दत्तात्रेय

{ dattātreya }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

DATTĀTREYA   (DATTA). A hermit famous in the purāṇas.
1) Birth.
Anasūyā, the wife of hermit Atri gave birth to Dattātreya. But Dattātreya was the incarnation of Mahāviṣṇu. There is a story in [Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa] how Mahāviṣṇu came to incarnate as Dattātreya. Once there was a hermit called Aṇimāṇḍavya (Māṇḍavya). While the hermit was engaged in silent meditation, some robbers passed by that way. The King's men who were chasing the robbers, came to the hermit and asked him about the robbers. The hermit did not break the silence. The King's men, thinking the hermit to be the thief bound his hands and legs and took him to the palace. The King ordered Māṇḍavya to be killed by piercing his body with a trident. Accordingly a trident was posted on a hill far away and Māṇḍavya was seated on the tip of it. Māṇḍavya lay there in agony. It was at this time that Śīlavatī, famous for her conjugal fidelity, went to the house of a harlot, carrying her husband Ugraśravas on her shoulder. When they passed by that way Ugraśravas scolded Aṇimāṇḍavya; getting angry at this Aṇimāṇḍavya cursed Ugraśravas that he would get his head broken and die before the sun-rise. Sīlavatī became very sorry when she heard the curse and she also cursed. “Let the sun not rise tomorrow”. The sun did not rise next day. Everything in the world was in chaos. The devas were flurried. They went to Brahmā. Brahmā took them to Śiva. They could not find a solution. So all of them approached Mahāviṣṇu. The Trimūrtis (three gods) told the devas that the problem would be solved, and the devas returned. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara went to Śīlavatī. Before seeing Śīlavatī, they went to Anasūyā the wife of Atri and sought her help to persuade Śīlavatī to recall her curse. Thus Anasūyā and the Trimūrtis approached Śīlavatī and spoke compassionate and consolatory words. At last Śīlavatī recalled the curse. The Trimūrtis convinced Śīlavatī, that Ugraśravas would not die. The pleased Trimūrtis asked Anasūyā to ask for any boon. She replied that she did not want any boon except that the Trimūrtis should take birth as her sons. Accordingly Mahāviṣṇu took birth as Dattātreya, Śiva as Durvāsas and Brahmā as Candra, in the womb of Anasūyā. This is how Dattātreya was born. Dattātreya did penance from his childhood and became a hermit. [Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Chapters 39 to 44] .
2) Kārtavīryārjuna and Dattātreya.
When Kārtavīryārjuna became King Dattātreya had become very famous. Kārtavīryārjuna wanted to obtain supernatural powers. So he called the hermit Garga and asked for his advice. Garga advised him that Dattātreya was the incarnation of Viṣṇu and that he would grant his wishes. So Kārtavīryārjuna and his wife came to the river Narmadā, and taking bath in the river, began to worship Dattātreya, who was doing penance closeby. Dattātreya was pleased and went to Kārtavīryārjuna and asked him what his desire was. He requested for thousand hands and to be a youth for ever, and such other things. Dattātreya granted his wishes. After that Kārtavīryārjuna would very often go to the hermit Dattātreya for his advice. [Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 44] .
3) Cursing Rāvaṇa.
Once Rāvaṇa went to the hermitage of Dattātreya. The hermit had placed a waterpot purified by reciting spells and incantations. Rāvaṇa stole that waterpot. When the hermit knew this, he cursed Rāvaṇa saying, “Since the water, which was evoked by spells and incantations, has fallen on your head, Monkeys will pollute your head by treading on it.” [Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha Kāṇḍa] .
4) Exhortation to the Sādhyas.
Mention is made in [Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 36, Stanza 4] , that the hermit Dattātreya gave exhortations to the Sādhyas (the sons of Dharmadeva by his wife Sādhyā). 5) A boon for the birth of Nahuṣa. See Nahuṣa.

Note: 1. Dattātreya is known by the name ‘Datta’ also in the Purāṇas.]

हिन्दी (hindi) WN

noun  एक पौराणिक महात्मा जिनकी गिनती चौबीस अवतारों में होती है   Ex. वह दत्तात्रेय का भक्त है ।

ONTOLOGY:

पौराणिक जीव (Mythological Character) ➜ जन्तु (Fauna) ➜ सजीव (Animate) ➜ संज्ञा (Noun)

SYNONYM:

भगवान दत्तात्रेय दत्ता दत्त

Wordnet:

ben দত্তাত্রেয়

guj દત્તાત્રેય

kok दत्तात्रय

mar दत्त

ori ଦତ୍ତାତ୍ରେୟ

pan ਦੱਤਾਤ੍ਰੇਯ

san दत्तात्रेयः

urd دتّاترے , بھگوان دتّاترے , دتّا , دت

A dictionary, Marathi and English

pop. दत्तात्रेयअवधूत m The son of the ऋषि अत्रि. He comprises in himself the triad, ब्रह्म, विष्णु, शिव. His daily journeying was thus--For the early morning ablution, to काशी, for the noon ablution, to मातापुर or माहूर, and thence for भिक्षा or alms, to कोल्हापूर, and for the night's repose, to the सह्याद्रि or Western gháṭs.

Aryabhushan School Dictionary

 m  The son of the ऋषि, अत्रि.

मराठी (Marathi) WN

See : दत्त

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

दत्तात्रेय  m.  m. N. of a sage (son of अत्रि by अनसूया who favoured अर्जुन कार्तवीर्य), [MBh. iii, xii f.]; [Hariv.]; [BhP. ix, 23, 23] ( ब्रह्मा, विष्णु, and शिव propitiated by his penance became in portions of themselves severally his sons सोम, दत्त, and दुर्-वासस्; hence worshipped as representing the Triad), [VP. i, 10, 10; iv, 11, 3]; [MārkP. xvi ff.]; [BṛNārP. xxi]
N. of an author, [VP. iii, 9, 31] Sch.; [Ānand. 2 and 96] Sch.
pl. N. of a family, [Pravar. iii, 1]

Shabda-Sagara

दत्तात्रेय  m.  ( -यः) A sage, the son of ATRI given to him by three deities BRAMHA, VISHNU and SIVA.
E. दत्त, and आत्रेय son of ATRI: also दत्त.

ROOTS:

दत्त आत्रेय दत्त