King Yayati was obsessed with lust. This weakness was his undoing as he was cursed by a Rishi to become old before his time. There was a redeeming factor – if anyone could exchange his youth for the old age of the king, the curse could be reversed. Yayati begged his eldest son Yadu to help him out. Yadu was interested in spiritual life. He thought over this situation deeply. He understood that his father’s desire for youth and enjoyment of lust was impermanent. He was filled with detachment. But he did not wish to give up his youth as he was convinced that this was the best time of life for spiritual sadhana and preparing himself for development of higher consciousness. His father threw him out and Yadu was more than happy to leave his home. Yadu walked into the forest in search of a ParamGuru. In the forest he met Dattatreya and learnt spiritual lessons from him. Some of the lessons are about:
Sky – the sky covers the world like a canopy but it is not a part of the world. It appears to be limited but in reality it is limitless. In the same way the Atman or the Soul resides in the body but is not the body. Our deeper mind is like the sky. The sky is vast and seems spread all over. It seems composed of clouds which are a part of the sky but not the sky itself. Our mind holds thoughts and feelings and seems limited but in reality it is limitless in its possibilities.
At times, the sky appears overcast and dark with clouds. Sometimes it appears blurred due to dust and smoke. At sunrise or sunset the sky takes on glorious hues of orange, red and gold. But the fact is that the sky is colourless. It is not touched or stained by anything. The soul is like the sky. It is not touched or stained by the thoughts and actions of the man. The true sage should be like the sky. He should not get affected by time or physical processes or anything happenings in the world. His inner world should be free from the emotional reactions to things and events like the sky or space. The sky was the third Guru of Dattatreya.
Fire – Fire was the fourth guru of Dattatreya. Fire presents itself as blazing flames or sometimes as burning embers covered by ash. It is always present in all objects as latent heat. The fire accepts all things offered to it – it does not see the worthiness or unworthiness of the object. All things put in fire are burnt and reduced to ashes. It purifies everything and reduces all matter to its essence – ash or bhasma. The fire of inner awareness burns all ignorance and purifies the mind and reveals the inner essence of self – the Atman. Also the sage of perfect realisation accepts food given by everyone, burns down the sins and blesses the giver.
Fire has no specific form of its own. It assumes forms as per the fuel used. In the same way the Atman or self has no form but appears in forms of Gods, human beings, animals and trees when it is associated with their respective physical bodies. The ever present Supreme Soul or the Universal Power is the source and end of all forms in the Universe. The manifestation of forms is between the origin and the end. The nature of the element of fire is similar. The manifested fire transforms all objects into ash and also consumes the same ash. Similarly the self realised man has the wisdom to reject the forms and properties of things as illusion and know that the essence and origin of all is the Supreme One. The element of fire was the fourth Guru of Dattatreya.
Moon- the Moon is unique as it appears to wax and wane during the bright and dark fortnights; but it remains the same always. Man passes through many phases in life – infancy, childhood, young adult, mature adult and old age. He undergoes many changes of moods throughout his life. During all these physical changes of body and the changes of the moods of mind, the Self of man remains same. Moon has no light of its own. It only reflects the light of the Sun. The soul of man is a reflection of the light of the Universal Power.
