Who is Dattatreya?

Anytime someone says one God like Vishnu or Shiva is better than the rest, they’re forgetting the form called Dattaguru - so let’s explore this underrated part of our culture, episode 2, and here’s the tea.

All the deities we worship in Hinduism are ultimately different versions of the same Super Soul called Brahma who changes shapes so we can all understand him in our own ways.

And as a living breathing example of this, we have Dattatreya - who is an fusion avatar of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. He is shown to have 3 heads for the same reason - representing the Holy Trinity in Hinduism, who are themselves representations of God’s creative, preservation & destructive powers.

His name stems from the theory that he was born to Rishi Atri after he & his wife did a lot of meditation.

He’s pictured as a saint with 4 dogs around him representing his mastery over the vedas & the Kamadhenu cow, representing his protection of Dharma & also his generosity.

He’s considered as the original teacher i.e. Adiguru & one of the earliest mentors of yoga too, worshipped across Maharashtra, Gujarat & also in the North by the Nath sampradaya.

The most interesting aspect about him is that he didn’t have any teachers himself so he learned from observing his surroundings & nature to form his own set of 24 gurus, including the wind that teaches us to be free & the bee that teaches curiosity.

Datta’s still here on earth because he’s an Avadhuta i.e. the Ultimate Reality liberated beyond all religions & rituals.

He’s taken many avatars like Sripad Srivallabha, Swami Samarth, and Manik Prabhu - all of whom teach the message of detaching ourselves from the material world & possesions.

You can read more about him in the Avadhuta Gita, Tripura Rahasya, Srimad Bhagavad Puran, Markandeya Purana, and Brahma Puran.