Nature's Gurus

Food for Thought from a Legendary Sage

Last Thursday, on Guru Purnima, I posted a piece about upa gurus, the teachers from whom we learn useful things on the path of life (as opposed to the singular sat guru whose role is to lead us from darkness to the light of spiritual attainment). I wrote that upa gurus can come in many forms, but the examples I used were all human beings.

Thanks to a Facebook post that same day by my friend Arun Deva, I was reminded of the legend of Lord Dattatreya. When the great sage was asked who his guru was, he said he had 24 of them. Almost all were elements of the natural world and the few humans were ordinary folks. Something to reflect on when you step into the world, especially when you’re out in nature.

There are different interpretations of Dattatreya’s 24 gurus. Here’s one list of what he learned from each, drawing from a few commentaries.

From Earth: nurture all and hold lovingly in your heart even those who trample upon you and hurt you; and heal yourself when others injure you.

From Wind: touch everything but remain unchanged and unattached, free yet resolute, true to your own force.

From Sky: remember that, like the sky, the true Self is without boundaries, limitless, unaffected by the clouds and storms that come and go.

From Water: serve, purify, and cleanse without discrimination; give life to everyone and everything you touch.

From Fire: burn bright with knowledge; give warmth and light to all you come in contact with.

From Moon: we wax and wane through the cycles of existence, but the oneness of the deathless soul remains unchanged.

From Sun: the sun pulls water from the earth, transforms it into clouds, and distributes it as rain on forests, deserts, oceans, and cities alike. Like that, gather knowledge from every source, transform it into practical wisdom, and share it with all.

From Pigeon: when one falls into a hunter’s net and cries out, the other pigeons try desperately to rescue it, and they too get caught—hence, be aware that even a noble action can ensnare you if it arises from attachment and emotion.

From Python: be like the snake who remains in place and eats whatever comes its way, content to make the most of what presents itself.

From Bumblebee: take in a little wisdom from many sources, like the bee sucks honey from many flowers, and, as the bee pollinates the flowers, cheerfully give back more than you take.

From Honeybee: collect more nectar (wisdom) than you need, transform it into honey (practical knowledge), and carry it to the hive to share with all.

From Moth: Two interpretations. One is to fly passionately to the flame of knowledge and let it transform and consume you. The other is cautionary: don’t be overtaken by the flame of passion and fly to your doom. Take your pick—or choose both.

From Ocean: remain vast and unmoved as the innumerable rivers of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow flow into you; ride the fluctuations on the surface and remain undisturbed at the depths.

From Elephant: don’t be deceived and entrapped by lust for gratification, as the elephant chases the scent of a potential mate and falls into a hidden pit to be captured and used by hunters.

From Deer: remain alert for danger and attuned to the environment, but don’t be overcome by fear when you hear the drumbeat of stalkers waiting with a net.

From Fish: obtain nourishment from natural sources, and don’t be deceived by the bait on the hook.

From Bird: the little bird plucks a worm in its beak and flies off, but is chased by bigger birds who catch up and peck at him, stopping only when when the smaller bird wises up and drops the worm. From that, Dattatreya learned that true security lies not in clutching possessions but in being prepared to renounce them.

From a Courtesan: unlike the prostitute, live with dignity; find satisfaction within and guide others to the same, instead of trafficking in false pretenses and transient half-pleasures.

From a Child: be curious, innocent, joyful, and carefree; suck from the breast of life only as much as you need and stop feeding when you’ve had enough.

From a Maiden: Dattatreya watched a young woman cook for him and her family. Her bracelets made noise as she worked, so she removed one after the other until only one remained and there was silence. From that he learned that crowds attract attention and bring noise and discord, while solitude brings peace.

From an Arrowsmith: Dattatreya saw a maker of arrows who was so absorbed in his work that he did not notice the king and his entire procession pass close by. From that he learned to focus single-mindedly on the task at hand, knowing that the deeper the absorption the better the work and the more refined his awareness.

From Serpent: like the serpent, who doesn’t dig holes of its own but rather dwells in holes dug by other creatures or in the hollow of trees, a yogi should be at home wherever he can rest his head—and, like the serpent sheds old skin, the yogi should shed outworn ideas and practices in constant renewal.

From Spider: Two interpretations. In one, Dattatreya sees the spider build a lovely, secure web and soon abandon it to weave another; like that, be prepared to move on from webs of your own devising. In another, Dattatreya watches a spider step outside its comfortable web only to be attacked by a bigger spider; it hurries back to its web but in its panic gets entangled in threads and is eaten. From that he learned that safety is to be found only within, not in the complex webs of outer actions.

From Caterpillar: be content with your plain, ordinary existence and persist according to the dictates of your own nature; eventually, the humble devotee can become an enlightened master, as the caterpillar bursts forth as a butterfly.