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Lord Dattatreya

Bhagwan Dattatreya story: Dattatreya Jayanti is celebrated every year on the full moon day of Margashirsha month. This time this festival is on 4 December 2025. According to religious beliefs, Lord Dattatreya was born on Margashirsha Purnima. Lord Dattatreya is considered a part of the Trinity. There are many mythological stories prevalent about the birth of the three-faced Lord Dattatreya. In this article we will know how Lord Dattatreya appeared and the mythological story of his birth.

Who is Lord Dattatreya?

Lord Dattatreya is considered to be the combined incarnation of the Trinity i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who is worshiped as an ideal Guru and Yogi in Hindu religion. Lord Dattatreya is also called “Adi Guru” and is considered the teacher of knowledge, renunciation and spiritual progress.

Parents of Lord Dattatreya

Lord Dattatreya was the son of Maharishi Atri, one of the Saptarishis, and Goddess Anusuya. His brothers were Chandra (from the part of Brahma) and Durvasa (from the part of Shiva). According to religious belief, his birth was the result of the penance and devotion of sage Atri and mother Anasuya. Lord Dattatreya is known as the “Guru of Gurus” and “Adi Guru”, as he was the pioneer in spreading divine knowledge.

Origin of Lord Dattatreya

According to the legend, pleased with the rigorous penance of sages Atri and Anusuya, the Trinity 'gave' them themselves in the form of a son. He had learned from nature and from 24 gurus. Lord Dattatreya got the name 'Datta' as a part of Vishnu and was called 'Atreya' because he was the son of Maharishi Atri. Thus his name was Dattatreya.

first guru of guru dynasty

Lord Dattatreya is considered to be the first Guru, companion, yogi and scientist of the Guru dynasty. It is said that he took lessons from various people and animals and imparted knowledge to many people like devotees Prahlad, Parashuram, Gorakhnath and Nagarjuna. He is depicted as having three faces and six arms. There is a cow and four dogs with him.

Lord Dattatreya's cow is considered the symbol of 'Kamadhenu' which provides completeness to life. At the same time, the four dogs of Lord Dattatreya represent the four Vedas, four Yugas or four states of existence.

Where was Dattatreya born?

The birthplace of Lord Dattatreya is Mahur (Nanded district, Maharashtra), where he was incarnated as the son of sage Atri and mother Anusuya. He was born on Margashirsha Purnima and Dattatreya Jayanti is celebrated on this day, which is the celebration of his birth. It is believed that by worshiping him on this day, all the wishes are fulfilled.

Story of birth of Lord Dattatreya

According to the legend, the wives of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, in order to test the chastity of Goddess Anusuya, once requested the Trinity to try to break the chastity of Anusuya's husband, sage Atri.

Then the Trinity took the form of beggars and reached the ashram of sage Atri. After reaching there, he expressed his desire to have food with Anusuya. When she started serving food, she asked Anusuya to strip naked and serve food. Hearing this, Anusuya first became angry, but later with the power of her penance, she recognized the Trinity and transformed them into child form. After this, he considered all three of them as children, fed them and looked after them.

After some time, the three ladies realized their mistake and came to Anusuya and started apologizing. They also asked to return their husbands. After this, on the request of the three goddesses, Lord Dattatreya was born from the parts of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and handed him over to Anusuya in the form of a son.

Having Lord Dattatreya as her son, Anusuya returned the Trinity to their original form. Since then Dattatreya is considered to be the joint incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and his worship is considered as fruitful as the worship of the Trinity.

(Disclaimer: The information given in this news is based on religious beliefs and general information. TV9 Bharatvarsha does not confirm this.)