UDHAVA GEETA (Ref. Srimad Bhagavatham)

Udhava Geeta is said to be the high water mark of philosophy and ethics in hindu legend Bhagavatham. It is a dialogue between Krishna and his devotee Udhava. Udhava touching the feet of Krishna said Lord "I am well aware that the end of the Yadus is near, that very soon Krishna you will leave me and Krishna told him the story of Avadhutha (ascetic) illustrating how to live in this world, how to take off worldly attachments and how to cultivate supreme devotion to Lord. The story runs thus: King Yadu asked the ascetic how he is able to detach from this world, the ascetic replied :I have received wisdom from many teachers: They are 24 in numbers He then told him the lessons he learned from 24 teachers

1.Earth : Tolerance and service to others like a tree
2.Air : To remain pure, unaffected by the objects it touches like good and bad odors
3.Ether : To remain ever pure ever free untouched by clouds or driven by wind
4.Water: To be cool, comforting sweet and pure like a sage contact with whom purifies one
5. Fire : No to be contaminated by the good or bad thrown into it reduce to ashes the filthiest things and yet remain pure
6. Moon : To know the atman remains the same the death and birth belongs to the body. The moon appears to change with the revolving of time , but actually remains the same.
7. Sun : To remain unaffected by what is transient. The sun draws moisture and it comes out as rain through clouds but remains unaffected by it.
8.Pigeon : To avoid the perils of excessive attachment
9. Python: To be happy with what one gets.
10. Ocean: To remain tranquil, many rivers flow into the ocean and yet it keeps its level. 11.Moth: Self control - indifference to the danger to it, a moth is attracted to flames and consumed by it.
12. Bee: To gather knowledge from all sources like bee collecting honey.
13. Elephant : An elephant lured by the scent of she elephant gets attacked by other male elephant. to guard against worldly desires.
14.Honey gatherer: Not to be greedy, a bee gathers honey, but does not enjoy it
15:Deer: Not to be ensnared like a deer attracted by the music of a hunter and getting killed 16.Fish : Not to be carried away by taste.
17. Osprey: Not to be attached. an osprey is attacked by stronger birds
18. Pingala - craving for worldly objects bring misery, Pingala a dancing girl realized how foolish she was when she could have realized the grace of God
19.Child : To be free from care
20.Maiden: To prefer solitude so that one can better focus one's mind on the Lord . A young man and his parents came to see a maiden with a view to considering matrimony. Rice had to be husked to make preparations for the guests, which the girl herself had to do. This, the girl did not want to be known to the boy's group, but when she began husking the rice the bangles in her jingled. She therefore removed them one by one until the last only remained. The jingle then stopped and she could do the husking without attracting notice.
21. Arrow maker: To have single minded devotion.
22.Snake : To happily accept whatever comes on its way, it lives in a hole made by others. Similarly a sage lives without caring for home or comfort for his body.
23. Spider. Lord is ever blissful, a spider spins out thread from its own mouth, weaves it into a web plays with it and then withdraws into itself in the same manner as the Lord who brings out the world from himself, plays with it and then withdraws it into himself
24. Bramara Keeta : To constantly meditate upon the lord so as to become one with him.

Avadhutha concludes All this I have learnt from my 24 teachers. And my own body has taught me that 'I' is ego is the most impermanent thing in the world. It is subject to birth and death. Therefore I have learnt that I am not the body and that being only dweller in the body. I am separate from it. Man pampers his body, acquires wealth and enjoyment for the sake but finally withers away and dies, leaving everything behind. Of all God's creatures man alone has the faculty to realize his oneness with god. He alone is a rare and privileged incarnation. Therefore instead of wasting time in pursuit of worldly enjoyment he must employ his mind to find the better truth of him. Truth can be learnt from many teachers- for truth is one but sages call it by different names.