Dattatreya Jayanthi

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Among the many current legends concerning the manifestation of the

Supreme as Dattatreya, three are worthy of notice. The first version is

taken from SrimadBhagavata. According to the Bhagavata, the sage Atri

performed severe penance in order to have a son. His goal for his son

was to achieve and maintain world order. The Lord Himself who promised

to fulfill his wish was born as Atri's son.

 

The second version is a story passed down from generation to generation.

A long time ago, there lived a couple in Pratishthanagar (modem

Paithana) in Maharashtra State. The husband's name was Kausika and the

wife's Sumati. Sumati was very devoted to her husband and extremely

virtuous. However, Kausika led an immoral life and eventually deserted

his wife. He became a victim to many deadly diseases, and with none to

care for him, he finally came back to his wife who received him with

love and devotion. Forgiving his faults, she treated him with compassion

and began to attend to his wounds - physical as well as mental.

 

One night, carrying her ailing husband on her shoulders, Sumati was

walking along the highway and came to a p ocent sage called Maandavya

had been unjustly hanged on the gallows. By using his yogic power, the

sage had retained life in his body which was still swinging to and fro.

Owing to the faded light, Sumati did not see the swaying body of the

sage and was walking by when, unwittingly, her husband's leg brushed

against the sage's body and caused the sage excruciating pain. The sage,

already hard pressed, lost his temper and swore that the person who had

caused him such severe agony, would die as soon as the sun rose. The

virtuous and devout Sumati, on hearing this, could not bear even the

thought of her husband's coming death. So she pronounced a

counter-curse. Said she:

 

" O Sun-god, do not rise at all tomorrow. If you disregard my words, you

will be burnt and fall from the sky. " No power on earth can render

ineffective the curse pronounced by a virtuous and devoted wife.

 

The Saastra declares:

 

" That power which men attain by practicing Yoga, will be obtained by

women of respectable family merely by their chastity and moral

excellence. "

 

The Sun-god did not rise and there was widespread sorrow in the world.

No ritual could be conducted; no duty could be performed. Scared, the

gods approached Brahma (the Creator) for assistance, but He said He was

helpless. Taking the gods with him, Brahma went to Atri's Ashram and

entreated Anasooya to save the world, as in his opinion, she alone

possessed power to do so.

 

Atri and Anasooya, accompanied by Brahma and the gods, went to Sumati's

house and implored her to withdraw her curse. But Sumati refused because

she feared her husband would die the moment the sun rose. Anasooya

assured Sumati that she would bring her husband back to life by her

power. So, Sumati revoked her curse and the sun rose immediately. But

with the rising sun, Kausika fell dead. Anasooya, by virtue of her

power, brought him back o life. All were happy.

Gods, out of gratitude were eager to bestow on Anasooya a boon. She

desired the " Trinity " to become her children. Her wish was instantly

fulfilled. Brahma was born as Chandra (moon), Vishnu as Datta and Shiva

as Durvaasa. After some time, with the consent of Anasooya, Chandra left

to take his position in the sky, and Durvaasa departed to do penance.

Datta remained with his parents. However, before leaving, Chandra and

Durvaasa endowed Datta with their powers. Therefore, Dattatreya is

conceived as " three in one " and depicted as having three faces and six

hands.

 

 

The third version comes from the Puraanas. The Puraanic version of the

incarnation of Dattatreya is very similar to the story passed down

through generations. Having heard from Naarada about the greatness of

Anasooya's fidelity and chastity, the three goddesses, Vaani (Brahma!s

spouse), Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu) and Uma (spouse of Siva), were

filled with jealousy and sent their husbands to test the chastity of

Anasooya.

 

The three gods, responsible respectively for the creation, sustenance

and dissolution of the world, came to Anasooya disguised as holy men and

begged for food. Anasooya gladly made them sit, but they demanded that

she serve them without wearing any clothes. As a result, Anasooya took

the holy water from her husband's water pot, sprinkled it on them and

transformed them into babies. Then, without clothes, she nurtured and

nourished them as her own children.

 

When their husbands did not return for quite a long time, the goddesses

became anxious and apprehensive, and went directly to Atri's ashram.

They were shocked to see the condition of their husbands. Their jealousy

vanished and they understood the greatness of Anasooya. The penitent

goddesses begged Anasooya to forgive them and restore their husbands to

them. Compassionate Anasooya transformed the babies into their original

form and gave them back to their wives. The three gods, who had basked

in the sunshine of Anasooya's matemal affection, while departing,

voluntarily expressed their intention to be with her in another form.

 

Accordingly, Brahma became Chandra, Vishnu became Datta and Siva became

Durvaasa. All three were born in one united form on the fourteenth day

of the bright half of the month of Maargasira, the ninth month of the

lunar year. This day is being observed as the birthday of Dattatreya

even now.

 

According to the popular Gurucharitra written by Sri Gangadhara

Saraswati, out of the infinite incarnations of Dattatreya, two which

took place in the fourteenth century are worthy of mentioning. The first

manifestation was as Sreepadavallabha. He was born to Brahmin parents

Appalaraja and Sumati in the year 1320 AD in the town of Pitapura in

Andhra Pradesh. He left home at the age of sixteen, and living in

Kuruvapura, a small island in the River Krishna, blessed devotees for

some time and disappeared in 1350 AD.

 

The second manifestation was as Sri Swami Narasimha Saraswati. He was

born to fulfill a promise given by Sreepada Sreevallabha to His mother.

Narahari, as He was known at first, was born in 1380 in the small town

of Karanjanagar. Until He was seven years old, Narahari remained dumb,

but when His sacred thread ceremony was performed and His mother offered

him food thrice as enjoined by the scriptures, Narahari recited the

three Vedas, one for each meal.

 

Narahari granted to His mother the memory of her previous birth and

after two more sons were born to her, He left for Vaaranasi and took His

holy vows from the aged Swami Krishna Saraswathi who bestowed on Him the

name Narasimha Saraswati. After touring north India on foot, Swami

Narasimha Saraswati came South and lived for twenty years in Gapura, a

place near Gulbarga in Karnataka, and blessed innumerable devotees.

Saraswati was adored and worshipped by many different people of all

religions. It is believed that He disappeared in Sreesaila leaving His

sacred sandals to Ganagaapura. Apart from these two histrocial

incarnations, Dattatreya manifested Himself in sixteen other forms at

other times. They are:

 

Visvambaraavadhoota, Maayamuktaavadhoota, Dattavadhoota,

Aadigurunaamaka, Samskasheenasivaroopa, Devadeva, Dattadigambara,

Syaamakamalalochana, Yogiraja, Atrivarada, Digambara, Yogiraajavallabha,

Kaalaagnisamana, Leelavisvambhara, Siddharajanamaka, and Jnanasagara

 

By worshiping only Dattatreya, absolute knowledge of the self will set

in. On the other hand, by worshiping Dattatreya along with Anagha, even

the worldly difficulties will be removed and eventually Atma Jnana will

set in. In Kaliyuga, human beings can achieve wisdom only in an

unhurried pace. Therefore, Lord Dattatreya himself preached the method

of worshiping Anagha.

 

The story of the thousand-armed Kartaveeryarjuna in Datta Darshana is

highly symbolic. He was one of the favorite disciples of Lord

Dattatreya. Dattatreya Himself taught him the method of performing

Anaghashtami Pooia. Kartaveerya got his boons on the eighth day of the

dark half of the month of Margashira. Lord Dattatreya has himself marked

this day to be auspicious for conducting the Anaghashtami Pooja. He has

further ordained that this pooja be performed every month on the eighth

day of the dark- fortnight. Bhagavan Vyasa has narrated the method of

worship in the Puranas. But on account of the vicissitudes of time, it

slowly became less and less practice--so much so that questions like

" What? A woman sitting by the side of Datta? " are being asked.