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Srimad Bhaagavatam:11:7:24-47

Sri Krishna, having accomplished the work of His ‘avatara’ in this world, was leaving for His abode. Lord Krishna’s minister and His ardent devotee, Uddhava, distressed at the thought of the former’s departure remained at His Lotus Feet. Sri Krishna bestowed innumerable ‘upadesas’ on him. This is the ‘Gita’ of Bhagawan to Uddava.

Sri Krishna began with the dialogue that took place between an ‘Avadootha’ (one who has shaken off all worldly obligations; as such wanders about with the space as his clothing) and Yadhu Maharaj.

" Once, a Maharaja named Yadhu, addressed an Avadootha Sanyasi, "Hey! Brahmin! You do not strive to satisfy the demands of your senses. How did you attain this subtle state of consciousness? Men caught up in ‘artham’(wealth) and ‘kaamam’ (desire) are striving towards prolonging their lives, accumulating wealth and earning fame. But, you, who are powerful, knowledgable, handsome and sweet tongued, move about like a ‘jada’ (lifeless), a lunatic and a child. You neither desire nor involve yourself in any activity while men are being burnt up by passion, anger and greed. You do not seem to yearn for anything. You who are not touched by any desire live in solitude. Pray! enlighten me on the cause of your ‘ananda’(bliss)."

The Avadootha Sanyasi said, "Hey! Maharaj! Through my intellect I have gained several Gurus in this world. From them I have learnt that there is no essence in this world and thus have killed all desires. Let me cite these Gurus to you. They are,

1. The Earth
2. The Air
3. The Sky
4. The Water
5. The Fire
6. The Moon
7. The Sun
8. The Pigeon
9. The Python
10. The Ocean
11. The Fire-fly
12. The Honey-bee
13. The Elephant
14. The one who gathers honey
15. The Deer
16. The Fish
17. Pingala, a prostitute
18. The ‘Kurari’ bird
19. A child
20. A little girl
21. A drunkard
22. The Serpent
23. The Spider
24. The Vasp

All these twenty-four are the Gurus that were gained through my intellect. They have taught me everything that one has to understand of this world. Let me tell you what and how I learnt from them.

1. THE EARTH

The vow of the Earth is forbearance. The earth is inhabited by innumerable things - Living and Non-living. The Earth bears all the atrocities committed on it by man and beast with much patience. I learnt forbearance from the Earth: that joy and sorrow are the consequences of our ‘prarabhdha karma’ and that all are bound by karma. Any obstacle in our path has to be borne calmly. This I learnt from the Earth. And from the mountain that is nothing but earth again, I learnt that all activities should be for the benefit of others. From the tree I learnt to live for others. It not only provides shade but also gives away the flowers, the fruits and its own bark.

2. THE WIND

‘Prana’ (the vital source of life) needs only the basic nourishment to stay in the body. We should consume food in quantities that is required for our survival and not try to satiate our senses.

Just as the wind that moves all around remains unaffected by things that it passes through, so too, is a ‘yogi’ who moves amongst various places, people and dharma, remains untouched by these. Even though the wind carries the odour of things it passes through, it remains uncorrupted. Likewise, a 'yogi', too, who is in a body carries out its functions but, remains unattached by the ‘sharira dharma’ (functions of the body).

3. SPACE

The space remains undisturbed and disassociated by the clouds that are pushed across it by the wind. Likewise, the Atma, too, remains undisturbed and disassociated with the body. A Yogi, though in a body, remains unperturbed by the functions of his body as he is ever in 'Brahma-bhava' - is fully aware of his true identity and never associates himself with the body. Therefore, he sees no differences and thus remains detached.

4. WATER

A Yogi is pure like the water. Love - incarnate, he is sweet-tongued and the cause of people's prosperity(mangalam). Just as the water purifies everything, the Yogi purifies the world by his very Darshan (presence) , sparsam (touch) and kirtanam.

5. FIRE

The fire is bright, full of light, cannot be touched by anyone and it cannot be corrupted by anything that is devoured by it. Likewise, a yogi, too, is a 'tejaswi' (glows like the Sun), shines by his 'tapas', cannot be touched by anyone and cannot be 'infected' with anything that is consumed.

To be continued……….

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