Dattatreya

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Dattaatreya

The word "Dattaa" in Sanskrit means "gift" or "the act of giving". He is considered the Avataar of Vishnu. He descended on Prithvi on the Full Moon day of Maagh Maas.

His Birth

Once Atri Rishi did Tapasyaa to have sons with his wife Anusooyaa. Pleased with their Tapasyaa, the trio, Brahmaa, Vishnu and Mahesh appeared before him. He was surprised to see all of them together. He said - "I was doing Tapasyaa to worship Hari, now who among you three, is Hari?" They said

Dattaatreya is usually depicted with three heads, symbolizing Brahmaa/Shiv/Vishnu, past present and future, and the three states of consciousness: waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. He is portrayed sitting in meditation with his Shakti beneath the Kalp Vriksh (wish-fulfilling tree). In front of him is a fire pit, and around him are four dogs.

The main work attributed to Dattaatreya is the Avadhoot Upanishad, which describes the conditions of the liberated soul, one who is unfettered by dogma, habit, ritual or conventional morality. According to Dattatreya, the liberated one need not have any particular appearance, lifestyle, religion or social role. He/she may be a naked yogi or a prince, may appear pious or blasphemous, ascetic or hedonistic. The important thing is that, for the liberated soul, there is no "doer" of an action, and no beneficiary. One acts without thinking "this will give me pleasure" or "this is what I ought to do." This is similar to ideas found in other, apparently completely different, mystical traditions such as Sufism (c.f. Mevlana's comment that when we loose an arrow it is not us but God who shoots).

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