From Sri Annamalai Swami's Diary Extracts
A devotee from Trichy brought his son into the hall. After doing namaskarams he sat down. The boy, though he was still very young, was clearly showing signd that he was very worried.
After the two of them sat down, Bhagavan (Ramana Maharshi) enquired, 'Which train did you come on?'
The devotee replied, 'We came at 8:30 this morning'.
B then asked, 'How is Dattatreya (the boy with the worried look)'?
The devotee answered, 'Having unsuccessfully tried all sorts of medicines and mantras, we have come to Sri Bhagavan as a last resort.' As he was saying this he folded his hands in a gesture of supplication.
Sri Bhagavan spoke to the boy: 'Having the name Dattatreya, why should you worry like this? You should always be blissful. Instead of that, why should you spoil the bliss with the mind?'
Bhagavan then narrated the history of the great jnani Dattatreya who lived in ancient days.
'Dattatreya used to wander the forests without even a loin-cloth. He was always full of the bliss of Brahman. Seeing this, Yadu Maharaj (a local ruler) thought to himself, 'How is that he is always blissful? I have everything but I still have to suffer.'
'Filled with this thought he went to Dattatreya one day and asked him, 'How is it that you are always full of bliss?'
Dattatreya replied, 'What is there other than bliss?'
The king asked him, 'How did this bliss come to you?'
Dattatreya replied, 'To acquire this ananda, I had a number of acharyas (teachers). It came through them.'
When the king asked him who his teachers had been Dattatreya told him a long story.
'O King,I have 24 gurus. They were grasped by the enquiry made by my intellect. I am wandering in this world as a mukta only because of the jnana I gained through these acharyas. Understand who these acharyas are: the earth, the air, the sky, water, fire, the sun, the moon, a wild pigeon, a python, the ocean, a grasshopper, a bee, an elephant, a honey gatherer, a deer, Pingala the prostitute, a child, a small girl, an archer, a snake and a few others. Among the 24 I have rejected a few.
I have learned patience from the earth, omnipresence from air, non-attachment from the sky, taintlessness from fire, purity from water, and the truth that all changes are for the body and not the Self from the moon.
The sun shines equally on all things but it is not affected by them. From this I learned that though the yogi may see objects he should not be affected by the gunas which cause them to interact.
From the wild pigeon I learned that whoever gets attached to his residence will slip down from his elevated position. I understood that, like the Python, one must take whatever food comes by itself. From the ocean I understood that I should be placid, majestic, unpeturbed and difficult to fathom.
The grasshopper which falls into the flame of the lamp burns to death. From this I understood that a man who falls into the fire of lust for women perishes. I learned from the bee that one should get food just sufficient to nourish one's body without forcing others to give.
Even the strong male elephant undergoes suffering by coming into contact with the female elephant. From this I learned that a man is likewise subjected to suffering if he is touched by a woman or spends time in their proximity.
Continued here
'Dattatreya used to wander the forests without even a loin-cloth. He was always full of the bliss of Brahman. Seeing this, Yadu Maharaj (a local ruler) thought to himself, 'How is that he is always blissful? I have everything but I still have to suffer.'
'Filled with this thought he went to Dattatreya one day and asked him, 'How is it that you are always full of bliss?'
Dattatreya replied, 'What is there other than bliss?'
The king asked him, 'How did this bliss come to you?'
Dattatreya replied, 'To acquire this ananda, I had a number of acharyas (teachers). It came through them.'
When the king asked him who his teachers had been Dattatreya told him a long story.
'O King,I have 24 gurus. They were grasped by the enquiry made by my intellect. I am wandering in this world as a mukta only because of the jnana I gained through these acharyas. Understand who these acharyas are: the earth, the air, the sky, water, fire, the sun, the moon, a wild pigeon, a python, the ocean, a grasshopper, a bee, an elephant, a honey gatherer, a deer, Pingala the prostitute, a child, a small girl, an archer, a snake and a few others. Among the 24 I have rejected a few.
I have learned patience from the earth, omnipresence from air, non-attachment from the sky, taintlessness from fire, purity from water, and the truth that all changes are for the body and not the Self from the moon.
The sun shines equally on all things but it is not affected by them. From this I learned that though the yogi may see objects he should not be affected by the gunas which cause them to interact.
From the wild pigeon I learned that whoever gets attached to his residence will slip down from his elevated position. I understood that, like the Python, one must take whatever food comes by itself. From the ocean I understood that I should be placid, majestic, unpeturbed and difficult to fathom.
The grasshopper which falls into the flame of the lamp burns to death. From this I understood that a man who falls into the fire of lust for women perishes. I learned from the bee that one should get food just sufficient to nourish one's body without forcing others to give.
Even the strong male elephant undergoes suffering by coming into contact with the female elephant. From this I learned that a man is likewise subjected to suffering if he is touched by a woman or spends time in their proximity.
Continued here
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