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Dattatreya, an incarnation of the Trimurti--Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva, is celebrated as the Adiguru and a great preceptor. A proponent of advaita or non-duality, he showed his devotees the path to self-realisation through his teachings, his guidance and the example he set. Born to Sage Atri and his devoted wife Anasuya, the name Dattatreya translates to Datta - given or granted and Atreya – connoting his parents Atri and Anasuya.
Being the embodiment of the aspects of the Holy Trinity, pictorial images of Dattatreya show him with three heads representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, a cow that stands for nourishment, a kamandalu (pot of water), a rosary, (associated with Brahma), the damru and trishul (Shiva’s weapon) and the conch and chakra of Lord Vishnu. These symbols represent many things: what is needed and the time given to create the universe, cosmic sound, sustenance, dissolution and slaying of inimical forces. Dattatreya is also seen surrounded by four dogs, which represent the four Vedas or the four yugas.
There are several stories about Dattatreya’s birth but the one common thread is that he was born to deeply spiritual parents -Atri who prayed fervently for a son like the Lord of Lords and Anasuya who lived life firmly believing that being a completely devoted wife was the way to accumulate merit and beget a great son. Who were the Adiguru’s gurus ?
Dattatreya acknowledged his 24 gurus comprising the elements, besides birds, animals, insects and humans and had explained that he learnt lessons from each -- the power of enduring anything from the earth which has withstood damage and destruction; to stand firm from the mountains; and to remain unattached from the wind which blows through many places without staying in one spot and so on. The Avadhuta Gita, which he taught to the volatile Parashurama throws more light on Dattatreya.
He was also deeply into yoga. Having learnt Ashtanga yoga from Dattatreya, Patanjali went on to codify the teachings in his Yoga Sutra. Dattatreya took numerous other incarnations and these include Shripad Shri Vallabh, Narasimha Saraswathi, Swami Samarth, and Shirdi Sai Baba besides Manik Prabhu and Gajanan Maharaj. Hari Om Tat sat Jai Gurudev Datta is the mantra in praise of Dattatreya.