Yadhu Gita – 2

Gurus 9 to 17

Guru 9

Python is the ninth guru mentioned in verses 1 to 4 of chapter 3

A python eats whatever comes in its way and is satisfied, whether it is sufficient or not, bitter or sweet etc.  One should accept whatever one comes across in the life with full contentment. While suffering the hardships and miseries in life, one should think, it is due to past sinful activities that one is being punished. A sage always goes for search of wisdom and refrains from running after unwanted pleasures.  A man in search of wisdom should refrain from running after pleasures and accept whatever he gets spontaneously with contentment.

Guru 10

Ocean is the 10^th guru mentioned in verses 5 & 6

The ocean neither increases due to excessive inflow of rivers as in monsoons, nor decreases due to stoppage of flow of rivers, as when the rivers dry up.   So too the life of sage must remain balanced and in a state of calmness always with neither the joys of life exciting him nor the sorrows depressing him.  The depth of such sage’s wisdom cannot be easily comprehended by anyone, just as hidden pearls at the depth of ocean cannot easily be discovered. Like the ocean, the outlook of the sage should be broad.

Guru 11

Moth is the 11^th guru mentioned in verses 7 & 8.

The moth being attracted by the bright flame, dives into it without thinking and gets caught in the fire and destroyed.  Similarly an unthinking person, enticed by the illusory pleasures of the senses, gets trapped in the ceaseless cycles of birth and death.   On the other hand, the wise person, when he catches even a glimpse of the fire of wisdom, uses it to burn down the illusion of being a limited self.

Guru 12

Honey bee is the 12^th guru mentioned in verses 9 to 12.

Honey bee goes from flower to flower to collect honey and does not depend on a single flower.  Similarly a sage should not confine himself to a single patron for bhiksha but go from door to door seeking just enough food for the day.  Also he should take the essence from various scriptures, as the bee takes honey from different flowers.  

Guru 13

Elephant is the thirteenth guru described in verses 13 &14.
One tries to capture the powerful elephant by digging a pit in the ground, covering it with grass and placing a wooden cow elephant covered with elephant skin on that pit. Seeing the cow elephant and craving for sexual pleasure the male elephant runs towards that wooden cow elephant with speed and falls in the pit. Then it is easily made a captive.  Similarly, a passionate person is tempted by the person of opposite sex and is entrapped in bondage. The seekers of Liberation should learn to be free from lust. 

Guru 14

Honey-gatherer is the 14^th guru described in verses 15 & 16.

The honey-bee hoards the honey in the nest only to lose it to a honey-gatherer along with its life. Learning from this a spiritual seeker should not be spending time hoarding possessions and acquiring objects of pleasure.  Instead precious time should be spent in sadhanas to reach the inner self.

Guru 15

The 15^th guru is deer, described in verses 17 & 18

A deer is hard to catch because it can run so swiftly.  But the deer is very fond of music and is very much attracted by it and the deer is trapped by hunter through its love for music.  This sounds a warning to the sage that mundane sounds like sensuous music, specially the sweet singing and dancing of girl will sooner or later bring down a sage from his spiritual progress and ensnare him in samsara (Bhajans and other types of devotional music excepted).

Guru 16

Fish is the 16^th guru described in verses19, 20 and 21.

The fish is caught because the bait with the worm is a temptation.  Due to uncontrolled tongue, the fish meets its end. The lesson leant from the fish is that the sage should have control over his tongue in terms of taste as well as speech. When the tongue is under control, it is easy to bring other sense organs under control.  There is a positive aspect associated with the fish. It never leaves its home (i.e. water), and the sage should never lose sight of his True Self.

Guru 17

Pingala, the courtesan is the guru no. 17 and is described in verses 22 to 44 i.e. end of chapter 3

In Videha there lived a courtesan named Pingala.  Each night she would dress in her finest alluring clothes and ornaments and stand in the doorway of her home enticing passing men to come and spend the night with her for money and pleasure. One night many men passed by on the street and she watched them thinking "oh this one is rich" and "oh that one is handsome" but nobody came to her. As the hours wore on she became more and more depressed and anxious. Eventually she gave up waiting for a lover altogether. And then she had an illumination. She realized she did not need the attention of others, for happiness and sadness occurs within and developed detachment towards her way of life.  Feeling satisfaction from her abandonment of material desires, she felt contentment with what she had, and then had sound sleep. From then on she decided to turn a new leaf and live a disciplined and moral life with the realization that the divine spirit of the nature of bliss eternal lies within herself.   Avadhuta learnt that one should use the world to grow out of it and go after permanent peace and happiness internally with detachment.

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