For those who have eyes to see and observe, Nature is
the best teacher. Nature teaches lessons of amazing wisdom and knowledge and
the spiritual seeker can get lessons which are invaluable for the path and
life. We continue with the lessons learnt by Dattatreya as he wandered around
in the forests in India, observing the happenings around him.
Bird of Prey: During his wanderings, Dattatreya
observed a sparrow flying with a piece of food in its beak. He saw the sparrow fly frantically, trying to
escape a larger bird which was chasing it. The bigger bird attacked the sparrow
and pecked it on its sides in order to get the food. Understanding that its
enemy was larger and stronger, the sparrow instinctively dropped the food and
freed itself of its chaser. The sparrow then rested on the branches of a tree
sighing in relief and was at peace.
By observing the sparrow and its chaser, Dattatreya
understood that when a man runs after material pleasures and desires, he will
be pursued and attacked by many, as all men crave and live only for worldly pleasures
and desires. So he will have to face a lot of opposition, competition and
antagonism. If he learns to overcome his craving for worldly desires, he will
be left in peace by others as he is no longer in the race for material things.
When the enemy is stronger, we should not hang on to possessions. Dattatreya
realised that letting go and overcoming desires is the only way of peace in the
world.
This truth of letting go applies not only to material
desires and possessions, but also to strong emotions. When a strong emotion
overcomes us, it is not wise to fight it at that stage. It is better to watch
and witness the storm caused by the emotion in our mind in a detached manner.
When we do so, the energy associated with that emotion settles down peacefully
after sometime. If we give in and react at once, we will cause destruction to
self and others. We will always regret
when we react unthinkingly.
The spiritual seeker needs to build up his foundation
of self control and self assessment systematically. He must stabilize himself
and be in balance. He needs to learn to overcome and balance the whirlpools and
storms of the mind. Else his sadhana will not be successful as he will fall prey
to every passing desire and possession. We must observe ourselves and
acknowledge our limitations and shortcomings so that we learn how to overcome
them and strengthen ourselves. Else we will give up our spiritual practices in
the early stages of sadhana itself.
Maiden: A young girl who was alone at home taught
Dattatreya a very valuable spiritual lesson. He observed that the young girl
was alone at home when unexpected guests arrived. In India, there is a
tradition of ‘athiti devo bhava’ meaning the guest is divine and the host takes
utmost care and caters to the needs of the guest with respect and honour. The girl
had to prepare food for all. She needed to pound rice before she started
cooking. As she pounded, her glass bangles made noise. She did not wish to
disturb her guests, so she removed all the bangles except two in each hand.
When she started pounding again, the two bangles clashed against each other and
made noise. So she removed one more and kept only one in each of her hands. She
was now able to work noiselessly and without disturbing her guests.
Dattatreya immediately understood that one should walk
the path of God alone. When a number of
spiritual seekers live together, a lot of unwanted gossip takes place. This
prevents single-minded effort in the daily practices. When we have even a
single companion, he can create mental noise and unrest. A spiritual seeker
needs to live in solitude in order to carry out his practices well. Great
silence is required in the path.
