| Dattatreya | |
|---|---|
 Shri Dattatreya, Raja Ravi Varma painting (1890)[1] | |
| Affiliation | Avatar and combined form of the Trimurti, Manifestation of Parabrahma[2][3][4] |
| Abode | Varies per interpretation |
| Symbols | Japamala, Kamandalu, Trishula, Panchajanya, and Sudarshana Chakra[5][6][7] |
| Day | Thursday |
| Festivals | Datta Jayanti |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Chandra, Durvasa |
| Consort | Anagha Lakshmi |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
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Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय, IAST: Dattātreya), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as a Hindu god.[8] He is considered to be an avatar and combined form of the three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, and as the manifestation of Parabrahma, the supreme being, in texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana, though stories about his birth and origin vary from text to text.[9][10][11] Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism.[12] One of the most important texts of Hinduism, namely Avadhuta Gita (literally, "song of the free soul") is attributed to Dattatreya.[13][14] Over time, Dattatreya has inspired many monastic movements in Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, particularly in the Deccan region of India, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himalayan regions where Shaivism is prevalent.[15] 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.
According to Rigopoulos, in the Nath tradition of Shaivism, Dattatreya is revered as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas, the first "Lord of Yoga" with mastery of Tantra (techniques), although most traditions and scholars consider Adi Nath to be an epithet of Shiva.[16][17] According to Mallinson, Dattatreya is not the traditional guru of the Nath Sampradaya but instead was co-opted 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 Navanathabhaktisara, states Mallinson, wherein there is syncretic fusion of the Nath Sampradaya with the Mahanubhava sect by identifying nine Naths with nine Narayanas.[18]
An annual festival in the Hindu calendar month of Mārgaśīrṣa (November/December) reveres Dattatreya and is known as Datta Jayanti.[19]
In Sikh Religion, Guru Gobind Singh has written life history of Dattatreya in his composition called Rudra Avtar including Birth, Spiritual journey includes 24 Gurus and Realization of Akal Purakh.[20]
- ^ "Dattatreya - Ravi Varma Press". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Tulsidas, Goswami (2020). Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ Gorakhpur, Gita Press (2015). Sankshipta Markandeya Puran. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ J. L., Shastri; G. P., Bhatt; G. V., Tagare. Brahmanda Purana: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology.
- ^ Tulsidas, Goswami (2020). Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ Gorakhpur, Gita Press (2015). Sankshipta Markandeya Puran. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ J. L., Shastri; G. P., Bhatt; G. V., Tagare. Brahmanda Purana: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology.
- ^ James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Tulsidas, Goswami (2020). Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ Gorakhpur, Gita Press (2015). Sankshipta Markandeya Puran. Gorakhpur: Gita Press.
- ^ J. L., Shastri; G. P., Bhatt; G. V., Tagare. Brahmanda Purana: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology.
- ^ Antonio Rigopoulos (1998). Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara: A Study of the Transformative and Inclusive Character of a Multi-faceted Hindu Deity. State University of New York Press. pp. 57–68. ISBN 978-0-7914-3696-7. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Dalal 2010, p. 50.
- ^ K P Gietz 1992, p. 58 note 318.
- ^ Maxine Berntsen (1988). The Experience of Hinduism: Essays on Religion in Maharashtra. State University of New York Press. pp. 96–106. ISBN 978-0-88706-662-7. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Rigopoulos (1998), p. 77.
- ^ Harper & Brown (2002), p. 155.
- ^ Mallinson 2012, pp. 407–411.
- ^ Gudrun Buhnemann (1988), Puja: A study in Smarta Ritual, University of Vienna, Be Nobili, Editor: G Oberhammer, page 126
- ^ Dasam Granth, S.S. Kapoor, Page 17