Lord Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of Yoga, venerated as a Hindu God. In Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh he is a syncretic deity. Lord Dattatreya is considered to be an avatar of the three Hindu Gods i.e. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. According to Rigopoulos, in the Navnath Sampradaya of Shaivism, Lord Dattatreya is revered as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Navnathas. The subject ideology as per Navnath Bhaktisar is also acceptable to Siddha Spirituality. The annual festival in the Hindu calendar month of Mārgaśīrṣa (November/December) reveres Lord Dattatreya and this is called Datta Jayanti.

Who is Lord Dattatreya

Trimurty

Lord Guru Dattatreya or Shri Datta Guru is a Hindu deity (Ishta Devata) encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words – “Datta” and “Atreya” in Sanskrit means, “given” and “son of Atri”. Atri is one of the 7 seers/principles of creation. Atri also means in Sanskrit “not three”. Dattatreya is also a combination of “Datta” and “treya” – Treya being the trinity – Bramha (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer).

An incarnation of Lord Vishnu

In the Navnath tradition, Lord Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of Lord Vishnu and as the Adi-Guru (first teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Naths. Dattatreya is a primal manifestation in the Guru tradition (Supreme Guru principal). 

Avadhut

Lord Dattatreya is also known by another equally popular name of ‘Avadhut’, who washes away the temperamental defects i.e. the three qualities or Trigunas:

• Sattva (Purity and Knowledge),
• Raja (Activity and Passion), and
• Tama (Ignorance and Inertia).

He destroys Trigunas. He bestows the spiritual experience of the unmanifest principle. The importance of Lord Dattatreya from the seeker’s point of view is that there is only one who is worshipped in the form of a Guru. Hence the extolling (Jai-Ghosh) of ‘Avadhut Chintana Jai Gurudev Datta’. 

Lord Dattatreya’s Life

About birth claims of Lord Dattatreya

In the Puranas, he was born in an Indian hermitage to Anasuya and her husband the Vedic sage Atri traditionally credited with making the largest contribution to the Rigveda. It is said that they lived in Mahur, Nanded District, Maharashtra. Another states his father lived in the western Deccan region. A third claims he was born in Kashmir jungles near the sacred Amarnath Temple.

A fourth legend states he was born along with his brothers Durvasa and Chandra, to an unwed mother named Anusuya, In a fifth myth, sage Atri was very old when young Anusuya married him and they sought the help of the Trimurti Gods for a child. 

About the origin of Lord Dattatreya

While his origins are unclear, stories about his life are clearer. He is described in the Mahabharata as an exceptional Rishi (sage) and an Avatar of Vishnu in the Puranas. Lord Dattatreya is stated in these texts as having renounced the world and leaving his home at an early age to lead a monastic life.

One myth claims he meditated immersed in water for a long time, another has him wandering from childhood and the young Lord Dattatreya’s footprints have been preserved on a lonely peak at Girnar (Junagadh, Gujarat). and Lord Dattatreya makes a tapa (penance) for 12000 years over there. The Tripura-rahasya refers to the disciple Parasurama finding Lord Dattatreya meditating on Gandhamadana mountain, near Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.

The Descent of Lord Dattatreya

It is believed that when the Lord made the Universe, he introduced himself into the creation as Dharma. For that reason, the seers worshipped the Lord and invoked him as the teacher (Guru).

Out of compassion, the Lord Absolute himself, came down as the teacher to be in the creation and to guide them.  Lord Datta Guru is a very kind, compassionate, and easily pleased form of the Lord, and just as he has donated (Datta) himself to Atri Rishi, he showers and gives to all those who seek His shelter.

Lord Dattatreya gifted Ashtanga Yoga (eight-fold path of Yoga) to the world thousands of years ago.

Ashtanga Yoga

• Yama (self-restraint) – Non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, and non-receiving.
• Niyama (discipline) – cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study, and self-surrender to God. Moral discipline.
• Asana – Posture.
• Pranayama (Yoga breathing) – ‘Prana’ (vital breath) is the life force, ‘Yama’ controls. ‘Pranayama‘ consists of breath control exercises.
• Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) – Withdrawal of senses away from 5 sense organs (Panchendriya).
• Dharana – Concentration of the mind combined with retention of breath.
• Dhyan – Meditation.
• Samadhi – The transcendental or superconscious state of being united with God.

The 24 Gurus of Lord Dattatreya

Three things are indeed rare and are due to the grace of God. They are 1) human birth, 2) longing for liberation, and 3) protecting the care of a perfected sage – The Guru.

Shri Datta Guru represents the 3rd one, the Guru Principle,  that liberates us from the cycle of birth-death-and-rebirth.

The Gurus (spiritual masters) in various planes are the manifestation of the one universal teaching (Guru) principle referred to in the ancient Indian wisdom as Lord Dattatreya. Lord Dattatreya is the “Grand Teacher” or the “Supreme Guru principle” in the universe (also called Guru or Sadguru or Spiritual master).

The young Dattatreya is famous in the Hindu texts as the one who started with nothing and without teachers, yet reached self-awareness by observing nature during his Sannyasi wanderings and treating these natural observations as his twenty-four teachers. This legend has been emblematic in the Hindu belief, particularly among artists and Yogis, that ideas, teachings, and practices come from all sources, and that self-effort is a means of learning.

Lord Dattatreya’s Guru

The 24 teachers of Lord Dattatreya from nature and His learning are:

1. Earth: Forbearance, remain undisturbed even if oppressed, keep healing even if others injure you.
2. Wind: Be free like the wind, yet resolute true to your force.
3. Sky: The highest within oneself, the Atman (self, soul) has no limits, it is undifferentiated non-dual no matter what, let the clouds of materiality pass, and be one with your soul and the Universal Self.
4. Water: A saint discriminates against no one and is never arrogant, lets others give him impurity, yet he always remains pure and cleanses.
5. Fire: everything it comes in contact with, to shape oneself one needs the energy of learning.
6. Moon: Birth, death, rebirth, and the cycle of existence do not change the oneness of the soul, like the moon it is a continuous eternal reality.
7. Sun: The soul may appear different in different bodies, yet everyone is connected and the soul is the same in all; like Sun, one must share one’s gifts as a sense of duty.
8. Pigeons: Do not be obsessive, and don’t focus on transient things such as damage or personal loss, human life is a rare privilege to learn, discover one’s soul, and reach moksha.
9. Python: Be content with what you have, and make the most of life’s gifts.
10. Bumblebee: Be active, go directly to the sources of knowledge, seek wisdom from all sources but choose the nectar, be gentle, live harmoniously, and leave others or other ideologies alone when you must.
11. Beekeeper: Don’t crave material pleasures or in piling up treasures, neither the body nor material wealth ever lasts.
12. Hawk: Take what you need, not more.

Some more teachers of Lord Dattatreya include:

1. Ocean: Let rivers of sensory input not bother who you are deep inside, know your depths, seek self-knowledge, be unperturbed by life, equipoise.
2. Moth: Question your senses, question what others are telling you, question what you see, know senses can deceive, and seek the reason.
3.  Elephant: Don’t lust after something or someone, don’t fall into traps of others or sensory gratification.
4. Deer: Fear not the noise, and do not succumb to pressure others design for you.
5. Fish: Greed, not the crumbs someone places before you, there are plenty of healthy opportunities everywhere.
6. Courtesan: Many prostitutes their time, self-respect, and principles for various reasons but feel dejected with their career and circumstances, seek meaning and spirituality in life and move on to doing things they love to do.
7. Child:  Be a child, curious, innocent, blissful.
8. Maiden: Don’t seek attention, a yogi accomplishes and shares more through solitude.
9. Snake: A yogi can live in any place, and must be ready to molt old ideas and body for the rebirth of his spirit.
10. Arrowsmith: Concentrate on what you love to do, intense concentration is the way to self-realization.
11. Spider: Don’t get entangled by your web, be ready to abandon it, go with your Atman.
12. Caterpillar: Long journeys start small, a disciple starts as insignificant but ultimately becomes a spiritual master.

What are the benefits of praying to one’s Guru

Reduction in ego

By paying gratitude to God for all the things in our lives we acknowledge the Lord’s help. This in a way helps to also reduce our ego, so that we rely less on our capabilities and more on our faith in God to give us the capability. Gratitude is a means of offering the doer-ship of an act to God / the Guru, hence it helps in reducing the ego.

Increasing spiritual emotion

When we have spiritual emotion which means having an intense awareness of God in our lives we constantly experience the Guru’s grace. One of the most essential attributes of spiritual emotion is our ability to pay gratitude for all that the Lord has given us. Guidance: For a seeker, the all-wise and all-knowing Guru skillfully guides the spiritual progress of the seeker, which if left up to the seeker alone, would have taken many lifetimes.

For this, the seeker is eternally indebted to the Guru. The Guru is the Teaching Principle of God. This is the aspect of God that performs the function of guiding us to grow spiritually.

Lord Dattatreya – Dattavtars or Sadgurus of Datta Lineage

Dattavtars

Sadgurus or Perfect masters are in reality, the seers who have realized the Absolute or have reached the highest realm of spiritual attainment, and are present forever in the whole universe whether in an embodied or in an un-embodied state. They operate in the gross, subtle, or mental world. 

Shri Krishna

Jagat Guru, the preceptor of the Universe Shri Krishna has made it abundantly clear in Bhagavad Gita (IV. 7-8), “yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham”

Meaning – “Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and rise in unrighteousness, O Bharata, then I send forth myself. For the protection of the good and the destruction of the evil and the establishment of righteousness, I come into being from age to age”.

An embodiment of infinite existence: Sadguru

Sadgurus are the embodiment of infinite existence, knowledge, and bliss to show the Divine path to the seekers.

The form of Guru is the root of meditation,
The feet of the Guru is the root of worship,
The teaching of the Guru is the root of all hymns, and
The Grace of the Guru is the root of salvation.

The Sadgurus or spiritual masters are born at different times in different places and with different cultural backgrounds. Strangely enough, their external situations may be widely different. Their embodied stages display a common theme and common approach – Moksha or enlightenment for the bhakta.

Other Guru incarnations

While Lord Dattatreya was the primal manifestation in the Guru tradition, the other Guru incarnations (avatars) in this tradition are:

1. Shripad Shri Vallabha (the first avatar of Shri Dattatreya)
2. Shri Narasimha Saraswati (second Datta avatar)
3. Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot (third Datta avatar)

In addition, there are several more Sadgurus in the lineage. They are:

1. Shri Manik Prabhu
2. Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi
3. Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon
4. Shri Shankar Maharaj
5. Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati (Shri Tembe Swami)

Mention of Lord Dattatreya in different texts

Darshana Upanishad

The Dattatreya Upanishad (tantra-focussed), Darshana Upanishad (yoga-focussed), and particularly the Avadhuta Upanishad (advaita-focussed) present the philosophy of the Lord Dattatreya tradition. Lord Dattatreya is also mentioned in the classic text on Yoga, the Shandilya Upanishad.

Jabala Upanishad

Other Upanishads where Lord Dattatreya’s name appears in lists of ancient Hindu monks revered for their insights on renunciation are:

• Jabala Upanishad, 
• Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, 
• Bhikshuka Upanishad, and 
• Yajnavalkya Upanishad. 

Mahabharata

Lord Dattatreya is also mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

Sattvata Samhita

Lord Dattatreya is mentioned in the ancient Sattvata Samhita and Ahirbudhnya Samhita. Schrader states these texts and the chronology of Lord Dattatreya are older than the Mahabharata, but Rigopoulos disagrees with him on the chronology.

In the Hindu tradition, Lord Dattatreya is the author of Avadhuta Gita or the “Song of the free”. The text’s poetry is based on the principles of Advaita Vedanta, one of the subschools of Hindu philosophy.

The extant manuscripts have been dated to approximately the 9th or 10th century, but they may have existed earlier as part of an oral tradition. It consists of 289 shlokas (metered verses), divided into eight chapters.

Literature by Vasudevanand Saraswati 

P.P. Vasudevanand Saraswati Tembe Swami Maharaj has written extensive literature on Lord Dattatreya and his incarnations including Sripada Srivallabha of Pithapur, Andhra Pradesh, and Shri Nrusimhsaraswati Swami Maharaj of Ganagapur, Karnataka. The literature mainly includes Stotras-Hymns that praise Lord Dattatreya and various deities, and books on Lord Dattatreya.

Temples of Lord Dattatreya in India

Mahur

Kinvat taluka, Nanded district, Maharashtra.

Karanja

The birthplace of Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati is known as Lad – Karanja. Brahmanand Sarasvati of Kashi first built a temple of Deity Datta here.

Audumbar

In the four months of chaturmas of the Hindu lunar calendar, Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati lived here. This place is situated at a distance of 10 kilometers from Bhilvadi railway station in Maharashtra.

Narsobawadi

This is located in Maharashtra. Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati lived here for twelve years. The confluence of the two rivers Krushna and Panchaganga occurs here. This is the place that inspired Tembeswami.

Lord Dattatreya Peetha at Ganagapur

A most famous Lord Dattatreya Peetha. Shri kshetra Ganagapur, a holy place of Lord Dattatreya has situated 40 km from Gulbarga (Kalaburga),100 km from Solapur, and 250 km from Hyderabad. It is on the banks of River Bhima. Sangam, where the holy confluence of Bhima and Amaraja rivers takes place is very nearby. Shri Narasimha Saraswathi Swamy. He is the second incarnation of Lord Dattatreya, born in Karanjapur, Vidarbha region of Maharashtra (1378 – 1458). According to GURU CHARITRA, even today Lord Dattatreya takes bhiksha at Gangagapur at 12 noon. In the Temple the padukas of Sri Narasimha Saraswathi Swamy are worshipped that are known as `Nirguna Padukas`. Mentally retarded people and those suffering from chronic diseases worship the Nirguna Padukas.

Devotees take bath at Sangam, do pradakshinas to Adumba Vruksha on the Bank of Sangam, and do Guru Charitra Parayana at this place.

Kuravpur

This is an island in the waters of the Krushna river in Karnataka. One can reach this destination by road from Raichur Till Palladini (Kurguddi). This is where Shripad Shrivallabh undertook His mission.

Pithapur

The birthplace of Shripad Shrivallabh in Andhra Pradesh. It was Tembeswami who brought this place into the limelight.

Varanasi

The family members of Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati who still live here have the surname, Kale. Even today a garden and a lane named Kaliya exist here.

Shri Shailya

Located close to Hyderabad, Shri Nrusinha Sarasvati traveled to this place.

Bhattagaon (Bhadgaon)

This is at a distance of 35 kilometers from Kathmandu.

Panchateshvar

District Bid, Maharashtra.

The symbolism of Lord Dattatreya

Historic Indian literature has interpreted the representation of Lord Dattatreya symbolically. His three heads are symbols of the Gunas (qualities in the Samkhya school of Hinduism). The three Gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. The six hands have ethical symbolism, namely Yamas, Niyama, Sama, Dama, Daya, and Shanti (axiology in Yoga and Vedanta school of Hinduism).

The Kamadhenu cow is symbolic of Panchabutas, the four dogs are the inner forces of a human being: Iccha, Vasana, Asha, and Trishna. 

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Reference:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dattatreya
• https://www.sreedattavaibhavam.org/datta-origin/
• https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/the-secret-life-of-lord-dattatreya/128254
• https://www.thekundaliniyoga.org/hindu_gods/shridattaguru/shri_datta_guru_origin_avatars_sadgurus_datta_lineage.aspx
• https://www.sanatan.org/en/a/126.html
• https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1010180-d2009061-r319846796-Akkalkot_Swami_Samarth_Maharaj_Temple-Solapur_Solapur_District_Maharashtra.html