DATTAATREYA, THE AVADHUTA

Dattaatreya Jayanti (Birthday of Lord Dattaatreya) falls on the full moon day of the
month of Margasheersha. It is celebrated every year on a grand scale with great reverence
by not only his followers but also others.

The Dattaatreya concept appears to be an attempt at harmonizing the three concepts of

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He was a teacher of Non-Aryan people. He was the
originator of certain magical rites and the creator of the Soma plant. Association with
people of low birth and objects of pleasure has made him ritually impure. But learning
and enlightenment have made him so pure that nothing can stain him. The Truth Principle
is Datta-Tatwa, the causeless cause. Datta Stotram by Narada says: ―Salutation to Lord
Dattaatreya, who is neither short, nor long, neither subtle nor gross, and who is without
any attributes and by whom alone all the five elements are illumined‖.

Dattaatreya is called Sri Guru Datta, the Sad Guru. Saint Tukaaram, Gyaaneshvar and
other saints of Maharashtra say that there is nothing in the world that can be used as
comparison for expressing the glory of Sadguru. Vasudevaananda Saraswati has written a
book in Marathi language called ―Datta Mahaatmya‖ a unique combination of philosophy
and mythology (Puraana). He is the Chief Controller of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,
creator, preserver and destroyer. He is beyond the three departmental heads through
which he is functioning in us. Avadhuta Geeta states that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
(representing Satva, Rajas and Tamas) are in the three mantras of Om—A, U and M and
Dattaatreya is beyond the three. Datta--Treya means ―Without Three‖.

Dattaatreya is regarded as minor incarnation (amsaavataara) of Vishnu. He is the central

figure in several cults like Datta Sampradaaya, Naatha Siddhi Sampradaaya and
Mahaanubhaava Pantha. His human appearance is mentioned in several Puraanas—
Bhaagavata; Maarkandeya Puraana; Brahmaanda Puraana; Matsya Puraana; Vaayu
Puraana; and also, Mahaabhaarata and Harivamsa. According to the Puraanas, Vishnu
appeared on earth as Dattaatreya to restore ―Dharma‖ and ―Jnaana‖ amidst man-kind—
―Vishnoh praadurbhaavo mahaatmanah Dattatreya
iti khyaatah kshamayaa parayaa yutah‖.

He is celebrated as a great sage proficient in yoga and magic. He is regarded as one of the
great sages (Saptarishis) in the Svaaroechisha Manvantara. Bhaagavata counts him as one
of the twenty-two incarnations of Vishnu. He is familiar to his followers as ―Sri Guru‖.
He is believed to live in the audumbara tree.

In iconic representations he is shown as Vishnu seated in a lotus posture with two normal
hands locked in contemplation. He has braided strands of hair coiled up as a crown
symbolic of a rishi. He wears on one ear serpentine ear-ring Sarpa kundala characteristic
of Shiva; and on the other ear crocodile ear-ring, Makara kundala characteristic of
Vishnu. He is six armed and in his four upper arms carries Trident and Damaroo (Shiva’s
emblems) and, Conch and Discus (Vishnu’s emblems) and in the lower two hands water-

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jug and rosary beads, both emblem of Brahma. Alternately, he is represented as a deity
with three heads of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and four hands surrounded by four dogs
symbolizing the four Vedas, and a Bull which is Shiva’s vehicle that represents Dharma.

The legends in the Puraanas, makes him the son of Sage Atri and his wife Anasooya, one
of the paragons of chastity in Hindu Mythology. Atri Maharshi was a great sage and one
of seven foremost seers and sages. Anasooya was well established in the Pativrataa
Dharma, the main element of which are, devotion to husband and regard him as God
himself.

Atri and Anasooya did not have any children. Anasooya did severe austerities for long
time in order to beget sons equal in virtue to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Hindu
Trinities. The three consorts of the Trinities requested their husbands to put Anasooya to
test for the staunch Pativrataa Dharma she was practicing. As advised by their wives they
went to Anasooya in the guise of mendicants and asked for alms to be served pure by her
without putting on any clothes. They were also keen to fulfill her desire to have a child.
They took an opportunity to appear before her when her husband was away in the garb of
mendicants. Anasooya was in a dilemma; she did not want to refuse the mendicants alms
in the way they desired and at the same time did not want to bring blasphemy to her
Pativrataa Dharma by being naked before them. She therefore meditated on the form of
her husband who was away to perform his daily rituals, took refuge at his feet, and
sprinkled a few drops of water for washing the feet. She then took this sanctified water
and sprinkled on the mendicants. Immediately the Trimurtis were turned into three babies
on account of the glory of her chastity. At the same time, milk started flowing in her
breasts. She fed the babies and cradled them, as if they were her own. She was eagerly
awaiting the arrival of her husband.

Anasooya narrated all that happened to her husband on his arrival and placed the three
children at his feet and worshipped him. Atri, with his divine power knew all that
happened even before. He embraced all the three kids. They became one child, with two
feet, one trunk, three heads and six hands. Atri Rishi blessed his wife and informed her
that Trinities themselves had assumed the form of babies to grant her the wish.

Mean while, Narada went to the three consorts of Trinities and informed them that there
was no chance of getting back their husbands and, only hope was to plead to sage Atri for
their deliverance. Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Parvati assumed the form of normal women
and appeared before Atri and asked for the return of their husbands to them by way of
alms (Patibhiksha). Atri, knowing who they were, duly honored them and prayed to them
that their wish for a child should be fulfilled. Then the Trinities appeared in their true
form before Atri and said, ―This child lying before you will imbibe all our virtues and
powers and equal to us and will be a great sage protecting Dharma and Jnaana as per the
wishes of Anasooya‖. Granting their wishes thus the Trinities disappeared along with
their consorts, leaving the miraculous child behind.

Another account narrates that Atri was childless, and did penance for obtaining children,
when three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva appeared before him, pleased with his

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penance. He begged them to become his sons; accordingly Brahma in one of his aspects
was born as Chandra; Vishnu likewise as Dutta and Shiva as the sage Doorvaasa. Dutta
became an ascetic and performed austerities for great length of time on the banks of the
river Gomati. He obtained enlightenment (Satya-Jnaana) and began to teach others. One
of his great disciples was the great king Kaarta Veerya.

The child Dattaatreya soon attained manhood. As he had the sparks (amsas) of all three
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, he was a man of great wisdom and virtues and all the Rishis
and ascetics worshipped him as their Guru. He was gentle, peaceful, kind and amiable.
He was an Avadutha, a saint who always moved naked in the forests. He preached the
Truth of Vedanta. Dattaatreya taught his Avadhuta Geeta even to Lord Subhramanya.
This is a wonderful book which contains the truths and secrets of Vedanta and the
experience of Self-realization.

The portion of Bhagavata known as the Uddhava Geeta, includes the following
meaningful story which was told to Uddhava by Lord Krishna in the course of his
teachings to him before leaving this world, and after completing his mission on earth.

Once, Dattaatreya while roaming happily in the forest met King Yadu. King Yadu was
curious to know the secret behind his happiness and the name of his Guru. Dattatreya
smilingly said: ―The Self alone is my Guru. Yet, I have learnt wisdom from twenty-four
other individuals and objects. So, they are also my Gurus too‖. He then mentioned the
names of his twenty-four Gurus to the inquiring and inquisitive king and spoke of the
wisdom he had learnt from each one of them.

The twenty-four Gurus are: the earth; water; fire; moon; sun; pigeon; python; sea; moth;
elephant; bee; honey-gatherer; deer; fish; the dancing girl Pingala; osprey, the fishing
eagle; the child; the maiden; arrow-marker; snake; spider; and, the insect known as
Bhramara-keeta. He asked the king to listen to him for the lesson he learnt from each of
these teachers:

―From the Earth, I have learnt to be patient and tolerant, and to do well to others. A wise
man should never lose his balance even when he is ill-treated by others. He should be like
a tree, which always serves others, no matter how it is treated by the animals and human
beings. A man’s life should be to this end‖.

―The Air, although it carries good and bad odors is never affected by them. Its essential
nature is always pure. Similarly, even though moving in the world of good and bad, a
man should not be affected by them, and should know how to move with them at the
same time‖.

―The Aatman is like the Ether (Aakaasa), space, present in the living and non-living
things. It is ever pure, ever free. Meditating on this Aatman should a man live, then even
while in this body he realizes his unity with the Lord! As the ether remains untouched by
clouds driven by the wind, so too should one be, untouched by the constant changes in
the world‖.

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―Water is always cool, comforting, sweet and pure. So too, is a sage. Contact with holy
man always purifies a person who seeks his company.

―Sage is like the Fire, which is not contaminated by good or bad thrown into it. Fire
reduces to ashes even the filthiest thing thrown into it, yet it remains pure. So too is a
man of God, who destroys the impurities of others, but he himself ever remains pure. The
Lord assumes many forms in the universe, just as fire assumes the shape of the burning
objects. Just as the flames in the fire rise and fall, so too birth and death are but the
movements of the body. From Fire I learnt to glow with the splendor of Self –knowledge
and austerity‖.

―With the revolving of time, one sees changes in the Moon (crescent, half or full moon),
but actually the moon itself remains the same. Similarly, birth and death belong to the
body, but the Aatman remains the same always, under all conditions. It is only the
limiting adjuncts cast shadows over it‖.

―The Sun, when reflected in many buckets of water, appears as many Suns, but is actually
one. So too, the Aatman when reflected in many individuals, appears as many, but is
actually one. Aaatman appears different because of the bodies caused by the reflection
through the mind‖.

―Once there lived a Pigeon in a tree with its mate, and its young ones. One day the two
pigeons had gone out in search of food. A hunter came and trapped the baby pigeons.
When the parents came back and saw what had happened, the mother was so grief-
stricken, that she jumped into the trap. The father was unable to bear the separation, so he
too jumped into the trap. And thus the entire family was killed. Similarly, a man comes to
grief when he is over-attached to his family and possessions. He loses his reason and self-
control. Born as human being, one should strive to reach Brahman, as all our attachments
to the world of senses drag us down. Attachment is the root cause of earthly bondage‖.

―A Python is content with whatever food comes its way. So too, a wise man is happy
with the food he gets, whether it is tasty or badly cooked. He does not struggle to keep his
body well fed, because his mind is constantly engaged in the contemplation of the Lord.
One should be content with whatever one gets to eat‖.

―When the Ocean is quiet, it is calm and placid, even though many rivers flow into it. So
too is wise man, ever tranquil in his knowledge. Just as the ocean never overflows its
boundaries, so too is the man of enlightenment never transgresses his own tranquility.
One should remain unmoved among all the various sorts of temptations, difficulties and
troubles’’.

―Moth gets burnt by flame. He who does not have sufficient self-control, and is easily
attracted by the sense-objects of pleasure, ultimately gets destroyed by them, due to his
over-indulgence, like the moth. One should control the sense of sight and fix the mind on
Self‖.

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―Like a Male Elephant is caught in a trap blinded by lust by the touch of the she-elephant,
so too a man with lust is caught. Do not look at any with lustful eyes‖.

―The Bee gathers honey from all flowers. A wise man learns from all sages and
scriptures, and sees only the good in them‖.

―The Honey-Gatherer steals honey from the bee-hive. But the bees neither enjoy the
honey themselves nor do they let another do so. Be not greedy and miserly like the honey
bees‖.

―A Deer is attracted by sweet sounds and so easily caught in a snare. A man should take
warning from this and not be drawn by sounds which sound sweet‖.

―A Fish, because it is greedy is caught by the bait on the hook. He who has no control
over his sense of taste meets with similar end. The organ of taste is the most difficult to
control. Once it is controlled, it is easy to control all other organs‖.

―Once upon a time there lived a dancing girl named Pingala. One evening, as usual, she
stood at the door, hoping that she would catch some rich man who would reward her with
untold wealth for her services. Soon, it was night-fall and yet no one came. Suddenly she
realized her folly. She said to herself, ―How foolish I have been! I have waited for favors
of mere men, when I could have the eternal favor of God. Forgetting the immense wealth
of His love, I have sought the wealth of others. The Lord is the friend of all. He has
shown me His grace by making me realize this. Truly, I have been foolish, but no more
will I be!‖ Pingala soon gave up all her worldly pleasures and composed her mind in
meditation upon the Lord. Hope for worldly enjoyments only brings misery. When this
hope is renounced, one gains the highest bliss‖.

―Once, an Osprey (raven) was carrying a fish in its beak. It was pursued and attacked by
a number of stronger birds, who tormented it. The moment it dropped the fish, they
stopped troubling it. Similarly, when a man is attached to an object, it brings him misery.
But the moment he leaves it, he enjoys peace and calm‖.

―I am like a child, carefree and happy, because I have no attachments. Praise and blame
are alike to me. My only play-mate is Lord. The difference is, the child is happy through
ignorance. The wise man is happy with the knowledge which has taken him beyond the
gunas (satva, rajas and tamas). One learns the virtue of cheerfulness from the child‖.

―Í once learnt a lesson from a Maiden. It so happened that a young man and his party
came to see her hand in marriage. Before the food could be prepared the rice had to be
husked. But the girl did not want the party to know that she had to do this task herself.
But she husked the rice, her bracelets made plenty of noise. She felt sure that they would
come to know what she was doing. So she removed all her bracelets, leaving two on each
arm. But even these made a tinkling sound. So she removed two more bracelets leaving
only one on each arm. From then on, her work was smooth and noiseless. From this

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maiden I have learnt there is always a lot of noise and quarrel where many people live
together. Even where there are two people, there is small talk and gossip. Therefore, it is
best to be solitary and alone. One should then control the scattered thoughts of the mind
and fix it in meditation upon the Lord. The ascetic should remain alone in solitude‖.

―The attention should be fixed upon the Lord with as great a concentration as the Arrow-
marker, who is not conscious of anything else other than his mark when he is fashioning
an arrow. The quality of intense concentration should be learnt from the arrow-marker‖.

―A snake enters and lives in a hole which has been made by others. It is not particular
about where it sleeps. A sage seeks out caves. What home can he be attached to? He is
silent and modest and only seeks words which are beneficial to others‖.

―Just as the Spider spins out the thread from its own mouth, weaves into a web, plays
with it and then withdraws it into itself, so too, the Lord, brings out the world from
Himself, plays with it and then withdraws it into Himself. In essence His nature is ever
Blissful, Unchangeable and full of Knowledge. The spider gets entangled in the web of
its own making. Even so man makes a web of his own ideas and gets entangled in it‖.

―The larva (keeta) by constantly thinking of the bhramara, becomes the bhramara.
Similarly a man becomes that which he constantly thinks about‖.

―All this I have learnt from my twenty-four teachers. And my own Body has taught me
that it is the most impermanent thing in the world. It is subject to birth and death.
Therefore, I have learnt that I (Self) am not the body and that, and I am only the dweller
in the body; I am separate from it. Man pampers the body, acquires wealth and
enjoyments for its sake, but it finally withers and dies away, leaving everything behind‖.

―Of all God’s creatures, man alone has the intellect to realize his oneness with God. He
alone is a rare and privileged incarnation. Therefore, instead of wasting time, in pursuit of
worldly enjoyment he must employ his time in seeking God. A wise man should
therefore abandon all worldly thoughts and think of Brahman only‖.

―Truth can be learnt from many teachers—for Truth is one, but sages call it by different
names (Ekam sat vipraaha bahudhaa vadanti)‖.

The king was highly impressed by listening to these enlightening words of Lord
Dattaatreya. He abandoned the world and practiced constant meditation on the Self.
Dattaatreya was absolutely free from intolerance or prejudice of any kind. He learnt
wisdom from whatever source it came. All seekers after wisdom should follow the
example of Dattaatreya.
“Dattaatreyam mahaatmaanam varadam bhaktavatsalam
Prapannaarti haram vande smartrgaamee sanoevatu
Saranaagata deenaarta paritraana paraayanam
Naaraayanam vibhum vande smartrgaamee sanoevatu” (from Dattastava)

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This lecture has been prepared for the Vedanta Class at Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville,
TN, by N.R. Srinivasan by suitably extracting, abridging and editing from the following:

1. Prof S.K. Ramachandra Rao, Vishnukosha, Kalpatharu Research Academy,

Sankarmutt, Bangalore 560004.

2. Swami Harshananda, Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

600004

3. Swami Sivananda, Hindu Feasts and Festivals, The Divine Life Society,
Sivananda Nagar, India.

4. Chinmaya and Bharati, Bala Bhagavatam, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust,

Mumbai 400072.

5. Swami Nityanand, Symbolism of Hinduism, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust,

Mumbai 400072.