One day, Dattatreya Ji walked across the street, lost in Divine contemplation. King Yadu, the valorous king of the province, saw him and offered his greetings. King Yadu asked the secret behind the everlasting joy which Dattatreya Ji enjoyed. Dattatreya Ji perceived the sincere curiosity of the king and asked him to receive the words as they were. King stood still and listened keenly.
Dattatreya Ji said that he had several Gurus who guided him. King Yadu felt perplexed. The king expressed his notion, saying that a person had only a single Guru, who took him from darkness to light. Dattatreya Ji elaborated his concept of twenty-four Gurus. (Four of the twenty-four are enlisted hereafter).
- Earth- Mother Earth (Prithvi) is the most tolerant one. We walk with our trampling feet over her, excavate deep soils, dig furrows and trenches for our greed, sow seeds and even expel our excreta over her, but she always loves us. We always enjoy in her cozy lap.
- Water in the Rivers- The water (Jala) sweeps away all the filth and cleans the site. It teaches that we should never see wrong in others and sweep it away with our Inner Eternal strengths. Our positivity should mask the negativities in others.
- Fire- A flame of fire (Agni) only uses the provided fuel. It never craves for more resources; remains contented with limited resources. We should learn contentment from fire.
- Air- The air (Vayu, pavan) carries all the aromas as well as the bad odors without being partial and never mingles with the odors. It merely distributes the dust and debris, moving in a random light flow. It remains detached from all the things which it carries.
Even we are composed of these four elements, comprising the grand Penta-elemental construction of the cosmos. It teaches that everything is the same essence.