Dattatreya

Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय, IAST: Dattātreya), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarnated in form of Dattatreya, Chandra and Durvasa as son of Sage Atri and Devi Anusuya as per the texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana. In iconography, he is often represented as a monk with three heads. However sources of the Trimurti's taking avatar in a single body and such iconography is unknown.

Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism. One of the most important texts of Hinduism, Avadhuta Gita (literally, "song of the free soul"), is attributed to Dattatreya. 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. 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. 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.∏

In Dvaita Vedanta, especially from the teachings of Sri Madhwacharya, the concept of Trimurti-svarūpa is not accepted literally. Only Lord Vishnu is Supreme (Sarvottama) and the others (Brahma and Rudra) are jīvas dependent on Him. He is considered an avatara of Lord Vishnu and not a combination of the Trimurtis. Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya (Adhyaya 2, Shlokas 23-27) by Madhwacharya: . Sri Madhwacharya specifically mentioned that Dattatreya is only Vishnu avatAra (kevalo viShnuH). Logically also Atri and Anasuya are blessed with three sons from Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. Since Brahma does not have direct incarnation, only his Avesha is there in Chandra. DurvAsa is Shiva's avatAra.

In Bhagavata Tarparya Nirnaya, when commenting on the Bhagavata Purana 4th Skandha, 13th Chapter, Sri Madhwacharya has provided reference from Tatva Nirnaya, a work of Lord Veda Vyasa, now no longer extant - Sanskrit: धन्वन्तरिर्हयग्रीवो दत्तात्रेयश्च तापसः । स्वयं नारायणस्त्वेते नाणुमात्रविभेदिनः । बलतः स्वरूपतश्चैव गुणैरपि कथञ्चन ॥ - Dhanvantari, Hayagriva and Tapasvi Dattatetreya are the incarnation of Narayana, there is not even an iota of difference between them. These Avatar are Svaroopa Avataar, full of all auspicious attributes.

Also in Padma Purana, it is stated that Dattatreya is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (verse 6.126.2) (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेयं हरिं साक्षाद्वसंतं सह्य पर्वते । पप्रच्छ तं द्विजं गत्वा राजा माहिष्मतीपतिः ॥ २ ॥ dattātreyaṃ hariṃ sākṣādvasaṃtaṃ sahya parvate । papraccha taṃ dvijaṃ gatvā rājā māhiṣmatīpatiḥ ॥ 2 ॥ - O best king, now I shall tell you the importance of Māgha told by Dattātreya to Kārtavīrya who had asked (him about it). The king, the lord of Māhiṣmatī, went to that brāhmaṇa Dattātreya (who was) actually Viṣṇu, who lived on the Sahya mountain, and asked him (about the bath in Māgha).

An annual festival in the Hindu calendar month of Mārgaśīrṣa (November/December) reveres Dattatreya and is known as Datta Jayanti.

In Sikh Religion, Guru Gobind Singh has written life history of Dattatreya in his composition called Rudra Avtar including birth, spiritual journey, and includes 24 Gurus and Realization of Akal Purakh.