Dattatreya[or Dattā (Dattā) is a Hindu deity considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of the three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti.The name Dattatreya is composed of two words - "Datta" (meaning given) and "Atreya", referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.
Various Hindu sects worship him differently, though Dattatreya is considered a form of all the three deities. He is especially considered an avatar of Vishnu while his siblings the moon-god Chandra and the sage Durvasa are regarded as forms of Brahma and Shiva respectively. However, In the Nath tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas. Dattatreya was at first a "Lord of Yoga" exhibiting distinctly Tantric traits, he is approached more as a benevolent god than as a teacher of the highest essence of Indian thought. However, spiritual seekers pray to this Supreme Teacher for knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Hinduist traditions credit Dattatreya as the author of the Tripura Rahasya given to Parashurama, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta. He is specially worshipped on his birthday, Datta Jayanti.
Dattatreya was born to the sage Atri, who had been promised by Parameshvara (the Almighty), that He, Parameshvara, would be incarnated as his son. Some Hindu sects familiar with the trinity also attribute Dattatreya's incarnation as of all three- Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma, indirectly meaning to be all powerful and above all. This is just one of the many legends related to the birth of Lord Dattatreya.Others[ suggest a more mystical origin of Dattatreya. Some of the sources claim that he was born in Kashmir jungles near the sacred Amarnath.
The same concept is echoed in an episode in the Dattatreya Purana When Lord Dattatreya, the combined incarnation of the Trinity, was a child of five years, many old sages spotted his greatness and started insisting that he shall show them the path of Yoga. The child Datta wanted to test them. He disappeared into a pond and remained there for one hundred years. Some of the sages waited for Him on the banks of the pond while the infant Datta was in a state of complete Samadhi] for one hundred years. Even after coming out of the pond he continued to test the sages. Dattatreya, who was 105 years old then, brought out his yogic energy through his Brahma Randhra (an astral orifice found in the center of the skull, through which yogis can leave the body) and gave it the form of a woman. Because the energy came out from him, he was its natural owner. He declared her to be his consort. In order to test the sages, she drank wine and started dancing.
She was born as a youthful woman. Seeing her drink wine, some of the sages called her Madhumati[. Others called her 'Nadee' because her dance resembled the dancing movements of a flooded river Still others realized that she was none other than the Yogic Energy of Lord and prayed to him. Some others went away..
Then Lord Dattatreya came out of Samadhi in the form of an ascetic Lord Dattatreya named her Anagha.Those who called her as Madhumati and Nadee had identified her as one who possessed sin[, but in reality she was without sin. Therefore, Dattatreya had named her Anagha (Sinless, Pure). Those who had recognized her as Dattatreya, obtained the true vision of the Lord and could transcend all sorrows. In other words, because of Anagha, their sorrows (Agha or sin and sorrow) disappeared, a reason why Dattatreya named her as Anagha (one who removes sorrows Dattatreya left home at an early age to wander naked
in search of the Absolute. He seems to have spent most of his life wandering in the areas North Karnataka, through Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, and into Gujarat as far as the Narmada River. He attained realization at a town, now known as Ganagapura in Karnataka. The original footprints of Datta are believed to be on the lonely peak at Girnar. The Tripura-rahasya refers to the disciple Parasurama finding Dattatreya meditating on Gandhamadana mountain. Lord Dattatreya did tapas for 12,000 years in mount Girnar. Swami Vivekananda mentioned that for Hindus Mount Girnar is considered holy because Dattâtreya stayed there
Various Hindu sects worship him differently, though Dattatreya is considered a form of all the three deities. He is especially considered an avatar of Vishnu while his siblings the moon-god Chandra and the sage Durvasa are regarded as forms of Brahma and Shiva respectively. However, In the Nath tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas. Dattatreya was at first a "Lord of Yoga" exhibiting distinctly Tantric traits, he is approached more as a benevolent god than as a teacher of the highest essence of Indian thought. However, spiritual seekers pray to this Supreme Teacher for knowledge of the Absolute Truth. Hinduist traditions credit Dattatreya as the author of the Tripura Rahasya given to Parashurama, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta. He is specially worshipped on his birthday, Datta Jayanti.
Dattatreya was born to the sage Atri, who had been promised by Parameshvara (the Almighty), that He, Parameshvara, would be incarnated as his son. Some Hindu sects familiar with the trinity also attribute Dattatreya's incarnation as of all three- Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma, indirectly meaning to be all powerful and above all. This is just one of the many legends related to the birth of Lord Dattatreya.Others[ suggest a more mystical origin of Dattatreya. Some of the sources claim that he was born in Kashmir jungles near the sacred Amarnath.
The same concept is echoed in an episode in the Dattatreya Purana When Lord Dattatreya, the combined incarnation of the Trinity, was a child of five years, many old sages spotted his greatness and started insisting that he shall show them the path of Yoga. The child Datta wanted to test them. He disappeared into a pond and remained there for one hundred years. Some of the sages waited for Him on the banks of the pond while the infant Datta was in a state of complete Samadhi] for one hundred years. Even after coming out of the pond he continued to test the sages. Dattatreya, who was 105 years old then, brought out his yogic energy through his Brahma Randhra (an astral orifice found in the center of the skull, through which yogis can leave the body) and gave it the form of a woman. Because the energy came out from him, he was its natural owner. He declared her to be his consort. In order to test the sages, she drank wine and started dancing.
She was born as a youthful woman. Seeing her drink wine, some of the sages called her Madhumati[. Others called her 'Nadee' because her dance resembled the dancing movements of a flooded river Still others realized that she was none other than the Yogic Energy of Lord and prayed to him. Some others went away..
Then Lord Dattatreya came out of Samadhi in the form of an ascetic Lord Dattatreya named her Anagha.Those who called her as Madhumati and Nadee had identified her as one who possessed sin[, but in reality she was without sin. Therefore, Dattatreya had named her Anagha (Sinless, Pure). Those who had recognized her as Dattatreya, obtained the true vision of the Lord and could transcend all sorrows. In other words, because of Anagha, their sorrows (Agha or sin and sorrow) disappeared, a reason why Dattatreya named her as Anagha (one who removes sorrows Dattatreya left home at an early age to wander naked
Dhanyavadeh Ashokji
ReplyDeleteAn insight to know about Dattatreya. Till now I never thought of it. But today after reading about the info you have posted about it is an eye-opener for me.