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.
Earth – People plough, dig and live on earth. They lit fire on the earth. Still earth will not swerve from its course. From this I have learned that people should not swerve from vow of patience, love and righteousness under any circumstance and dedicate their life for the welfare of living beings.
Air/Breeze – Air is pure and odourless in itself. It blows through both sweet and foul-smelling things without any discrimination. Spiritual aspirant should live in this world unaffected by dualities of the world like joy and sorrow. He should keep his heart’s feelings and his speech unpolluted by vain objects.
Sky – Soul is also like sky omnipresent. Sometimes it gets thickly overcast or filled with dust or smoke. At sunrise and during night it takes on different colours. It is never touched or stained by anything. Pure sage should remain ever pure like the sky.
Fire – Sometimes it shows itself as blazing flames, smoldering embers covered by ash. But always present as latent heat. The fire God accepts the offering from every one irrespective of his moral worth. He is untainted by the sins of such devotees. Like fire the sage of true realisation should accept food from everyone.
Sun – As sun illuminates many forms of nature to our visions the sage has to illuminate the true nature of all things to his devotees.
Pigeon – A pigeon was living with his family. One day a hunter caught its children. On return the mother saw this and unable to bear this she also fell in the net. The father pigeon saw this and unable to bear the separation it also fell in the net. From this I learnt that man caught up in his ambition of possessiveness brings about his own distraction. Due to his materialistic approach he is caught up in the endless cycle of birth and death.
Earth – People plough, dig and live on earth. They lit fire on the earth. Still earth will not swerve from its course. From this I have learned that people should not swerve from vow of patience, love and righteousness under any circumstance and dedicate their life for the welfare of living beings.
Air/Breeze – Air is pure and odourless in itself. It blows through both sweet and foul-smelling things without any discrimination. Spiritual aspirant should live in this world unaffected by dualities of the world like joy and sorrow. He should keep his heart’s feelings and his speech unpolluted by vain objects.
Sky – Soul is also like sky omnipresent. Sometimes it gets thickly overcast or filled with dust or smoke. At sunrise and during night it takes on different colours. It is never touched or stained by anything. Pure sage should remain ever pure like the sky.
Fire – Sometimes it shows itself as blazing flames, smoldering embers covered by ash. But always present as latent heat. The fire God accepts the offering from every one irrespective of his moral worth. He is untainted by the sins of such devotees. Like fire the sage of true realisation should accept food from everyone.
Sun – As sun illuminates many forms of nature to our visions the sage has to illuminate the true nature of all things to his devotees.
Pigeon – A pigeon was living with his family. One day a hunter caught its children. On return the mother saw this and unable to bear this she also fell in the net. The father pigeon saw this and unable to bear the separation it also fell in the net. From this I learnt that man caught up in his ambition of possessiveness brings about his own distraction. Due to his materialistic approach he is caught up in the endless cycle of birth and death.
Python – Python being sluggard lies without
moving much. Gulps whatever comes in its way
to fulfil its hunger. A person who is in search
of wisdom should not run about in search of
worldly pleasures. He should take whatever in
his way with contentment.
Sea – Number of rivers may join the sea but it maintains its level. Even during summer when the rivers dry up, the level of the sea remains same. Like sea the joys of life do not elate the sage. He will never transgress the highest standards of morality under the pull of passions.
Moth – Moth attracted by fire jumps into it and gets destroyed. Like moth man is also attracted by the worldly pleasures and gets caught in the never ending cycle of birth and death. A learned sage when gets a glimpse of wisdom leave everything aside and burns in search of wisdom to know the self.
Elephant – To catch a male elephant a stuffed replicate of female elephant is made and when it nears it, it is skilfully caught. Likewise man is attracted by the opposite sex. The true seekers should learn to leave away from this lust.
Ant – It stores lot food neither it eats nor gives away to others. Other more powerful creatures take away this. Likewise, man who stores up material things also liable to face robbery and murder. But one thing we have to learn from ant, it is a tiresome worker. Unperturbed by this it continues to store the food. Man also should work tirelessly towards gaining wisdom.
Fish – Its greediness makes it to swallow the bait and get caught. Similarly man is also very greedy. He is not satisfied with the amount of food he eats. He continues to eat even after his palate is full. One thing about fish is it never leaves its home. Man should never loose sight of his goal of attaining wisdom.
Pingala – Pingala was a prostitute. She waited for a particular client in the hope to get more from him. Till late night he did not turn up. She realised that like a fool she was waiting for a person who only inspires her lust and greed. Had this wait been for the Lord, what a pleasure I would have got. From that day onwards she started concentrating on the divine. Through this repentance she attained blessedness and united with the almighty. Like Pingala a spiritual aspirant should neglect the temptation of bodily pleasures and concentrate on their aim of attaining the wisdom through spirituality.
Maiden – A maiden had to entertain her guests her mother was not at home. She went to
kitchen and started pounding the food-grains.
Since she was wearing bangles on both hands
they started making lot of sound. She did not
want the guests to hear that sound feel unhappy.
In traditional family we are not supposed to
remove all the bangles. She removed all bangles
from her hands and kept only two in each.
Even then the sound could not be avoided. She
removed one each from both the hands and
continued pounding and served food to the
guests. Likewise, if number of spiritual seekers
live under one roof there will be chaos. Only
in solitude does a seeker can concentrate more
easily .
Caterpillar – The wasp carries its child to a corner and builds up a nest to protect it and
starts buzzing. The child also after hearing
this buzzing for a long period cannot think of
anything other than buzzing and starts buzzing
till it also becomes a wasp. Similarly a true
shishya cannot think of anything else other than
what his Guru is teaching to him. He will be
over awed by the spiritual wisdom of his Guru
and follows it. Continuing this he also becomes
a great spiritual master.
Sea – Number of rivers may join the sea but it maintains its level. Even during summer when the rivers dry up, the level of the sea remains same. Like sea the joys of life do not elate the sage. He will never transgress the highest standards of morality under the pull of passions.
Moth – Moth attracted by fire jumps into it and gets destroyed. Like moth man is also attracted by the worldly pleasures and gets caught in the never ending cycle of birth and death. A learned sage when gets a glimpse of wisdom leave everything aside and burns in search of wisdom to know the self.
Elephant – To catch a male elephant a stuffed replicate of female elephant is made and when it nears it, it is skilfully caught. Likewise man is attracted by the opposite sex. The true seekers should learn to leave away from this lust.
Ant – It stores lot food neither it eats nor gives away to others. Other more powerful creatures take away this. Likewise, man who stores up material things also liable to face robbery and murder. But one thing we have to learn from ant, it is a tiresome worker. Unperturbed by this it continues to store the food. Man also should work tirelessly towards gaining wisdom.
Fish – Its greediness makes it to swallow the bait and get caught. Similarly man is also very greedy. He is not satisfied with the amount of food he eats. He continues to eat even after his palate is full. One thing about fish is it never leaves its home. Man should never loose sight of his goal of attaining wisdom.
Pingala – Pingala was a prostitute. She waited for a particular client in the hope to get more from him. Till late night he did not turn up. She realised that like a fool she was waiting for a person who only inspires her lust and greed. Had this wait been for the Lord, what a pleasure I would have got. From that day onwards she started concentrating on the divine. Through this repentance she attained blessedness and united with the almighty. Like Pingala a spiritual aspirant should neglect the temptation of bodily pleasures and concentrate on their aim of attaining the wisdom through spirituality.
Arrow Maker – An arrow maker never distracts
from his work, even it may be a royal procession.
Single mindedness without getting distracted
by the material things is the sure way to attain
the realisation.
Playful Boy – Little children are like true realised person. They are not perturbed by anything. They won’t carry any grudge against anyone. They are themselves fully oblivious of what they are doing. They do not need any external object to make them happy. A sage is also like this unperturbed by the materialistic joy.
Moon – Moon is reflection of sun. Through the lunar cycle it diminishes and grows again. Similarly the body of man grows through age but his real self remains same. Like moon being the reflection of sun, the soul or mind of the man is reflection of his self.
Honeybee – Honeybee moves from one flower to another without disturbing and discriminating any while collecting the honey. Like Honeybee the seeker should study all the scriptures and keep it in his mind. He should use only what is relevant for achieving his aim.
Deer – It is understood that deer is fond of music and deer hunters use this to catch them. Likewise a spiritual aspirant who is fond of only music will be bogged down by this and he may loose whatever spiritual progress he has made.
Bird of Prey – A bird carrying a dead rat was attached by crows and eagles. It tried to fight out but finally dropped it and others followed the dead rat. The bird had a sigh of relief. Likewise a man who is after worldly pleasures will be attacked by many who are also after it. If he overcomes this desire he can save from unhappiness. It will bring him peace.
Playful Boy – Little children are like true realised person. They are not perturbed by anything. They won’t carry any grudge against anyone. They are themselves fully oblivious of what they are doing. They do not need any external object to make them happy. A sage is also like this unperturbed by the materialistic joy.
Moon – Moon is reflection of sun. Through the lunar cycle it diminishes and grows again. Similarly the body of man grows through age but his real self remains same. Like moon being the reflection of sun, the soul or mind of the man is reflection of his self.
Honeybee – Honeybee moves from one flower to another without disturbing and discriminating any while collecting the honey. Like Honeybee the seeker should study all the scriptures and keep it in his mind. He should use only what is relevant for achieving his aim.
Deer – It is understood that deer is fond of music and deer hunters use this to catch them. Likewise a spiritual aspirant who is fond of only music will be bogged down by this and he may loose whatever spiritual progress he has made.
Bird of Prey – A bird carrying a dead rat was attached by crows and eagles. It tried to fight out but finally dropped it and others followed the dead rat. The bird had a sigh of relief. Likewise a man who is after worldly pleasures will be attacked by many who are also after it. If he overcomes this desire he can save from unhappiness. It will bring him peace.
Serpent – A serpent never builds a dwelling.
It lives in the anthills raised by the white ants.
Similarly worldly people have to undergo many
hardships for building their own homes. But a
sage never aspires that. He can happily live in a
monastery or old temples or even under a tree.
Serpent leaves its old skin and moves away.
Similarly an attained person leaves his body
and is never afraid of death. He is very happy to
leave his body like a worn out cloth and adorn
a new one.
Spider – Spider weaves its web and later consumes it also. During birth soul enters into a body having sense objects and mind and at the end of the life’s cycle it withdraws from the body leaving the sense objects and mind and all other acquired tendencies.
Spider – Spider weaves its web and later consumes it also. During birth soul enters into a body having sense objects and mind and at the end of the life’s cycle it withdraws from the body leaving the sense objects and mind and all other acquired tendencies.
Water – Water serves everybody. It nurtures
environment. But never feels proud of itself and
humbly seeks the lowest place. Like water, a
sage should look after every one and live as the
humblest creation of the God’s creation.
Thus, the avadhuta says that he has learnt the above lessons from the 24 Gurus.
Thus, the avadhuta says that he has learnt the above lessons from the 24 Gurus.
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