will be killed by other men who are stronger than the elephants.
14. Fourteenth Guru – Honey Collector
Dattatreya learnt from the man who extracted honey that the greedy people of the world keep accumulating wealth with great difficulty. But they neither donate the accumulated wealth to anyone nor consume it themselves. Just as the one who draws honey takes out the juice stored by the bees. Similarly their stored wealth is also enjoyed by another person who keeps an eye on it. You see, the honey bees clean the added honey before they eat it. Similarly, ascetics and celibates enjoy even before the householders the things they have accumulated with great difficulty, from which they desire happiness. Because the householder will first feed the guests and then eat the food himself.
15. Fifteenth Guru – Deer
Dattatreya learnt from Deer that a forest-dwelling monk should never listen to songs related to any subject. He should learn this from the deer which gets captivated by the song of the hunter. Rishyashringa Muni, born from the womb of a deer, had fallen under the control of women. After seeing and hearing her singing, playing, dancing etc. he had become a puppet in their hands.
16. Sixteenth Guru – Fish
Now let me tell you the lesson of fishing. Just as a fish loses its life because of the greed for a piece of meat stuck on its hook. In the same way, a foolish person who is greedy for taste also falls under the control of his tongue which churns the mind and makes one restless. Wise men, by stopping food, very quickly gain victory over the other senses, but this does not control their sense of taste. It becomes even stronger if you stop eating. Even after conquering all the senses, man cannot become Jitendriya unless he controls his tongue. Once the senses of taste have been controlled, then it seems as if all the senses have been controlled.
17. Seventeenth Guru – Pingla
It is a matter of ancient times, there lived a prostitute in Mithila. Her name was Pingala.She was not only self-willed but also beautiful. One day, she stood at the outer door of her house for a long time, dressed up in fine clothes and ornaments, in order to attract a man to her place of pleasure. Her desire was not for a man, but for money, and this desire had become so strong in her mind that whenever she saw any man passing by, she would think that he was rich and was coming just to give her money.She also lost his sleep. Thus it became midnight. While waiting for a rich man, her mouth became dry and her mind became restless. Now she has become very disinterested in this practice. The feeling of renunciation thus awakened in Pingala’s mind.
She became subservient to the senses and thought that my true master, God, resides very close to my heart. He also give the true wealth of real love, happiness and charity. The men of the world are eternal. I left him and consumed those despicable human beings who cannot fulfil even a single wish of mine; On the contrary, they give only sorrow, fear, illness, grief and attachment. Like Meerabai she became a devotee of lord Krishna.
Now I will leave all the bad associations and move towards the supreme godhead. Having decided this, the prostitute gave up her longing for her beloved rich men. Truly hope is the greatest sorrow and disappointment is the greatest happiness; Because only when Pingala the prostitute gave up the hope of a man, she could sleep happily.
18. Eighteenth Guru – Hawk
Collecting the things that are very dear to humans is the reason for their sorrow. The wise man who understands this and lives without any attachment – he does not hoard anything in his mind, leave alone the body – he attains eternal happiness in the form of God. A hawk was carrying a piece of meat in its beak. At that time other strong birds, who did not have meat, surrounded him and started pecking at him to snatch it from him. Only when the Kurur bird (hawk) threw a piece of meat with its beak did he get happiness.
19. Nineteenth Guru – A child
A child doesn’t care about honour or dishonour and doesn’t care about the worries that his family and friends had. He rejoices in his own soul and plays with himself.He has taken this education from childhood. Therefore, like a child, he also lives happily. In this world only two types of people remain carefree and engrossed in bliss – one is the innocent, careless little child and the other is the man who has gone beyond all qualities.
20. Twentieth Guru – A Maiden
Once many people had come to the house of an unmarried girl to marry her. That day her family members had gone out somewhere. That’s why she herself extended hospitality to them. To feed them, she started threshing paddy in solitude inside the house. At that time the conch shell bangles lying on her wrist were ringing loudly.Considering this sound as blasphemous, the girl felt very ashamed and she broke all the bangles one by one only two bangles were left in her hands.
Now she started threshing paddy again. But those two bangles also started ringing, then she broke one more bangle. When only one bangle remained on both the wrists, there was no sound of any kind. At that time, wandering here and there to observe the conduct and thoughts of the people, Dattatreya also reached there. He learned from her that when many people live together, there is discord and even when two people live together, there is always conversation; Therefore, one should wander alone like the bangle of that girl to avoid inner conflicts.
21. Twentyfirst Guru – An Arrow maker
Dattatreya had learnt from the arrow maker that by conquering asana and breath, control your mind through dispassion and practice and then with great care concentrate it on one goal. When the mind becomes stable in God in the form of bliss, then it gradually washes away the dust of karmic desires. By increasing the Sattva Guna, the mind becomes calm by renouncing the Rajoguni and Tamoguni tendencies, just like a fire without fuel.In this way, one whose mind becomes fixed and restrained in his own soul, is not aware of anything outside or within. He saw that an arrow maker was so engrossed in making arrows that the king’s horse passed by him with his entourage and he could not move.
22. Twenty Second Guru – A Snake
Dattatreya learnt this lesson from the snake that a sannyasi should wander alone like a snake, he should not form a group. A monastery should not be built at all. He should not stay in one place, should not be careless, should not lie in a cave etc., should not be recognized by external conducts. Don’t take help from anyone and say very little. Getting involved in the hassle of building a house for this impermanent body is futile and a source of sorrow. The snake spends its time very comfortably by entering the house built by others.
23. Twenty Third Guru – Spider
Just as a spider spreads a web from its hearth through its mouth, moves in it and then swallows it, similarly God also creates this world from Himself, moves in it in the form of a living being and then absorbs it into Himself.
24. Twenty Fourth Guru – Beetle
Dattatreya had learnt from the Bhringi (Beetle) insect that if a living being deliberately concentrates his mind on something, either out of love, hatred or fear, then he attains the form of that thing. Just as a beetle takes an insect and closes its living space on the wall, and while thinking about it out of fear, the insect gets transformed into the same body without abandoning its earlier body.
These all were the teachers of Dattatreya from whom a person can learn great things in his life and attain divinity.Which one did you like the most?
