Lord Dattatreya – An Introduction:
JambuDweepa, the holy land of the Hindus, is called Bharata! This Land has witnessed a number of Divine miracles and God’s creations. This is a land of the sages and saints! A sacred home for penance of the accomplished ascetics!
The Hindu ethical philosophy believes the Brahma-tatva that is free from all worldly desires lies at the origin of this Universe. According to the basic principle of Brahma-tatva, the attribute-less Supreme Spirit desired to be many. It created Maya with three qualities i.e. Satva , Rajas, Tamas and the Supreme Spirit also created this Universe.
Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, the presiding deities representing goodness, passion and ignorance. The true knowledge of Supreme spirit at the source is formless. This Supreme Spirit always remains formless and views the Maya with the sentiments of an eyewitness. Even though originally the deities, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva are Nirgun-Nirakars, for the sake of their devotees they manifest themselves as Sagun-Sakara.
Whenever there is ‘Dharmaglani in this Universe, the form-less Supreme Spirit descends on this earth in the form of a Saguna-Sakara Supreme Being manifested with all the three qualities. The Supreme Being then establishes religion by protecting righteousness and annihilating the evil; eradicates the sufferings of their devotees and restores their happiness. He shows his devotees the path to their welfare as well as liberation from this worldly existence.
Of the several incarnations of the Supreme Spirit, the incarnation of Lord Dattatreya is considered as the most eminent. It is the combination of three deities, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva . The triad represents the combination of three qualities: Goodness, Passion and Ignorance respectively. A cow behind Lord Dattareya represents the Mother Earth and the four Dogs at his feet represent the four Vedas. Lord Dattatreya is the presiding Deity of this holy Earth and the holy Vedas. Since Lord Dattatreya is the manifestation of the triad, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva , he typically appears in the form of an ascetic with three heads and six arms. He has an aura of a rising sun around him and has lustrous Jata tied in a knot over his head. He is dressed in a deerskin and is a radiant assuring figure for the devotees. His arms are seen to be holding various objects such as Mala, Kamandalu, Damaru, Trishula (Trident), Shankha (Conch), and Chakra (Holy Weapon), each of them with a peculiar spiritual connotation. Mala and Kamandalu symbolize the mode of goodness (Sattva Guna); Shankha and Chakra symbolize the mode of passion (Rajas Guna); Trishula and Damaru symbolize the mode of ignorance (Tamas Guna). Sometimes he wears a tiger skin. His whole body is covered with ‘Vibhuti’(Holy ash). Lord Dattatreya is also known as an Avadhoot, a Digambar, an ascetic of highest order, beyond praise, selfless, free from the consciousness of the ego, roaming free like a child over the face of the earth. He is also known to manifest in any form at his own free will. He is known to be pure consciousness in human form enjoying emancipation during his lifetime. He also asks for alms and is easily satisfied with any little devotional service of his devotees. He always protects his devotees and easily comes to their rescue, whenever they need him. He is called as smarthru gaami as he protects anyone who remembers him.
GuruDatta