The 24 Gurus

By Neelesh Bagrodia
Chinmaya Mission Phoenix

This year in Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar we learned about the 24 gurus. This article is about the 10 of the 24 gurus, I hope to share this knowledge with you. It all started when Dattatreya walked around the world, noticing the nature and the 24 gurus that have their own lessons. King Yadu asked Dattatreya about the 24 gurus. In this part, I will cover 10 of the 24 gurus.

The first guru is Mother Earth. She is very giving, but we do not always help her back. Instead, we pollute her air and destroy her natural beauty for our own selfish wants. I will try to help by walking to school, not wasting food, and planting plants.

Next is Air, who is free flowing. It can go through a rose garden but not pick up the scent and then go through a trash can and still not pick up the smell. I learned that if I ever get into bad company, I will not pick up their bad habits.

Following on, Space is the next guru who is omnipresent. Space is pure by accommodating all. I learned that I should always include everybody when playing a game and not being rude to other kids.

Furthermore, Water is the fourth guru, Dattatreya told Kind Yadu. Water is an example of showing pureness. It also teaches how to be sweet and teaches the essence of life. It flows freely and overcomes most things that block it. I learned that I will always persevere and never give up. Also I will guard my tongue not to say bad words, but to say positive words like "good job."

After Water comes the Fire guru. Fire can be man’s best friend if used properly, but can also burn him. It lights the path of righteousness and helps us throughout life. It burns the ignorance in our mind. I learned that I can be friends to other people and also help people by showing them the path of righteousness.

Moon is the sixth of the 24 gurus. Moon is like the sense of light when the sun is gone. Also it represents the life of a human. New moon is a baby, a crescent is about 18 to 20 years old, half moon is 40 to 50 years old, and full moon is 70 or more years old. I learned that I can be the light to other people, like Warren Buffet is the light to many in the stock market.

Coming up next is the Sun who is the seventh guru. The sun teaches the reflection of "Atma" in everyone. The "Atma" in everybody shows us that we must be polite and respect all people. For example, if you lay out more than one bucket of water you will see a sun in all of them. This is how "Atma" is reflected in all of us. I learned from this that I will prostrate to all elders and be nice to all other people.

The eighth guru is a pigeon, who shows lots of attachment. The story for the pigeon is as follows: when the mom and dad pigeon went out to get food, they came back to find that their children were caught in a hunter’s net. So the mother pigeon jumped in the net with her children, since she thought she had no one to live for. Then the father pigeon thought the same as the mother that I don’t have anyone to live for, he too jumped in the net. From this I learned that you should never be overly attached to a materialistic object. If a person is in trouble, you should use your brain to get them out of trouble and not your emotions.

The ninth guru is the honey gatherer who is the symbol of miserliness. It reminds us not to hoard too much wealth, but to share our wealth. We must learn to give whenever we can. From this I learned that whenever I get something I will always value it and share it with my friends.

The tenth guru larva, represents what you want to become and that is what you will become. The story for the larva is as follows: one day the caterpillar is walking after eating a huge leaf and sees a larva upside down. He asks what the larva is doing. "I am trying to become a butterfly", replies the larva. So the caterpillar sees that the same larva changes into a cocoon and eventually a butterfly. So the caterpillar goes upside down and waits, over time he transforms into a cocoon and then a beautiful butterfly. I learned from this that everything can be accomplished from one little dream.

This was about the 10 of the 24 gurus, Dattatreya told King Yadu. I have learned a lot from these 10 gurus and I will continue to apply these life-long lessons throughout my life. I hope you will too and I hope you enjoyed this knowledge.

Neelesh Bagrodia is a 6th grade student at the Bala Vihar class of Chinmaya Mission, Phoenix chapter (www.chinmayaphoenix.org). Chinmaya Bala Vihar classes are conducted every Sunday at Sierra Vista Academy in Scottsdale. He wrote this article as part of his Bala Vihar curriculum.