AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Translations of Pujya Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji’s daily explanation of Sri Guru Gita on ETV from Datta Jayanthi in Dec 2013 onwards in Telugu

Episodes 151 to 200

Listen to Sri Guru Gita episodes on vimeo:
Observe the parrot from Shuka Vana. Find out of the species it belongs to and make a note.
Visit for photos of parrots and information on the different species.
A parrot first listened to the secret knowledge about Guru while Siva was explaining it to Parvati. Later Sage Suka (Parrot) gave this knowledge to his father Veda Vyasa. It was revealed to humanity through Srimad Bhagavatam and Skanda Purana.

At end of the year 2014 during Datta Jayanthi in December, there will be held a competition.

Episode 151

Sloka:
Akamata stri vidhava japenmoksamavapnuyat
Avaidhavyam sakama cet labhate canya janmani

If a widow studies the Guru Gita without any desires, she will attain liberation. If she chants with desire, she will be blessed with a happy married life in her next birth.

Why are they specifically talking about widows here? Some people believe that one should not look at a window or touch a widow. But, if the widow is wealthy or in a position of power, the same people would give her a lot of respect. This is not right. One should always have compassion and respect for widows. Advise them on paths for spiritual practice. That is why Lord Siva himself said this sloka. He is promising these positive outcomes in the presence of the Divine Mother.

Here too, we are being advised right upfront that worship without any desires is better than worship with desires.

Sloka:
Japecchaktasca saurasca ganapatyasca vaisnavah |
Saivasca siddhidametam sarvadeva swarupinim ||

The Guru Gita is the embodiment of all Gods and the source of all fulfillment. So all practicants of Devi or the Mother Goddess, the Sun, Lord Ganapathy, the Vaishnavaites (devotees of Lord Vishnu) and the Saivaites (devotees of Lord Siva) should chant this.

Next, they are describing the places that are good for chanting of Guru Gita at.

Sloka:
Tirthe bilavatarormule vatamule sarittate |
Devalaye ca gosthe ca mathe brindavane tatha |
Pavitre nirmale sthane japassighra phalapradah ||

Worship or meditation at pure and serene places such as a pilgrim center, at the foot of a Bilva tree or a Banyan tree, on the river bank, in a temple or cow-shed or a Mutt (monastery) or a grove of Tulasi brings in quicker results.

The kinds of accomplishments from the Guru Gita are described next.

Sloka:
Santyartham dharayecchuklam vastram vasyetha raktimam |
Abhicare nilavarnam pitavarnam dhanagame ||

If the Guru Gita is chanted for peace and salvation, it should be done wearing a white cloth, if it is for getting something into one’s grip (Vasikaranam), one should wear red cloth; for wealth yellow cloth is prescribed. Lot of people think of Vasikaranam negatively here, they think it is to get another person into one’s grip. That is not the case. This is to get our sense organs into our grip. One should wear red for Vasikaranam. For wealth, chanting should be done wearing a turmeric yellow cloth. For those who do not contemplate on the Principle of Truth, such slokas show the right path. So, Vasikaranam is actually getting the sense organs under control. Abhicara indicates desire infested with lustful actions. Chanting wearing a black cloth destroys Abhicara. One should understand that wealth here indicates the wealth of knowledge.

Guru bhakto bhavecchighram guru gita japena tu |
Dhanya mata pita dhanyo dhanya vamsya jana api |
Dhanya ca vasudha yatra guru bhaktah prajayate ||

One who chants the Guru Gita becomes a disciple of Guru quickly. Such disciples, their parents, lineage and also the people of their country are blessed.

Episode 152

Sloka:
Guru bhakto bhavecchighram guru gita japena tu |
Dhanya mata pita dhanyo dhanya vamsya jana api |
Dhanya ca vasudha yatra guru bhaktah prajayate ||

One who chants the Guru Gita becomes a disciple of Guru quickly. Such disciples, their parents, their lineage and the people of their country are blessed. For people with a wavering mind, the chanting of Guru Gita is very useful.

Sloka:
Idam rahasyam no vacyam yasmai kasmaicana priye |
Abhakte vancake dhurte pasande nastike tatha |
Manasapi na vaktavya gurugita kadacana ||

Siva says to Parvati that Guru Gita should not be revealed to all and sundry particularly to non-devotees, impostors, the wicked, the fallen and the atheists. The very thought of giving them the Guru Gita should not come up.

In the previous sloka, they said that even people with wavering minds can study the Guru Gita. But, here, they are specifying clearly who the Guru Gita should not be given to. The kind of people that Guru Gita should not be given to are specially being mentioned. This is an ethical rule for knowledge, it’s also the rule for the world. For instance, food should not be given to one who is not hungry. Some people may just be interested in learning to play musical instruments. If you forcibly give them knowledge, they will not be able to absorb it. Similarly, some people are only interested in food, some in just money and some in just clothes, they don’t aspire for good knowledge. Some people want to chant the Guru Gita just to fulfill their desires. That’s tantamount to buying the Guru Gita for money.

Just because you want to always feed the hungry, you should not wish for everyone to become poor. Just because you want to donate money, you can’t wish that people become penniless. That means that even though there is no need, you want to feel great doing these donations. You may think, “Everybody should become utterly poor, they should all get hungry, so that I can donate food”. You should never wish for such things. Similarly, just for you to become Guru, you should not give initiation to just anyone. People keep giving initiation to whoever they like. That is also wrong. But, your Swamiji doesn’t let go of anyone, he even takes the ineligible ones, makes them eligible and gives them initiation.

Episode 153

Some people want to chant the Guru Gita just to fulfill their desires. That’s tantamount to buying the Guru Gita for money. Just because you want to always feed the hungry, you should not wish for everyone to become poor. Just because you want to donate money, you can’t wish that people become penniless. That means that even though there is no need, you want to feel great doing these donations. You may think, “Everybody should become utterly poor, they should all get hungry, so that I can donate food”. You should never wish for such things. Similarly, just for you to become Guru, you should not give initiation to just anyone. People keep giving initiation to whoever they like. That is also wrong. But, your Swamiji doesn’t let go of anyone, he even takes the ineligible ones, makes them eligible and gives them initiation.

Sloka:
Atyanta pkava cittasya sraddha bhakti yutasya ca |
Pravaktavya prayatnena mamatma priyate tada ||

A man with a fully mature mind and a man with dedication and devotion should definitely be taught this. Siva says to Parvati that he’s very happy when this happens.

Earlier they said that you should not pine to become a Guru. In the next 3 slokas, they are instructing us not to seek refuge in unqualified and rogue Gurus.

Sloka:
Guravo bahavassanti sisya vittapa harakah |
Durlabhassa gururloke sisya santapa harakah ||

There are many Gurus in the world who rob the disciples of their money. But it is very difficult to get a Guru who robs the disciples of their sins.

Sloka:
Jnanahino gurum manyo mithyavadi vidamabakah |
Svavistrantim na janati parasantim karoti kim ||

A man without knowledge who calls himself Guru, uttering falsehood, and moving about with fanfare doesn’t get any peace of mind. Can he give any peace of mind to others?

Generally, we make our bed a little soft. If we make our bed a little hard, it may take a little longer, but we will eventually fall asleep. It means that we got accustomed to that hard bed. Similarly, based on the situation at hand, how God should be worshiped is to be understood, and followed accordingly. This verse is specifically telling us that one should not accept as Guru one who can neither do good to others, nor to himself and one who is greedy for others’ sake and greedy for his own sake as well.

Episode 154

Sri Maha Ganapataye Namah
Sri Sarasvatyai Namah
Sri Pada Vallabha Narasimha Sarasvati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namah

Sloka:
Svayam taritu maksamah parannistarayet katham |
Dure tam varjayet prajno dhirameva samasrayet ||

If he doesn’t get salvation for himself, how can he get it for others? It is also said that if he cannot climb up to the *** of curd hanging from the ceiling, how can he climb up to heaven? How will such a person uplift you? A wise man should keep away from such people and approach only a Sadguru who is courageous.

A lot of people don’t understand many spiritual truths. Many of them don’t want to admit that they don’t know, so they provide baseless explanations for those concepts. They don’t know anything. And they pass on these ignorant explanations to their disciples.

Once again, saluting the Guru who is of the form of Knowledge, Existence and Bliss, they are concluding this scripture in 3 slokas.

Sloka:
Saccidananda rupaya vyapine paramatmane |
Namassri gurunathaya prakasananda murtaye ||

Obeisance to the Guru who is All Pervasive, the embodiment of the Absolute, the embodiment of Knowledge and the embodiment of Bliss.

Sloka:
Sacchidananda rupaya krsnaya klesaharine |
Namo vedanta vedyaya gurave buddhi saksine ||

Obeisance to Sadguru, the image of Sachchidananda, who is an embodiment of Lord Vishnu, destroyer of all sorrows and miseries, and who is revealed through Upanishads, a witness to all the actions of the mind and intellect.

Sloka:
Yasya prasadadahameva vishnuh mayyeva sarvam parikalpitam ca |
Ittham vijanami sadatma tattvam tasyanghri padmam pranatosmi nityam ||

Obeisance to the lotus feet of Sachchidananda Sadguru whose grace has enabled me to grasp the principle of Supreme Truth and attain knowledge that I am Vishnu, that I am the all-pervasive soul and that the whole universe is conceived in me.

Sloka:
Iti sri skanda purane uttara khande umamahesvara samvade sri guru gita samapta ||


Episode 155

Sloka:
Yasya prasadadahameva vishnuh mayyeva sarvam parikalpitam ca |
Ittham vijanami sadatma tattvam tasyanghri padmam pranatosmi nityam ||

Obeisance to the lotus feet of Sachchidananda Sadguru whose grace has enabled me to grasp the principle of Supreme Truth and attain knowledge that I am Vishnu, that I am the all-pervasive soul and that the whole universe is conceived in me.

Sloka:
Iti sri skanda purane uttara khande umamahesvara samvade sri guru gita samapta ||

Everybody should remember that the Sadguru is as essential as one’s own breath. We may say, “We read the Guru Gita, we all heard the Guru Gita, we discussed it in the form of short stories, I read it 10 times, I studied it 20 times, I did 7 Saptahas” (1 Saptaha = reading for 7 days), but we need the Guru every step of our lives, not just during the study of Guru Gita or during the Saptaha. It is only when we study the Guru Gita, undertake Saptaha or 7 Saptahas, chant the Guru’s name, study the Guru Gita, understand the Guru Principle, follow the Guru, stay in the presence of the Guru as much as possible in one’s life, with a view to strengthening our desire for a Guru that we attain liberation. Guru is like our breath. Giving up your Guru is like giving up your breath. It will not matter then whether we breathe or not at that point. A Guru is must in one’s life. Everybody should know that the Sadguru is as essential as one’s own breath.

Only a person who is desirous of learning more and more about the fame of the Guru and about the Guru principle regardless of how much he’s already learned, will actually realize the Guru Principle. One who thinks, “I have understood, that is enough, I read the Guru Gita several times, I learned the Guru Principle many times, that’s good enough” will never attain the Guru Principle, or anything else.

A lot of people have described the Guru Principle in several different ways. Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada (Sri Adi Sankaracharya) was the first to expound on it. Swamiji is giving you only as much as you need from this hymn composed by Sri Adi Sankaracharya

Sloka (from Sankaracharya’s Guru Ashtakam):
Sareeram suroopam thatha va kalathram,
Yasascharu chithram dhanam meru thulyam,
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam,
Thathah kim Thatha kim, Thatha kim Thatha kim

Right in the beginning of this hymn, we are being cautioned, “You have a beautiful body, but what is the use?” The sculptor sculpts according to the Agama scriptures (these scriptures talk about the architectural principles for temple construction, creation of idols and much more), yet the sculpture doesn’t look like it has life in it. There is a procedure called “Drishti Pradanam”. Only when this is completed does the sculpture come alive with conscious awareness. “Drishti Pradanam” is a procedure done to sculptures after the yantra is installed and the sculpture is put in place.


Episode 156

As discussed earlier, right in the beginning of this hymn, we are being cautioned, “You have a beautiful body, but what is the use?” Let’s recall the sloka.

Sankaracharya’s Guru Ashtakam, sloka 1:
Sareeram suroopam thatha va kalathram,
Yasascharu chithram dhanam meru thulyam,
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam,
Thathah kim thatha kim, thatha kim thatha kim

What is the use of that beauty? The sculptor sculpts according to the Agama scriptures (these scriptures talk about the architectural principles for temple construction, creation of idols and much more), yet the sculpture doesn’t look like it has life in it. Similarly, it is hard to say that the body, by itself, is beautiful. Even though that sculptor has sculpted beautifully, it needs “Drishti Pradhanam”. There is a procedure called “Drishti Pradhanam” (giving the power of vision or conscious awareness to the image). Only when this is applied does the sculpture look like it has life in it, otherwise it doesn’t. The sculptor who gave this power of vision to the sculpture then offers salutations to that very sculpture he worked on. Similarly, the creator is pleased to see the various forms of life he created. So, just as the creator himself is pleased with the forms he creates, the sculptor, after he has applied “Drishti Pradhanam”, is also pleased with the sculpture and offers his salutations to it. Now tell me, did the body get its beauty because of you? Why are you so proud of your beauty? What benefit does it give you? You are so proud. You stand in front of the mirror and keep admiring yourself. If your own beauty has no use for you, what is the use of the beauty of your wife and children? Similarly, what is the use of your fame?

Some people are never satisfied with how much wealth they accumulate. They want to keep earning more and more. Their goal is to just keep earning. A lot of people accumulate wealth equivalent to Mount Meru (enormous mountain considered the abode of many Gods). Their bank account has loads and loads of money. What’s the use? They don’t even know what to do with all the money they saved. They only care about hoarding wealth. They are hoarding all their life. I don’t know when they enjoy that wealth or put it to good use. Finally, the money falls into the hands of the government or the thieves. What’s the use of that wealth with which you do nothing? The government takes it over or the thieves break in and take it away. The thieves will enjoy the money. That is why, it is said that whatever you earn, you should spend it in this life itself and put it to good use.

Some people adopt a child. When that adopted child wastes all their wealth, they grieve over it. Why this karma? Just because you have no children, you adopt a child, perhaps a relative’s child and hand over your wealth to him. You cry when he wastes all the money. What is the point of doing this? That is why, treat orphans as your own children and help them. Help even orphaned animals. Or, help destitute students. There are plenty of opportunities to help others. It’s wonderful if you are able to spend your wealth thinking of others as your own children. One should not just hoard wealth. This wealth is given to you by God.


Episode 157

We discussed that some people are never satisfied with the wealth they accumulate. Their goal is to just keep earning. They accumulate wealth equivalent to Mount Meru (enormous mountain considered the abode of many Gods). They don’t even know what to do with all the money they saved. Finally, the money falls into the hands of the government or the thieves.

We also discussed that some people adopt a child and hand over all the wealth to him. When that adopted son wastes all their wealth, all they can do is grieve over it. But since it is God that gave you all this wealth, how wonderful would it be if you adopted that God. If we spend the money on meditating on God, on spiritual resolutions, on spiritual programs for the society, that would be equivalent to giving money to God, because we are considering God as our own child. There is so much joy when we are able to, in turn, give back to God what he gave us. Always remember that whatever you offer to God or to Guru is like a bank deposit. Offering to the Guru or to God is like savings in a bank account. Even if you don’t enjoy the interest from this account, it’ll go to your children, or to your near and dear relatives who need it. But, we do not feel like giving any money.

We should remember that even for us to have the mindset to donate to worthy causes, we need merit from our previous births. If we don’t have merit from previous births, we can’t even think of donating. If we have merit from previous births, our mind gets absorbed in the Guru. If the mind is not absorbed in the Guru, there is no use of such wealth. If your mind is not absorbed in the feet of the Guru, if you are unable to meditate on the Guru, if you don’t serve the Guru, if you don’t grasp the Guru Principle, if you are unable to offer to the Guru’s feet the fruits of the actions undertaken per the Guru’s command, if you don’t receive the Guru’s initiation, your beauty, your wealth and your fame are of no use. Not only are they of no use, but remember that the pride from your beauty, the pride from your wealth, the pride from your knowledge etc will get to your head. Such a person will be consigned to the nether worlds just like King Bali was. Knowledge has value only when there’s humility. Money has value only when there’s sacrifice. When service does not involve physical labor, beauty has no value, just as beautiful flowers without aroma have no value for worship. What’s the use of a money lender who has no generosity. There’s no redemption for that money.

Some trees grow magnificently. But, you cannot even fell and use as firewood, they emit too much smoke, cause burning sensation in the eyes and are completely worthless. They don’t even burn well. What is the use of such a big tree? Only when the mind is completely absorbed in service to the Guru, when the mind is absorbed in the Guru, all these will bear fruit, they will definitely bear fruit. You should use whatever you earn towards service to the Guru. Your mind should be absorbed in the Guru Principle. Only then will it bear fruit.


Episode 158

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 2:
Kalatram dhanam putrapautradi sarvam
Gruham bandhava sarvametaddhi jatam |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim tatah kim ||

The house is abuzz with joyous activity like Nanda Gokulam (where Lord Krishna grew up) with wife, wealth, children, grandsons, granddaughters. Hearing the grand child call him “grand father” is a source of so much joy. That his wife will not eat till he comes back home is a source of so much joy. Aha! Why do they have so much love for him? The crux of the matter is “Dhanam meru tulyam” (from Sloka 1 in Guru Ashtakam, meaning wealth as big as Mount Meru). The reason is hidden in money.

A man has a big diamond necklace. The heirs are waiting for him to die. The diamonds are very big. This man is always wearing it. All these people around him pretend to love him a lot. The love is not for him, it’s for the necklace. Once in a while, they keep wishing that he dies. In their minds, they are waiting for him to pass away. And then there are relatives. Where there is jaggery, won’t there be house flies? Your relatives are flocking to you because you have wealth, mansions, education, power, influence and much more just as house flies surround a piece of jaggery. If you didn’t have these possessions, would any relative even look at you? Place an announcement in the newspaper one day that you’ve lost all your wealth and have become a pauper. Even your wife will not treat your properly thereafter. Take off the diamond necklace and place the announcement in the newspaper and see the events unfold.

There is no unselfish love in worldly life (samsara). It is always selfish. Each one is intertwined with the other due to desire and selfishness. To pass on the sweetness from one piece of sugarcane to another, God has intertwined so. It is strange. There is no use of all of this because your mind is not absorbed in the Guru. That is why, first, focus your mind on the Guru. When your mind is absorbed in the Guru, all these will seem even more beautiful to you. They will cause more joy. Not only that, renunciation will also become easy. When necessary, such a person can drop everything and leave. Such dispassion will arise in you. Generosity will fill your being. Such a person will withstand all difficulties without getting dejected. A lot of people develop a lot of fear and lose sleep over little things. They struggle a lot because they have too much attachment. That is why they are saying here that when you want to share your wealth, when you want it to be useful to other people, when you want it to be of service to Guru, renunciation will come to you automatically.

No amount of praise or discussion on the Guru Principle is enough. For every instance, for every minute, Sankara Bhagavadpada (who composed this hymn) has specific advice for each person. Depending on the ego of each person, depending on their personal values, he described what each person can and cannot attain.


Episode 159

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 3:
Shadangadi vedo mukhe sastra vidya
Kavitwadi gadyam supadyam karoti |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

He is well versed in Vedas, holy scriptures and all knowledge. He can give discourses without a break. He can do poetry. He won many awards and titles in the past and will continue to win in the future. So what? “He’s so great”. Okay, so what? Such a person cannot focus his mind on the Guru’s feet. Then, what’s the use? All these are worthless. What’s the use of the number of awards won, the ability to speak eloquently without a break, the spontaneity of the mind and the intellect to create poetry and winning innumerable awards and titles if the mind does not get stabilized on the Guru’s feet? It is being said here that all these are worthless if the mind cannot be absorbed in the Guru’s feet.

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 4:
Videseshu manyah swadeseshu danyah
Sadachara vrutteshu matto na ca anyah |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

“Highly knowledgeable man, treated with great respect in any country he goes to, has great fame and reputation in his own country too, is leading a well-disciplined and good life, is a straight shooter, brought up his kids with a lot of discipline, he’s got such great titles”. This is what we talk about in this worldly life (samsara). “Did he bring up his kids with discipline? Does he have the ability to go to foreign countries?” This is all we talk about. These are the validations and certifications we use to indicate success. “How nobly is he leading his life. He’s very strict person. Look at his children, they are being brought up according to our culture and tradition, he’s won much fame and respect”. What’s the use of all this? “Moreover, he doesn’t even take dowry. He’s very famous”. Still, what’s the use? If his mind is not absorbed in the Guru’s feet, what’s the use of having all these things? You cannot grasp the supreme reality. Remember that if you don’t have devotion towards the Guru’s feet, all these good qualities will at some point fly away from your mind. They will not last forever. The egoistic feeling that you are such a good man will take over. That is why, you should combine good behavior with devotion to the Guru.

Without devotion to the Guru, there’s no use. Regardless of how strict you are, how important you are, how disciplined you and your children are, even if you keep doing a lot of rituals and worship, there is no use. Despite these great qualities, if your mind cannot be absorbed in the Guru and on the Guru’s feet, if you don’t have devotion, if you don’t even have devotion towards the concept of Guru, all this recognition and good attributes that we talked about are worthless.


Episode 160

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 5:
Kshma mandale bhoopa bhoopala vrundai
Sada sevitam yasya padaravindam |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

The kings and emperors on earth serve at your feet everyday. So, what is the use? You may think, “All the important people on earth are coming to me, they are worshipping my feet, what do you think of me? My word is gospel, it’s final”. So, what is the use? Some boast egoistically, “Everybody on the planet has to come to me. They have to hover around my house. I know everyone personally. Actually, they don’t do anything without asking me first”. They may say, “If the phone rings, it has to be them, the important people. They will not leave the house until I ask them to. It is me that has to even select their car. It is me who needs to tell them the direction they need to face while eating. It is me who needs to tell them whether or not they should have a shower today. It is me who has to instruct them on the color they need to wear to achieve victory. It is me that tells them what color pen they need to carry today. It is me that has to tell them to eat exactly 22 morsels, that they cannot eat the 23rd morsel”. This is wonderful. You have so much control. Wow! Some people even tell others that they need to count the grains in each morsel of food. That’s the kind of orders they give. There are many who gloat, “The government runs because I decide the date for the swearing-in ceremony, otherwise the government won’t run”. That’s good. Let there be such people. Let them achieve respect. Let their words come true. That’s fine. But, there are missing the crown of all these attributes - devotion to Guru. It is being said in this sloka that regardless of how important you are, if you cannot focus your mind on the Guru, what’s the use, what’s the use? They are asking us to keep our mind always focused on the Guru.

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 6:
Yaso me gatam diksu dana pratapat
Jagadvastu sarvam kare yat prasadat |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

They have done a lot of charities. Their fame and charity has spread to all corners of the world. They are well known in all countries. They are on television around the world. So, what is the use? There is reference in our scriptures to many who cut off parts of their bodies to donate to others. They did not attain salvation. Why? Because, they were unable to focus on the Guru. Those who have the Guru’s grace will attain anything in the world. That is why, without Guru’s grace, what’s the use of such charity? What’s the use of fame and reputation? What’s the use of having all this? They donated, they helped others, people even compared their generosity to Karna’s (a character from Mahabharata known for his courage and generosity). Some of you may have heard this story from the scriptures. A pigeon captured by a hunter cries, “He’s eating me, please save me”. The king who hears this talks to the hunger and gives him flesh equivalent to the pigeon’s weight from his thighs. Such a great sacrifice. The Gods appeared in front of him. He attained great fame, but he did not attain liberation. Why? He did not have devotion to Guru.

Episode 161

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 7:
Na bhoge, na yoge, na vaa vajirajou
Na kanta mukhenaiva vittesu chittam |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

So far we discussed that some people feel, “I am prosperous, I have desires”. True. Still, if the mind is not absorbed in the Guru there is no use. Even if you have all the wealth, desires, fame and Karna-like magnanimity and courage (Karna is a character from Mahabharata known for his courage and generosity) , life is worthless if the mind is not absorbed in the Guru’s feet and there is no devotion towards the Guru. They stipulated that if there’s no devotion to the Guru, all these can be dismissed.

Now, they are talking about sacrifice. Lot of people say, “I have no desire at all for pleasures, for Yoga, for karma (action), or for women”. They keep saying this all the time. “What’s there in money? I have no desire for money. All these Yogas - Kriya Yoga, Raja Yoga, whatever, I have no interest. What’s there in them. Sacrifice! I have no interest in luxuries or in Yogas or in karma. People do a lot of rituals and fire sacrifices. I do not even think of them. I am not interested in women either. I have acquired dispassion. I don’t even believe in Guru”. All this sounds good...they are saying they have no interest in anything. But, it is not enough to say that you have done everything you needed to do. You will still not attain liberation. Unless you have the Guru’s initiation, your dispassion will not take you anywhere. That is because you do not have the passport called Guru’s initiation. You cannot go to any other world, you cannot attain liberation. Because you do not have the passport of Guru’s initiation.

Some people say, “My father is my Guru, he initiated me”. True. Father and mother are the first Gurus for anyone, but you have a certain leniency with them. Even if they are great Gurus to you, when you see them, you feel the leniency that they are your mother and father. Once in a while, you will feel, “I am near my father and mother, why should I take their words seriously. They will always forgive me for my mistakes”. That is why you should always follow a Guru. Even if your parents initiate you, even if you consider them your Gurus, you should follow another Guru.

These days, there are many people that will initiate you to a mantra if you give them 10 rupees. Only 10 rupees. It used be 100 rupees in the beginning, it dropped to 50 rupees and now it is 10 rupees. Everything else has increased in price, but the Guru’s initiation has fallen to 10 rupees. It feels like some will even do it in exchange for a cup of coffee. But, there is no benefit at all from those mantras. First, you must grasp the Guru Principle. Your mind should be absorbed in the Guru. Only then will your dispassion and sacrifice bear fruit.

Episode 162

Guru Ashtakam, Sloka 8:
Aranye na va svasya gehe na karye
Na dehe mano vartate me tvanarghye |
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam
Tatah kim Tatah kim, Tatah kim Tatah kim ||

Lot of people say, “I don’t desire to go to the forests, I don’t desire to stay at home either. I have no interest in any activity. I don’t even pay attention to my body”. Just listening to those words gives us a sense of dispassion. Even people that don’t have a spiritual bent of mind feel like they are unlucky they do not have the same feelings. Such is their talk. They even act like that. Whatever they said is true. Whatever we discussed about these great people is true. There is no doubt about that. There is no deceit here and these people act the way they speak. Whatever they’ve been doing and whatever they’ve been saying they are doing is all true. There are no lies at all in these words. That is why, if such a person says he wishes to go to the forests, he will. True. Now, he is saying that he doesn’t even need to go to the forests. That means sacrifice. When people say, “What is in it? There is nothing. I don’t desire to stay home. I have no interest in any activity at all whatsoever. Moreover, I don’t pay attention to my body”, we feel good about it. It’s true that they feel that way. They even prove with their actions. A salute to them. They are great souls. Salutation at their feet. There is value in their dispassion. They’ll even act that way. While they are saying, “I do not need anything”, they will add, “The only thing is I need is for my house to sell at a good price”. Here’s where the problem arises. There is some deficiency here. Such people are good for nothing.

But, some people can sacrifice anything within a minute. Such disposition is very rare. But, even such people are possessed with this demon that they don’t believe in Guru. What’s the use of doing and saying all this? They don’t contemplate on the Guru Principle. In reality, this sacrifice and dispassion are very difficult to attain. Just as it is difficult to have charity where is wealth and humility where there is knowledge, this sacrifice and dispassion are most difficult to achieve. Those who have wealth don’t want to donate. It’s very difficult to have that charitable disposition. Knowledge doesn't come with humility, people with knowledge have a lot of pride. They boast with arrogance. Even with minor possessions of wealth and knowledge, if it’s difficult to gain the associated noble qualities, how can you gain the most difficult attributes of sacrifice and dispassion?

The Guru is always striving to remove the bonds, one by one, in his disciples. He tries very hard and in many ways to distance all the worldly bonds from his disciples. That is a very difficult task to do. But if such sacrifice has arisen in these people automatically, it’s a great blessing. These people have such sacrifice. The Guru went through many difficulties to teach that sacrifice. But, this man got it himself. But, what’s the use? If there’s no attention paid to the Guru’s initiation, such sacrifice has no use. They are saying very clearly here that such sacrifice is worthless.

Episode 163

If you listen to the Guru Ashtakam that you just heard, over and over again, if you learn it by-heart, if you keep chanting this mantra all the time, you will attain the good fortune of having read the Guru Gita, you will attain the good fortune of having followed the Guru’s instructions, you will attain the good fortune of having understood the Guru Principle. Whether you are a great scholar or a lay person, whether you are a Yogi, whether you are diseased or wealthy, regardless of who you are and what state you are in - God gave everyone a different state - you will benefit from it. Whether you are a Karma (action) Yogi or a Jnana (knowledge) Yogi or a Tyaga (sacrifice) Yogi, it’s a state you acquired due to your past karma. It’s a certificate you received. It is inevitable that you go through the experience.

However, everyone needs to practice good habits. In some instances we can, but in some others we are unable to. For instance, sometimes, it may be hard to study the big Guru Gita. That is why, they made a scripture like Ramayana easy for us with the 100 verse Shata Shloki Ramayana because we may not have the opportunity to study and learn by-heart the 24000 verses in the Ramayana. But, for those who want more stories than what is in the 100 verses, it’s enough to read Sundarakanda (one of the 7 sections in Ramayana). If you study it everyday, that’s good. Even if you chant the Eka-Shloki (single verse) Ramayana every day, that’s good. If you don’t have the opportunity to do that, it is enough if you chant “Rama”, “Sita”, “Rama”. Like that, they have made everything easy and more accessible for us.

Similarly,

Final verse in Guru Ashtakam:
Gurorashtakam yah pathet punya dehi
Yatir bhupatir brahmachari ca gehi |
Labhed vancitaartham padam brahma sanjam
Guro ruktavakye mano yasya lagnam ||

Just as we discussed so far, whether he is a Yati or a king, whether he is a Brahmacari (celibate) or a householder, whoever he is, if he studies the Guru Ashtakam, he will be purified, his mind will be absorbed in the Guru’s instructions, all his wishes will be fulfilled and he will attain Supreme bliss.

It does not matter who you are, if you have the desire to study the big Guru Gita, but do not have the opportunity to, you can study the Guru Ashtakam any number of times, at all times and in all states. You attain great fortune if you study the Guru Ashtakam or learn it by heart of even listen to the recording. One attains supreme bliss (Brahmanandam) and all his wishes will be fulfilled. “Brahmam” refers to bliss that is unparalleled. It’s not the ordinary, mundane kind of joy. People that attain this supreme bliss are merging into the supreme reality. They are merging with eternal bliss. The greatness of Guru Ashtakam is such.

Episode 164

The Guru and the Universe are not separate. Guru is the Universe and the Universe is the Guru. The visible energy that pervades the universe is the Guru alone. That is why, since the Guru and the Universe are one and not separate, Guru has become an integral part of man’s life. We thought they were different, that Guru was separate and the Guru Principle was separate. But, that is not the case. When we realize that since the Guru has manifested in this Universe, since the Guru is the Universe and the Universe is the Guru, since man’s life is in the Universe, since man’s life is in accordance with the principles of the Universe and the principle of Time, we can see that the Guru has become a part of man’s life.

If a limb or a body part is missing, we feel like the body is not functioning correctly. If we can hear through both ears, we feel like it’s stereo sound. If we cannot hear through one ear, it sounds garbled. If we see with only one eye, we do not know if our visual focus is correct. Yes, it is true that when there is a defect in one part of the body, God energizes another part even more. We have seen a lot of people like that. A person may be visually impaired in both eyes, but God gives him amazing artistic or other capabilities he can demonstrate with his hands or amazing speaking ability. We marvel at those skills. It seems like even people with two eyes cannot perform those feats. Even people with good hands cannot do it. Some people who have a defect or deformity in one hand, use the other hand to do the work of both hands. This is God’s miracle. Such a person may use his sense of smell or sense of hearing to identify objects. This is the energy given by God.

If there is a defect or deformity in some part of the body, do you know how difficult life is? It is very difficult. If one leg is shorter than the other, one finds it very difficult to walk. Similarly, Guru is a part of our life, he is a principle in our lives. If the Principle of Guru is not in one’s life, he will face many difficulties. That is why God always takes care of and uplifts those who directly or indirectly place faith in him. The Principle of Guru is such. Some people are blessed directly and visibly by the Guru Principle. God has come in the form of the Guru Principle. That is why we say “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Maheshwara”. (Guru is Brahma, Guru is Vishnu and Guru is Siva). Such a Supreme One, the God of Gods is carrying out all tasks in this universe. He is visible to some and invisible to the others. He benefits some people visibly. The rest are benefited invisibly. Just because the disciple can see his own progress, he should not take pride in it. If the disciple is being benefited indirectly, he should never become egoistic thinking that he alone is responsible for his own strength. Neither should a devotee become egoistic realizing that the invisible God is uplifting him.

Episode 165

We discussed so far that the Guru uplifts some people visibly. He uplifts some others invisibly. If the disciple is being benefited indirectly, he should never become egoistic thinking that he alone is responsible for his own progress. Neither should a devotee become egoistic upon realizing that the Guru is invisibly uplifting him. It is wrong to think that you are responsible for your progress. Without getting egoistic, one must realize that the Guru is the reason for that progress. You should keep saying physically, “If I am able to do all this, it is the Guru’s invisible hand. If Guru is visibly uplifting me, there is no greater fortune.” Only such a person becomes the best of disciples. He will be the one that understands the Guru’s intentions well. A true disciple is one who realizes that it is the Guru’s invisible hand that is uplifting him.

Guru protects like a mother, like a father, like a friend, like a relative. We don’t even realize that sometimes the Guru is in the form of a relative. Yes, the relative is well known to us, but the Guru entered the relative and is helping us out. Visibly, the Guru uplifts as a friend, as a relative, as a father, as a mother and so on. He protects us and keeps us from falling from the path of Dharma. All this is evidence that Guru is always watching over you. Even when we don’t ask or realize, our father gives us guidance. The mother gives us guidance. We get guidance in not one, but in so many forms, from a friend, a brother and so on. The Guru entered them and appeared to us in their form. A small house fly, a small bird also teaches us lessons in Guru Principle. We should look at them from that perspective. Don’t dismiss a dog as just a dog. See the dog as an evolved soul. Of course, the dog will not talk to you, but you will surely find something in the dog that you can learn from.

We see so many instances where a tiger cub was raised by a cat. Similarly, we’ve seen a baby cuckoo being raised by a crow. We keep seeing such instances even today. It makes us so happy. We have even seen instances where a kitten suckles a dog. Even though it looks strange, see how God protected the kitten in the form a dog. All these creatures may look strange to us. But, we should try to learn lessons from all the beings around us. You should not dismiss them, saying “This is a dog”, “This is a wolf”. That is why, Guru tries to keep us from falling from the path of Dharma by appearing to us in various forms. The role of a Guru in our lives in that important.

We discussed that even Lord Datta had 24 Gurus. It is never enough to recollect this over and over again just as it is never enough to recite the Guru Gita over and over again. These are 24 Gurus who teach us the Guru Principle. We know that this has already been described in the scriptures.

Episode 166

We discussed so far that Lord Dattatreya has 24 Gurus. Lord Datta is the Adi Guru, he is the original preceptor. Just as the first couple was Siva and Parvati, the first Guru is Lord Datta. He himself had 24 Gurus. He himself declared in the scriptures that he has 24 Gurus. Srimad Bhagavatam says that Lord Datta assumed the form of an Avadhoota (loosely defined as a mystic who has renounced all worldly attachments and lives in a state beyond body consciousness) and uplifted King Yadu. Let us learn about the teachings of Lord Datta here and the spiritual truths he explained.

Once upon a time, when King Yadu was on a pilgrimage, he came upon a young Avadhoota. Yadu addressed the Avadhoota thus, “O Mahatma (great soul), you look like an erudite scholar. Yet, sometimes, you behave like a boy. People in this world make efforts to fulfill their desires. They will not carry out any action without desires. You have strength, a healthy body, intelligence and self-realization. How did you escape from desires? Your face is radiating with bliss. Your smile never disappears. You seem happy and calm. You look so youthful and strong. How did you attain this dispassion? I am unable to fathom this secret”. Yadu prayed to the Avadhoota, “Please reveal your spiritual quality and uplift me”.

Gurus are very magnanimous. Like a cloud, a Guru pours all his energy into the disciple. Remember that. That Avadhoota was our Lord Datta. The Lord shows each person a different miracle. That is why, they worship the Lord as

Dattatreya Hare Krishna, Unmatta Nanda Dayaka |
Digambara Munebala Pisaacha Jnana Sagara ||

The Avadhoota was very pleased with the king’s humility. He withdrew his mystic form. With a blissful countenance, he looked at Yadu and imparted spiritual truths. Let us learn a little about what the Lord taught Yadu. The Lord started his discourse. The Lord prayed to God first,

Dattatreyam Sivam Santam, Indraneela Nibham Prabhum |
Atma maya ratham devam Avadhootam Namamyaham ||

So, the Avadhoota blessed Yadu and imparted spiritual truths. Those truths were as follows:
“O King, I sought refuge with many Gurus. I learned many good things from them. Important among them are 24 Gurus. I am teaching you the knowledge I learned from them. Receive these truths”

Episode 167

We discussed that the Avadhoota blessed Yadu and imparted spiritual truths. Those truths were as follows: “O King, I sought refuge with many Gurus. I learned many good things from them. Important among them are 24 Gurus. I am teaching you the knowledge I learned from them. Receive these truths.

The first Guru is Mother Earth. I examined the quality of Earth and understood that the Earth is very great and has great patience. I examined the quality of Mother Earth very well. Even though all living beings are walking on her with their feet, the Mother tolerates very patiently. Even though pits, wells, lakes etc are dug on her body, she tolerates patiently. So many people have dug into earth and removed the soil to create these large structures. Mother Earth tolerates everything. Moreover, to satisfy the hunger of her children, she even lets crops grow and be harvested. She protects trees. She benefits even those who give her pain. Earth is so big, yet has so much patience. Earth also manifests in the the form of large mountains, i.e., in the form of large trees as well as smaller plants and shrubs to bring us rains. If we didn’t have trees, how would we have rains? From the trees, she gives us sweet fruits and cool shade. From the mountains, she lets waters flow down to help the crops grow. Even though she does so much for us, she never expects anything from us. How much she does for us! She tolerates, she tolerates everyone walking on her, she feeds everyone although we are not doing anything for her. Let us learn about the greatness of Mother Earth in more detail.

The Mother who is completely sinless is Mother Earth. That is why she is eternally blissful. She keeps blessing us with minerals, solids (metals, ores etc) and liquids (water, oils etc) we need” They are describing in detail what Mother does for us.

Episode 168

“The Mother who is completely sinless is Mother Earth. That is why she is eternally blissful. She keeps blessing us with minerals, solids (metals, ores etc) and liquids (water, oils etc) we need. Mother Earth is the birth mother for all living beings. She’s worthy of great worship. Mother Earth bestows great fortune on those who worship her. She forms the residence for all living beings. She carries the seas, oceans, rivers, mountains, gems and diamonds only for universal welfare. She does not carry them for herself, she carries them for the world. Like this, the Mother whose vow is universal welfare is Mother Earth. I learned patience, forgiveness and courage from that Mother”, said Avadhoota Swamy. “I learned courage along with patience. Mother patiently tolerates many gigantic elephants stepping on her, so I learned courage, patience etc.“

Did you see Earth’s magnanimity? The Avadhoota continued, “There is a proverb that says that a mother will not feed you unless you ask her for food. But, you do not need to ask this Mother for anything. While other mothers need to be asked, you do not need to ask his Mother. She protects us in many ways. She feeds and protects us. She tolerates many difficulties patiently. Only Mother Earth has such great qualities.

One who inculcates the patience and forgiveness like Mother Earth’s will become the best among men. He will be respected by all living beings just as Mother Earth is. I learned about such quality from Mother Earth.

The Veda contains the line, “Ugraya Namah” That means, salutations to one who causes movement both within and without and is in the form of air. One who is in this form is of course the Supreme. Air is verily Parabrahman. He also has a name called “Gandha vahana”. He is eternally moving and supporting life. Filled with fragrance, he exhilarates the mind. Vayu Deva (the Wind God) carries to the Gods, our worship and our offerings. With his cool breeze, he softens the clouds and causes them to condense to give rains. Due to rains, we get food. People eat food and become happy. They undertake righteous acts, walk the noble path and earn great merit. Vayu Deva moves within the human body in the form of Prana, Apana, Vyana and Udana (vital airs in the body).

Episode 169

We discussed that Vayu Deva moves within the human body in the form of Prana, Apana, Vyana and Udana (vital airs in the body). He (Vayu Deva) helps us practice Yoga and provides good health. Although Air cannot be seen, we can feel it with our sense of touch. Air has two attributes of sound and touch. It is only because air is constantly moving that the entire creation is filled with life. Without air, there is no life. It is due to air that the skin covers the body and we are able to live, otherwise we wouldn’t be alive. In the outer space, there are seven planes of atmosphere. They are greatly benefiting the universe. Air exists in all living beings as life force or Prana. Even though it exists in everything, it has no attachments. It is subtly holding together the stars, the sky and the earth. “Anila” is Air. “Anala” is Fire. They are both friends. Anila and Anala - how nice are the names. Air along with Fire carries the offerings from the sacrifices to the deities. That is why they are both good friends. Like that, the Wind God and Fire bring us the blessings from the Gods.

The Veda extolls the greatness of Wind, “Tvameva Pratyaksham Brahma”. Using “Soham Hamsah”, all the great sages and realized souls regulate the air in their body That means, we should understand that the sages and realized souls earned the wealth of penance and meditation due to air.

Air expands our intellect. It molds the mind as desired. It subjects the mind to expansion and contraction. It equips the mind for analysis, intelligence and awareness. Knowledge, divinity, concentration, cleanliness and purity are caused by air. This the greatness of air.

Next, let us learn about what Avadhoota Swamy taught king Yadu. “I told you my second Guru is Air. We breathe in only as much air as we need. Similarly, I learned that wise people eat not to appease their tongue, but just enough to survive. Air carries fragrant smells. Similarly it also carries bad odors, but remains untainted itself. Neither does it shake off the bad smells, nor does it get excited with the fragrances. Air remains without any changes.

Episode 170

Avadhoota Swamy taught king Yadu, “I told you my second Guru is Air. Air is everywhere. We breathe in only as much air as we need. Similarly, I learned that wise people eat not to appease their tongue, but just enough to survive. Air carries fragrant smells. It also carries bad odors, but remains unchanged itself. Similarly, I learned that Yogis remain unattached to joys and sorrow. Yogis remain unattached. They are untainted and unblemished. Thus I learned that purity and impurity pertain to the body and not to the soul”. “This is good, this is bad” is only for the body and not the soul, taught the Avadhoota.

From Air, a disciple who is a spiritual seeker should realize that “Excess” is very dangerous and should be cast away while “Moderation” aids our spiritual progress like a good friend. That is the thought here. This is how they are describing the gist of lessons learned from Air.

Third Guru is Sky. Avadhoota Swamy so far taught king Yadu what he learned from Earth and Air. Next, he talked about Sky. In this context, let’s learn about the important characteristics of Sky.

“Yadausha Akasa Anandosyat”

The Vedas say that the Supreme reveals Himself to us through the sound of the Sky. The Absolute is very great. It’s all pervasive. It is divine. There is no greater example than the Sky to prove that God is all pervasive. Sky is everywhere, where is it not? It pervades everywhere. We do not know where it ends. We do not know where it begins. We do not know where it goes. It has no beginning and no end. That is how the Sky is. God has this omnipresent quality of the Sky. There is no greater example than the Sky to show God’s omnipresence.

Upanishads say, “Akasadvayuh, Vayoragnih”.

The sky was born from the Absolute. The sky supports the existence of the other elements of Nature and has the attribute of sound. All beings are born from the Sky and merge back into the Sky. Sky is the biggest of all elements of Nature. It supports all the elements of Nature. Sky is none other than the Absolute.

Episode 171

We discussed so far, “Akasadvayuh Vayoragnih”.

The sky was born from the Paramatman. The Sky supports the existence of all other elements of Nature and has the attribute of sound. All beings are born from the Sky and merge back into the Sky. Sky is the biggest of all elements of Nature. Sky is the basis for everything.

Those who realize that the external Sky that is of the form of Absolute also exists within our body are greatly blessed. You should realize that whatever is outside is also inside our body. It is with the support of the Sky that man can talk, man hear others talk, man can carry out all tasks. That is why Sky should be worshipped as the Supreme. Such a worshipper will experience great bliss. Real Sky cannot be seen directly, nor can it be comprehended directly.

According to Vedic Sciences,
“Ghatakasa, Matakasala”. With support, we can identify the great Sky. That means, within the heart of every being, there is a subtle sky. That is called “Dahara Akasam" (the space in the spiritual heart)

“Dahara Uttarebhyah”

One should worship the Parabrahman that is in the Dahara Akasa. Sky protects all other elements of Nature. That is how great the Sky is. Avadhoota Swamy taught King Yadu what he learned from the Sky, “There is no place that Sky does not exist. The clouds dispersed by wind cannot touch the Sky. Similarly, the Atman (Soul) within does not mix with the body. It remains unattached. Through Sky, I learned the quality of detachment and the omnipresence of the Absolute”.

There is a proverb that says that one should rise to the height of the sky. It means that one should develop the great qualities of the Sky. One should have a open mind and a big heart. Only then can one gain equipoise. You will feel love for all living beings. You will gain the state of equanimity in joys and sorrows. Like this, the seeker who learns these great qualities from Sky will become the best among seekers.

Next, let us learn about Water. Avadhoota Swamy told king Yadu that his fourth Guru was Water. He described thus what he learned form Water, “Water is pleasant and pure. It is sweet. Similarly, a sage should be pure within and outside. He must be without any impurity and should be pleasant. He should be calm. He should never hurt anyone and should always speak sweetly. He should be clean. He should have love for everyone. He should show love to all living beings. He should remove the difficulties of those who approach him. He should give them courage.” Let’s see what’s next.

Episode 172

Avadhoota Swamy told king Yadu that his fourth Guru was Water. He described thus what he learned form Water, “Water is pleasant and pure. It is sweet. Similarly, a sage should be pure within and outside. He must be without any impurity and should be pleasant. He should be calm. He should never hurt anyone and should always speak sweetly. He should be clean and hygienic. He should have love for everyone. He should show love and compassion to all living beings. He should remove the difficulties of those who approach him. He should give them courage. He should purify others with his darshana (view of his divine form), touch, songs and words. He should remove the sorrow hidden deep inside the heart of the downtrodden. He should give them the appropriate lessons and encourage them to undertake Dharmic (righteous, for universal welfare) acts.” See, this is how a sage’s conduct should be. “They should clearly point out which tasks are beneficial and which ones are harmful. They should constantly strive for universal welfare”, Avadhoota Swamy said.

The Vedas say that in the process of creation, God created Water first. Waters enlivens all worlds. Water is the basis for all substance. These days, we hear news of travel to other planets. The first thing they look for is presence of water. Scientists get excited at even the prospect of water having existed there many years ago. Imagine if they actually found water. That is why water is primary, it is the basis of life for all living beings. It enlivens all the worlds. Water is the basis for all substances. Similarly, a Yogi should constantly strive for universal welfare.

“Apo Narayati Prokta”

Water has the names Aapam and Naram. The Supreme resides in Naram. That is why he is called Narayana. Water purifies the living beings, it makes them clean. Similarly, a Yogi too should be pure, clean and hygienic. Where there is purity, auspiciousness occurs. That is why, those who learned qualities such as pleasantness, purity and cleanliness like water will never face failure. They will always achieve victory. They will achieve unblemished fame.

Episode 173

Fire. Avadhoota Swamy is teaching King Yadu what he learned from his fifth Guru. “Parabrahman is in the form of fire. He in the form of radiance. Our sacrificial offerings are received by the Gods through fire. That is why, our scriptures teach us to do Yajnas (ritual of offering and sublimating herbal preparations in fire accompanied by chanting of Vedic hymns) so that the country can be prosperous. By performing Yajnas, owing to the sacrificial offerings received through fire, Lord Varuna (the God of Rain) showers rains on us. Moon is pleased and infuses plants with medicinal qualities, due to which we get food. Fire gives us the strength to gain victory over enemies. He keeps the enemies subdued. He keeps us pure. He gives us longevity.

Fire God exists in the middle of east and south directions. Some people consider Fire God who has the ability to burn everything, a destroyer. But, Fire God is not a destroyer, he actually promotes growth. He increases friendship. That is why bonds of friendship are sealed in the presence of Fire. Friendships are fostered in the presence of Fire. We already know the story of how Rama and Sugreeva sealed their friendship in the presence of Fire. Even someone as great as Lord Rama, someone as Supreme as Rama and someone as courageous as Sugreeva had Fire God as their witness. “With Fire God as witness, I promise to help you”. “With Fire God as a witness, we are best friends from today”.

Everyone knows the qualities of Fire. Jatharagni (loosely, the biological fire energy or digestive fire) in our body digests everything that is put into the stomach. If God did not endow us with that Jatharagni that enables digestion, man cannot live. It digests all the food that enters the stomach, enables purified blood to be circulated to all parts of the body and helps the person live. That is why, “Agni Saakshi” (Agni=fire; Saakshi=witness) is very important.

When resolving disputes, people keep a fire lit in front of them and discuss matters of morals, ethics and justice. They may use an oil lamp. Looking at the lamp, looking at the aura around the lamp, at the center of that fire, they use the energy at the center of that fire as witness. Truth gets protected. Fire is always at a high level. It’s sound is also at a high frequency. Fire is red in color. Fire gives light and heat. In the nights, he exists as heat. He makes the seeker adhere to truth. He bestows concentration on worship of the Atman. He ensures that the soul’’s objectives are fulfilled. He removes the obstacles to faith and trust. He fills us with strength, faith and courage. The amazing qualities of Fire are almost impossible to describe in words. We discussed that he ensures that the soul’s objectives are fulfilled.

Episode 174

We talked about Fire yesterday. We discussed that Fire gives light and heat. In the nights, he exists in the form of heat. He makes the seeker adhere to truth. He bestows concentration for worship of the Atman. He ensures that the person’s objectives are fulfilled. He removes the obstacles to faith and trust. He fills us with strength, faith and courage. When we concentrate on the radiant form, we achieve concentration. Residing in the body, the Fire God detects diseases early and sends us signals. He provides good health. Even though Fire God can consume everything by burning them, he is untouched by impurity. Fire is everywhere. There is nowhere he is not. Even though he is everywhere, he is in the form of dormant fire in some places. We just said that there is no place where there is no Fire. He is in the form of dormant fire. For instance, sometimes, the piece of wood seems to have been burnt, but it has fire inside.

One must lead a life of cleanliness, untouched by impurity just like Fire. He must be radiant with the power of penance. He must accept whatever is given to him. He must stand by those who seek refuge in him and those who place trust in him. He should do good to them. All living beings are subject to birth and death. Birth and death are for the body, not for the soul. The body is impermanent. We see that the soul alone is permanent.

Fire has no form. It takes on the form of the object it is burning. In the same vein, one should consume food only for universal welfare, not for greed. A seeker should sometimes be introverted like Fire. In other instances, he must be extroverted. The qualities of Fire, one greater than the other, are amazing. Avadhoota Swamy said to King Yadu that he learned all these qualities from Fire. When a seeker imbibes the qualities of Fire and undertakes spiritual discipline, he will receive results quickly.

Next, Moon. While revealing his 24 Gurus to King Yadu, Avadhoota Swamy talked about Moon. Vedas proclaim the Moon as Parabrahman. They say that the Moon is the Parabrahman who is the essence of all living beings. Because Moon is filled with nectar and bliss, viewing it gives us joy. Children are happy seeing the Moon. Elders feel peaceful seeing the Moon. Because Moon rules over the mind, he cures diseases of the mind (psychological disorders). He eliminates those diseases.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord says, “Nakshatraayaaham Shashi”. The Lord is saying, “I am also the Moon who rules over all the stars”. That Moon (the Lord) said that he is the Moon that rules over all the stars.

Episode 175

Due to Moon, medicines become potent and powerful. That is why, Moon is also called “Aushadisha” (Aushada=medicine; Isha=God, so God of medicine) and “Dvijaraja” (Dvija=twice born; Raja = king, so King of the twice-borns). Moon appears to us in a pleasant form. He showers cool moonlight. He looks beautiful and accessible. That is why he is variously called Chandra, Soma, Raju, Seetamsha, Nishesha, Nishesa. Because he is the ruler of the stars, he is called “Nakshatra Natha” (Nakshatra=star; Natha=husband or ruler) and because he is the king of Dvijas (twice-borns), he is called “Dvijeshwara” (God of twice-borns). Because the manes (Pitru ganas) are in the Moon, he is also called “Pitru Natha” (Ruler of the manes). Moon is worshipped because of his nectar, because of his coolness and because he bestows happiness.

“Svetah, svetambaradarah, svetasah, sveta vahanah, gata panir, dvibahusca, smartavyo varadah sasi”

Moon who is white in color and wearing white robes moves around in a three wheeled chariot with white horses. Along with 27 stars he gives light to the world. He nourishes all living beings. If Moon is pleased, Aditya (Sun God), Visvadeva (Vedic Gods), Vayudeva (Wind God) and Marut ganas (Storm Gods) are pleased.

“Candrama manaso jatah” says the Veda.

Because Moon is the powerful celestial body associated with the mind, Moon should be worshipped if mental problems need to be removed, if mental disorders need to be removed. Moon bestows goodness on the mother’s side of the family. Due to Moon, intellect blooms, laziness is removed, forgetfulness is gone, mental strength is attained, fame is achieved. Moon has 16 appearances (14 during waxing and waning phases, new moon and full moon). That is how great Moon is.

When we see the Moon in the sky, he sometimes seems to grow, and sometimes seem to diminish. This growth and diminishing are the called Shukla paksha (waxing phase) and Krishna paksha (waning phase) of the moon. These are the unique features of the Moon. Avadhoota Swamy taught King Yadu thus, “A seeker should be cool like the moon, should develop his intellect, should strengthen his mind”. Just as the lustre of the moon seems to grow and diminish due to the effect of time, birth and death apply to the body, but not to the soul. I learned that the soul is changeless”.

A seeker that realizes that the soul is changeless and eternal never faces defeat.

Episode 176

Sun. Avadhoota Swamy is telling King Yadu about Sun. Let us learn about the Sun now. Let us try to understand a little, the quality of Suryanarayana Swamy (Sun God). Parabrahman is verily Sun. Sun is the visible God. He appears to our eyes everyday. He drives away darkness and blesses us with light. He blesses us with knowledge. He is life for all living beings. He shines resplendently in golden color. He shines in his golden hair. With a golden form and with golden nails, he appears as a golden bird. We have seen a golden bird many times in these episodes. We should remember which bird we saw during each episode. Like that, with a golden form, with golden nails, the Lord appears as a golden bird. That is why he has the name “Ut”. Because he is untouched by sin, those who worship him will also be untouched by sin. Sins get destroyed.

Sun is of the form of the Trinity. During dawn, he is in the form of Brahma. He awakens the creation. He sharpens the dormant intellect. He infuses new life into the passive life force. Then, during noon, he is in the form of Rudra. He absorbs into him the lower beings who are in the form of micro organisms. He makes way for better births. During dusk, he is in the form of Vishnu. Vedas proclaim that Sun is the Atman of this universe. He is the soul in all living beings. He strengthens the feeling of unity and gives the resolve to undertake noble tasks. Residing in the external sky, he blesses us with good health and eyesight. Manifesting in the Daharakasam (spiritual heart - inner sky), he blesses us with peace of mind and sharpens our intellect. He inspires good intentions in us. He even removes chronic ailments.

Arogyam bhaskaradicchet

Bhaskara (Sun) is the provider of good health. Everyone was born at once from Lord Suryanarayana. That is why he got the name “Surya”. Because he has taken on a body, he’s called “Ravi”. Because he rises in the sky, he became “Bhaskara”. Because he has great brilliance, he became “Prabhakara”. Because he divides the day he came “Divakara”. Because he is the foremost in this creation, he became “Aditya”. He performed great austerities and became 12 Adityas. As witness to this universe, he runs, rules and protects the universe. This is the principle of Lord Suryanarayana Swamy.

Avadhoota Swamy described what he learned from Suryanarayana Swamy thus, “Sun, without touching the water, turns the water into vapor and passes them to the clouds. When time comes, he showers rains. The amazing Fire principle of Sun God here cannot be praised enough”.

Episode 177

Avadhoota Swamy described to Yadu what he learned from Suryanarayana Swamy thus, “Sun, without touching the water, turns the water into vapor and passes them to the clouds. When time comes, he showers rains. Similarly, a seeker of Yoga should consume through his senses. He should donate to the needy. Even though the sun appears in various water pots as multiple suns, in reality, there is only one sun. In the same manner, the seeker of Yoga should realize that even though Atman appears as multiple bodies, there is only one Paramatman. He should be an embodiment of knowledge like Sun. He must look after the welfare of those who seek refuge in him. He must give them the alms of knowledge and enable them to perform their duty.

When one always does his duty like the Sun, the entire universe will cooperate with him. Sun is always doing his duty. The Sun always does his duty, whether it is in the morning, or the afternoon or the evening. He is so useful to people. He remains untainted and untouched by everything. The Sun taught us all these things. With him that constantly does his duty like the Sun and follows his Dharma, the entire universe will cooperate. Remember this very well.

Next, pigeons. We see a lot of pigeons on the street. There are a lot of pigeons in India. But, some pigeons look very different, we will talk about that later. If great souls say something, they say it out of experience. They don’t just say something randomly. You should never take what is said lightly or dismiss it, but you must put it into action. Great souls give us words of wisdom. There is a good reason behind what they are saying. We should never ignore what is being said. That is when we can get out of difficulties. The journey of life proceeds smoothly. We gain the mental strength to face difficulties.

If a great soul says, “Being overly friendly is not good. Talking too much is not good” you must stop doing those (being over-friendly or talking too much). However great the person is, he must put these into action, otherwise, he will subject himself to difficulties. They get into such difficulties that they may not be able to rise from them. As an example, Avadhoota Swamy told King Yadu what he learned from pigeons.

What is this? What can you learn from pigeons? How interesting? Sometimes we ignore the words that come from great souls. We think, “What do they know? They just speak from their experience. Our experience and our difficulties are different. Times are different now. Their experiences were from a long time back. What is the use talking about them now”. But here, the incarnation of the Supreme, the Parabrahman Lord Dattatreya, appearing in the form of an Avadhoota is talking to King Yadu about learning each object, from each substance, from each living being, about the method of learning. Let us look at what Avadhoota Swamy is saying to King Yadu.

Episode 178

Avadhoota Swamy described to King Yadu what he learned from the pigeons. “There was a lovely pigeon couple in a forest. They lived in harmony for a long time. In course of time, they also had a few baby pigeons. They began bringing up their children with a lot of love and affection. Birds look very beautiful as babies. They are just about to grow wings and they sound really cute. These parent pigeons, with a lot of love for the children, would undertake any amount of hard work to go out and bring food from the forests to feed their children. This became a regular practice.

A hunter noticed that the parent pigeons go out to the forest, bring back food and feed the baby birds. One day, he cast a net and captured the baby birds that were barely able to fly. The mother pigeon who brought food back for the kids found the nest empty and experienced unbearable sorrow. Wailing, from her attachment with the kids, the mother pigeon who set out to search for her children found the children in the hunter’s net a little distance away. Anxious and eager to save her children, the pigeon flew towards the net and got stuck in it. After a little while, the male pigeon who came searching found the female pigeon and the baby pigeons caught in the net. Filled with sorrow, in an attempt to save them, the male pigeon also got stuck in the net. The hunter who was observing all this from behind a tree was very pleased thinking, “My hunt today has been successful. I am going to have a sumptuous meal”. Gleefully, he threw the net containing the birds over his shoulder and took it home.

See, what attachment led to. One should not think that taking care of family is the ultimate goal of human life. One should let go of attachments, otherwise downfall is certain. One will have to face great sorrow like the family or birds did. The mother bird died seeing the baby birds. The male bird saw the female bird and followed. The entire family was gone due to a small attachment. If the parent birds used reasoning and avoided getting stuck in the net by understanding that there was no way to save the little birds, they would have at least lived and perhaps had more baby birds down the line. That is why, one must let go of attachments, otherwise downfall is certain. He will have to experience great sorrow like the family of birds did. King Yadu, listen, I learned that he who lives with attachment to worldly life will perish one day”.

Did you see the downfall that attachment brought? That is why, one should inculcate dispassion and pursue liberation and salvation. One must continue his efforts through his spiritual practice and be able to visualize the inner self. This story is so wonderful.

Next, python. Everything is determined by time. In this age, desire crosses limits and turns into greed. Let us talk about this next.

Episode 179

Now, let’s talk about the python. Everything is determined by time. In this age, desire crosses limits and turns into greed. Just as the proverb (in Telugu) says that greed breeds sorrow, greed brings us a lot of difficulties. Nobody is able to live within boundaries and limits. The primary reason for that is lack of association with noble souls. Thinking, “I alone am great”, and ignoring noble souls is the root cause of all sorrow.s Great souls will persistently guide and pursue us to enable us to walk the dharmic path. They enable us to undertake noble tasks and receive the good merit for those tasks. They help us be satisfied with what we receive. They make our lives comfortable. In this context, Avadhoota Swamy told King Yadu what he learned from the python.

“In a forest, there once lived a python with two heads. But, it would never move from its place. It would just stay put in its place. It made no effort whatsoever to gather food. If some food came to it, it would eat and be content. Whether the food was delicious or not, whether its hunger was satisfied or not, it would be content and satisfied. Similarly, a Yogi too should observe caution regarding food. He should consider whatever food he receives as a blessing from God and be satisfied. In the event he receives no food, he should be content with what he has. He should live courageously. He should be steadfast in his spiritual practice. The mind should be merged in the Absolute”.

Did you see, it is being said here that the spiritual seeker should behave like the python when it comes to his spiritual practice. Only then will equanimity of mind become a habit. He will realize the state where he views joys and sorrows, heat and cold as equal. Greed will never come close to such a person. Desire will always be within reasonable limits. The spiritual seeker, with the aid of the great soul, will be able to climb up higher steps in spirituality. Great souls keep the disciples’ desires in check and uplift the disciples while deconstructing the source of all desires and explaining how to get rid of them. A perfect disciple will realize that he is gaining contentment with whatever he has. He realizes that the Guru’s words are full of truth.

What a wonderful lesson we learned now. A perfect disciple will realize that he is gaining contentment from whatever he has, just like a python. The Guru’s teachings are such. The python would eat whatever would come its way and just stay put. Similarly, we should understand from this that the disciple leads a life of contentment, satisfied with whatever he has.

Episode 180

Next, ocean. There is a proverb (in Telugu) that says that a full *** (of water) does not move. True. A *** that is full does not move around like an empty ***. It remains stable. If even a little water is removed from the ***, the water splashes around every time the *** is moved. If the *** is filled to the brim, the water does not splash. It remains calm. Similarly, a spiritual seeker should have a great depth of personality at all times and never lose courage. Only then will he be able to withstand the obstacles faced in life and in his spiritual practice. He will withstand joys and sorrows and other dualities.

We sometimes observe, “This elderly person used to be fine. But, now he is sitting like a helpless person”. Lack of courage and mental strength makes a lot of elderly people weak. The reason is not disease or lack of comfort and amenities. This elderly person has no ailments. All comforts and amenities are within his reach. He even has people that will attend on him at the drop of a hat. The person looks quite okay, but seems to be in fear a lot. That is because he lost his courage. That is slowly emaciating him. Even a strong person looks like a coward if he loses courage. That is why, one must be strong in all aspects and activities. One must have the mental stability, “Let anything come, let anything happen”. One should never be afraid. One should not announce his weakness and fears to others. That is how courageously one must behave. That itself will pour life into the man. One endowed with such courage will always look alive and vibrant. This will save man’s life and give him longevity. If one keeps pondering and losing courage despite having no ailments and despite having all comforts within reach, he will die early. His lifespan will shrink. “How is this man so hale and hearty despite his illnesses and difficulties?” That’s because he has a lot of mental strength.

Keeping what’s in the heart from getting out is Gambhiryam (profundity). You should not repeatedly talk about your fears. It is difficult for another person to correctly judge or estimate a person with a great depth of personality. When one is profound and has a depth to his personality, he can even win over enemies. That means, if one is not profound, his actions and words will clearly reveal what is in his heart. Bad things will not happen to one who has a deep personality that does not reveal everything in his heart to others. Having a great depth of personality means that he has unlimited wealth. It means he is a treasure-house of knowledge. Unless one accumulates a lot of knowledge, such a quality will not become a habit. Even if difficulties keep piling on in layers, a stable and steadfast demeanor will become a habit. That is why, when we talk about depth of personality, the ocean first comes to mind. The ocean is also called Ratnakara. He has so much depth, no one knows what’s in his heart. Who knows what’s deep inside the ocean? Nobody does.

Episode 181

When we talk about profundity, the ocean first comes to mind. The ocean is also called Ratnakara. He has so much depth, no one knows what’s in his heart, but heholds a lot of precious stones and gems. It is said that the belly of the ocean contains great wealth. Streams, rivers, rivulets etc come running in to the ocean. With a big heart, the ocean invites them into him and gives them refuge. He never refuses anyone. He gives his water to the sun, helps it precipitate as rain and benefits everyone.

Ocean and Lord Rama, both belong to the Iksvaku dynasty. That is why Lord Rama was compared to the ocean as “Samudra iva sindhubihi.” Noble souls would come as rivers would, to join the ocean of Sri Rama. Everyone coming to have darshan of Sri Rama was uniting with the ocean. Sri Rama would treat them with great respect and give them all refuge. Similarly, just as the line “Samudra iva gambhirye” from Ramayana says, Sri Rama had the depth of personality like the ocean. He had a large heart. Due to that, a state of equanimity is attained.

Avadhoota Swamy is explaining this matter to King Yadu in great detail. “Yogi should always be happy. He should be unmoved by dualities like attachment and aversion. He should be (stable) like the full *** of water. One should be like the ocean that does not overflow even when the rivers flow into it. That means, he should not be overjoyed when his desires are fulfilled. Just as the ocean does not dry up in summer, a yogi should not be depressed in the face of sorrows. He must focus his mind on God, on Lord Narayana, and have equanimity of mind”. A seeker who learns this from the Lord and puts it into practice will attain Brahman.

Next, let’s move ahead. Moth. Attachment brings downfall, regardless of the stature of the man. Attachment is of many kinds, such as attachment towards wealth, towards power etc. The most dangerous of these is attachment to women, in other words, attach. That means one who cannot control his sense organs can never rise in life. He cannot attain victory. He cannot reach his goal. A woman must be respected. One should remember to never offend them. One must extend as much help to them as possible. One can achieve the goal together with a woman and share equally in the results. But, if due to lack of control on the sense organs, once is devious or wicked, he will not be able to rule or rise in life even if he is a Sadhaka. He will be completely destroyed. Ravana, who was born in the lineage of the great saint Pulastya fell prey to such attachment. Let us learn about this a little.

Episode 182

The most dangerous of temptations is temptation towards women. That means one who cannot control his sense organs can never rise in life. He cannot attain victory. He cannot reach his goal. A woman must be respected. One should remember to never offend them. One must extend as much help to them as possible. One can achieve the goal together with a woman and share equally in the results. But, if due to lack of control on the sense organs, one has increased temptation and is devious or wicked, he will not be able to rule or rise in life even if he is a Sadhaka or a noble person or even the best among men. He will be completely destroyed. Ravana, who was born in the lineage of the great saint Pulastya fell prey to such temptation. He, along with his sons, friends, family and relatives was completely destroyed. The one hundred Kauravas met with the same fate. Many great kingdoms crumbled. Many great people were vanquished. Temptation towards women is so dangerous.

That is why, many great souls talking about this in some scriptures, said bluntly over and over again that we need to have control over our sense organs. Temptation towards women is like a net, it slowly draws you in and becomes an obstacle to progress. It becomes a roadblock. That is why they teach us using some examples that temptation to women should be avoided. To describe even more clearly, the moth can be used as an example.

A moth is deluded by fire, thinking of it as just light. It slowly goes closer to the fire. Unable to bear the heat from the fire, it gets burned and dies. Similarly, temptation to women first attracts you. Gradually, unbeknownst to you, it leads to one loss after another until complete downfall. It leaves behind cowardice and weakness and fills you with complete despair. It deals a blow in life that’s hard to recover from.

Avadhoota Swamy considered the locust (moth) as his Guru. He found the root cause of people falling into the mire of samsara (worldly life). He taught, using the moth as an example, that a Sadhaka should always be vigilant when it comes to control over the sense organs. You will see that in all the scriptures, in all the little stories in the Upanishads that you may read, study or tell others about, a lot of examples are provided. These examples show us how when one takes an ignoble path, he is making mistakes and how unbeknownst to him, it is ruining his life one thing after another leading to complete downfall. That is why they are saying that temptation towards women should be avoided. Let’s see what’s next.

Episode 183

You must listen when someone is talking about good things. Turning a deaf ear to it is not right. You don’t know which snake resides in which ant hill (Telugu proverb which means that you don’t know what good stuff someone is capable of). Similarly, we don’t know from where good fortune will come our way. We acquire a better sense of discrimination from gaining knowledge. We struggle when we do not have a sense of discrimination between good and bad. A greedy person accumulates things, but loses because he cannot make the right decision at the right time. He accumulates money earned in many different ways. One day, a burglar will happily take away that money. That is why, one must have the right attitude and practice along with accumulation of objects. One must do charity and donations appropriate with his wealth. A seeker must learn the practices appropriate for him and put them into practice. That is when he will be able to overcome obstacles and roadblocks.

Avadhoota Swamy who was talking about the 24 Gurus was describing the honey bee. The honey bee does not discriminate between big and small flowers. The bee goes from flower to flower and draws nectar. The seeker too should collect good things. He must not discriminate thinking, “This is a poor household, this is a rich household”. He must live on accepting just a morsel of food from each household. Similarly, if the scriptures spoke greatly of a particular quality in one context, but did not speak greatly of that same quality in another context, you should not critique and criticize the scriptures, but should analyze the quality. Absorbing good qualities is very useful. It teaches us great lessons in the journey of life. It enables us to always tread carefully, with full awareness, every step of the way. Hence, the seeker must listen to whatever anyone says, analyze the matter and choose what’s right. You should not think, “I know this, why should someone tell me this?” Even if you know, you must listen to it one more time. When you listen, you must absorb the good stuff in it. You should not think, “He is younger than me, who is he to tell me?” or say “I already know this, why should I listen to this?” When you hear about something you already know, you can absorb something good from it each time. Even if someone we don’t know is talking about it, we may find something we didn’t know. A real seeker should distill the good lessons when he hears the matter over and over again. That is when knowledge increases and the path to the goal becomes easy. A lot of people dismiss everything saying, “I already know this.” They are not even interested in finding out.

A lot of people feel insulted thinking, “I already know this, hearing from him is an insult”. Some may think, “Why should I be told by someone younger than me?”. That is very wrong. You never know where good advice comes from. Avadhoota Swamy taught King Yadu about what he learned from the seekers who are like the honey bees drawing nectar from big flowers and small. Listening to the wise teachings of noble souls increases knowledge.

Episode 184

Next, elephant. You should interest, have but should not have excessive attachment. If interest is within limits, the purpose will be fulfilled, if not, the task should not be undertaken. It will lead to a loss. Behaving without discrimination and scrutiny will lead to this disaster. Many famous people have wealth and experience. But, we have also seen many of them these days lose everything over something new that catches their fancy. They accumulate a lot of money, working very hard, earning great reputation and wealth that would last them several generations. But, something else catches their fancy and they get into it. For instance, a great film actor, after earning millions of dollars, instead of using it for charitable purposes, gets down to making a movie himself and loses all money. We have been seeing that a lot of these days. They have no sense of discrimination on what they should and should not do or where their experience lies. One person may be successful thinking, “I know everything, it’ll be done”, but everyone will not be. They lose whatever reputation they have.

Avadhoota Swamy is pointedly repeating the same topic of infatuation towards women. There is no sin of repetition in cautioning repeatedly about danger. Some people say, “Be careful, You are heading out now, be careful. Be careful on the bus, be careful there, be careful here”. They even seat that person on the bus and run after the bus cautioning them. That does not mean the person cautioning us is stupid. When someone is repeatedly cautioning us we should not say, “I know, how many times will you tell me?” You cannot be cautioned enough. That is why Avadhoota Swamy is telling King Yadu the same thing in many different ways. He is reminding and talking about whatever he said before. That is why, the more careful you are about women, the better for you.

If an enemy is unable to confront a wealthy person, they will observe the habits of that wealthy person, be careful. They will find out what that wealthy person is interested in, and get him addicted to it. A few people gather around wealthy people, famous personalities, or great people, becoming their minions, always praising them. They observe and understand the person based on his habits, his talk and his behavior. They will get to the person’s weakness and slowly push him towards it, getting him addicted to those vices. They will make sure he spends all his money on those vices. They will use his intellect and his money. So, they find out what he has interest in, make sure he has full access to whatever he is attached to and they get him addicted to it. That means, they bring him to a point where he cannot let go of that habit and then they *** out everything from him.

We are being cautioned against this here.

Episode 185

If the enemies are unable to confront powerful people, they observe their habits. Then they slowly gather around these people pretending to be friends, as though they are helping them out, as though they are best friends. They find out what this person’s desires are and constantly talk about these desires, slowly making him addicted to those vices. They bring him to a state from which it is nearly impossible for him to get rid of that addiction. Praising him, “It is proved beyond doubt. You are the only able ruler for this State. There are so many of us standing by and supporting you. You are everything, you are Indra, you are the Moon, you are Devendra”, they not only spend his money, they sap him of his energy. They get a clear understanding of his weaknesses and exploit that knowledge to push him towards his vices, making the strong person weak and cowardly. They do this because these people are his enemies. As they continue to do this, one fine day, they pull a coup and seize the government. In other words, they seize whatever possession that person had - whether it was wealth or fame.

We saw many such instances in history. Excessive desire is a flaw. That is why one should be careful. You should not keep chasing desires one after another and lose everything you have. Avadhoota Swamy found out about the ruin that the elephant brings itself with its desire. He advised King Yadu thus, “The elephant is unparalleled, like a king. The elephant looks so majestic and strong. But, the elephant has excessive ***. It usually wanders around with female elephants. It wanders around while avoiding getting captured. That’s how well it protects itself very well. Then, they use a female elephant as bait and capture the male elephant. Normally, hunters lure the male elephant using the female elephant as a bait. Because infatuation towards woman is so dangerous, they are telling us once again using the elephant as an example that seekers who restrain their sense organs should always be cautious.

Desires are of many kinds. We discussed that of all the various desires, desire for women is very dangerous. We are being taught that this is an obstacle in reaching the highest goal. When the seeker eliminates the thorns and walks on flowers, he will attain realization. The Guru’s only aim is to uplift his disciple. Towards that goal, the Guru endures any amount of hard work in making his disciple shine like a diamond. What amazing examples we are being told here. They are teaching us about the 24 Gurus. We are being taught in great detail about each Guru. The Guru’s only aim is for the disciple to become the best among mankind. That is why we are being taught these valuable lessons. The Guru wants the disciple to learn these lessons even if the disciple feels guilty or insulted. There is no need to feel that way.

Episode 186

Honey bee. There is nothing wrong with earning wealth and material possessions. You’ve earned material possessions, you are earning wealth, what’s wrong with that? Nothing wrong with that. If you earn only as much as you need, that’s good for you. But, you are earning more, that’s okay. Just remember that earning more than you need brings problems. Even though there is nothing wrong with earning more than you need, it does pose dangers. It brings sorrows. Sometimes, the wealth you’ve accumulated to support yourself through life dwindles. We face great losses. Even after earning so much, if we get greedy for more and gamble like you would with a lottery, all the earnings are lost. A millionaire becomes a pauper. He makes his dependents helpless. This is the secret behind why great souls keep exhorting us to walk the path of Dharma.

Dharma protects us. It keeps our bad qualities in check. It increases the goodness in us and gives us happiness. Dharma makes people who seek refuge in it, fearless. Life goes on smoothly. The wise and the knowledgeable should understand these subtle aspects. Avadhoota Swamy taught to King Yadu what he learned from the honey bee, “A sage must not be interested in any object. A seeker must not hoard those objects, otherwise he develops attachment to those and goes down the wrong path. The mind gets destroyed. That is why, he must lead a life without any kind of ostentation. He must live, making his hands his begging bowl. A seeker who sincerely years for liberation should not hang a sign saying he’s renounced everything in the world while holding on to various belongings. That is why, if you say you have renounced everything, you must really let go of everything. Considering your hands as your begging bowl, you must eat from them whatever alms you receive and pray to God without any desire and with a calm mind. That means, such a seeker must live making his own hands his begging bowl. Swamiji, during his childhood, has been with such noble souls who lived that way.

One must eat only enough to fulfill his hunger. One must not have a desire to keep eating more once the stomach is full. Nor should he hoard for dinner the alms received, anticipating bad weather in the evening or owing to his inability to go out for alms. Be careful, you should only eat whatever you get and be content. Unless you implement such rigorous practices, breaking free from desires and attachments will be impossible.

The honey bee works very hard in gathering nectar from each flower. It flies to each flower, draws the nectar and stores it in one place. It hides the honey as if it’s a treasure. One day, someone else will steal the treasure. He will smoke out the beehive and take away the honey. All the efforts of the honey bee who was the owner of the treasure until them become futile. It cannot even enjoy anything. Keeping the honey bee in mind, a seeker should also earn only as much food as necessary.

Episode 187

Now, let us learn a little about the honey bee. We discussed that the honey bee works very hard in gathering nectar from each flower. It flies to each flower, draws the nectar and stores it in one place. It hides the honey as if it’s a great treasure. We discussed that one day, someone else will steal the treasure. He will smoke out the beehive and take away the honey. All the efforts of the honey bee, which was the owner of the treasure until then, become futile. Until the honey is stolen, the bee is very pleased with its big store of honey, its big box of honey. It stores the honey in the box and drinks the honey over a month. During that time, it doesn’t fly anywhere, just enjoys drinking the honey. Every bee in the hive thinks greatly of itself, it is happy thinking the honey belongs to it.

When the honey gatherer smokes out the beehive and drives away the bees, the bees’ distress is hard to see. The effort of the bees in gathering the honey becomes futile because the bee did not even enjoy the fruit of its efforts. Instead of enjoying what it gathered right the next day, it stores the honey to enjoy it later on, after the full moon, perhaps. Don’t know what that calculation is and why God made it like that.

Keeping the honey bee in mind, a seeker should also gather only as much food as necessary. If he stores the food for the afternoon or for the evening, he will lose like the honey bee does. It he hoards for another day, for another year, what’s going to happen? Someone else will take away whatever he has. Caught in the web of desires, he gets ruined. They are giving this example to tell the seeker that instead of hoarding objects, one must making life fulfilling by engaging in earning knowledge, because knowledge cannot be stolen.

Next, animal. What did I learn from animal? Man is very intelligent. Animal has no intelligence. Intellect is the only difference between the two. That is why, an intelligent man should not live like an animal.

Jantunaam nara janma durlabham

Sankara Bhagavatpada described in many texts, especially in Viveka Choodamani the greatness of the human birth. One must make his life fulfilling and not waste it away. Living righteously, he must undertake tasks related to Dharma He must fill his life with Dharma. He must gather knowledge and strengthen his mind. He must control his sense organs and rein them in. He must slowly bring his mind under control. These are a must to living a disciplined life. If you want to live a disciplined life, you have to apply these in your life.

We do not know where bad things may come from, but when man lives with knowledge and awareness, there is no need for any kind of fear. He will withstand bad from any direction. That is why, a seeker should never accept things that increase his desires. Those who encourage those desires should be kept at a distance. He must be careful around them. He must be disinterested in those matters, “I know it, it’s okay, I don’t need it. I am happy with what I have”. Only when you can be this way, can you win. That is why elders tell us to always stay away from the wicked.

Episode 188

We were talking about the seeker and the lessons learned from the deer. We discussed that the seeker should never accept things that increase his desires. Those who encourage those desires in us should be kept at a distance, we should stay away from them. We must inculcate disinterest in those matters. That is why elders advise us to always stay away from the wicked.

Everybody wants to live a happy life, nobody wishes for unhappiness and sorrow. That is why, Avadhoota Swamy taught us, “Do not live like a deer, live like a human being, use your intellect to find out who you are and to uplift yourself. Otherwise, just as the deer in the forest who is lost in music gets captured by a hunter and puts itself in danger, a foolish man lacks control over his sense organs due to which he gets caught in the web of desires and gets ruined”. It does not mean that the deer should not listen to music. It can. However, it should be aware of the dangers it may encounter. If it instead closes its eyes and loses itself in the music, a hunter will capture the animal and take it away. On the other hand, if the deer is careful, if it keeps its sense organs in check and enjoys the music while being careful, that would keep it away from danger. Because you are engaged in one task, you should not forget the other tasks. Listening to music, if the farmer forgets to watch over his *** field, the donkeys will eat the harvest and walk away. If the farmer who is watching over the field listens to music in ecstasy while still carefully watching over the field, there is nothing wrong with it. The poor deer has no intelligence. That is why, man who is endowed with intelligence, must make all efforts to keep his mind in control. You are not a deer. If you succumb to music like that, you will face danger. That is why, man should use his intelligence to keep his mind in control. He must make all efforts to keep his mind in control. Because the mind is hard to control, it should be concentrated on the Guru’s feet. That is why (it is said in the Guru Ashtakam):

Sloka (from Sankaracharya’s Guru Ashtakam):
Sareeram suroopam thatha va kalathram,
Yasascharu chithram dhanam meru thulyam,
Guroranghri padme manaschenna lagnam,
Thathah kim thatha kim, thatha kim thatha kim

If the mind is not absorbed at the Sadguru’s feet, there is no use. Even if it’s done forcibly, one who concentrates his mind on the Guru’s feet will be benefited, he will definitely be benefited. Avadhoota Swamy described all this to the King Yadu saying he learned about restraint of sense organs from the animals. Those who do not keep their mind in control are not even human. We should learn from this example and try to uplift ourselves.

Next, they talked about the fish. Remember that there is a difference in contentment between the older days and these days. There has been a lot of change since the older days. There were not many amenities back in the day, but everybody lived comfortably and happily. They were content with what they had and spent their life happily. Today, we have many modern comforts within reach. Science has progressed greatly. Yet, we are lacking when it comes to satisfaction.

Back in the day, people may not have been that well educated. Were they not knowledgeable? Many people that didn’t have much formal education became very knowledgeable. You should not assume that people back in the day were not at all educated. Some had greater education than we have today. Didn’t they have great knowledge, weren’t they knowledgeable?

Episode 189

There is a difference in contentment between the older days and these days. There were not many amenities back in the day, but everybody lived comfortably and happily. They were content with what they had and spent their life happily. Moreover, they had a lifespan of 120 years. If you go further back, people had a lifespan of 300 years; if you go even further back, they had a life span of 600 years. Like that, people lived a life of contentment. The kept everything within limits. They lived a life of discipline. Today, we have many modern comforts within reach. Science has also progressed greatly. Yet, we are lacking when it comes to satisfaction.

Back in the day, were people educated? So, were they not intelligent? They were great people, they were intelligent, remember. Similarly, people today are also intelligent, but they don’t know the secret of life. Even after being so intelligent, they don’t know the secret. That is, they still don’t know the secret of living life. People back in the day learned well, the secret of life. Those who know the secret of life understand that there is no point in building a mansion of desires. Sometimes, desire takes away life, it lands us in trouble. Due to desires, we will have to live a life of difficulty and distress.

Just as one can understand that a beautiful mansion made of mirrors cannot stand in the sky, one should understand that there is no use in a beautiful and impossible desire. Avadhoota Swamy is teaching the seeker to break free from desires. With intelligence, one should understand the nature of desires. One should examine whether desires can be fulfilled or not. One should have a sound sense of discrimination. The ones that are possible and noble can be implemented. Then, there is safety and welfare. The desire will be fulfilled even without necessarily examining it.

The fisherman throws a hook to capture fish. The fisherman has a bait on the hook. The fish, desiring the bait, gets caught in the hook. The big lake has a variety of food, yet the fish, out of greed, goes after the bait knowing fully well that it would get caught. Further, the bait is a dead worm, it’s not even tasty. The fish, trying to get the bait, gets caught in the hook. They even lose their life in this attempt. The seeker should not succumb to desires like a fish. If he runs after useless desires, he will kill himself. In ignorance, the being should not become a slave to the sense organ of tongue and bring danger to himself.

Episode 190

We discussed that the fish, trying to get the bait, get caught in the hook. We said that the fisherman throws a hook to catch the fish. The fisherman places a bait on the hook to attract the fish. The fish, desiring the bait, get caught in the hook. They even lose their life in this attempt. The seeker should not succumb to desires like a fish. If he runs after useless desires, he will kill himself. Filled with ignorance, the being should not become a slave to the sense organ of tongue and bring danger to himself. He must gain knowledge, learn about contentment and be satisfied with what he has. Then, greed will not take him over. Discrimination and knowledge will take a foothold. Such discrimination and knowledge will also reveal to us what kind of ruin the web of desires bring us. It keeps the seeker within appropriate limits and protects him.

The 17th Guru is a *** named Pingala. Let us see what we can learn from this.

This creation is full of surprises and marvels. There are many things to learn from people in the lower strata of society. Do not think you cannot learn anything from people in the lower strata of society. The subtle aspects reveal themselves only to people who have a broad perspective. One gains the company of noble souls and equanimity of outlook only when one has has a broad perspective.

That is why, with the grace of noble souls, one must practice having a broad perspective. Avadhoota Swamy was great. Datta Swamy was very great. Because he had a very big and a broad outlook, he taught King Yadu what learned from the *** Pingala.

In the country of Vidarbha, a *** named Pingala earned a lot of money using her beauty and charm. One day Pingala did not get any customers. She grew tired and weary. Her disappointment led to dispassion. “What is this? I did not get any money today...”. She was disgusted with her profession and even her life. Her disgust increased her dispassion. She gave up her desire for money. She dedicated her life to Sri Hari. She centered her mind on Hari. The reason for this change in her was Hari.

The ignorance ones think that desires lead to happiness. They take refuge in the false happiness of desires. Man is fundamentally full of desires, but his desires should further a noble cause. Unless it furthers a noble cause, it is not a worthy desire. If the desire is not fulfilled, it leads to disappointment and sorrow. We thought that it was the desires that drove all the noble causes. But, those are not really desires. If the desire is not fulfilled, it causes sorrow. To withstand this sorrow, there is no other means except refuge in the Guru. Guru teaches dispassion. He fixes and improves our lives.

Episode 191

We discussed that if desire is not fulfilled, it causes sorrow. To withstand this sorrow, there is no other means except refuge in the Guru. Guru teaches dispassion. He fixes and improves our lives and makes us human. He teaches us the ways to get out of the web of desires.

Dispassion is a part of our lives. If we have dispassion, we learn to face our sorrows. We learn to courageously overcome those sorrows. Studying scriptures like Bhagavad Gita helps develop our mind and intellect. It teaches us to lead this journey of life smoothly.

Asahi paramam dukham, nairasyam paramam sukham

This tells us that desires lead to the deepest sorrows and lack of desires lead to the highest happiness. Avadhoota Swamy told King Yadu that this is what he learned from the ***. A seeker who limits his desires to those that are possible and combines them with a little dispassion and leads his life accordingly will not be affected by joys or sorrows. Be careful.

Next, bird. For the human birth to be fulfilled, attachments should be removed first. In reality, nothing is eternal. Man created bonds and attachments, wealth and mansions. They do not last forever. Reputation and prestige last. It does not even take a second to behave badly. But, it takes a lot of effort to be good. Too much attachment ends up as a roadblock to man’s progress.

Excessive attachment is the reason some children end up being stubborn. Attachment benefits only when it is within limits. It can increase good will and affection. Attachment should be kept well in control. When we show excessive attachment, children are spoiled, the mind gets spoiled, the family get spoiled, friends get spoiled, reputation and prestige get spoiled. One must not have unrestrained and uncontrolled attachment. Attachment should always be under control.

King Parikshit who had a curse earlier, heard the Bhagavatam completely from Suka Maharishi. He sacrificed his attachments and his love for life and thereby attained liberation. King Parikshit heard completely the essence of the Bhagavatam from the parrot-faced Suka Maharishi. That is why, he was able to let go of his attachments and love for life and attain liberation. In Mahabharata, King Dhritarashtra had uncontrollable affection for his sons (the Kauravas) due to which he became of the cause of ruin of the great Kuru empire.

Attachment resides in the mind. There are six enemies in us. The Guru is the only one who can find and extricate those enemies from us. We do not even realize their presence. Those six enemies have taken shelter in us. Let’s move ahead and learn about these six enemies.

Episode 192

Attachment resides in the mind. We discussed that the mind along with the six enemies in us leads us to commit sins. The Guru is perhaps the only one who can find and extricate those enemies from us. Attachment leads to such grave consequences. Avadhoota Swamy taught this lesson to King Yadu using the example of the Osprey.

One day, an Osprey was very happy to find a piece of meat. It wanted to sit comfortably and eat the meat. It grasped the piece of meat in its beak and began to fly away. A few other birds saw the bird and began attacking it for the meat. The Osprey had to put its life in danger to protect its food. It let go of its attachment for the food and immediately dropped the food from its beak. The birds stopped attacking the Osprey and went after the meat. The Osprey escaped imminent danger and saved its life. It then flew away. It would have worked out better if the bird quietly sat on a tree and ate the piece of meat. But, it flew all over the sky to show everyone that it captured the meat. Would the other birds let it be? The other birds attacked the Osprey and took away the meat. The Osprey let go of the meat to save its life.

Similarly, a Yogi too should let of of his attachments for the objects he acquires. Avadhoota Swamy is seeing a Guru in every object, every bird, every little parrot, every ant. That is what we should learn to do. What do we do? We see these things with different feelings, with different desires. So, this is an example to show that we should let go of attachment. We should lead a simple life without ostentation. We should not associate with these things. Avadhoota Swamy taught that we should realize that attachment is the seed for sorrow to sprout. The Osprey taught that happiness is in letting go, not in holding on to things. We conclude from this that a seeker who learns from this and gives up the things that bring sorrow will gain equanimity of mind.

Next, boy. Among the phases of life, childhood is very precious. It is very important. The time spent during childhood is like a golden dream. Childhood is a great fortune, it’s a gift. The mind is tender and innocent in that phase. The mind is not even developed that phase. In childhood, there is no knowledge or awareness about any aspect of life. That is why, parents must build the character of their children at that time, they should not ignore it. You must not say, “He’s just growing up”, “He’s a boy, we don’t have to worry about him”, “She’ a girl, we don’t have to worry about it” etc. A boy’s mind is always on toys and strange objects. He is always interested in them and collects them and keeps them near him. He always plays with them. He spends time with them. He always cries for them, and is stubborn about them. Once he gets them, he is very happy. He places them near him when he goes to bed. Let’s see what happens next.

Episode 193

In childhood, there is no knowledge or awareness about any aspect of life. That is why, parents should remember to take responsibility for inculcating discipline in their children and building their character. A boy’s mind is always on toys and strange objects. He is always attracted to them. He stubbornly cries for them. Once he gets them, he is very happy. A boy often keeps laughing to himself.

A boy has no bondages, no sorrows. Avadhoota Swamy is teaching us that the Yogi should be like a boy. Yogi should realize the Supreme Truth and find his inner happiness. Just as a boy is free from worry, a seeker of Yoga too should be free from worry. The boy is not affected by the six vices (Arishadvargas - kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya), he does not know anything, he is calm. Similarly, a Yogi too should be calm. The boy does not know anything, he is innocent. The Yogi should absorb the innocence from the boy and learn to be humble. He must never reveal his state to anyone.

In reality there are only two kinds of people that are free from all worry. One is the boy and the other is the person who is beyond the three attributes (gunas: sattva, rajas, tamas). A Yogi should never reveal his spiritual practices to anyone. He should earn his spiritual wealth while remaining humble, as if he does not know anything. He must try to become the person who is beyond the three attributes. Only then will he achieve his spiritual goals.

Outward trappings and fanfare will not allow spiritual progress. Many obstacles will come up and will impede spiritual practice. That is why, Avadhoota Swamy is teaching that in spiritual practice, a seeker should be like a boy. It is much better for the seeker of Yoga to say, “I don’t know, I would like to know”, than to say, “I know it all”. That will benefit the seeker and will protect his spiritual practice. Otherwise, ego will take root and all the hard work will be wasted. The Yogi will fall from Yogic grace. A seeker of Yoga who is always like a boy will go beyond the three attributes.

Next, maiden. To write a good poem, to meditate or to analyze the future course of action, solitude is necessary. How much we can be in solitude depends on our state of mind. Solitude helps us look back at our actions and analyze them as well as think about what we need to do in the future. Solitude should be used for good deeds to attain good results, but not for bad deeds. Avoiding duty and sitting in a corner to find solitude will only bring sorrow.

Episode 194

Solitude should be used for good deeds, to attain good results, but not for bad deeds. Avoiding duty and sitting in a corner like you are a great explorer of solitudewill only bring sorrow. There is also the danger the person turning insane sometimes. He’ll go crazy. Desiring the welfare of the world, learned sages took the help of solitude to earn great merit from penance. They continue to do so even today. One must have such a noble desire - a desire for the welfare of others.

All merit earned from penance was dedicated to the world and it continues to be dedicated to the world. Everybody should use solitude for a little while each day to examine their thoughts and mind. They must earn the benefits of that. Avadhoota Swamy taught King Yadu what he learned from the maiden:

In a village, there lived a maiden in a poor family. A few elders went to the maiden’s house to finalize a marriage proposal for her. There was no one else in the house besides the maiden at that time. The maiden who had to take care of feeding her guests went inside the house. The sack of rice was filled with ***. She took some *** and started pounding it to get rice. When the bangles on her wrists began jingling, she felt that her guests would find out about her state of poverty. She removed the bangles and keeping just two on each wrist, continued pounding. Those two bangles were also jingling. The maiden wanted to pound silently, so she only kept one bangle on each wrist and continued to pound. The jingling stopped and she was able to pound silently.

Based on this incident, you must realize one thing. When a lot of people gather in one place, quarrels ensue. If three people gather, talking starts. When two people get together, arguments begin. Where there is only one, peace ensues. That is why, solitude is best. This is proof that every person must spend a little time each day in silence. A Yogi should wish for solitude. Solitude brings great protection to a seeker and to a Yogi. In these days, people find it difficult to be in silence. “So much silence, Oh my God, I’m unable to take it, I need some sound”. They will play some music or play some drums and take pleasure in those sounds. A lot of people who come to the Ashrama cannot sleep in the night. They keep walking around. Why? “We cannot sleep because it is so silent here”. That is why some people bring tape recorders to play while sleeping. They are not playing bhajans. These people are sleeping happily to the tape playing sounds of buses and traffic. That is how some people fall asleep.

Episode 195

Spider. God’s creation is a wonder of wonders. It is not even possible to imagine. Everything looks so magnificent. Heavy mountains standing on earth, heavy mountains standing at the edge of great oceans cause amazement. Even the blooming of the flowers, the growing of fruits, the harvesting of crops within the boundaries of the boundaries of the five elements of Nature, the water bodies staying still on earth, the sun and moon following their discipline, the stars balancing in the sky, all following the rules of Nature, cause bewilderment. This is not a creation just described by some poet, or a sketch that is drawn. This is God’s creation. Everything is in the place it should be. He knows that, that brings balance. He is providing for people in those places to be benefited appropriately with his creation. He created living beings. He gave them freedom within the boundaries of Nature.

Sometimes, when we go out and look at the sky sometimes, it seems so fascinating. It’s so majestic. Sky, ocean, mountains, hill, stars, trees, colorful flowers, delicious fruits, rivers, birds flying in the sky - what a creation! Is it possible for anyone to create this? No one can do this. God alone is responsible for this creation. Such a creation should cause us so much amazement.

God has filled everything and everyone with his energy. He filled this creation with so many wonders so we can discover and learn about him. All this is his play. God’s only desire is for his creation and the children from his creation to be happy. That is why, for universal welfare, he created some processes. We need to adapt to those.

We should make use of what God has given has provided us with. That does not mean you can say, “I will fetch the water out of the ocean”, “I will turn the earth upside down”. That is not possible. One should not cause any difficulty to Nature. Otherwise, there will be natural disasters that will bring difficulty to everyone. That is why God’s creation plan should be learned and understood from elders. One should understand God’s form and try to reach him. One should realize that God who created such beautiful creation is also our provider. He provides food for all living beings. He is the one creates and preserves creation, and also dissolves the creation in the end, merging everyone into him. Sometimes, we are amazed when we unearth ruins that were buried eons ago. We feel great respect for God at those times. God, who is the most powerful has an intense desire for everyone to become like him.

Episode 196

God, who is the most powerful has an intense desire for everyone to become like him. That is why, he exists as the Atman in everyone. The seeker should perceivethe God that pervades the entire universe. That is why, Avadhoota Swamy taught King Yadu the principle of creation he learned from the spider.

The spider stirs the threads in its stomach and brings them out through its mouth to weave the web. It plays with the web for some time. Later, it swallows the web. In the same manner, God too creates the universe through maya. He nourishes it for some time. Eventually, he unites it back with himself. This God-given opportunity is precious. One who utilizes this opportunity properly without wasting time will become the best among mankind. He will become like God himself.

Next, snake. While describing the 24 Gurus, Avadhoota Swamy talked about the important requirements of spiritual practice necessary for a seeker. He is now talking about the lessons he learned from the snake. In life, silence, vigilance, awakeness and solitude are very important. In carrying out one’s duty, a little rest is necessary for the mind, body, intellect and sense organs. That will be possible only when there is silence. After getting that rest, one is energized. One can then carry out one’s duty with renewed enthusiasm. Silence aids this process.

Vigilance indicates being aware at all times. Always being aware of right and wrong, never allowing lapses and following a disciplined process shows vigilance. If one follows a process without vigilance, there is no use. Vigilance is very important for carrying out one’s duty and for spiritual practice.

One must be aware of what he’s doing. That is awakeness. Some people may be sitting in a chair, their eyes may be open and looking at something, their lips may be moving in speech, their hand may be moving in writing, or they are shaking their leg, but if someone suddenly asks them their name, they cannot answer. This is not the state of awakeness, it is absent-mindedness. That is not good and should not be there. One should always be fully aware. Solitude greatly aids and promotes us in carrying out our duty. It helps us achieve our goal.

Arjuna alone mastered archery in solitude. We all know that Arjuna achieved tremendous skill in rapidly shooting arrows using both hands. He had the massive ocean-like Kaurava army trembling in fear

Episode 197

Avadhoota Swamy is teaching King Yadu thus: A follower of Yoga should always be noiseless like the snake in his pursuit of Yoga. Every step he takes should be with full awareness and caution. The spiritual wealth should be secretly hidden. He must lead a life without ostentation in places worthy of inhabitation. He must survive on the roots and vegetables available in Nature. He must live with vigilance and awareness. Absent-mindedness should be discarded. The seeker that practices these will be calm and pleasant. His life will progress without any worries or anxieties.

Next, Avadhoota Swamy is talking about what he learned from the Arrow Maker. Let us learn a little more about the qualities essential to a seeker. The dos and don’ts of a seeker are being explained through the 24 Gurus. Avadhoota Swamy is talking about the 23rd Guru - the Arrow Maker.

He is talking about the most important characteristic a seeker must have. Mind is the root cause for thoughts to take birth, for those thoughts to take on a form and for the intellect to bloom. If one uses the mind for complete concentration, the task at hand will be successful. Otherwise, the outcome will be half-baked and full of defects. That is why our elders keep reminding us to put our mind to our studies or to put our mind to the task at hand. This tell us how important the mind is.

The mind is very fickle, it runs in all directions. One should hold the mind and keep it steady. The mind is always fickle, it never stays steady. It is very hard to restrain the mind. Sri Sankara Bhagavatapada revealed an expedient way in Shivananda Lahari” “In the forest of my heart, there is a monkey called mind that is always wavering and running here and there. It is not getting captured, it is not getting under control. O God! I am putting it under your control. Please sit in my heart. Please catch hold of the monkey called mind”.

Unless the mind is, first and foremost, surrendered to God, it cannot be controlled. In other words, they are saying that the mind will not be steered in the right direction until it is first surrendered to God. That is the real medicine. Avadhoota Swamy is teaching this great lesson using the Arrow Maker as an example.

The Arrow Maker does not care about the commotion surrounding him. No amount of noise bothers him. Even if a huge procession of the King and his army is passing by with much fanfare, he is oblivious to it. Avadhoota Swamy is indicating that the arrow maker has so much concentration and focus in making the arrows.

Episode 198

Avadhoota Swamy is teaching great lessons using the example of the Arrow Maker. The Arrow Maker does not care about any amount of commotion surrounding him. He has concentration. No amount of noise bothers him. He has concentration. Even if a huge procession of the King and his army is passing by with much fanfare, he is oblivious to it. He has concentration. That means, the Arrow Maker has extreme concentration in the making of the arrows and as much focus on his aim. He has intense concentration. His mind is steady without any wavering. Similarly, the seeker should have concentration in his spiritual practice. He should always be focused on his aim. That aim is very important. Regardless of the commotion surrounding him, his mind be unaffected and steady.

One should learn to make his mind steady from the Arrow Maker. Mind is very important. The mind alone is the cause of joys and sorrows. That is why elders keep teaching us various ways to restrain our mind. They teach us ways to restrain our mind using various tasks, various arts and various mantras and yantras. One who restrains his mind becomes great. The seeker who learns to restrain his mind and allows the intellect to bloom will become a good siddha (one who has achieved spiritual realization and supernatural power).

Next, the 24th Guru. The bee. We are learning about the 24 Gurus. Avadhoota Swamy is finally telling King Yadu about this 24th Guru. When we introspect, we see that the characteristics to be practiced by a seeker have been explained in a methodical manner.

To start with, the seeker should have discipline, patience and forbearance. While mingling with everyone, he should remain detached. He must realize that Atman is eternal. His behavior must be pleasant. While keeping his spiritual practice and accomplishments a secret, he should learn to reveal it only if the situation so demands. He must see God in everyone. He must realize that the Atman has no modifications, that the same Atman pervades every living being and that the Atman is completely pure. He should refrain from being overly friendly. He should let go of attachments. He should be content with what he has. He should be steady, profound and unwavering. He should not ruin himself by getting deluded by the expected fruits of his actions. He must learn to see good in others, especially if one has a predominantly good nature. He must not always keep finding faults in others thinking that he alone knows everything and is great and everyone else is dishonest and knows nothing, that he alone is strict and pure. He must learn to absorb good qualities from others while leaving out their faults. He must collect good qualities from others. Just because he sees faults in them, he should not dismiss the good qualities in them.
Let’s continue recapitulating.

Episode 199

We are being told here that Avadhoota Swamy is teaching how a seeker should pursue his spiritual practice and realize its benefits. They are not just talking about spiritual practice, but are explaining how one can attain the fruits of one’s practice in a systematic manner. We all like to know the significance and outcome of our spiritual practice. Just as we customarily do Aarati (part of the ritual in which the light from wicks soaked in ghee or from camphor is offered to the deities) and receive Teertham (holy water or liquid blessed by worship) at the conclusion of our worship, we like to know the fruits of our spiritual practice.

A devotee should become like the bee. That means he should only focus on God. An insect that is in the bee’s nest is always thinking about the bee eventually becoming a bee itself. Reason? Because the insect does not know when the bee will come back and sting it, when the bee will transmit its radiance and light to the insect. So, the insect is constantly worried and thinking about the bee eventually turning into the bee itself. Similarly, when the devotee always contemplates on God, he will slowly develop the characteristics of God and become God himself. That is why we feel that some great souls have the compassionate heart of God. Reason? They are always contemplating on God. When we see them, we feel like we are seeing God. Seeing them gives us a lot of peace. We even develop the faith that seeing them removes all our anxieties. They do not even need to talk to us. There are many stories where devotees worship certain deities and gain the form of those deities. We have also seen many worshipers of certain deities looking like the deities themselves.

The seeker should focus his mind on the Guru. The Guru Gita states that we should offer obeisances facing the direction the Guru is in (even if the Guru is in a different part of the world). We should rise to the state where we would not even point our feet in the direction that the Guru may (physically) be in (even if he is in a different part of the world). One should constantly think, “What might my Guru be doing now? Is my Guru meditating? Is my Guru talking to someone?” The seeker should put into practice the teachings taught by the Guru. Then the seeker will also become as great as the Guru.

Avadhoota Swamy is finally stating that the seeker should have the qualities of the bee. Through the examples of the 24 Gurus, Avadhoota Swamy blessed the world with great teachings on what the seeker’s qualities should be.
May Avadhoota Swamy who is Lord Dattatreya himself, who was teaching King Yadu these great lessons on the 24 Gurus, bless that the qualities of the 24 Gurus get soaked into your mind and uplift you. Lord Dattatreya revealed his qualities himself. It is impossible for anyone else to explain his qualities. Who else but the Guru, can explain the Guru Principle? Only following the Guru’s explanation, we may be able to describe the same.

Lord Shiva himself became the Guru and explained the Guru Principle to Mother Goddess Parvati. Did Mother Goddess ask the question for her own sake? She is part of Shiva - Siva is Ardhanareeswara. (Ardhanareeswara - Lord Shiva is half Parvati and half Shiva). The thoughts in Lord Shiva’s mind are also in Mother Goddess’ mind. So, where is the need for her to ask this question? She did it all for us. May Lord Dattatreya remove ignorance from the minds of those who listen to and discuss the Guru Principle over and over again. May he merge their minds into him. Lord Dattatreya teaches devotees about his qualities and then unites them with himself, just like he did with Pingala Naga.

Episode 200

Sri Maha Ganapataye Namah
Sri Saraswatyai Namah
Sri Pada Vallabha Narasimha Saraswati
Sri Guru Dattatreyaya Namah

Cakresu yoga pratibhasitesu
Tatta surali vapusa jvalantam |
Samasta beejaksara laksya bhutam
Dattam gurum cetasi bhavayami ||

The principle and miracles of Lord Datta are not easy to understand. But, if we examine them, we will see that they are always for universal welfare. The Lord is like wind. The wind comes in contact with the flames of a lamp on one hand, and the funeral pyre on the other; it comes in contact with Brahmarishis (great sages) on one hand and with barbarians on the other. Yet, wind is untainted. Similarly, the Guru of the three worlds, that great Yogi, is untouched by the purity resulting from righteousness or the impurity from unrighteousness. Virtue and vices cannot touch him. He has neither attachments nor is he trying to break free of attachments. Dull-witted persons, not knowing this, aspire to bind Lord Datta with worldly laws. They fall from Dharma and get destroyed.

The story of Jambhasura helps us understand this very clearly. That is why, let us learn the story and try to grasp the inner meaning. Let us try to understand the greatness of the Sadguru.

Once upon a time, a demon named Jambhasura, having become invincible by the power of penance, invaded heaven. He drove Indra and other Gods out of heaven, who had to run for their lives. When Indra sought help from Bruhaspati, the Guru to the Gods, Bruhaspati consulted with the sages sitting around him and advised Indra thus, “Indra, Lord Datta alone can save you from this calamity. That great soul, that Sadguru, alone can save you. You should approach him. Out of affection for you, who are my disciple, I am revealing another secret. Listen. One God likes Abhisheka (Lord Siva is said to like Abhhisheka - pouring libations on the image of the deity being worshiped), another God likes being decorated (Lord Vishnu is said to like being decorated), another God may like prostrations. But, our Lord Datta likes testing. Saduguru’s tests are like that. If he is to grant liberation, he needs to test. Otherwise, it’s not possible. He will test in many different ways. But, do not let go of him. Until he blesses you, do not let go. Like the wind, he has no attachments, like the flame of a lamp, he is unwavering. Now, go”. Saying this, he bid Indra to approach Lord Datta. When Indra reached Lord Datta, the Lord was engaged in apparently frivolous activity with a woman.

That is a big test for Indra. The Lord’s disciples were attending to whatever he needed. Indra had his Guru Bruhaspati's instructions, firmly fixed in his mind. He clearly remembered his own Guru’s teachings about this universal Sadguru Lord Dattatreya. Without any doubt, he began serving the Lord. The Lord insulted Indra and asked him to leave. Yet, Indra, without any fickleness, continued serving the Lord.