Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
DATTATREYA JAYANTI
Last week this manifestation of divinity was mentioned. Jayanti means birthday, but there is a level flexibility in this according to Sanskrit calendar. This year, it is celebrated on December 5th, so this post is a little early. However, there are also the 'jayanti' of Bhagavad Gita and Sri Swami Tapovan-ji which are to be covered. So here is something of the 'vagrant guru saint' for you.
Lord
Dattatreya was born to a sage named Atri. It is said that the Almighty was so
pleased with Atri that he told him that HE himself will be born in his house.
This is exactly how Lord Dattatreya was born.
The
popular belief is that Lord Dattatreya was a combination of Lord Shiva, Brahma
and Vishnu. The trimurti. He was the supreme power himself. From an early age,
Lord Dattatreya would wander in the woods naked. He wanted to search for the
absolute.
Scriptures
say that Lord Dattatreya was a very powerful saint and he was a talented yogi.
He travelled all across India performing miracles. Many temples have been
constructed all over the country to worship Lord Dattatreya. Most of the idols
that you see today of Lord Dattatreya have three heads and three pairs of
hands. Well these are latest additions that were made in the last thousand
years. The Lord Dattatreya was born like any normal man with one head and two
arms.
The
later manifestations are to signify that Lord Dattatreya was the combination of
Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. His hands hold shankha and chakra which denotes Lord
Vishnu. One pair of his hand holds damru and trishool that denotes Lord Shiva.
The last pair of his hands holds mala and kamandalu to shows Lord Brahma.
Lord
Dattatreya could take any form and he could be present anywhere. There are many
legends throughout the ages about the appearance of this Lord in the form of a
lowly being, perhaps a drunkard or a cowman or street-sweeper. Then someone
will come along and bump into him and be taught some lesson or other about
their ego.
Lord
Dattatreya is one of the most ancient saints as he is mentioned in Upanishads,
Atharva Veda, in Ramayana and even in Mahabharata. This shows how integral he
was to the Indian culture and traditions. Lord Dattatreya is often showm being
followed by four dogs. These four dogs represent the four Vedas. In ancient
India dogs were believed to be very sacred. They are animals that can
be wild as well as domesticated at the same time. This is exactly why the dogs
were considered as the symbol of faithfulness and devotion. Lord Dattatreya
would always be surrounded by these dogs. The Lord Dattatreya also has a cow
standing behind him. This cow is called the Kamdhenu. This was a mystical cow
that could fulfil any wish.
Teachings of Lord Dattatreya
Lord
Dattatreya taught that all religions were the same and they led to the same
goal. He said that Truth was biggest religion of all.
Lord Dattatreya said the mother or Shakti who
created the universe must be always worshiped. He basically taught his
followers to worship women and respect them. Giving up the “I” factor is
the supreme sacrifice. Lord Dattatreya also taught that the biggest gift is to
give of yourself. He taught everyone to be self-less. Only when you can give up
yourself (i.e. ego) can you attain moksha. All that one has to do is concentrate more within than what is going on outside.
It
is said that Lord Dattatreya still exists on earth. He can take any form so we
cannot recognise him but he is very much present. In knowing this, the lesson
is to be cheerful and kind to all whom we meet.
दत्त/datta
(giver) त्रेय/treya (sage).
