Shri Gurudev Datta: Trinity of divine powers

Dattatreya, Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of Yoga in Hinduism. In many regions of India and Nepal, he is considered a deity. In Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, he is a syncretic deity, considered to be an avatar (incarnation) of the three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. In other regions, and some versions of texts such as Garuda Purana, Brahma Purana and Sattvata Samhita, he is an avatar of Vishnu.

His iconography varies regionally. In western Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, for example, he is typically shown with three heads and six hands, one head each for Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and one pair of hand holding the symbolic items associated with each of these gods: rosary and water pot of Brahma, conch and wheel of Vishnu, trident and drum of Shiva. He is typically dressed as a simple monk, situated in a forest or wilderness suggestive of his renunciation of worldly goods and pursuit of a meditative yogi lifestyle. In paintings and some large carvings, he is surrounded by four dogs and a cow, which is a symbolism for the four Vedas and mother earth that nourishes all living beings. In the temples of southern Maharashtra, Varanasi and in the Himalayas, his iconography shows him with one head and two hands with four dogs and a cow.

According to Rigveda, in the Nath tradition of Shaivism, Dattatreya is revered as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinatha Sampradaya of the Nathas, the first “Lord of Yoga” with mastery of Tantra (techniques), although most traditions and scholars consider Adi Nath an epithet of Shiva. His pursuit of simple life, kindness to all, sharing of his knowledge and the meaning of life during his travels is reverentially mentioned in the poems by Tukaram, a saint-poet of the Bhakti movement. Over time, Dattatreya has inspired many monastic movements in Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism, particularly in the Deccan region of India, south India, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himalayan regions where Shiva tradition has been strong. According to Malison, Dattatreya is not the traditional guru of the Nath Sampradaya, he was coopted by the Nath tradition in about the 18th century as a guru, as a part of Vishnu-Shiva syncretism. This is evidenced by the Marathi text Navnath bhakti Sara, states Mallinson, wherein there is syncretic fusion of the Nath Sampradaya with the Mahanubhava sect by identifying nine Naths with nine Narayanas.

Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Advaita Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism. One of the most important texts of Advaita Vedanta, namely Avadhuta Gita (literally, “song of the free”) is attributed to Dattatreya. Annual festival in the Hindu calendar month of Mārga?īr?a reveres Dattatreya and this is called Datta Jayanti. The mythologies of Dattatreya are diverse and vary by region. In the Puranas, he was born in north Indian hermitage to Anusuya and her husband the Vedic sage Atri traditionally credited with making the largest contribution to the Rigveda. Another states his father lived in southern India, 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 his brothers were Durvasa and Chandra, to an unwed mother named Anusuya, after sage Atri saw her bathing, fantasized about her which caused her to become pregnant. In a fifth myth, sage Atri was very old when young Anusuya married him and they sought the help of the Trimūrti gods for a child. The trinity were pleased with them for having brought light and knowledge to the world, simultaneously granted the boon, which led Dattatreya to be born with characteristics of all three.

Dattatreya is said to have his lunch daily by taking alms at a holy place Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh, where he was born as Shripad Shrivallabh. 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, that self effort is a means to learning.

Lord Dattatreya is considered as the most dignified incarnation since he is the manifestation of the three Divine powers of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahesh. These three divine powers represent the creation, continuance and destruction of this Universe respectively. He had descended on this earth to establish ‘Satya‘ (the Universal Truth), ‘Ruta’ (the Cosmic Order), Dharma‘, (the perennial principles), in all its entirety. He was ordained with the three energies; He came to have the concentrated wisdom of the three God-heads or symbolically three heads. The three heads signified as Brahma: ‘Tejas’ personified, Vishnu: ‘Ojas‘ personified, Shiva: ‘Tapas’ personified.

Dattatreya created His consort through yogic energy.He named Her Anagha (Sinless, pure).The birth of Deity Datta, who incarnated on the full moon day (pournima) of the Hindu lunar month of Margshirsha, is celebrated as Datta Jayanti. On Datta Jayanti, Deity Datta’s principle is 1000 times more active on Earth as compared to any other day. On this day by worshipping Deity Datta with full devotion, one can derive maximum benefits of the His principle.

Meaning of Datta: The One Who has been endowed with the anubhuti (spiritual experience) of the unmanifest (nirgun) is called Datta. The anubhuti of nirgun essentially means, realization that He is the soul (atma) or He has attained God-Realization. Deity Datta is also known as Dattatreya, Avadhut and Digambar.

Self-education: the 24 Gurus of Dattatreya

1. Guru - Earth: Observation - Steadfastly productive, does its dharma, gets abused, heals and is steady in giving nourishment. Dattatreya's learning - Forbearance, remain undisturbed even if oppressed, keep healing even if others injure you.

2. Guru - Wind: Observation - Passes through everything and everyone, unchanged, unattached, like Truth; sometimes becomes a gale, disturbs and changes the world, like Truth. Dattatreya's learning - Be free like the wind, yet resolute true to your own force.

3. Guru - Sky: Observation - The highest has no boundaries, no limits, is unaffected even if clouds and thunderstorms come and go. Dattatreya's learning - The highest within oneself, the Atman (self, soul) has no limits, it is undifferentiated nondual no matter what, let the clouds of materiality pass, be one with your soul and the Universal Self.

4. Guru - Water: Observation - Serves all without pride, discrimination; is transparent to everyone; purifies and gives life to everyone it touches. Dattatreya's learning - A saint discriminates against no one and is never arrogant, lets other give him impurity, yet he always remains pure and cleanses.

5. Guru - Fire: Observation - Purifies and reforms everything it comes in contact with, its energy shapes things. Dattatreya's learning - Heat of knowledge reforms everything it comes in contact with, to shape oneself one needs the energy of learning

6. Guru - Moon: Observation - Waxes and wanes but its oneness doesn't change. Dattatreya's learning - Birth, death, rebirth and the cycle of existence does not change the oneness of soul, like moon it is a continuous eternal reality.

7. Guru - Sun: Observation - Source of light and gives its gift to all creatures as a sense of duty; in rain puddles it reflects and seems like distinct in each puddle, yet it is the same one sun. Dattatreya's learning - The soul may appear different in different bodies, yet everyone is connected and the soul is same in all; like Sun, one must share one's gifts as a sense of duty.

8. Guru - Pigeons: Observation - They suffer losses in the hands of violent hunters, warn against obsessive attachments to anyone or to material things in this world. Dattatreya's learning - Do not be obsessive, 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. Guru - Python: Observation - Eats whatever comes its way, makes the most from what it consumes. Dattatreya's learning - Be content with what you have, make the most from life's gifts.

10. Guru - Bumblebee: Observation - Active, works hard to build and create its reserve by directly visiting the flowers, but is selective and uses discretion, harmonious with flowers and never kills or over consumes. Dattatreya's learning - 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. Guru - Beekeeper: Observation - Profits from honeybees. Dattatreya's learning - Don't crave for material pleasures or in piling up treasures, neither the body nor material wealth ever lasts.

12. Guru - Hawk: Observation - Picks up a large chunk of food, but other birds harass him, when it drops its food other birds leave him alone. Dattatreya's learning - Take what you need, not more.

13. Guru - Ocean. Observation - Lucid at the surface, but deep and undisturbed within; receives numerous rivers yet remains the same. Dattatreya's learning - Lett rivers of sensory input not bother who you are deep inside, know your depths, seek self-knowledge, be unperturbed by life, equipoise.

14. Guru - Moth: Observation - Moth is deceived by its senses, it runs to the fire in misunderstanding which kills it. Dattatreya's learning - Question your senses, question what others are telling you, question what you see, know senses can deceive, seek reason.

15. Guru - Elephant: Observation - Elephant is deceived by his lust, runs after the smell of a possible mate, and falls into a pit made by mahout's then fettered and used. Dattatreya's learning - Don't lust after something or someone, don't fall into traps of others or of sensory gratification.

16. Guru - Deer : Observation - Deer is deceived by his fear, by hunters who beat drums and scare him into a waiting net. Dattatreya's learning - Fear not the noise, and do not succumb to pressure others design for you.

17. Guru - Fish: Observation - Fish is deceived by bait and so lured to its death. Dattatreya's learning - Greed not the crumbs someone places before you, there are plenty of healthy opportunities everywhere.

18. Guru - Courtesan: Observation - Exchanges transient pleasure with body, but feels dejected with meaningless life, ultimately moves on. Dattatreya's learning - Many prostitute their time, self-respect and principles for various reasons but feel dejected with their career and circumstances, seek meaning and spirituality in life, move on to doing things you love to do.

19. Guru - Child: Observation - Lives a life of innocent bliss. Dattatreya's learning - Be a child, curious, innocent, blissful.

20. Guru - Maiden: Observation - She is poor yet tries her best to feed her family and guest, as she cooks she avoids attracting attention to her kitchen and poverty, by breaking all her bangles except one on each wrist. Dattatreya's learning - Don't seek attention, a yogi accomplishes and shares more through solitude.

21. Guru - Snake: Observation - Lives in whatever hole that comes his way, willingly leaves bad skin and molts. Dattatreya's learning - A yogi can live in any place, must be ready to molt old ideas and body for rebirth of his spirit.

22. Guru - Arrowsmith: Observation - The best one was so lost in his work that he failed to notice the king's procession that passed his way. Dattatreya's learning - Concentrate on what you love to do, intense concentration is the way to self-realization.

23. Guru - Spider.: Observation - Builds a beautiful web, destroys and abandons the web, then restarts again. Dattatreya's learning - Don't get entangled by your own web, be ready to abandon it, go with your Atman.

24. Guru - Caterpillar: Observation - Starts out closed in a tiny nest but ultimately becomes a wasp. Dattatreya's learning - Long journeys start small, a disciple starts out as insignificant but ultimately becomes a spiritual master.

His Teachings: Guru Dattatreya gave Ashtanga Yoga (eight fold path of Yoga) to the world thousands of years ago. Patanjali codified this knowledge in sootra forms. It comprises:

1. Yama – non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving of any gifts. Moral discipline.

2. Niyama – cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study and self-surrender to God. Moral discipline Yama and Niyama are moral training and form the basis of Yoga. As these two become established, the Yogi will begin to realize the fruits of his practice.

3. Asana – posture

4. Pranayama – ‘Prana’ is the life-force, ‘yama’ is control. ‘Pranayama’ consists of breath control exercises.

5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of senses from sense objects.

6. Dharana – concentration.

7. Dhyana – meditation.

8. Samadhi – the transcendental or super conscious state of being one with God: Principle tenets of the Dattatreya tradition. Shri Gurudev Datta