In all the ways a ruler could desire, King Yadu possessed wealth, power, wisdom and fame. But there was something in him that was troubling. He never had peace, notwithstanding his success.

One day, as he was roaming in the forest he crossed the great sage Guru Dattatreya. The sage appeared composed and joyful in contrast to the king. He could not be older than in his timeless bliss, which radiated his face. Yadu was astonished and said, How is it possible you can remain so happy? Old age has already come to you.

Dattatreya’s 24 Gurus

This was not the answer that Yadu wanted. He responded, I have studied twenty four gurus. They were all not people and books. The forces of nature, which were my teachers, were the earth, the wind, the rivers, the fire, the birds, and the bees and even death itself. Creation has taught me something in every part. However, most importantly, silence is my best teacher. Silence sings the query– Who am I?–and in that silence we know the truth.

Yadu heard this, and he knew that all his customs, obligations and triumphs were put together with the external world. Peace was not in ceremonies, conquests but in the quietness of the soul. With the help of wisdom of Dattatreya he found the guru inside him, the divine one.

The Metamorphosis of King Yadu.

This was the meeting that transformed Yadu. He was no longer in pursuit of distractions. Instead, clarity and peace being clear, he bore the seed of Brahman that Dattatreya had planted in him. Yadu was enlightened which is testament to the fact that the true guru is not external but internal and it is this inner being that opens its eyes when one looks inward.

The Three Great Lessons

This story imparts to us three lessons:

The actual guru makes your eyes open. A priest-teacher will not tie you up with words but only make you see all nature, and all quietness and all life are wisdom.

Brahman is the seed that is planted by the guru. The guru recalls to the disciple, You are divine. You possess in yourself the means to create, destroy and change.

The follower elevates the world. After being awakened, the presence of the disciple is light and peaceful and changes not that which has to be changed through rituals but through inner realization.

The Guru Is Silence

By reducing the guru to being just a person, you are restricting the guru. The guru is not a body or a teacher, but is the highest light, beyond the boundaries of worlds and cosmos. The power of words is mighty, but the most profound power is silence. Silence conceives enlightenment.

Last Lesson: The Guru within.

The adventure of King Yadu demonstrates that the only way to attain the state of liberation is not through external practices but by hearing the silence within. There is only one guru that is required by a true seeker and that is the inner guru. When the disciple transcends beyond the auditory channel and starts the actual experience, the entire world becomes an educator.

The last point is made obvious: the guru does not speak but he is the silent presence. The process of enlightenment starts at the moment when we understand that the guru has been in us all the time. Silently the supreme light shines and in the supreme light, peace is disclosed.