Lord Dattatreya Parayan

THIS ARTICLE SHOULD NOT BE PUBLISHED IN ANY MEDIA

WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR 

(Modified and Updated in January 2026)

Santhipriya

I bow to Lord Dattathreya who is Sadguru, the absolute,
personification of pure knowledge,
beyond duality (of you and me), all pervasive, pure,
eternal, the embodiment of Parabrahman,
bestower of supreme happiness and bliss,
beyond mind, body and attributes of the Trigunas
namely Satva, Rajas and Tamas.”

Introduction

Jai Datta Deva

Lord Dattathreya is combined incarnate of three prime divines- Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu and embodying their power  incarnated in the universe with three heads, body smeared with ash, the divine Cow Kamadhenu standing behind and four Dogs under his feet; still he wandered in disguise of an Avadhoot. Maharishi Suthaga who shared his knowledge with the sages and saints in the Naimisaranya forest referred to Lord Dattathreya as the sixth incarnate of Lord Vishnu differing from others belief that Lord Parasurama was the sixth incarnate of Lord Vishnu. The divines have unique abilities to incarnate in multiple forms in the same area, during same time, contemporary to each other for some specific purposes, hence it is possible both incarnations were possible during the same period. Though they may take different forms or appearances, in essence all of them are emanates of Parabrahman who released cosmic from his invisible body.  

The reference on Lord Dattathreya is found in Garuda Purana, Brahmanda Purana and various other sacred scripts of Hinduism.  Hinduism revered Lord Dattatreya as the  Principal Guru (Master Guru of Gurus or Adi Guru) from whom the  lineage of Perfect Masters emerged to guide humanity, especially during the Kali Yuga. In northern territories of India, he is adored by the Nath sampradaya who consider themselves to be in the lineage of Lord Dattathreya. They claim him to be their Adi Guru (Principal Guru) whose fame spread across Maharashtra and Karnataka.

However the fact can not be denied that the lineage of Guru Parampara emerged only from Lord Dattathreya. Sadguru or spiritual masters like Shirdi Shri Saibaba, Shri Pada Vallabh, Shri Nrusimha Saraswathi, Shri Gajanan Maharaj, Shri Timbe Swami and Shri Manik Prabhu were Sadgurus or perfect masters who manifested in his lineage. The literal meaning of the word Dattathreya is – Datta (Given) and Athreya (son of sage Athri), suggesting sage Athri gave his son for the welfare of the universe.  Some say that ‘Datta’ means the ‘one who gave himself’ and since he gave himself for the welfare of the universe,  he was called Lord Dattathreya. He was brought into the world through sage Athri to illuminate the path of righteousness and spiritual enlightenment.

Divine worship is an integral part in Hinduism from time immortal. There are two types of worship. The first is  ritualistic pooja, which everyone can not perform as several ritualistic restrictions are involved; proper pronunciation of the mantras are essential to avoid negative impact and secondly initiation from a master (Guru) is necessary to perform them. Hence, most of those rituals are performed only through well learned pundits.

The second form of worship is Parayan pooja in which stories of specific divine or spiritual master is  read or recited in silence from the  sacred books (called Parayan books) for set period of days prescribed for each of them. The practice of silently reciting stories from the parayan books, known as parayan pooja, emerged a few centuries ago. This practice subsequently spread everywhere to facilitate one to get his desires fulfilled. Though the origin of this practice remains unknown, it is widely believed to have been initiated  by saints and sages of the past for the benefit of common folks. 

The parayan pooja is further divided into two types:

• Parayan by individuals who read or chant the contents of the sacred books in silence at home in fulfillment of their prayers.
• The second is group Parayan, in which devotees assemble in one place at fixed time and recite the contents in chores or each para or section read one after the other in succession without break to get their desires fulfilled.

Although both modes of worship is permitted, the easiest form of worship is to individually perform the parayan pooja at home for set period of days prescribed for them. The mass belief is that by performing parayan pooja, one’s desire gets fulfilled.

Parayan pooja is nothing but reading the parayan book for prescribed period of days and at the end of the last day of completion, offer some oblation in the form garlanding the divine whose story was recited, offer sweets and few fruits followed by showing lighted camphor before them. Finally prostrate before the divine and again place your prayer to him seeking their mercy to fulfill it.    

Initially sacred/holy Hindu texts like Shrimad Bhagavata, Chandi Saptha Sathi, Soundaryalahiri, Lakshmi Purana, Sita Kalyana, Thirupughazh, and Thiruvasagam, some parts of the Ramayana like Sundarkand, some parts of Mahabharata like Bhagavad Gita, Guru Gita, Guru Govindam, Kandashashti and Kanthar Anubhuti were recited in the name of parayan because the verses in them were simpler to read or recite. Some in them were daily recited, some once a week and some  once a month, though in  real sense, they were not parayan pooja.

When the cult of parayan pooja began, the recital of Guru Charithra or Guru Samhita- the story of Shri Narasimha Saraswathi, believed to be  incarnate of Lord Dattathreya became popular and practiced by many in the western parts of India. Guru Charithra or Guru Samhita, sacred text originally written in Marathi language, during the 14^th or 15^th century was in the form of the conversation between Shri Narasimha Saraswathi, and his disciple called Namdharak, and recounts the life of Lord Dattathreya and Sripada Srivallabha.

Few centuries later, the life stories of Shri Shirdi Saibaba and Lord Venkatachalapathi Charithra became the most popular parayan books recited. Initially the story of Lord Dattathreya too gradually spread through spiritual masters in their discourses called Satsang in some parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh but confined to close group of followers of Lord Datta, which may explain why the parayan of Lord Dattathreya was not widely recognized in southern regions during those period. Secondly the parayan was also in  Marathi before translated into Hindi and Telugu editions. However, in 1971, with the establishment of the Datta Peet in the small village of Senthamangalam in Tamil Nadu, the cult of Lord Dattathreya began to slowly spread in  south. Shri Ganapathi Sachithanantha Swamigal of Mysore Datta Peet, regarded as one of the incarnations of Lord Dattathreya, played a significant role in spreading the teachings of Lord Dattathreya far and wide including overseas.

The practice of parayan pooja was carried out for the following reasons:

• to get the wishes or desires fulfilled
• to get relief from health issues, to beget progeny 
• to alleviate the problems or sufferings encountered
• to beget good education/knowledge/focus in studies /to secure good  results in some field.
• for success in employment and interviews
• financial, material, emotional, family and relationship related issues.
• in pursuit of spiritual path
• to overcome pride, ego, control over worldly materials and sensations.
• for peace and harmony in ones family.

Depending upon the nature of one’s problem, the parayan pooja is performed for a period of 7 days @ recital of entire book in a day X 7 days (same book read again and again 7 times in seven days) or @ one chapter a day and completed the entire book in 7 days x 7 times  spread over to 49 days  as prescribed for recital in such Parayan books. Generally, it is stated that the contents in the parayan books are to be completely read or recited within a day. However, since one do not find sufficient time to complete the reading  in a day, it was recited as per one’s convenience by diving them into 3 to 4 divisions, but  recital of the book seven times within the prescribed period of days stipulated.  Most of the people prefer to read the book @ one chapter a day, for seven days x recital of entire book 7 times.

During parayan, the restless minds of the readers are calmed as they experience tranquility and peace in their mind. Life’s challenges fill most of our minds with negativity, and when these negative feelings are released from ones body, they destroy the positive energies present in their home, affecting the minds of others around them. Therefore the one best simpler and easier mechanism available to infuse positive energy to tackle life’s challenges effectively is resort to parayan, which helps focus the mind dispelling unwanted thoughts. In essence, parayan is a natural method of achieving mind control.

The mental strength gained from the parayan  pooja won’t be immediate; while one should not expect it on the first day itself, within a few days, they are certain to  notice a sense of calm descending in their mind, energy blockages gets cleared bringing balance and harmony within self as negative feelings get replaced with positive thoughts. This experience is similar to meditation, where the positive energy is gathered and stored in one’s self; sometimes these energies are even transferred  to some one to ease their emotional stress, reduce anxiety and tension  even if they are far away.  This illustrates the profound impact of the parayan pooja performed with genuine faith and devotion.

The chants of  silent recital generated during  the parayan transforms it into waves of surrender and gradually reach the divine over period of time; when the parayan pooja is performed consistently for a specific duration,  invisible energy waves generated are offered at the feet of the divine, inviting their mercy and grace. The divines too are always compassionate; when they receive the justified demand of the reciter in the form of the reciter’s energy waves, they ensure that the wishes of the seekers are ceded. This the basic philosophy, belief and principle of the Parayan. While the core of many Hindu rituals is rooted in ancient, structured texts (Vedas, Puranas), the practical execution of parayan is largely guided by family traditions and word-of-mouth instructions passed down through  Guru-Shishya parampara (teacher-disciple tradition) as Shruti (heard) and Smriti (remembered) for generations.

While it is said that the life story of Lord Venkatachalapathi is to be completed within 90 days, the recitation period for some other Parayan book like Datta Charithra is in the order of seven days or multiples of seven. That means reading or recitation of the complete book- seven times within a day or reading or reciting the entire contents in one day, to be followed in the same manner for next seven days.  This means the Parayan book is read seven times in a row over a period of seven days.

Alternately – read one chapter a day and complete entire book in seven days; restart from eighth day and follow the same procedure thus complete reading of the book seven times in 49 days.  Remember performing the parayan should be limited to one request at a time and for multiple requests, multiple times of recitals would be needed.

When I tried to understand why the logic of seven has been prescribed, I realized that seven has been the most important number in many manner. A week has seven days, the universe has seven planets, seven sages who were initially born as Saptha rishis, seven oceans, Rainbow on sky which has seven colours, seven important virgin deities, seven universes within the cosmos, music comprises of seven tones, seven stages to attain the power of Kundalini etc.  One key reason for the significance of the number seven in the recital of the parayan books is that Shri Narasimha Saraswathi Swamiji shared the story of Lord Dattathreya and Shri Pada Shri Vallabh over seven days with his disciple Namadakhara.

What is the benefit of  parayan pooja of  Lord Dattathreya? Besides in fulfillment of wishes as stated in one of the previous paras (11^th para) ,  recital of the Parayan book of Lord Dattathreya further remove

• Pithru Dosha (Sins caused for neglecting ancestors),
• bring peace and harmony in the family,
• eradicate the ill effects of evil souls like Ghosts and spirits and
• lead one into the path of enlightenment called wisdom.

In view of above reasons, I have compiled the life story of Lord Dattathreya in seven parts for easy recital or to perform parayan pooja spread over to seven days, one chapter a day.

While in service I encountered several strange events in my life. I could not understand  why or how they happened. This book had also been written in one such situation when I was attracted by the very name of Lord Dattathreya who deeply entrenched himself into my heart. During many years of my service in Dewas, a small district in Madhya Pradesh, few of my Maratha friends used to visit Lord Dattathreya temple and perhaps my association with them was the reason why I was attracted toward Lord Dattathreya. Those were the days when I would get delighted hearing the name of Lord Dattathreya and I made it a practice to visit a very old Lord Dattathreya temple in a small village called Bamankedha on way to Ujjain from Dewas. 

I do not remember the year, could be in 80s,  when in one of the Tamil Magazines namely Kalavalli, edited by one Shri Nagaraja Sharma, a serial on Lord Dattathreya was getting published. I was a regular subscriber of the said magazine and read the story on Lord Dattathreya. When I read in the story, I was further attracted by the names of Renuka Devi, Lord Dattathreya, Lord Parasuraman and Gooseberry tree called Aththi or Nellie Maram in Tamil etc which prominently appear in the story of Lord Dattathreya. Unfortunately, the Magazine discontinued its publication midway.

Once when I went to Bangalore on an official duty, I happened to get a book on Lord Dattathreya written by his holiness Ganapathi Sachithanantha Swamigal of Mysore Datta Peet.  Attracted by the manner in which it had been written by the Swamiji,   I met him in person along with my wife to receive his blessings to write a short book on Lord Dattathreya in Tamil and English. In the meanwhile, I purchased few other books on Lord Datta and read them besides collecting some more information through websites. Finally with all the inputs in hand including that of the book written by his Holiness Sree Sree Sree Ganapathi Sachithanantha Swamigal, I wrote the Parayan book on Lord Dattathreya in Tamil and English and published it in my website for the benefit of readers

(N.R. Jayaraman alias  Santhipriya 
Email: nrj1945@gmail.com)

 

First day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Creation of cosmic

According to the two sacred Hindu texts, namely  Soundaryalahiri and Sakthi Puranas, , only an unknown soul namely Parabrahman existed trillionth and millionth years ago when even the cosmic was not born. The unknown soul called Para Sakthi, the female part of Parabrahman was embodied with the three male divine energies-Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.

When Parabrahman chose to create the cosmos with fourteen worlds, three main deities emerged from the metaphysical Para Sakthi: Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma. Without delay, Lord Brahma, the designated creator, began shaping the universe with seven worlds above and seven below the earth. After establishing this foundation, he created both static beings like plants and trees, as well as moving creatures such as animals and humans, culminating in the creation of humanity.

From Lord Brahma’s body emerged ever eternal Saptha Maharishis such as Angirasa, Athri, Margasi, Krathu, Vashishta, Palash and Pulasthiya as his mind sons (Manasa Puthras in Sanskrit); Maharishi Athri was second amongst them.  Simultaneously Maharishi Kartha Prajapathi, greatest amongst the sages too came out from another side of Lord Brahma. Then in stages, several different creatures came out.

After millions of years since the cosmos developed, as values deteriorated in the cosmos, a need arose for a virtuous soul to be born to stem this decline and restore a golden era of divinity. when Lord Brahma therefore felt the urgent need for some one to manifest to restore essential values and guide humanity to tread the path of  spiritual journey. The sacred texts were clear, only a person born through Maharishi Athri would have the ability to guide humans toward a more civilized and spiritual path.

Marriage of Sage Athri

Maharishi Athri was celibacy, but it was destined that only through a virtuous son to be born to him and his wife, fast deteriorating values getting destroyed in the cosmos could be stemmed. Unless he was sufficiently convinced, he would refuse to enter into the act of marriage. Therefore, Lord Brahma explained the deteriorating state of the universe to Sage Atri and persuaded him that a virtuous son, born through him and a suitable consort, was essential for the restoration of dharma. Next difficult task was to find a suitable consort to the Maharishi. Lord Brahma devised a plan to get suitable partner to the Maharishi.  

As said earlier Kartha Prajapathi the greatest amongst the sages was born from the shadow or side of Lord Brahma to assist him in creation when cosmos was created. Many years later, he married one of the great grand-daughters of Lord Brahma  and gave birth to nine daughters, one amongst them Anusuya, the simplest, disciplined and   celebrated as the epitome of virtue and chastity. Lord Brahma believed that if she could be persuaded to marry Athri Maharishi, then the son to be born to them would end the eroding moral values and revive dharma in the universe. He therefore set the ball  roll in that direction.

Through a series of divine acts, Lord Brahma ensured Anusuya got married to Maharishi Athri. However, fate prevented them from having children for thousands of years, despite Lord Brahma’s hopes for a quick blessing to the couple. Nevertheless, the couple remained committed to their daily rituals without losing heart. Eventually, Maharishi Athri undertook intense penance, standing on one leg for thousands of years, praying for a child embodying the qualities of the Trimurtis to the committed cause of ending the eroding moral values and to revive dharma.

The Celestials were amazed at the will power of the Maharishi  standing on one leg for several hundred years. Lord Brahma felt the right time to appear before Maharishi Athri in the form of Trimurtis to grant him the boon he wished to save the universe had arisen.

Pleased with their devotion and austerity, the Trimurtis appeared before them and  granted the boon the Maharishi couple desired– a progeny embodying all aspects of them. Consequently, the Trimurti were born as their sons: Lord Vishnu as Lord Dattatreya, Lord Shiva as Durvasa, and Lord Brahma as Chandra. The Athri-Anusuya couple was overjoyed that their desire had been fulfilled. Anusuya, was symbol of purity and humble; Maharishi Atri too was  powerful sage, appeared with a Rudraksha mala, a Kamandal, and a club or stick, embodying deep austerity and spirituality.

The greatness of Maharishi Athri is glorified by a legend. Once Maharishi Vashishta and Maharishi Vishwamitra turned into bitter enemies each claiming  to be supreme. Kalmashapada, one of the Kings, during one of the hunting sprees in the forest, chased an animal riding past Sage Sakthi, the son of Maharishi Vashishta without acknowledging him which was an unintentional act of the King. However feeling insulted, Sage Sakthi cursed the King to turn into a Brahma rakshasa (Demon). Hurt by the haste act of the sage, King Kalmashapada  approached Maharishi Vishwamitra seeking his help to get freed of the curse. Waiting for such an opportunity to take revenge on Maharishi Vashishta, Maharishi Vishwamitra quickly turned  Kalmashapada into a cannibalistic rakshasa who swallowed humans. Under the influence of the curse and the spirit of rakshasa  Kalmashapada went on to devour Shakti and all of Vashishta’s other sons,thus wiping out his entire family. Having lost all his sons, distressed Maharishi Vashishta sat in penance unable to overcome the grief.

Sage Sakthi’s wife was pregnant when the  tragedy struck, and soon after, she gave birth to a son. As her son grew, he learned about the sorrow his family faced due to Kalmashapada’s actions, who was still a rakshasa as the curse did not end. Seeking revenge, he began a special Yahya (homa) to eliminate entire clan of demons. Maharishi Athri, aware of the yagya, foresaw that it would escalate the conflict between the two great Maharishis, threatening peace among sages. He approached Sage Sakthi’s son and warned him about the potential consequences of the yagya urging him not to act in haste. Heeding to the wiser counselling, realizing the gravity of the issue, Sage Sakthi’s son abandoned the Yahya, bringing to an end the rivalry between the two Maharishis.

Another story on the greatness of Maharishi Atri who brought light to the universe to help the Celestial is found in a different a documentation. During a fiercely fought, multi-year continued  battle between the Celestials and the Asuras,  continuous barrages of arrows fired by both sides  blocked the rays of the Sun and Moon plunging the universe into complete darkness. The Asuras used their dark magical powers to loosen the grip of the Celestial forces in the battle.  Unable to fight in the darkness, the stumbled forces of Celestials approached Athri Maharishi seeking his help. Feeling pity over the Celestial forces, Maharishi Athri himself turned into artificial moon and Sun and with his intense yogic powers emanated light which helped the Celestial forces to re-group, take control of the battle and achieve victory over the Asuras by driving them away

The Story of Anusuya

Maharishi Athri was highly respected amongst the Maharishis and sages, but Anusuya’s greatness was equally remarkable. She was renowned as the most virtuous woman in the universe. Many divine beings have incarnated on earth to for certain purposes  and  ended their incarnation after fulfilling their tasks. Anusuya in a miraculous moment of test, exercising her spiritual power,  transformed the Trimurtis —Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva who came to test her virtue—into her children and nurtured them with her milk, without physically giving birth to them. This incredible story of hers  is recounted in the Markandeya Purana.

Another story on the glory of Anusuya. Kaushika, a brahmin became a leper by virtue of past sins and lost entire wealth to a prostitute from whom he  got the dreaded disease because of the long association with her. His wife Leelavathi, a virtuous  woman, none less to Anusuya,  chaste a wife of Maharishi Athri, despite her husband’s immoral behavior, sickness, and abusive nature, faithfully served him, treating him as her deity.  

One night, Leelavathy’s husband unexpectedly spotted the prostitute with whom he  spent much of his life  and longed to see her again. He asked Leelavathy to take him to her at least once. To keep her husband happy, she gently carried him on her tender shoulder through the darkness to the prostitute’s house. As they walked in pitch of dark, her husband’s leg accidentally stumbled upon Sage Mandavya, who lay in a pool of blood, fighting for his life after being wrongfully impaled on a sharp piece of wood due to a crime he did not commit.How did sage Mandavya lay wounded there?

When Sage Mandavya was on intense penance in silence, some thieves chased by the palace guards of the King ran through the bushes around him and escaped. Since the sage  was in intense meditation with closed eyes, the guards who were chasing them wrongly assumed him to be one of the conspirators of the crime. Mistaking Sage Mandavya for a conspirator, the guards arrested him and paraded him before the King. Even then when the sage maintained silence due to mouna vrath, the King, in his ignorance, ordered that the sage be impaled on a sharp stake ( a sharp tool or a trident/spear) as punishment. The guards   insulted the sage by severely beating him and  thrust him over a sharp-edged trident, pushed him on to the road side and went away. It was when Kaushika’s legs mistakenly hit the body of the sage in the pitch of darkness.

Already wreathed in pain, Sage Mandavya mistook it as deliberate act of insult and cursed Kaushika that his head would burst to pieces when the Sun raised in the morning. Leelavathi knew that curses of the sages would not fail and once the Sun raised in the morning, her husband will meet death.   Knowing that a sage’s curse cannot be undone and to nullify the curse,  the chaste Leelavathi counter cursed  that the Sun would not rise, thus preventing the sunrise  from ever occurring to save her husband. Because the sun did not rise, the universe was plunged into darkness, stopping all religious activities and causing massive destruction to the creatures and plants all over the universe. Panicked sages and saints who assembled to end the problem realized that the curse of a virtuous and chaste woman could be ended only with the power of another equally powerful chaste woman and therefore approached Anusuya with a request to solve the issue to save the universe.

Respecting the request of the sages and saints, Anusuya reached out to Leelavathi, gently apprised  how the universe suffered for want of sun light and convinced her to withdraw her curse to save the universe. Leelavathi  while agreeing to allow the Sun to raise in the morning, pleaded for saving the life  of her husband. When the Sun rose in the morning, Kaushika fell dead of skull explosion on the curse of the sage, but chaste woman Anusuya with her power of chaste, revived the life of Kaushika as promised to Leelavathi. Celestial forces showered flowers from heaven on Anusuya for having played the rightful role to end the problem. The Trimurtis on their part appeared before Anusuya and asked her what boon she desired. She had no hesitation in seeking an offspring as desired by her husband Athri and the Trimurtis too happily granted the boon since they were aware that they were only going to be born to her.

The Divine Play of Trimurtis

The wives of the Trinity— Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Parvati —became jealous of the fame of Anusuya, wife of Sage Atri, who was renowned for her piety and virtue. Maharishi Naradha Muni instigated them further by adding fuel to their hate feelings. Therefore, to test Anusuya’s power of virtue, the wives of the Lords in the first instance gave few iron balls in disguise of peanuts and asked Sage Naradha  and sent him to Anusuya to get the iron peanuts roasted like peanuts.  When Narad Muni approached Anusuya with the request of the Devis, Anusuya  successfully  did it through the power of her virtue which further hit the ego of the three Goddesses.    

Jealous of her power of chaste and influenced by ego, the three Goddesses urged their husbands—the Trimurtis (Lords Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) to go and test the strength of Anusuya’s virtue  as they felt that Anusuya’s chaste power was far greater than the divine powers of their husbands and mocked at them.  Hit by ego, the Trimurtis in turn waited for an opportune time  to prove the opinion of their wives wrong. 

One day  when Maharishi Athri was away  to perform his daily chores in nearby river, the Trimurtis went to the cottage of the Maharishi in disguise of sages  and asked for Biksha (the customary food that Brahmins or saints would beg from householders). Anusuya knew denial of food to mendicants seeking alms will be an act of sin and therefore welcomed them to partake food.

Unaware of their intention, she invited them inside, got them seated, prepared food and came out to serve the food. But they refused to accept the  food setting the condition that she must serve the food  without any clothes on her. Anusuya was caught between upholding her rigid standards of modesty as a woman who only undress either before their husband or their baby, but at the same time denial of alms to the saints and sages will be an act of sin.   

Bewildered by the strange condition of the Trimurtis in disguise of sages, utilizing her spiritual power she quickly realized the true identity of the sages. For wink of an eye, she closed her eyes, prayed to her husband, and with powers of her devotion to her husband, instantly transformed the Trimurtis into new born babies; she then nursed them with her milk with motherly affection without any clothes on her body.  Anusuya narrated the entire play of Trimurtis to her husband Maharishi Athri who returned home after performing his rituals; the Maharishi being one amongst the greatest Saptha rishis, visualized everything and appreciated Anusuya for her rightful act.   

Years passed and the joyful couple, Anusuya and Athri Maharishi, lovingly raised up those babies. Meanwhile, the wives of the Trimurtis grew anxious about their husbands’ fate as they did not return back after their visit to Anusuya’s cottage and therefore requested Maharishi Naradha to find out where their husbands had gone. When Maharishi Naradha arrived at Athri Maharishi’s hermitage, he was taken aback to see the Trimurtis as infants, happily playing with the Maharishi Athri and his wife Anusuya.

Upon learning about the plight of their husbands, all the three goddesses rushed to Anusuya, sought forgiveness and pleaded with her to transform back their husbands into their original form. Feeling compassion for the three goddesses, Anusuya transformed the Trimurtis back into their original forms.  The joyful Lords appeared before Anusuya as the three-headed Lord Dattathreya, an incarnation of the three Lords  and  promised to be born to her as her son at the right time.

The birth of Lord Dattatreya

As time passed, the three Lords got birth to Anusuya as her sons. While Lord Shiva took birth as Maharishi Durvasa possessed with the qualities of Tamas, Lord Brahma possessed with the qualities of Rajas took birth through the eyes of Maharishi Athri and Lord Vishnu with the qualities of Sattva took birth as Lord Dattathreya for a specific reason.

In ancient time, a king named Kashyaban ruled the universe with tyranny. He had a son named Kashyap. Once when  Devas under the command of Lord Indira fought a fierce battle with Asuras, King Kashyap died in the battle even as the war continued  for many years under the leadership of several Kings of Asura clan. The Asuric forces were guided by Sage Sukra. Unable to see defeat of Asuric forces at the hands of Lord Indira, Sage Sukra went to Himalayas and sat in intense penance seeking boon from Lord Shiva to defeat Lord Indira.

Angered by the penance of Sage Sukra, Lord Vishnu killed his mother when Sage Brigu was also present on that spot. Sage Brigu got annoyed on the act of Lord Vishnu slaughtering a hapless lone woman, mother of his colleague sage. Unable to accept the cowardly act of Lord Vishnu, he cursed that Lord Vishnu would have to take countless births on earth as human to atone the sin. Hence Lord Vishnu had to take birth as Lord Dattathreya. Lord Dattathreya born to Anusuya and Athri Maharishi couple grew up as an entirely different child i compared to other normal children.

The Life and Iconographical attributes of Lord Dattatreya

Lord Dattathreya lived as an Avadhoot distinct from others. His behavior and attitude contrasted with his outward appearance. He embraced a monastic life, lived freed of worldly attachments, and spent much of his time wandering through mountains and jungles. He was embodiment of ultimate truth and a perfect master who had achieved the highest spiritual realization and mastery of the Vedas. He held incredible Yogic powers, though he never displayed them everywhere. His incarnation as an Avadhoot was for the welfare of the universe and to spread wisdom. Only those who recognized the truth of his existence became his disciples.

Lord Dattathreya accepted true disciples only after subjecting them to rigorous tests. His yogic abilities and divine displays surpassed even the understanding of Rishis and Sages who had meditated for thousands of years. He often appeared as a rough, half-naked, uncouth person; walking around biting pieces of meat, holding liquor bottles, or in the company of indecent women. They were mere illusions to test the seekers who wanted to become his disciple.

Not every one who came to him appreciated the manner in which the Lord tested them. Unable to understand the true intentions of the tests of the Lord, some left feeling frustrated, unable to stand up to the rigorous tests, though they were mere illusions to test their true spirits of those who wanted to become his disciple. On the other hand, those who remained committed to him with unwavering mind became his disciple. Lord Dattathreya always loved to test his disciples in various ways.

Lord Dattathreya was a wandering Avadhoot with remarkable wisdom and deep understanding, freed of all attachments. His spirit was pure and sacred, independent of his physical body. He was a mysterious Avadhoot, beyond what others could imagine or understand. No one could predict where he would go or why he went. Many had seen him uncouth in appearance, half-naked beggar, moving around dressed in tattered, dirty, torn clothes, often accompanied by a few dogs. Sometimes, a sacred cow would be seen standing by his side. He was frequently found meditating in lakes and ponds for hours or resting alone in cemeteries or by riverbeds in unconventional manner.

Lord Dattathreya, embodiment of Lords Brahma Vishnu and Shiva, mostly appeared  deer’s skin covering his body, holy ashes of cemeteries smeared over the body, aura (halo)around his otherwise calm and composed face.   He always preferred to live under the holy Audumbar-generally called Aththi tree.

Significance of the Symbols of Lord Dattatreya

It will be interesting to know the significance of the figurative symbols which he carried or which stood surrounding him.

• The divine wish fulfilling Cow called Kamadhenu representing the creation and also planet earth which offered innumerable wealth, pleasure experiences, happiness, joyfulness, and bliss.
• Four dogs which represented the four yugas and four Vedas under his command.
• Trident portrayed that he destroys one’s ego and Trigunas namely Sattva, Tamas and Rajas
• Tambourine (a holy instrument-hollow with something rattling inside)  symbolized that he destroys the pride and ignorance by awakening ones’ conscience.
• The Sudarshan Chakra  symbolized that the Lord was Omnipresent, infinite and controller of the cosmic, and beyond time.
• Conch  resonated inner soul with the Pranav sound Aum which is source of all power and the cosmic unity.
• Ash symbolized that every beginning has an end
• Begging bowl (Biksha Vessel)  preached what could be spared should be shared with others; shows detachment from material possessions, a core teaching of renunciation.
• Japamala (an ornament carried by the saints in hand made of Rosary beads) to tell one to internally keep praying and chanting the name of God- a yogic discipline.

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Second day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Who was Lord Dattatreya? King Yadu’s doubt

One of the stories found in the Bhagavata Purana is the story of King Yadu, who inspired by Lord Dattathreya became his disciple. Before he became his disciple, he had hardly heard of the Lord and therefore when heard  the glory of Lord Dattathreya, wandering in guise of an Avadhoot, he wanted to meet him.

Lord Dattathreya journeyed through childhood and adolescence, eventually leaving home to roam freely in forests and mountainous areas. He often chose to present himself in the form of an uncivilized beggar or lunatic, sometimes even in the company of immoral women. By appearing so, he demonstrated that the pure atman has no connection to the physical body made of blood, flesh, and bone. He behaved differently in public and accepted disciples only after rigorously testing their mental readiness before guiding them on their spiritual journey. Acknowledging his status as a perfect Yogi and Avadhoot, many Rishis and sages sought him out for initiation into enlightenment.

Once, Lord Dattathreya was strolling through the streets of a kingdom ruled by a king from Yadukula. This was the same land where Lord Krishna was born in a much later period of time. During those period, the Kings often disguised themselves as strangers or beggars to observe the conditions of their Kingdom and the lives of their folks. On one of those visits, the King spotted Lord Dattathreya, moving around as a beggar, happily wandering and humming. The King didn’t realize that the cheerful beggar was non other than Lord Dattathreya. He was captivated by the radiant glow on the beggar’s face, which showed no signs of concern for his poverty or life as a beggar.

After following him for some time and noticing his activities, the intelligent King  realized that he can not be a  beggar, as he was wandering freely and happily as if he was the ruler of the land. The King thought to himself ‘I have immense wealth and fleet of slaves and servants to work under my command. All comforts needed in one’s life is abundantly available to me, yet I lack everlasting peace and eternal happiness while this destitute who has nothing for the next moment, has such radiance around his face and wandering freely and fearlessly, showing no signs of worries on his face’.

Suspicion growing, the King curious to know who the beggar was, followed the Lord observing every act of him. The King was a learned scholar and intelligent too,  hence, was able to read the realities in life. After closely watching the beggar for several hours and unable to suppress his anxiety, the King went to the beggar, in all humbleness introduced himself  and requested revelation of his true identity since the aura of glow radiating from his face and his behaviour showed him to be an enlightened soul.

The Lord, disguised as a beggar, responded casually, ‘Oh King, why compare me to enlightened souls? I am just a poor beggar searching for food to ease my hunger.’ His relaxed reply made the King more suspicious. The King thought, ‘He didn’t even exchange pleasantries after I introduced myself. He shows no fear speaking to me. He talks to me like a friend. His behavior doesn’t fit to be that of a beggar. He must is hiding something.’ Overwhelmed by anxiety, the persistent King asked the Lord, disguised as a beggar, to reveal his true identity, firmly sensing that he was hiding something. The worried King continued to plead with the beggar to reveal his true identity. The Lord, continuing to maintain secrecy said ‘Oh King, you are the ruler of this land and know everything about your Kingdom. What is there for me to hide from you?’

The way the beggar responded and tried to move away without showing any respect to the King made the King believe that he couldn’t be just a beggar. The King was fully convinced that the beggar might be one of the greatest Yogis, pretending to be crazy to divert his attention. The King felt that the Lord was speaking openly and lightly without any arrogance and hiding his true identity…he thought he could be a wise scholar.

The King pleaded with the beggar ‘Oh, stranger, there is nothing a King like me cannot achieve. I have vast land, plenty to meet all kinds of pleasure, countless servants at my command to do anything, still what is eluding me is eternal peace. I run behind saints and sages to guide me to find true happiness called bliss. I cannot understand how someone like you can live so freely, fearlessly, and fully content when you have nothing permanent. Please accept my salutation and share your secret of happiness. Who are you, and who is your master who has shown you the secret of happiness?’

Lord Dattathreya, disguised as a beggar, ignored the King and warned him not to waste his time. Despite this, the King followed him, trying to hold him back to ask questions. Lord Dattathreya admired the King’s humility and sincerity. Even when pushed away, the King remained calm and continued to seek answers without reacting with anger, the King showed no arrogance. Recognizing the King’s respect for sadhus and his virtuous nature, his politeness and honesty, compassionate Lord Dattathreya decided to reveal his true form as an Avadhoot. He led the King to a peaceful place and seated him in a serene atmosphere. 

The Lord replied ‘Oh King, just moments ago, you claimed to possess everything for comfort and pleasure and vast land under your command. They are all nothing but illusions in the physical world which do not go with you when you die as the body itself is an illusion. You may feel possession of world of treasures enhances one’s stature, but trust me King, they have no real value in life. True worth of each and everything possessed by us is recognized only through us, they have no value of their own. My soul is free from attachments and worldly desires, hence I am able to live in the state of bliss. Since you are curious to know about my true identity, carefully listen to what I say’.

As if his head has been knocked against a hard subject, the King wondered ‘how simply he has  expressed the philosophy of life’. In rapt attention, the King listened to Lord Dattathreya. The Lord continued ‘Oh, King, while creating the cosmos, Paramatman created creatures of several nature, single legged to those with two arms and legs  or  those  with multiple arms or legs. However, only humans were embedded with  unique- Jeevathma which is soul for self analysis of atman and see Paramatman through meditation. However, many  do not realize this truth. The outer body is illusion made of mere flesh and blood while the independent and invisible atman activate everything inside the body which carry the same soul too.

Consider the pain that our physical bodies endure through suffering and humiliation in this world, yet, constantly yearning for what seems out of reach. The physical bodies crave more pleasures and accolades, seeking family, comfort, wealth, and companionship; their desire is unending. What drives such cravings? Is it due to the attachments we form or overwhelming desires ? It’s puzzling, especially since humans possess the unique ability to think and understand  about the sins of attachments and desires.  Given that  all of us recognize the transient nature of our physical existence, which has cycles of birth and death why do we struggle and  crave for fleeting pleasures? Sadly, it seems that many find it difficult to contain desires.

The Gurus of Lord Dattatreya

Lord  in guise of an Avadhoot continued ‘It is not important to know who I am. While my own Atman is my Guru, yet, I got wisdom through 24 individuals, they were  intertwined with nature in this universe and who taught me what life is’. As Lord Dattathreya continued, the King in a state of bliss sat in meditative silence, carefully listening to the master. The names of the Gurus mentioned by Lord Dattathreya were: Earth, Air, Sky, Water, Fire, Moon, Sun, Pigeon, Python, Ocean, Moth (Candle flies), Honey Bee, Elephant, Honey gatherer, Deer, Fish, Prostitute, Raven (Jungle crow), Child, Maiden, Weapon maker, Spider and a Beetle.

Lord revealed the attributes of those 24 Gurus.

• Earth: See how human and other creatures with different aspects, characters, and acts created by God live on earth. Each one of their movements and acts are different from each other. Besides holding them over her body, the earth does not prevent the roots of the plants or other living beings  tear and intrude into her body. Those who live on her, whether they praise, insult or even abuse her, she absorbs everything with patience, in silence, still rendering whatever help is needed from her for the welfare of the universe. She taught me what patience is.
• Wind: The wind (air) pervades all over the universe and also reside inside our body. One can only feel its presence  but cannot see or touch either her body or her inner aspects. The wind is an invisible force that carries both pleasant and unpleasant smells emanated by objects, flowers, trees etc but discards them  midway as it continues its journey and remains unpolluted. Therefore, a yogi, possessing a pure soul, should emulate the wind by discarding unwanted external influences  like worldly pleasure, pain, honor and dishonor without getting his mind polluted, no matter where he goes or stays. The wind acts as a lesson on detachment and the transcendence of worldly experiences.
• Sky: Like the wind, neither the beginning nor the end of the sky is visible as it pervades all over the universe. The all-pervading Sky remains calm and unchanged despite external phenomena like stars, clouds, rain, or lightning passing through it. The aspect of the all-pervading Sky is comparable to the presence of the Supreme Brahman whose form is also invisible though he pervades everywhere.  A Yogi should emulate the calmness of the sky and remain uninfluenced by external circumstances or the actions of others. 
• Water: Natural water is sweet and pure; water is essential for the survival of all living beings. Water serves everyone and   Just as polluted water from various sources merges with  the water in ocean but gets purified,  God removes impure thoughts from one’s mind, regardless of whether the individual has actively surrendered to him or not. Treading this philosophy, a Yogi too should shed away the attachments and mental impurities which may pollute him and lead life like drops of water over a lotus leaf.
• Fire: Like how the Supreme does not discriminate anyone, the fire too does not reject any material put in to her  (fire) and consumes them without a trace. It accepts whatever is put into it. The brightness of the flame depends upon the amount or type of material put in her. The philosophy of fire is a guide to a Yogi who should also glow with splendor by the knowledge gained by him without rejecting any even if it is received from sinners and help those who reach out to him. At the same time he should not get  defiled while dealing with them.
• Moon: Though the Moon does not have light of her own, she reflects only the light of the Sun and always remains complete in her original form, even though temporary illusionary appearances such as waxing and waning of moon takes place every 15 days. True to this philosophy, the temporary pleasures and sorrows in ones’ life appear and disappear due to the act of the karmic deeds and in no way should affect the true aspects of the pure soul which reside within the body of a wise.
• Sun: Sun is essential for life in the universe and it illuminates everything. The   rays of the Sun pervades everywhere similar to the Supreme who pervades everywhere in the universe. The Sun draw water from the earth and sends it back to the same earth in the form of rain, without retaining any for herself. Though the pure soul is released from the same source – Paramatman- the behaviour of individuals differ from each other, reflecting the philosophy of the Sun whose light rays fall  in different parts of the universe but appear differently depending upon the aspects of the land. Like how the Sun illuminates the universe with her light rays,  a Yogi should also illuminate different surroundings by the flow of his knowledge gained by him- without keeping them to self like a selfish person. 
• Pigeon: One should not destroy oneself with the excessive worldly attachments of love and affection. Out of blind affection and love on a pigeon caught in a net thrown by a fowler, mother and father pigeons  got caught in the same net while attempting to save it. It demonstrated the plight of the parents whose blind love and affection destroyed their innate qualities and the innate nature of their children. The story of the Pigeons revealed the philosophy that blind attachment over the illusionary body and worldliness are the root cause of all sufferings.
• Python: The python’s nature is not that of a hunter or a food gatherer. Big or small, whichever prey go near her will be consumed by her and then she wait till another prey gets trapped. Even if it remained hungry for many days, it will continue to wait without wandering in search of prey. The philosophy behind the life of a Python is that one should not crave for what he does not have, and instead live with content and mental happiness as destiny will award what is due to him.
• Ocean: By heat of Sun, the water from the Sea evaporates, goes up and again fall back on earth as rain by acts of nature. The same water fills the ponds, lakes and rivers  many of which flow back  to merge with the ocean. No matter how many rivers flow and merge into it, the sea never crosses the shores, nor dries up even if the water from the rivers do not flow into her. In the similar manner the Wiser and a Yogi should keep performing their duties without falling prey to the emotions or happiness which are like passing clouds in ones’ life.
• Honey bee: The honeybee hops from flower to flower, unmindful of their fragrance collect nectar without defacing or destroying the beauty of the flowers. This philosophy demonstrates that that those born on earth because of past karma, should absorb all that are good  and lead pleasant life without hurting the feelings and sentiments of others.
• Honey gatherer: The bee which stacks honey in the honey vive, by gathering honey from different flowers, does not consume them for self. Once the honey hive is full, the honey gatherer drives away the bees with smoke, gather the honey and throw away the empty comb. What the philosophy revealed was that one should not stack everything for the sake of storing without enjoying  or gifting to others, lest someone will destroy them after the soul which resides within the body desert the illusionary body.  
• Elephant: In order to catch the male elephant, the hunters keep a toy female elephant in a pit. When the male elephant run towards the pit to catch the toy female elephant for mating, it falls into the pit to make it easy for the hunters to catch the male elephant to take out the tusk. What it preached to a  Yogi is not to  fall prey  to lust and instead concentrate more and more to gain wisdom.
• Moth (Candle flies): Attracted by the brightness of the flame of the lighted candle or other lamps, the moth goes near them and gets burnt into the flame of fire. This taught a Yogi that he should not get the acquired knowledge destroyed by the greed, sensuous woman or other wordily pleasures.
• Deer: The ever-alert Deer, attracted by the melting music played by the hunter, when run towards the hunter, get caught by them. What it taught was that a Yogi should not get attracted by the external pleasures of dance, songs and music of the world of lust and lose right path of travel in the spiritual world.
• Fish: Without realizing that the prey in the bait is meant to catch it, the fish when runs to eat it  get caught in the hook laid to catch it. What  the act of Fish taught was the taste of the tongue is the primary cause for the destruction of the five senses; therefore,  a yogis should always keep the taste of his tongue suppressed to pursue his goal of enlightenment.
• Prostitute: Pingala was a prostitute engaged in the trade of prostitution for many years and one day, tired of looking for customers, she left the trade realizing  that  she was neglecting the soul and wasting her time for external pleasures and went to bed.  Thereafter, she pursued the path of spirituality and lived in mental peace. What the philosophy taught was never expect any material  benefits from anyone since we are chained with the cycle of births and deaths; abandon desires, enter into the path of spiritual world  to attain mental peace and ultimate salvation.
• Raven (Jungle crow): A raven carrying a piece of meat was chased by other birds to grab the piece of meat which she carried. While attempting to snatch the prey, the birds also hurt the raven. To escape from the attackers once the raven dropped the piece of meat, the chasing birds left her and flew for the meat thrown away by her. What it taught was that unless one abandon unwanted desires and pleasures in life and surrender at the feet of the Supreme, the real happiness will allude them.
• Child : The child shares his/her feelings with their mother in  silence; they feel safe in the hands of their mother till attain self-confidence to stand alone. Similarly a disciple should continue to walk in the path as guided by his master(guru)  till he successfully enter  into the spiritual path which he chose.
• Damsel : The bangles worn by a damsel collecting husk made unwanted noise by the rustling and rubbing of the bangles. In order to stop the  noise when she removed all but one bangle in her hand and continued collecting husk, the noise stopped. It showed that a Yogi should also continue to pursue towards his goal with a  firm mind by removing all unnecessary thoughts from his mind.
• Weapon maker: If you see the artisan making weapons, you can see their attention fully concentrated only in the weapon making without bothering for others. What it taught to a Yogi was that he should also pursue the path of his ultimate goal, fully concentrated and devoted without getting diverted by external forces issues.  
• Snake: The snakes do not keep permanent abodes and live in ant hills. They keep changing their habitation for their own protection. The philosophy of the habit of the snakes taught that a Yogi should also keep moving from one place to the other, like taking one birth to the other,  to pursue his goal instead of trying to live in a permanent home of his own.
• Spider: A spider build her own web, keep playing within the web for some days and then swallow the same web to recreate another afresh. This philosophy reflects the act of Paramatman, who create the cosmic at the end of yugas, enact divine plays in many ways, and at the end of destined period, swallow back the same cosmic by way of destruction and recreate newer one.
• Beetle: The beetle injects her eggs into the body of a caterpillar. The caterpillar’s body is needed to keep the wasp’s worms safe.  As the worms grow they eat the nutrients in the caterpillar’s body and also ensure that the caterpillar does not die, because the body of the caterpillar was needed for them to fully grow.  What it taught was that a devotee may need the guidance of a guru till he attain liberation when he pursue such a path.b

Lord Dattathreya continued to tell ‘Oh King, our body itself is an illusion showing multiple organs and still we continue to add boundless desires into the body of illusion. All our miseries stem from lust and sensual pleasures. Not content to be alone, one gets married, produce children and aims to amass wealth. Though one knows that the physical body is  bound to perish, they keep on adding more comfort to it. Therefore, instead of living in the state of illusion, I preferred to live detached from worldly  pleasures, hence, roam around freely like all pervading Paramatman’.

Tears of joy overflowing from the eyes, mentally enlightened King fell at the feet of the Lord sitting in guise of an Avadhoot and uttered ‘wonderful…wonderful’ and pleaded with him to reveal his true identity. Pleased with the King, Lord Dattathreya appeared before him in his true blazing form. Learning from the Lord what is the philosophy of life, King Yadu became his true devotee and lived in mental peace for the rest of his life.

(Brief note: – One may wonder whether the Supreme (Parabrahman), the creator of the universe was guided by the principles of 24 gurus whom he cited. As Parabrahman while creating the Cosmic, he deliberately created various creatures including water, fire, air, sky and earth embodied with several aspects so that they could be cited to spiritual seekers as examples for pursuing philosophy of spirituality. Hence, he appeared in  as a Avadhoot to perform the function of a teacher (Guru) and claimed 24 creatures as his Gurus (Masters). The aspects of those 24 creations revealed that the real miseries, sorrows and sufferings of humans stem  from the worldly attachment to pleasures of various kinds including sensual pleasures.  Through his conversation, Lord Dattathreya made known to the universe  especially meant to those who desired to pursue the  path of spirituality and understand the divine consciousness. He revealed the act of Adi Para Sakthi through the life of a Spider and her web. Lord Dattathreya has never guided anyone to follow specific divine or specific rituals, but strongly advocated merging one’s Atman (individual self or soul) with Brahman (the Absolute) called the supreme divine Paramatman)        

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Third day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Story of Karthaveeryan

Markandeya Purana describe how Lord Dattathreya had been compassionate to those who surrendered at his feet true fully. Nothing happens without a reason in this world as may be seen from the stories of those who have perished of their own or got destroyed through some of the divine incarnates, even when they carried boons of invincibility. If the stories of Karthaveeryan, Lord Parasuraman, and Goddess Renuka Devi had not been included in the life story of Lord Dattathreya, the glory of Lord Dattathreya would not have been known to the universe. Only by Karthaveeryan, the glory of Lord Parasuraman and Goddess Renuka Devi came to light.

Karthaveeryan of Surya dynasty was born to King Krithaveerya and his wife Suganthi. They belonged to Kshatriya caste. Jaiswal community settled in the northern India is stated to be in their lineage, and their Guru was Bhargava who belonged to Brahmin community in the lineage of Sage Brigu. The Kshatriyas were  intelligent, well versed in Vedic studies as they were learned scholars similar to Brahmins. Because of their good physical structures, they became warriors and rulers of some of the Kingdoms and took part in the wars, while the Brahmins served in the capacity of advisors in their Kingdom. The Kings of Surya dynasty were philanthropists too. Veeran was the family name of King Krithaveerya who in his previous birth was Sampan, born in a poor family and carried a curse from sage Syavana. As per the curse of a sage, Sampan would get rebirth and live mentally agonized because of a disabled son to be born to him.

Sampan took birth as Krithaveerya in his next birth. Krithaveerya was a well learned scholar and a great warrior ruler of a huge Kingdom. He successfully performed several Yagnas and in one of the famous Yagnas performed –Somaveda Yagna- he gave several gifts and money even to sages like Maharishi Brigu. Krithaveerya further decorated the council of ministers of Lord Yama. Unfortunately, due to the curse he carried, every child born to him met death once they were born. At one stage aging Krithaveerya was worried that he had no heir to take over the Kingdom after his demise. Therefore, as advised by the council of ministers, he decided to consult Maharishi Yagyavalyar and Sage Brihaspati to find solution to end the vacuum arose out of the curse carried by him.    Since Krithaveerya was afraid of directly meeting Maharishi Yagyavalyar, he sent his wife, to meet the wife of Maharishi Yagyavalyar as both of them were close friends. Maharishi Yagyavalyar had two wives namely Maithreyi and Kalyani and amongst the two, Maithreyi was intelligent and a learned scholar. Therefore, Krithaveerya’s wife met Maithreyi and after offering respects to her, she narrated the ordeal on account of the curse carried by the King who was her husband.   She cried that none of the children born to her survived because of the curse and sought her suggestion to redeem the curse. Maithreyi suggested her to perform a specific ritual which if performed rigorously with purity of mind, the effect of the curse would come to an end.

In the meanwhile, Krithaveerya too met Maharishi Brihaspati who suggested him to perform a Vrath called ‘Surya Vrath’ and initiated the Surya mantra to him. The Surya mantra which the Maharishi initiated to Krithaveerya was actually initiated to Maharishi Brihaspati by none other than Lord Dattathreya. The Maharishi suggested that the mantra initiated to him be chanted and Lord Dattathreya worshiped to get relief from the curse. On reaching home, Krithaveerya and his wife exchanged the suggestions received by them and from next day onwards they began to perform the rituals as suggested including chanting of the mantra initiated by Maharishi Brihaspati which resulted in Krithaveerya’s wife getting conceived again.

Though the child born to them survived, the saddest part was that it was a disabled child. Nonetheless, the couple were happy that with the blessings of Lord Dattathreya, at least they were blessed with a son who survived. The reason for the child getting birth as disabled had a story of its own. What was it?

In one of the previous births, the child now born to Krithaveerya with deformities was one of the veteran fighters in the army of Lord Vishnu; his name was Sudarshan, who occupied the pivotal position in the army. Those were the days when Lord Vishnu had to frequently wage war against several Asuric forces to destroy them for universal peace and in every one of the wars fought and won, Sudarshan’s contribution was significant. This made Sudarshan feel that he was responsible for the victory of the Lord in the wars fought. Not content with such a feeling, he openly projected a heroic image before others too. When it was noticed by the Lord, he hoped that Sudarshan would shed such an arrogance to fully understand the real power of the Lord Vishnu.

When Lord Vishnu noticed Sudarshan’s arrogance did not die , he called Sudarshan and after admonishing him, cursed that in the next birth, he (Sudarshan) would be born disabled and meet death at his hands him (lord Vishnu). Therefore,  Sudarshan had to take birth as Karthaveeryan with deformities. He was also anointed as Arjun. Except disability, Karthaveeryan excelled in every other field. Meanwhile his agonized father Krithaveerya died unable to see disability of Karthaveeryan. Krithaveerya’s parents were philanthropists who generously gave donations and gifts to needy. The continuous philanthropy led to the dwindling of their wealth while the Brahmins who were beneficiaries from those gifts and donations slowly turned richer. With passage of time when Kshatriya’s wealth dwindled, they struggled in their life and approached Brahmins who were benefited by them and sought their help. But the Brahmins refused to help them in any manner, thus sowing the seed of enmity between the Brahmins and Kshatriyas who begin to each other.

The Kshatriyas being warriors, took revenge on the Brahmins by looting their properties and humiliating them in public. Unable to withstand the torments and humiliations from Kshatriyas, the Brahmins ran away from the areas under Kshatriyas and settled in and around Himalayas. In one such climate, Maharishi Athri was born in the clan of Brigu and Krithaveerya born in the clan of Kshatriyas even as the enmity between the Brahmins and Kshatriyas continued to soar high.

After the death of Krithaveerya, the council of ministers compelled disabled Karthaveeryan to take over the reins of power. Karthaveeryan was reluctant to take over the administration citing his disability, but the council of ministers exerted pressure on him and persuaded him to take over the kingship. One of the ministers in the council of ministers, namely Garga advised Karthaveeryan to meet Lord Dattathreya seeking blessings to get firm hands and feet freed of disability. Heeding to the advice of Garga, Karthaveeryan after taking over the reins of administration proceeded to meet Lord Dattathreya.

Lord Dattathreya who was in guise of an Avadhoot, was revered and respected Avadhoot then and held in high esteem by the Rishis and Saints. Before proceeding to meet Lord Dattathreya, King Karthaveeryan met Sage Garga and took more inputs on the Lord. Sage Garga told him that Lord Dattathreya was incarnate of Lord Vishnu and used to come to river Narmada to take bath and if he was worshiped with purity of mind in all sincerity, he would certainly bestow the seekers what they sought from him without hesitation. In the meanwhile, Sage Naradha too advised Karthaveeryan to perform a Yahya called ‘Pathradeepa Pratiksha’ on the bank of river Narmada. Rishis and saints had also advised Karthaveeryan that Lord Dattathreya would not easily allow the seekers to identify him and would deliberately appear in the form of half-naked or uncouth or drunkard or lunatic biting dirty meat, holding bottles of toddy or still worse in the company of immoral damsels. Therefore, Karthaveeryan should maintain strong will to identify the Lord even from amongst them  as he would be wandering everywhere in any form.

Karthaveeryan who was only twelve years old, went to the bank of river Narmada, took bath, performed Yahya as suggested and began looking for Lord Dattathreya. After searching the Lord at various places, finally he reached the foothill of a mountain where Lord Dattathreya’s ashram was seen. As cautioned by everyone, though Karthaveeryan found the Avadhoot in awkward posture, he went to him with determination and expressed his desire to serve him and become his disciple. Further he eulogized Lord Dattathreya with many hymns and verses even though Lord Dattathreya knew the real purpose for which Karthaveeryan had come. Nevertheless, he wanted to test his determination of Karthaveeryan further and to display to the universe that only true seekers, highly devoted to him would be acceptable to him.

Though Karthaveeryan was disabled, wantonly Lord Dattathreya gave him several arduous tasks and duties without allowing him to take rest. Karthaveeryan was not frustrated in any manner and happily  performed the duties given by the Lord. He brought flowers, fruits and vegetables from far off places as ordered, massaged the legs of the Lord for several hours etc. Even then sometimes Lord Dattathreya used to be harsh on him by abusing him in bad words, ate entire food leaving nothing for Karthaveeryan to eat thus pushing him to starve. Karthaveeryan neither lost hope nor the faith, and continued to serve the Lord without grimace. Ultimately Lord Dattathreya pleased with his devotion, took pity on his disability and one day in an act of surprise, he appeared before him in his true blazing form.

Waiting for such an opportunity, Karthaveeryan fell at his feet of the Lord, prostrated many times chanting that it was the greatest moment in his life. He prayed to Lord Dattathreya to get firm hands and legs to move around freely and face his enemies. Because of his disability he was unable to fulfil his duty as a King to his folks protecting their lives. He further sought boon for enormous wealth and the very name of him (Karthaveeryan) should be nightmare to those indulging in evil acts. He pleaded for the blessings of the Lord to beget good advisors who would guide him all the time and to rule over the land with energized vigor and in all fairness. In the event he deviated from the path of virtue and fairness, someone stronger than him should dethrone him. He pleaded with Lord Dattathreya to grant him the boons thus sought.

Lord Dattathreya pleased with his plea not only granted all the boons he sought, but further gave him a special magic car, which could take him anywhere in the universe. After receiving the boons, when Karthaveeryan was returning back, an unknown voice cautioned him ‘fool, do not feel glee over the boons you have received. You begot all those only by the grace of the Brahmins without whose support a Kshatriya King like you would not be able to rule the land’. The unknown voice, ominous sign though disturbed the mind of Karthaveeryan, he could realize that it was the voice of Lord Vayu who was jealous over his fame and glory.

Thereafter Karthaveeryan frequently visited the hermitage of Lord Dattathreya, offered salutation and prayers and took his advice on crucial issues and ruled the nation freely, fairly and fearlessly maintaining high value of tradition, without deviating from the path of truth and virtue. Mahishmati was the name of Kingdom he ruled, and it is said that his rule extended beyond 85,000 years. He was also called Arjun, hence in ‘Shri Datta Charithra’, one would read Lord Dattathreya often referring Karthaveeryan as Arjuna. The folks of his land lived happily, so also the Celestials who were happy lots under his rule. His fame went up so high that the folks of his land began to treat him as divine angel. Envious Lankan King Ravan when heard of the fame of Karthaveeryan,invaded many lands under the guise ‘Dig Vijay’ (tour of triumph on all sides), and reached the Kingdom under the rule of Karthaveeryan and pronounced war.  Karthaveeryan decided to crush the arrogance of Ravan who was then considered to be the most powerful and invincible King on earth. 

One day when Ravan on his sojourn went to river Narmada to take bath, Karthaveeryan too went there to take bath in the same river. Ravan used to perform pooja to a Shiva Ling in the midst of the river whenever the flow of the river used to be very low. Karthaveeryan who knew of it, held the river flow on the upper stage of the river with his unaccountable strong hands by placing them like a dam and while Ravan was performing the pooja to the Shiv Ling, he suddenly took away his hands and released the water to flow in fury as if the dam had breached. When the river flew in fury, the Shiva Ling held in the hands of Ravan submerged into the river . Infuriated over the mindless act of Karthaveeryan, Ravan attacked Karthaveeryan and in the fierce battle that ensued, mighty Ravan, ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, was taken prisoner and imprisoned by Karthaveeryan. However, at the request of sage Pulastya, Karthaveeryan released Ravan from captivity and sent him back.

Many years passed thereafter. Karthaveeryan continued to rule the land with caution keeping public welfare utmost in mind. He enforced his folks perform Anagalakshmi Vrath all over his land. Whenever he got spare time, he never failed to visit the ashram of Lord Dattathreya and spent several hours performing pooja to the Lord. However unknown fear gripped his mind ever since he attempted to probe the philosophy of the life which he felt was an illusion; he was not in need of anything, and therefore could not keep the urge to get his nagging doubt remain uncleared. At one stage, vexed with the materialistic world, Karthaveeryan decided to renounce the Kingdom and settle in the hermitage of Lord Dattathreya permanently.

On reaching the hermitage of Lord Dattathreya, he saw the Lord seated with closed eyes as if he was in intense meditation and engrossed in deep thoughts.  Therefore, Karthaveeryan decided to wait till the Lord opened his eyes. He was sitting  meditating and offering worship to the Lord in his heart. In between he prostrated at the feet of the Lord from a distance without disturbing him. Entire day passed, but Lord Dattathreya did not open his eyes while Karthaveeryan remained eulogizing the Lord with hymns and chants of sthotras (mantras) in silence.

He wept at in silence ‘Salutations to thee my Lord, thou art destroyed mine pride and arrogance. Thou art is Lord of joy, intellect who bestow highest bliss. When thou art is incomprehensible even to sages and rishis, how would me in the world of illusion be able to understand thee? Oh, Lord accept  salutation of mine who has surrendered at thine feet. Release mine from the bonds of life, whatever mine desired, thee granted in abundance. Me, finding this life to be illusion came here to surrender at thine feet, Oh Maha yogi, Lord of Lords, kindly open thine eyes and bless this poor’.  Even then, Lord Datta did not open his eyes.

In the next few days, even as Karthaveeryan was still sitting there waiting to meet the Lord, several Rishi and Saints visited the hermitage to offer their salutations and respects to Lord Dattathreya. Those who visited the Lord did not bother to look at King Karthaveeryan nor went near him  to exchange pleasantries even as Karthaveeryan sat in a corner watching in silence whatever was happening around him. One fine morning, Lord Dattathreya opened his eyes, went to the river side along with Rishis, sages and saints, took bath and returned back ignoring Karthaveeryan. On return, Lord Dattathreya completed his daily rituals, and again sat in silence with closed eyes while Karthaveeryan still continued to remain seated in the same corner, tears rolling down from his cheeks on being neglected by the Lord. In a spark of a moment, Lord opened his eyes, turned towards him and signaled him to come near. Tears flowing down, Karthaveeryan went near the Lord and fell in his feet and wept uncontrollably.

Lord Datta lifted him gently and asked him on the purpose of his visit. The King said ‘Lord, what more is needed as you have showered everything I needed. You have   bestowed more than what I am worthy of, made me enjoy pleasures in life, gave me enormous strength, gave enough wealth, but what I lack now is mental peace and tranquil as I frequently get disturbed with mindless thoughts. I am in search of peace, want  go somewhere where I will get peace, but the destination remain unknown. If I ask anything further, I would be the greatest sinner. In the name of etiquette, tradition and culture, I am being advised frequently to follow several rites and rituals which  push  me to perplexity; I am unable to decide which one to follow. While on one side everyone portray you as Parabrahman, but your behaviour is far different to what is being told by them. When I came here, I saw you deeply engrossed in meditation. If you were Parabrahman who could be greater than you, in that case on whom do you meditate? I am unable to choose the correct path for enlightenment. Oh, Lord, I want peace’. He kept on expressing something unconnected t each other.

A big aura of glow surrounded the face of Lord Dattathreya. The Rishis and saints anxiously awaited the next move of the Lord even as Lord Dattathreya began telling Karthaveeryan. ‘Arjuna, today you have occupied a special place in my heart. I keenly watched every moment of yours ever since you came here; I have accepted all  hymns chanted by you in silence. You are keen to know why I was meditating and who was  the greater soul than me. At appropriate time I will reveal everything. All that I can now tell you now is  that I am meditating on the soul which reside within me. Let me tell you some stories to clear your doubts. As long as one keep performing their duties sincerely, honestly, true to their conscience they would get liberated and enter into the path of salvation’.

Lord Dattathreya told several short stories and asked ‘Arjuna have you been able to absorb what I said so long? They were not mere stories meant to pass time, but they reveal the secrets of the soul residing in one’s body. The whole world is an illusion. Sitting in the dark and searching for the light is act of foolishness.  Absorb with devotion what the Guru (Lord refers himself as Guru) preach, try to understand the meanings, etch them deep in your heart, and lead life of purity freed of attachments. When you unite your Atman (individual self or soul) with Brahman (the Absolute) then at that stage everything would become clear to you’.

Karthaveeryan listened with rapt attention what Lord Dattathreya said. Tears rolling down, he said ‘Lord, for this moment my mind is filled with joy and happiness; I am unable to express them, but at the same time uneasiness  too haunt me. Oh Lord, what should I do now?’

Compassionate Lord Dattathreya said ‘Arjuna, I saw you to be restless which has made it difficult for you to absorb my teachings, first begin to practice Pranayama, the art of breath control, which will help harmonize your feelings and thoughts. As you refine your practice and recollect the lessons I have shared, you will gradually find the pathway to tranquility. When you continue the art of Pranayama with dedication, you will reach the state of Brahman, where you may discover extraordinary abilities known as Siddhi, which will ultimately lead you to salvation. I understand you wish to be detached, yet you are also seeking peace and tranquility—these desires can seem at odds with one another. If you truly seek peace, I suggest you find solitude in the cave beneath the mountain, sit there and meditate and repeatedly recollect my teachings; they will guide you toward a state of samadhi.’ He then gave his blessings and encouraged Arjun to go and meditate in the cave.

Days and months passed and whenever meditation of Karthaveeryan got disturbed, he would go to Lord Dattathreya and prostrate before him. Whenever Lord Dattathreya questioned on his state of mind, Karthaveeryan would reply that he was in the state of bliss till his meditation got disturbed.

Therefore, Lord Dattathreya repeatedly asked him to go and continue meditation. At one stage, instead of sending him back to continue meditation, Lord Dattathreya asked him to go back to the Kingdom to take over the reins of administration. Mentally rejuvenated Karthaveeryan returned to his Kingdom and began to rule the nation with firmness than before, his actions aimed towards the welfare of the folks.

No matter how much a person tries to change, it’s often the case that their arrogance can resurface, sometimes against their own wishes, due to destiny; how could Karthaveeryan be an exception against this natural law. Despite his efforts to contain his arrogance, destiny ultimately overwhelmed his resolve. His royal court was often filled with lively debates, especially when Brahmin Pundits engaged in discussions. Karthaveeryan would attentively observe those debates, and at times, he even joined in, sharing his perspectives. However, the arguments presented in the debates made him question the consistency of the Vedas, leading to believe that adhering to Vedic rites and rituals might be futile.

The pundits, citing Vedic teachings, encouraged the performing specific rituals and rites, such as bathing in sacred rivers to attain prosperity. The King often questioned in self why prosperity eluded those pundits, who diligently followed practices prescribed in Vedas. Instead, he observed that they lived in deep hardship, relying on alms each day. He wondered what substantial benefits they had gained from their strict adherence to rituals, especially since he himself received many blessings from Lord Dattathreya without following any of those practices. When such thoughts weighed on him, he began to lose faith in the perspectives and teachings of the Brahmin pundits.

One day, when he visited Lord Dattathreya, he candidly shared his thoughts with the Lord, saying, ‘Maha Prabhu, the Brahmin pundits promote rituals like bathing in specific sacred rivers and emphasize certain practices. Do these rivers truly possess such sacredness?’. With a gentle smile, when Lord Dattathreya elaborated on the rivers’ glories as described in the Puranas, though Karthaveeryan appeared to be convinced, he struggled to embrace them in his heart. At the same time, since they were shared by the Lord himself, he found it difficult to dismiss them entirely. Ultimately, feeling supported by the Lord, he chose to follow his own convictions and perspectives, setting aside the opinions of the pundits.

On his way back, he analyzed and pondered over the rituals and norms suggested by the pundits on various issues. Unbeknownst to him, his enemies were patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity to undermine him. One day a debate unfolded in the royal court regarding advice given by the Brahmin pundits. Breaking unusual clam, Karthaveeryan lost his temper and harshly criticized the Brahmins openly in front of everyone thus leaving the pundits feel humiliated . Utilizing the opportunity, Lord Vayu, invisible to all addressed the King by invoking the name of Lord Dattathreya. He said ‘Listen, foolish King, it is only through the grace of Lord Dattathreya that you have been elevated to the ranks of great sages like Vashishta, Kashyapa, Atri, and Brigu. Today, however, you stand exposed, demonstrating a lack of the etiquette expected from someone of your stature. It is Lord Dattathreya who should feel ashamed for your actions, as he was responsible for lifting you up  the stature to which you are not fit’.

The moment Lord Dattathreya’s name was unnecessarily dragged and blamed for his misbehavior, Karthaveeryan instantly stood up in the midst of discussion to publicly apologize for the indecent comments made by him against the Brahmin Pundits. One’s respect enhances whenever he accepted his follies openly and tender unconditional apology for acts of misbehavior. Lord Vayu’s attempt to defame the reputation of Karthaveeryan failed and therefore he had to work out some other scheme to defame the King and to bring his downfall.

While many celestials, including some divine, held Karthaveeryan in high esteem, there were a few, like Lord Agni, who felt envious of him. One day, Lord Agni, disguising himself as a Brahmin, approached Karthaveeryan and asked for alms. Karthaveeryan recognized him immediately but, without hesitation, offered whatever Lord Agni requested in the spirit of generosity. Despite receiving what he asked for, Lord Agni continued to feign dissatisfaction, requesting more and more.

Karthaveeryan sensed that Lord Agni had ulterior motive aimed at tarnishing his reputation, yet feeling bound by his promise, he allowed Agni to consume the plants and trees in the forest to satisfy his hunger. Karthaveeryan believed that since he had the protection of Lord Dattathreya, nothing will harm him. However, he did not fully grasp the reality that death is an inevitable part of life, and while it can be postponed, it cannot be avoided. It was Lord Dattathreya who pleased with the devotion of Karthaveeryan kept his death extended.

Once Lord Agni received permission from the King, he set his destructive plan in motion by burning down the entire forest where the Rishis and sages lived in their hermitages. The fire ignited by Agni in the name of consuming them engulfed the hermitages. Agni devastated the lush green trees and plants, including those surrounding Sage Urthuva’s hermitage. The forest echoed with the heart-wrenching cries of the Rishis, sages, and saints. Maharishi Vashishta was deeply disturbed by the piercing cries of the sages and saints. In anger, he cursed that whoever permitted Lord Agni to carry out such devastation would face death at the hands of a brahmin. To honor Maharishi Vashishta’s curse, Lord Parasurama, another incarnate of Lord Vishnu, confronted and killed Karthaveeryan at a much later stage. This significant event is part of the life story of Lord Parasurama.

Time seemed to pass quickly after Lord Agni’s departure, which unfortunately led to significant harm to Karthaveeryan’s reputation. Gradually, many actions of Karthaveeryan began to be viewed as unethical. He frequently traveled in the special flying cart gifted by Lord Dattathreya, moving between the three worlds with a sense of fearlessness that caused distress to celestials whose privacy eroded. On one occasion, he entered Lord Indira’s palace while the Lord was with his wife, an intrusion that was not only disrespectful but also accompanied by taunts about his own invincibility. The Celestials, irked by Karthaveeryan’s misdeeds, sought Lord Vishnu’s help, pleading for protection from Karthaveeryan; Lord Vishnu reassured them, that Karthaveeryan’s reign would end soon.

Once, while Karthaveeryan was returning from a challenging expedition filled with battles, he passed through a forest where Maharishi Jamadagni resided. Noticing the exhaustion of the weary troops and the King himself, the Sage offered them food. Karthaveeryan while politely declining the offer expressed that he had come with a large force who were also hungry, hence, it would be unfair to satiate his hunger leaving others remain hungry . The Sage, with a gentle laugh, reassured the King that his invitation was not just meant for him alone, but for his entire force. The King was taken aback, unable to fathom how such a small hut could accommodate food for so many. However, to his astonishment, as the entire troop gathered and began to eat, an endless supply of food continued to emerge from the hut until everyone’s hunger was satisfied.

After everyone enjoyed their meal, they expressed their gratitude to the saint for his timely provision of food. A whitish cow emerged from the sage’s hut, and the sage told Karthaveeryan that the entire feast was provided only by the holy Cow. While acknowledging the sage’s generosity and exchanging polite pleasantries, the King requested the saint to give him the Cow in return for substantial wealth. The sage was taken aback by the request of the King and firmly refused to part with the divine Cow, jokingly pointing out that instead of giving gifts to the Brahmins, the King was now asking for a Cow from a humble Brahmin.

The King misunderstood Maharishi Jamadagni’s refusal, thinking that the sage was bargaining for more wealth in exchange for the Cow. He made several offers to persuade the sage to part with the Cow, however, when the sage remained firm on his stand pointing out that the Cow was like his holy mother, the King commanded his troops to seize the Cow by force. How could a gentle sage stand against the King’s mighty army, especially when the King had the blessings of Lord Dattathreya? Feeling powerless against the King’s army, the sage’s spirit crumbled and he sat down in despair, watching the hapless Cow being taken away by the King’s soldiers.

Lord Parasurama was away when all those events unfolded. He had gone to the forest, and upon his return, he found his father, Sage Jamadagni, sitting in a state of shock and unable to speak. In the next few minutes, Lord Parasurama learned of everything that had transpired. Filled with rage at the insult meted out to his father, a weak Brahmin who could not defend himself, Lord Parasurama resolved to take revenge. Keeping the axe over his shoulder, he set out to confront the King and his troops. After a long pursuit, he finally spotted them and shouted, ‘Stop, cowards why did you snatch the Cow from my father?’. Karthaveeryan was shocked that someone would openly challenge him and insult him in such a manner. Lord Parasurama roared like a lion, demanding, ‘Are you going to return the cow or not?’.

Karthaveeryan thought to himself, ‘If I remain silent and walk away, how can I maintain my authority as a Kshatriya King? The enemy stands alone, without support. I must fight to assert my strength’. He then threatened Lord Parasurama, telling him to flee for his life, as the Cow would not be returned. The troops behind the King jeered at Lord Parasurama, urging him to run away to save himself. Lord Parasurama roared ‘You impotent force, come and fight me’ and without waiting for a response, he charged forward, fighting fiercely like a lion and a tiger. Unable to withstand his onslaught, the troops fled in fear.

Karthaveeryan kept up the fighting with lone Lord Parasurama who severed the hands of Karthaveeryan, but to the surprise of Lord Parasurama, he noticed new hands kept sprouting from Karthaveeryan’s body. During the ongoing battle, Karthaveeryan began to think to himself ‘Perhaps I have made a grave mistake by forcefully taking away the holy Cow from a poor brahmin. Even Lord Dattathreya would not condone such actions against someone weaker’. He remembered the warning from Lord Dattathreya, who had foretold that a stronger brahmin would come to bring him to law of justice. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he understood that perhaps Lord Dattathreya had indeed sent someone to fulfill that prophecy. He recalled the warning of Lord Dattathreya who once said that someone stronger, a Brahmin, would suddenly come and kill him. He realized that the time may have come and hence Lord Dattathreya himself may have sent someone to complete the task.

He realized that he had caused irreversible harm and that regretting his wrongdoing would not change anything now. He acknowledged that his opponent might be far more powerful than he was. Initially, both Karthaveeryan and Lord Parasurama engaged in combat with weapons. As Karthaveeryan exhausted his arms, they transitioned to physical fight that lasted for many hours, during which both men secretly respected each other’s strength. Ultimately, when Lord Parasurama deployed brahmasthra bestowed upon him by Lord Shiva, new hands sprouting from Karthaveeryan’s body stopped.

Lord Parasurama was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was one aspect of Lord Dattathreya and hence, It became Lord Dattathreya’s responsibility to kill Karthaveeryan to respect the curse of Maharishi Vashishta. At the end of the fiercely fought battle, Lord Parasurama defeated Karthaveeryan. Being blessed devotee of Lord Dattathreya, Karthaveeryan ascended to heaven. The divine Cow rushed to Lord Parasurama, stood by his side with tears of joy streaming down her face. In a moment of compassion, Lord Parasurama comforted the Cow and took her to his father.

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Fourth day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Lord Dattatreya and Lord Parasurama

Before we go into the story of Lord Parasurama, it’s important to know about his family . Bururavan, a ruler from the Amvasu dynasty, governed the independent state of Kusumba. He had a son named Kaathi, who was a revered sage; the other children born to Bururavan were two sons and a daughter. While the two sons chose the path of Sanyas and went away, married Kaathi preferred to live in the jungle with his father. He had a daughter named Satyavati, who was known for her virtue, good manners, and beauty. Maharishi Brigu’s son, Rikka, fell in love with Satyavati and in a departure from tradition, Rikka presented one thousand horses, each with one black ear as dowry to marry her ; usually only the family of the bride offered dowry in those days. After they got married, Sage Kaathi’s wife harbored a peculiar desire; she wanted to give birth to a child each time her daughter-in-law conceived; she did not hide her intention and shared her desire with Satyavati as well.

A few years after Satyavati’s marriage, Maharishi Brigu visited their home. Kaathi’s wife expressed her desire to conceive alongside with Satyavathi, daughter of Maharishi Brigu and sought his blessings for the same. Acceding to her request, Maharishi Brigu performed a special pooja ritual and provided two utensils filled with food, each infused with unique mantras specific to each of them. He explained that one was intended for Satyavati and the other for Kaathi’s wife and emphasized the importance of keeping the two vessels separately, further advising that after morning bath, both mother and daughter should consume only the food designated for them. He cautioned that it was crucial to avoid any mix-up, as food in each vessel was specifically meant for each one of them.

The next morning, Kaathi’s wife woke up early, took a bath, and went to eat the food meant for her. When she looked at both the vessels, her mind corrupted, wondering whether the food meant for her daughter-in-law will result in her delivering more beautiful child than the one which she (Kaathi’s wife) may deliver. Therefore, ignoring the advice of Maharishi Brigu, she partook the food intended for her daughter in law. When her daughter-in-law too arrived, after taking a bath, she was shocked to find that her mother-in law had eaten food meant for her. When questioned, her mother-in-law sincerely apologized for the mix-up. Since there was no other option left and not to disrespect who gave the mantra-infused food Satyavati eat the food meant for her mother leaving rest to destiny.

When Kaathi’s wife told the Maharishi that she had mistakenly taken food meant for her daughter, the Maharishi could with his yogic power fully understood the mischievous act of the mother and regretted that destiny had played. Therefore, he tweaked his blessings in such a manner that the attributes of the son to be born to Satyavati would go to the son to be delivered by Kaathi’s wife. Soon both the mother and the daughter bore a child each. While Satyavati gave birth to Sage Jamadagni with Sattvic nature, Kaathi’s wife delivered Maharishi Vishwamitra. Since sage Jamadagni’s nature was Sattvic i.e. polite in nature like his mother, he could not fight with the forces of Karthaveeryan army when they snatched away his holy cow.

Sage Jamadagni married Renuka, a woman of great virtue and chastity. She fully devoted herself to her husband, assisting him in performing rituals and ceremonies with utmost care. Together, they were blessed with several sons, including Lord Parasurama, and lived harmoniously as a united family. However, fate had its own plans. One day, while Renuka was bathing in a river, she noticed a couple—a king and his consort—playfully enjoying each other’s company, which stirred feelings of lust within her. For a fleeting moment, her devotion to her husband wavered. Realizing this, she quickly completed her bath and returned home with guilt. Looking at the disturbed face of Renuka, her husband Sage Jamadagni, using his Yogic powers, sensed what had transpired. In the lives of Rishis and sages, even a momentary feeling of sensual pleasures is seen as a loss of chastity. Sage Jamadagni immediately summoned his sons and ordered them to chop off the head of their mother since she had lost her modesty.

Despite being ordered by their father to commit the horrific act of killing their mother, none of the sons developed courage to carry out the order because of love on their mother. Enraged by their disobedience, the sage cursed them too to become wild animals and to roam in the forest. Shocked Renuka stood speechless, head facing down in nervousness. When the youngest son, Lord Parasurama, returned home, seeing his father’s furious demeanor, he sensed that something was amiss and before he could grasp the situation, his father commanded, ‘Chop off your mother’s head’. In the next moment, Lord Parasurama followed the command of his father and Renuka’s head fell to the ground. Sage Jamadagni jubilant at his son’s action, proclaimed, ‘you are truly my son, ask for any boon, and it shall be granted through my good deeds’. Without hesitation, Lord Parasurama requested his father to restore his mother’s life and lift the curse on his brothers. Moved by his son’s unwavering love for his family, Sage Jamadagni appreciated Parasurama’s obedience and granted his wishes, saying, ‘Thathasthu’ meaning request granted. Thus, Renuka was brought back to life, along with his brothers, who got back their original forms. The family then lived for over a thousand years, though Renuka never lifted her gaze to meet anyone’s eyes. During this period the conflict with Karthaveeryan erupted leading Lord Parasurama to defeat and kill him. Meanwhile, Karthaveeryan’s loyalists plotted revenge against Lord Parasurama, knowing they can not defeat him in a fair fight. One fateful morning, while he was away, they stormed into Sage Jamadagni’s hermitage, destroyed it and took away his life after torturing him for his son’s act. Renuka’s agonizing scream echoed throughout the forest as she beat her chest twenty-one times, calling out for Lord Parasurama to come and save them. When her desperate and piercing cry reached Lord Parasurama’s ears, he rushed back, unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded.

Upon arriving home, Lord Parasurama was devastated to find the hermitage in ruins and his parents cruelly harmed by Karthaveeryan’s troops. Overcome with rage, he seized his weapons and set off in pursuit of Kshatriya forces. He relentlessly hunted down each and every soldier, showing no mercy even to those who attempted to flee. After killing all of them, he returned home, weary and heartbroken.

Upon his return, he was struck by the sight of his mother, inconsolable as she clutched the lifeless body of his father lying in pool of blood. Lord Parasurama was overwhelmed with sorrow, lamenting that despite possessing immense power, he could not protect his parents.

Renuka rose to comfort her son, gently urging him to find peace and accept what had happened could not be undone. Instead of remaining in despair, she encouraged him to focus on honoring his father through last rites. She instructed him to bring a Kavadi (a shoulder pole with two baskets). When Lord Parasurama arranged to get it, as instructed by his mother he placed his father in one basket while his mother sat in the other. Lord Parasurama was told to traverse the jungle, when unknown call will direct him to stop there and perform the final rites. The assembled family agreed with her plan, and Lord Parasurama began his journey westward, carrying his parents with deep sorrow in his heart.

Lord Parasurama traveled tirelessly for hours, navigating through dense jungles and rugged terrains. He received no message to halt his journey until he finally reached the ashram of Lord Dattathreya. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice commanded him to stop, yet no one was in sight. Eager to uncover the source of the voice, Lord Parasurama set down his pole and approached his mother to seek her advice. He heard a faint voice coming from her, urging him, ‘Son, remember your father’s advice to you to visit Lord Dattathreya. Go to his nearby ashram, seek his guidance, and perform our last rites as he suggests. If you cannot meet him, find the Audumbar tree near the ashram and meditate for his grace. If he is pleased with your prayers, he will appear before you and offer his guidance’. Faithfully following his mother’s instructions, Lord Parasurama entered the nearby cottage in search of Lord Dattathreya.

In contrast to his mother’s words, Lord Parasurama encountered a man engaged in unsettling act; he was consuming toddy from two bottles. The unpleasant aroma of the toddy, combined with the stench of half-cooked, spoiled meat scattered all around was nauseating. However, Lord Parasurama remembered his father’s teachings that Lord Dattathreya often appeared in unusual forms to test seekers. He therefore humbly prostrated at the feet of the Lord, disguised as a rough character and requested guidance on performing his father’s last rites. The Lord responded, ‘Hey, stranger, are you here to mock me and seek guidance for last rites? What do I know about the last rites, I am not a pundit to suggest it? If you want to enjoy life, come sit with me and share some toddy and fresh meat; otherwise, run away from here’. Despite the unwelcoming harsh reply, Lord Parasurama remained resolute, understanding it was part of the Lord’s test. With folded hands, he pleaded with the Lord, who appeared in the guise of a lunatic, to show him mercy by ending the pretense and guide him to fulfill his mother’s wish to cremate his parents. He conveyed to Lord Dattathreya that he had come there to seek his advice solely on his mother’s directive.

When Lord Parasurama uttered ‘mother,’ Lord Dattathreya, taken aback, inquired if he had truly approached him on behalf of his mother. He expressed a genuine desire to know who she was and to meet her. Next minute the entire area brightened, and Lord Dattathreya appeared before him, radiating glorious light rays from over his body. Together, they walked towards Renuka; Once went near Renuka, Lord Dattathreya began to praise her, ‘Oh mother, oh Devi, the entire cosmos resides within you. Oh compassionate mother, I salute you; oh universal mother, I bow to you’. As he offered these heartfelt salutations, Renuka’s appearance too transformed, glowing with radiance and taking on a different form instead of Lord Parasurama’s mother. Lord Parasurama stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed with surprise and confusion, unable to comprehend the unfolding events. Turning to Lord Parasurama, Lord Dattathreya suggested that he take a bath in the sacred rivers nearby and return afterward.

Complying to the command when Lord Parasurama returned after taking bathe, Lord Dattathreya compassionately guided him on how to perform the last rites for his parents. With deep sincerity and respect, Lord Parasurama followed Lord Dattathreya’s instructions. After sage Jamadagni’s body was placed on the burning pyre, Renuka, in her grief, also jumped into the fire, vanishing from sight. Once the rites were completed, everyone paid their respects to Lord Dattathreya and left. After cremating his parents, Lord Parasurama, remembering his mother’s anguish when her husband was slain, sought out the Kshatriyas and killed them. He continued this cycle of violence until he grew weary of the endless bloodshed. Feeling frustrated and burdened by his actions, he returned to the forest to seek guidance from Lord Dattathreya. Along the way, his parents, Jamadagni and Renuka, appeared before Lord Parasurama and advised him to perform a Yagna to atone for the sins he had accumulated through his actions (for killing Kshatriyas) before they disappeared.

As days passed, feeling disheartened, Lord Parasurama approached Lord Dattathreya for guidance on how to conduct the Yagna which his parents had suggested. As a bachelor without a consort, he felt unable to perform the ritual. Lord Dattathreya offered him a female idol, advising him to treat it as his consort during the Yagna to offset the need of a consort. He named the ceremony as ‘Renuka Yagna’ and re-assured Lord Parasurama that he would remain by his side until it was completed successfully, just as his parents wished. The Yagna unfolded well, with Lord Dattathreya present throughout the ritual, guiding him at every step. Sage Kashyapa also joined in and actively participated in the ritual.

The Rishis and sages who took part in the Yagna found themselves pondering why Lord Dattathreya got the yagya performed in the name of ‘Renuka Yagna’ and what connection there was between Renuka and Lord Dattathreya. They were wondering whether Renuka was really mother of Lord Parasurama or someone else. Why did Lord Dattathreya take active part in the yagna? These unanswered questions lingered in their minds, yet none felt brave enough to ask Lord Dattathreya directly. As the Yagna concluded, the guests were generously gifted, leaving them deeply satisfied.

However, when the moment came, Lord Parasurama himself sought to break the mystery. Addressing Lord Dattathreya in front of everyone, he expressed his curiosity: ‘Oh Lord, my parents appeared to me on their way to Swarga and instructed me to become your disciple. When you first met my mother, you revered her as Loka Matha. I wonder why someone as revered as you, would honor my mother? Did you know her before? Also, why did you name the Yagna as ‘Renuka Yagna’? I would feel truly grateful if you could clarify my doubts’.

Lord Dattathreya spoke gently, saying, ‘Parasurama, I understand your curiosity about my connection to your mother. She is truly remarkable, unlike any ordinary person. Though she is in subtle body that includes five senses—eyes, ears, skin, tongue her gross body consists of Sky, Vayu, Agni, Water, and Earth. She also has five organs of action: speech, hands, legs, anus, and genitals, as well as vital functions like Prana (breathing), Apana (elimination), Vyana (circulation), Udana (actions such as sneezing and crying), and Samana (digestion). Now she has left her subtle body and gone back to her abode. Karthaveeryan had to meet death at the hands of Lord Vishnu, hence you, as incarnate of Lord Vishnu you completed the task as destined.

Your mother is universal mother, Sandhya Devi called Gayathri who is eternal and exist in time immortal. Though there is of specific time to worship her, she could be worshiped in the name of Santhiyavanthana in all three times- in the morning, noon and evening—to attain lasting peace of mind. Worship can be offered from wherever one may be. Although ‘Santhi’ refers to time, but it does not mean that she could be worshiped only three times daily, hence even Avadhoots like us continue to worship her throughout the day.

Take a moment to notice the pond where your mother, Renuka, bathed, and the Audumbar tree nearby, where she would rest in its shade. Anyone who sits beneath that tree can find mental tranquility. Remember your mother’s advice to you to go and take rest under the same tree’.

As Lord Dattathreya shared these profound insights about Lord Parasurama’s mother, Renuka Devi suddenly appeared beneath the Audumbar tree. Immediately Lord Dattathreya eulogized her ‘Hey Devi, Hey Jagan Matha, Hey Amba devi’ and performed  certain rituals and pooja. . The rishis and sages, who had been eagerly listening to Lord Dattathreya’s teachings, returned home feeling satisfied and enlightened, their doubts resolved through Lord Parasurama’s journey.

At the conclusion of the yagna, while everyone else departed, Lord Parasurama remained behind to worship Lord Dattathreya and his mother, Renuka. Gradually, he sensed that he was entering a realm of serene and eternal peace that enveloped him. However, after facing defeat at the hands of Lord Rama, he returned to the forest feeling deeply frustrated. As he wandered aimlessly through the woods, he encountered a sage named Samvartha, who was also present in the forest, living in a state of nakedness and seldom seen by others. Seeking his blessings and guidance, Lord Parasurama expressed his desire to pursue the path of wisdom. The sage gently pointed out that Lord Parasurama was in search of light, even while holding a lit lamp in his own hands. The revelation made Lord Parasurama realize  his grave mistake in forgetting Lord Dattathreya, therefore, he hurried to Lord Dattathreya and humbly surrendered at his feet, asking for forgiveness and guidance toward salvation, as he felt restless within.

Lord Dattathreya offered comfort and guidance to Lord Parasurama through various anecdotes. He encouraged him to meditate in a small hut near his hermitage. Following Lord Dattathreya’s advice, Lord Parasurama began his meditation and sought further guidance from time to time during his practice. At one such moment, Lord Dattathreya imparted the teachings of the ‘Tripura Rahasya’ (Mystery beyond the Trinity) to Lord Parasurama, which included many interwoven stories. He also revealed to Lord Parasurama the significance of Tripurasundari, Sri Chakra, and the proper way to perform the Sri Chakra Yanthra pooja 

Saint Eknath and Lord Dattatreya

Large devotees of Lord Dattathreya are in the state of Maharashtra. It is beyond any one’s comprehension how Lord Dattathreya helps his devotees. The story of Lord Dattatreya providing help, even without being formally invited, is closely associated in the life of   Saint Eknath.  Sage Eknath belonged to Varahari clan from the lineage of Swami Gnanadeva in the state of then Maratha and who lived in the 16th-17th century along with another sage called Dhathopant. Both were Brahmins.

In the ancient past, those inclined towards life of sanyas used to reach out to some Guru or master to get guided  in the path of enlightenment. In one such case,  ten years old saint Eknath became a disciple of Saint Janardhana. Saint Eknath was also devoted  to Lord Panduranga Vitala. It is said that Saint Janardhana attained enlightenment meditating under a gooseberry tree near Devagiri Mountain in the Satara district of Maharashtra and frequently got vision of Lord Dattathreya who used to appear before him in his true form. Although Saint Janardhana was a Brahmin, he was secular in all aspects in life, hence, he  served as the chief of the palace guards in the army of a Muslim king. Though in the services of the army of a Muslim King, in his spare time he used to sit on intense meditation, with strict instruction to his bodyguards that he should not be disturbed until he concluded the meditation and got up of his own. Saint Eknath used to stand guard to ensure that his master remained undisturbed.

Once, the King of a neighboring state declared war against the Muslim kingdom where Saint Janardhana served. In the fierce fight ensued, the enemy forces advanced right to the palace gates; saint Janardhana was in intense meditation. Saint Eknath guarding his master was put in a piquant situation unable to take a decision whether to disturb his master on meditation or wait till he opened up his eyes. As the enemy forces moved fast towards the Palace, Saint Eknath took up the bold decision to don the mantle of his guru after silently seeking his forgiveness and entered the battle field without disturbing the meditation of his master.

During the fierce fighting, Saint Eknath noticed an unknown Muslim warrior fighting valiantly alongside him, fiercely pushing back the enemy. Eyes turned bloodied, the unknown warrior fiercely fought against the invading forces and in the end  drove away the attackers. Ultimately, Saint Eknath’s forces emerged victorious, even without Saint Janardhana’s direct involvement. It was only after the battle ended Saint Janardhana’s ended his meditation and got up. When Saint Eknath recounted the tale of the mysterious warrior who aided him in the battle, his guru realized, through his wisdom, that this stranger was none but Lord Dattathreya himself who has helped them taking part in the battle in guise of a warrior.

Yet another incident happened in the life of Sage Eknath when Lord Dattathreya in disguise of a Fakir accompanied by a female and few dogs came and invited Sage Eknath to partake food with him. Sage Eknath being a Brahmin, showed reluctance  to sit with a Fakir and  share the food; accidentally his Guru who came there advised Sage Eknath to partake food with the Fakir indirectly hinting that the Fakir was none but Lord Dattathreya himself in guise of a Fakir. Before Sage Eknath could return back to his senses, the Fakir had disappeared. While no one could guess why Lord Dattathreya was compassionate to help an individual like Sage Eknath, the answer to the mystery was revealed after eighteen years as narrated in one of the stories involving Shri Daththothbhava.

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Fifth day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Lord Dattatreya and Shri Daththothbhava

Daththothbhava was a devoted follower of Lord Dattathreya from a young age. With the blessings of Lord Dattathreya, he embraced the path of Sanyas. An interesting event from his childhood illustrates his deep connection to the Lord. When he was just twelve years old, his father worked as a servant in the royal court. After borrowing money from the King, Daththothbhava’s father struggled to repay the debt on time. Consequently, the King took Daththothbhava as a hostage, insisting that his father repay the loan to take back his son. Being devoted to Lord Dattathreya, the family earnestly prayed to the Lord to save their son.  How could compassionate Lord Dattathreya remain silent while his devotee suffered? In a remarkable turn of events, Lord Dattathreya went to the King in the guise of a friend of the servant, paid off the entire debt, and secured Daththothbhava’s release, returning him safely to his parents. His parents were astonished when the King released their son before receiving the loaned money. It was only when Daththothbhava returned home and shared the miraculous story, that the servant’s family realized the divine intervention of Lord Dattathreya.

Afterward, Daththothbhava’s devotion to Lord Dattathreya deepened significantly. He distanced himself from his friends and became completely absorbed in thoughts of the Lord, nurturing a strong desire to meet him. He ventured into the forest, finding a quiet place he took up intense meditation, longing to see the Lord. He slept on the ground, among bushes and rocks, dedicating himself to the worship of Lord Dattathreya. One day, touched by Daththothbhava’s devotion, Lord Dattathreya appeared before him in his true form and embraced him, transforming Daththothbhava into a divine angel. Daththothbhava’s joy was immeasurable.

A few days later, Daththothbhava traveled to Ambakooragiri, where he fortuitously met Saint Eknath. Both were delighted to see each other. As time went on, the festival of Krishna Jayanthi began while Saint Eknath was still there, and Daththothbhava participated in the celebrations. On the day of Krishna Jayanthi, he fortuitously spotted Lord Dattathreya standing disguised as a guard disguised as a guard at the entrance. He rushed over, fell at His feet, and asked why he was standing there as a guard for Saint Eknath. Lord Dattathreya explained that he was only protecting Lord Panduranga, who had incarnated as Saint Eknath and participating in the function.

Only then did Daththothbhava who was eighteen years younger to Saint Eknath understood who Saint Eknath was and why Lord Dattathreya was compassionate to him. Later Daththothbhava obtained the sandals of Lord Dattathreya and took initiation from him near river Godavari. The initiation received by Daththothbhava from Lord Dattathreya was known as ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am Brahman) a Sanskrit aphorism, and yoga philosophy to describe the unity of the Atman (individual self or soul) with Brahman (the Absolute).

Sathrujit and Lord Dattatreya

The story of Sathrujit beautifully highlights the glory of Lord Dattathreya. King Sathrujit was a disciplined and well-mannered ruler who governed his kingdom with great virtue. His son, Ruthuthvajan, followed in his father’s footsteps, upholding discipline and embodying all the virtues he inherited. In addition, he became skilled in the Vedas and Shastras. Amongst many friends he had, two stood out as his best friends. They hailed from Nagaloga, a realm of the abyss, and shared admirable qualities and moral character akin to Ruthuthvajan’s. But Ruthuthvajan did not know they belonged to Nagaloga. Despite being close to Ruthuthvajan and in human form, those two friends chose not to reveal their true identities, even to Ruthuthvajan.

One day, a sage visited the Royal court of the King to share a troubling situation.  He was accompanied by a divine horse which surprised everyone in the Royal court. The sage explained that the sages and saints in the forest were unable to perform their rituals, engage in tapas, or meditate peacefully due to the disturbances caused by an asura who often came in the form of a wild boar and terrorized  them. Although the sages possessed the meditative powers to vanquish the asura, they hesitated to use their hard-earned strength, fearing that it would diminish their hard gained powers once exercised. The sage said, ‘Oh, King, when we prayed to the Lord for relief from the asura’s torment, we received a divine message assuring us that a powerful horse, akin to the carrier of Lord Sun, would come to us. We were instructed to hand over the horse to you, and request you to send your son to protect us. Only your son could ride  the horse and   drive away the asura from the forest. Following the  divine command, we have come here to humbly request  you to accept the horse, send your son to safeguard our spiritual practices in the forest’.

The King was a noble leader who greatly respected the fraternity of Rishis and sages. With a sense of purpose, he entrusted the divine horse to his son, Ruthujvajan, and sent him along with the sages to the forest for their protection against the asura. When Ruthujvajan approached the horse, it gently bent down and invited him to sit over her. Once both Ruthujvajan and the sage sat over it, the horse soared into the air leading them into the jungle. The anxious sages and saints waiting for the son of the King to come were overjoyed and resumed their meditation and tapas, while Ruthujvajan remained outside the hermitage to stand guard.

At that time, the asura, who had long been troubling the saints and sages, entered the jungle disguised as a wild boar and began to wreak havoc on Yahya Kund. Without hesitation, Ruthuthvajan shot several arrows at the boar, surprising the asura with such fierce resistance from the sages. Realizing the danger, the asura began to retreat in an attempt to save itself. Ruthuthvajan, mounted on his divine horse, pursued the wild boar. The retreating asura was nervous for his capture by Ruthuthvajan would mean certain death; therefore,the asura fled into abyss. Thanks to his divine steed, Ruthuthvajan was able to follow the wild boar and enter into this mysterious realm; inside the abyss, the wild boar vanished suddenly. Ruthuthvajan was left in awe as he discovered stunning buildings and palaces within the abyss, and while admiring their beauty, he continued his search for the elusive boar.

On his journey, he unexpectedly encountered a beautiful girl adorned in intricately carved gold jewels, though her clothes were tattered. She looked weary and gloomy. For a brief moment, they locked eyes and coming to his senses, Ruthuthvajan approached her and introduced himself. He conveyed that he had ventured into the abyss chasing a wild boar that was causing trouble to the sages and saints in the land above abyss. However, upon entering the here, the wild boar had vanished and he was now searching for the wild animal. He politely asked for her assistance in locating the animal. But before he could get near her, she hurried inside and concealed herself. Despite her disappearance, with no fear in mind, Ruthuthvajan casually tied his horse in the terrace of the palace in the abyss and entered the building, determined to continue his pursuit of the wild boar.

As he entered the grand hall, he noticed a stunning woman resting on an ornate bed. She was unaware of his presence at first. As he was enjoying the beauty of the girl lying on the bed, accidentally she too noticed the stranger standing there, but instead of showing fear, she simply stared at him for a moment. In the otherwise tranquil atmosphere, Ruthuthvajan, regaining his composure, asked her gently, ‘Hello, madam, you appear anxious and troubled. Would you mind sharing who you are and what bothers you?’. When she remained silent for a while, he repeated his question. Responding to him she called out loudly, ‘Kundali’. Ruthuthvajan was taken aback to see Kundali, someone he had first encountered when he entered the world of abyss. The woman then asked him not to press further, explaining that they couldn’t provide details on them and instead requested him to reveal his identity first. They appeared nervous while talking.

Ruthuthvajan quickly recognized that the girls were in serious trouble and needed help. He introduced himself, saying, ‘Girls, I am Ruthuthvajan, the prince of the world above the abyss. I came here in pursuit of a wild boar that was disturbing the meditating sages and saints in the forest. If you trust me and share the true nature of the danger you’re facing, I may be able to assist you.’ The girl who spoke first mentioned that her companion’s name was Madalasai. She explained to Ruthuthvajan that the prince of the King of the Abyss was trying to force her into marriage. Since those from the world above the abyss cannot marry someone from below (pathal Log), she refused to the proposal. Hence, in retaliation, he kidnapped her and imprisoned her in the world of abyss, planning to marry her in just two days. When Madalasai contemplated taking her own life, the divine Cow Kamadhenu encountered her and gently urged her to hold on a little longer, assuring her that help would arrive. True to Kamadhenu’s words, the princess saw the asura who was in the form of a wild boar, came running having been wounded by arrows Ruthuthvajan had shot. Both girls felt a glimmer of hope for their release and asked if Ruthuthvajan could rescue Madalasai from her prison in the abyss.

Ruthuthvajan was deeply moved by Madalasai and was determined to rescue her, but he wished to marry her. Since he could be engaged with her only through fire rituals, he earnestly prayed to his guru for help. In a moment, his guru appeared in the abyss riding on the special horse sent by Ruthuthvajan and, after understanding Ruthuthvajan’s situation, he graciously performed their marriage ceremony with fire rituals right there itself. Once married with Madalasai, Ruthuthvajan when got ready to leave, was confronted by Doomakethu, the King of the abyss, who came there on learning about Ruthuthvajan’s presence in abyss and attacked him. As a skilled warrior with a powerful divine horse, Ruthuthvajan bravely fought against Doomakethu’s forces, ultimately defeating them and killing Doomakethu. After eliminating Doomakethu and his forces, Ruthuthvajan rode back to his palace on the divine horse along with Madalasai. Even before their arrival, the Raja guru, who had officiated their marriage in the abyss and went back, shared the joyful news with Ruthuthvajan’s parents. As a result, Ruthuthvajan and Madalasai received a warm and grand welcome upon their return.

After returning from the world of the abyss, everyone noticed significant changes in Ruthuthvajan’s behaviour. He cut down his previous habits of wandering and taking pleasure trips with friends; instead he chose to spend more time with his wife and focus on the administrative affairs of the state. He often sought the wisdom of saints and sages, clearing many of his doubts through their guidance. While his parents felt immense joy witnessing their son’s transformation, both Ruthuthvajan and Madalasai embraced a life filled with happiness. Meanwhile, in the world of the abyss, Thaalakethu, the brother of Doomakethu, who had been killed during the confrontation with Ruthuthvajan while Madalasai was rescued, was waiting for the right moment to settle the score and avenge his brother’s death. Soon, that opportunity came.

Ruthuthvajan often ventured into the jungle to connect with the sages and saints. One day, while wandering through the forest, he lost his way and found himself trapped deep in the jungle. After much effort, he discovered a hermitage and when entered, a sage greeted him warmly and welcomed him. This sage was actually Thaalakethu, Doomakethu’s brother, disguised as a saint and anticipating Ruthuthvajan’s arrival waited there. Thaalakethu, cunning brother of Doomakethu was aware that as long as the divine horse accompanied Ruthuthvajan, he can not be defeated in the battle, hence, he created a false hermitage to deceive and trap him. Naive about the hostile and ill intentions of Thaalakethu, Ruthuthvajan stayed there overnight. After exchanging friendly words and resting, Ruthuthvajan inquired about what the sage might need in return for his hospitality and help in need. After showering Ruthuthvajan with false compliments, Thaalakethu mentioned his plan to perform a yagna and requested as token of Ruthuthvajan’s contribution the latchet with a chain which he was wearing. Thaalakethu was aware that this latchet had been a gifted to Ruthuthvajan by Madalasai during their marriage in the world of abyss. Feeling hesitant due to the sentimental value attached to the latchet, Ruthuthvajan took a moment to reflect, but realized that denial of the latchet for the yagya would be tantamount to insult and therefore after some initial reluctance, he chose to donate the latchet to Thaalakethu, who still appeared as a sage. The sage asked him to stay in the hermitage overnight and go back to his Kingdom next morning. He also guided Ruthuthvajan the way to reach his Palace. Ruthuthvajan slept well in the night in the cottage even as the divine horse was guarding him. 

Before Ruthuthvajan could rise in the morning and make his way to the Palace, Thaalakethu had already arrived there disguised as a sage. He met with the King and falsely reported that his son had met death in the jungle during a confrontation with enemies. Thaalakethu claimed that before Ruthuthvajan passed away, he had given him a latchet and repeatedly called out the name ‘Madalasai’ before taking his last breath. After elaborating the deceitful tale about Ruthuthvajan’s demise, Thaalakethu left, feeling a sense of satisfaction for avenging his brother’s death. Upon seeing the latchet attached to the chain, Madalasai was led to believe that her husband was truly dead, and in grief, she tragically collapsed and died.

The final rites for Madalasai were conducted and the entire Kingdom mourned the loss of Ruthuthvajan, who was, in fact, still alive. Meanwhile, Ruthuthvajan found his way back to the Kingdom after wandering, only to discover that the whole state was in mourning. He was bewildered and could not understand what had transpired. Upon arriving at the Palace, everyone was taken aback and came to the painful realization that someone had deceived them with false news, leading to the tragic death of Madalasai.

As time passed, the prince continued to bear the heavy burden in his heart. Gradually, he began to find a sense of normalcy again, reconnecting with his friends and cherishing the time spent with them. His friends offered him comfort in various ways, hoping to help him move on from the past. Among them were those two close friends from Nagaloga, who had been living there for quite some time to support Ruthuthvajan. Long absence of the Nagaloga boys caused concern for their father, who decided to meet his sons secretly to understand why they hadn’t returned home in so long. Though their father was initially upset over his sons living in guise of humans, after they explained the circumstances which forced their stay over ground with Ruthuthvajan who possessed good manners and character, the King of Nagaloga too was convinced of their genuine friendship and appreciated his son’s decision.

They shared the difficult experience of their dear friend Ruthuthvajan, who bravely risked his own life to protect the saints and sages. They requested their father to assist Ruthuthvajan in some manner. The King of Nagaloga too was deeply saddened upon hearing Ruthuthvajan’s story of betrayal. He was already aware of the admirable governance of Ruthuthvajan’s father, whose legacy Ruthuthvajan continues to uphold.

The Naga King decided to help his son’s friend in some way and devised a plan. He returned to Nagaloga with his sons, entrusted the Kingdom to them for a while, and journeyed to the Himalayas. There, he engaged in deep meditation seeking the blessings of Goddess Saraswathi. His devotion was so intense that when the Goddess appeared before him to fulfill his wish, he asked her to revive his brother who had passed away long ago and to bless them both with the gift of enchanting music. The Goddess, pleased with his sincerity, not only restored his brother to life but also granted them the ability to create beautiful, heart-touching melodies. The two brothers exchanged greetings and talked about the challenges faced by Ruthuthvajan. They decided to pray to Lord Shiva, hoping to receive his blessings to help resolve Ruthuthvajan’s problem and to bring Madalasai back into their family. With this intention, they traveled to Mount Kailash, where they performed heartfelt hymns in honor of Lord Shiva. Delighted by their music, Lord Shiva appeared before them to grant their wishes. They requested his blessing for Madalasai to be reborn in their family, in her original human form, retaining the same qualities and feelings she had when she passed away. Lord Shiva did not hesitate to grant the boon they sought and the brothers happily returned home. Soon after, Madalasai was born into the King’s family, regaining her former appearance and aspects. Ruthuthvajan’s friends were overjoyed that Madalasai had come back as their sister. As a skilled mind reader, the boys father decided that Ruthuthvajan should not meet Madalasai directly at first. Instead, he planned to gradually bring Ruthuthvajan to her, at the same time ensuring that she remained unseen until the right moment. According to this plan, Ruthuthvajan’s friends from Nagaloga went to meet Ruthuthvajan and persuaded him to accompany them to meet their father, who was eager to see him.

Ruthuthvajan was hesitant to meet their father, but eventually, they managed to persuade him, to travel with them to Nagaloga by boat. Ruthuthvajan was unaware about Nagaloga; hence, he didn’t inquire about where they were taking him. Along the way, they mesmerized him and blindfolded him by their mystic power and took him to Nagaloga, which was deep beneath the ocean. Ruthuthvajan felt the journey was quite long, and as soon as they arrived, his eyes opened involuntarily. He realized he was in an unfamiliar land, with two serpents beside him. Nervous Ruthuthvajan before could say anything, the serpents spoke in human language, saying, ‘Friend, please forgive us. We are the same friends from Bhoologa, disguised as two Brahmin boys. Our father wished to meet you, so we brought you here under false pretenses. Please don’t hold grudge against us’. Ruthuthvajan recognized their voices and reassured them that he was not angry, as he believed that a friend’s father was just like his own. This kind of response from Ruthuthvajan only deepened their father’s admiration for him.

When they introduced Ruthuthvajan to their father, Ruthuthvajan immediately fell at his feet, as mark of respect shown to an elder and they embraced each other warmly. The Nagaloga King felt joy in seeing all three of them together. As if unaware of Ruthuthvajan’s struggles, the King casually asked about his well-being and blessed him with hopes of finding a good partner for him in life. In that moment, Ruthuthvajan stood silently, his heart aching with grief for Madalasai, who was no longer with him. The Naga King, perceptive to Ruthuthvajan’s emotions, chose not to delve deeper at that moment. Instead, he suggested they enjoy some food and rest before meeting again in the evening.

After lunch, when Ruthuthvajan returned to the King with his friends, the Naga King gently inquired if there was any way he could assist him, reassuring him that he could fulfill any wish with his spiritual powers. However, Madalasai entirely occupying his mind, Ruthuthvajan found it difficult to share his feelings and glanced at his friends, who were waiting to address the matter. Although their father was already aware of everything, they acted as if he didn’t know the story of Ruthuthvajan and recounted his struggles until the death of his beloved wife in an act of deceit by an asura from the world of abyss. They pretended that Ruthuthvajan would find happiness if only his wife could be brought back to life.

The King smiled at Ruthuthvajan, acknowledging the deep feelings he harbored. He gently reminded him that the deceased cannot be brought back to life, but offered a chance to see Madalasai for a few moments by his mystic powers, under certain conditions. The stipulation was that Ruthuthvajan should not attempt to approach or touch her. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Ruthuthvajan agreed, cherishing the opportunity to see her once more. The King arranged for Madalasai to be presented before him. When they finally faced each other from a distance, Ruthuthvajan was overcome with emotion, and began to weep uncontrollably. Bound by the agreement not to touch her, he gazed at her from afar, allowing his tears to flow until she faded away. Heartbroken, he sat in silence, only to be stirred from his sorrow when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

When he turned around in shock, he saw the King standing behind him, gently rubbing his shoulders to reassure him that he would be reunited with his wife. However, before that could happen, Ruthuthvajan needed to understand how Madalasai was granted rebirth. The King shared the entire story, explaining how his sons had fostered a close friendship with Ruthuthvajan in Bhoologa; their reactions to his wife’s loss; how they sought his help to find a way to bring her back; how with the grace of Goddess Saraswathi, he managed to restore his deceased brother to life; how both of them sought a boon from Lord Shiva for Madalasai’s rebirth and narrated all other details. He also mentioned that Ruthuthvajan had to endure this trial due to fate, and so he decided to enact a small drama before bringing them together. After their reunion, the couple was sent back to their homeland with the blessings of the King of Nagaloga.

……………the story of Ruthuthvajan continues….

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Sixth day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

……………..Story of Ruthuthvajan continues

The royal family was filled with joy upon Ruthuthvajan’s return home with his wife. As the years passed, King Sathrujit too passed away, and his son Ruthuthvajan took on the responsibilities of the Kingdom, ruling with the same care and dedication as his father. After Ruthuthvajan ascended to the throne, Madalasai became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful son. During the naming ceremony, when the king bestowed a name upon the child, Madalasai responded with laughter, seemingly amused by the name chosen for her son. This reaction, though intentional, might have been seen as disrespectful if anyone else had acted in such a way. However, since it was Madalasai, consort of the King, others chose not to react, and Ruthuthvajan also overlooked her response. The child grew up to be intelligent, well-mannered, and possessed many of the admirable qualities of the King.

Madalasai often sang lullabies to the child, weaving in philosophical themes like questioning his existence in a world filled with illusions and advising him to remain detached from materialism. Initially, the King noticed these lullabies but dismissed his concerns, wondering why such profound ideas were being shared at bedtime to a child. As the child grew, he observed Madalasai imparting deeper wisdom, explaining that just as dirty water can mix with pure water but still retain its essence, one should strive to absorb the good qualities from wise and virtuous people, rather than letting negative influences taint their mind. She emphasized the importance of preserving one’s inherent moral character, suggesting that true purity comes from the soul and not from the body. The King began to worry about his wife’s choice to instill such metaphysical concepts in the minds of young son, fearing that such ideas may leave a lasting impact on his impressionable mind. His concerns were validated when his son turned twelve years old, the boy chose to renounce his royal life and embrace a path of Sanyas. Madalasai remained calm and carried on with her daily responsibilities, showing no signs of distress over her son’s decision. The King found himself struggling to understand his wife’s demeanor and her acceptance of their son’s choice.

A few years later, Madalasai conceived again and gave birth to another son. During the naming ceremony, she once again made a mocking laugh at the King, just as she did before when the first son was born. She sang the same lullabies to her second child too. As the boy grew, she imparted the same spiritual and philosophical teachings. She would often tell him, ‘Why have you come into this world of illusion? It is important to live with detachment from material desires. The cosmos is created by the formless one. Just as your body is animated by this formless soul, remember that the creator of the universe is also formless. You should always remember that your existence is a reflection of the Supreme self-consciousness. The thoughts and feelings you experience are generated by the same formless one called Paramatman’. The King worried about how these philosophical ideas would resonate with the child at such a young age, yet he chose to remain passive and not voice his concerns to prevent friction with his wife whom he loved the most. As the boy matured, he too followed his brother’s footsteps by unexpectedly renouncing worldly pleasures and embarking on a path of asceticism. He retreated to the forest.

The King was deeply shattered by the decision of his second son, at the same time Madalasai showed no signs of remorse or concern even in this case and continued with her daily routine, ensuring her husband was content and she managing her household tasks as usual. However, the King saw  her lost in profound thoughts, maintaining a stoic silence  in her moments of solitude. Neither the king nor anyone else could truly understand Madalasai’s nature or her inner world. Once again, she became pregnant for the third time.

The king hoped that Madalasai’s attitude would change. However, during the naming ceremony of their child, she displayed the same sarcasm as before and raised the child in the same philosophical manner as she had with their previous sons. The teachings she shared remained consistent. On one occasion, the King observed her advising the child, ‘Do you understand the qualities of a Yogi? A Yogi should remain in a state of bliss, be self-contented, and detached from material desires, free from thoughts of the past, present, and future. Regardless of where a Yogi resides—be it a hut, by the river, or under the mountains—he should strive to unite his Atman with Brahman, or at the very least, work towards that goal, remaining free from wealth, worldly pleasures, and land’.  The king recognized these teachings as the doctrines of Lord Dattathreya.

As time passed, their third child grew remarkably intelligent, but unfortunately he too followed the footsteps of his elder brothers  by renunciation of the worldly desires and to pursue a life as an ascetic. This decision from the third son was yet another heavy blow to the king, who was waiting for the right moment to discuss those matters with Madalasai, who had now conceived for the fourth time and gave birth to another son.

During the naming ceremony, the King decided to let his wife choose the name for their child, hoping that at least their fourth son would become the heir to the Kingdom. However, Madalasai named the child ‘Alarkan’ a name that was met with ridicule because it meant ‘mad dog’. The shocked guests left in anger and protest.

For the first time, the King expressed his frustration to Madalasai about the name she had chosen. He said to her, ‘Every time I have named a child, you have shown a mischievous smile. Today, when I asked you to choose a name, you named him Alarkan and embarrassed me. What are your intentions?’ Calm and composed Madalasai responded after a moment, ‘Oh King, every time you named a child, I did not mock you or look at you sarcastically; I simply wondered how names without significance to the child’s body or soul could be chosen.’

She continued ‘The body may perish, but the soul within remains eternal. This is a truth many hold dear. Yet, can anyone truly explain where the soul journeys after leaving the body, or whether it carries the name bestowed upon it? Each child is given a name and rituals are performed, often more to satisfy the tradition than for any true meaning. Does a name really shape one’s life or influence their character? If the name holds no significance for the body or the soul, then why do we go through the trouble of naming ceremonies? My laughter was not meant to ridicule anyone, including you. When I was asked to choose a name, I casually picked Alarkan, a name that seemed unrelated to the boy’s essence’. The King found no answers to counter Madalasai. 

In the end, unable to respond, he made a heartfelt request, ‘Let’s leave the past behind. The previous three sons were raised with metaphysical teachings rather than the practical duties required of a prince, leading them to choose the path of renunciation. Let’s focus on the present boy, our future heir. It’s essential that he learns the worldly matters and responsibilities a King owes to his people. The well-being of the folks  depends on the ruler’.  Madalasai accepted his request without contest, promising to nurture the boy into a responsible prince dedicated to serving his land. From the next day, her lessons for him changed significantly compared to how she had raised the other boys. She included the inspiring stories of Lord Dattathreya. Alarkan absorbed the teachings from the Shastras with great enthusiasm, became well-versed in administrative duties, and ultimately emerged as a knowledgeable and responsible prince, well-prepared for taking over the reins of Kingdom. When the King recognized Alarkan’s grasp of the essential qualities of a ruler, he entrusted the Kingdom to him and chose to renounce royal life, retreating to the forest to embrace Sanyas with Madalasai by his side.

As his parents decided to leave, Alarkan felt a heavy weight has been put over his shoulders leaving him with significant responsibilities. Before they ventured into the jungle, Madalasai gave Alarkan a ring and quietly advised him, ‘Alarkan, as you take on the duty of protecting our country, you may face many challenges and hardships in life. When you find it particularly difficult to settle, take a close look at the ring, and you will find guidance. Until you reach that moment, please refrain from trying to uncover the advice within it’. After sharing her wisdom, she departed for the forest with her husband. Alarkan dedicated himself to managing the affairs of the land in the best manner, keeping welfare of his folks top priority. Meanwhile, his elder brother, who had renounced worldly life to embrace Sanyas, learned about Alarkan’s remarkable leadership. Despite his own renunciation, Alarkan’s elder brother struggled to endorse the leadership of his younger brother on the throne; he decided to travel to Kasi to seek the support of the King of Kasi, who was also an adversary of Alarkan to unseat Alarkan.

The King of Kasi was not only a formidable warrior, a knowledgeable scholar of the shastras but also deeply committed to the principles of war and peace. Therefore, even when Alarkan’s own brother approached him out of jealousy, seeking to incite conflict, the King of Kasi hesitated to engage in war without proper reason. Taking advantage of his relationship with the King, Alarkan’s brother manipulated the situation by sharing numerous false tales about Alarkan’s rule, which corrupted the mind of the Kasi King who ultimately declared war against Alarkan.

As the war commenced, Alarkan suffered significant losses and eventually holed up himself within the fort with his remaining forces. Overwhelmed with despair, he suddenly recalled the ring which his mother had given to him just before her departure from the palace. She had advised him to examine it closely in times of great peril, as it would offer him wise counsel. Recognizing the urgency of his situation, Alarkan looked at the ring intently and discovered a few words inscribed within, ‘Remain detached. If you find this difficult, seek guidance from a true master’. Memories of Lord Dattathreya, as shared by his mother, flooded his mind, bringing him a sense of comfort and clarity.

One day, without informing anyone, he secretly left the fort through a secret tunnel that had been built long ago. He met Lord Dattathreya and humbly fell at his feet. The Lord, aware of everything, offered guidance, encouraging him to face his challenges with calm mind. Alarkan shared his struggles with the Lord and asked for assistance in overcoming his difficulties.

Lord Datta replied, ‘Alarkan, you are worrying unnecessarily about something that is unreal. Take a moment to reflect on who you are. Your physical body is merely a representation of the atman within you. Have you ever bothered to find what the the essence of your soul, the atman, really is? Is it like wind, the earth, or the sky? Can any part of your physical being truly perceive or understand the genuine nature of the atman? The atman is free of fear and is not swayed by sorrow or joy, it is independent of its own. So, what is it that you are truly concerned about, is it the preservation of the independent atman, or the fleeting body made of flesh and blood?’

Alarkan, your feelings and emotions are as complex and vast as the universe, often beyond our understanding. When attachment fills your mind, it tends to expand with like marriage, children and pursuit of wealth all of which  lead to suffering in life as well. It will be beneficial to shed off those attachments  and cultivate a sense of detachment from even possession of wealth. By practicing mind control and strengthening your resolve, you can naturally develop determination called  siddhi. Once you master over your determination, you will find it easier to manage other desires. Achieving this state can open the door to enlightenment and allow you to become a Yogi with profound wisdom.

Listening intently, Alarkan absorbed every word spoken by Lord Dattathreya, holding them close to his heart. Lord Dattathreya continued,  ‘Alarkan, a Yogi who travels and finds rest beneath trees, in caves, along quiet river banks, or even in open spaces consider them as his own home.  You too must learn to adapt such feelings. Try to eat whatever food is available to you, and if food is not available, practice to live on plain water. As you get accustomed to such kind of  lifestyle, you will find yourself moving toward detachment, the path which will lead to  enlightenment. However, remember such a journey requires  initiation and guidance from a master, called Guru. Focus on controlling your mind, and follow the path it reveals.  Sit before your Guru, control your breath, practice Pranayama, which involves meditation and chants of special mantra which may be given to you by your Guru. Such a practice will elevate your spiritual energy and guide you towards the state of samadhi.’

Once the practitioner embark on the journey to reach the highest state of yogic absorption and oneness with consciousness called Samadhi, they may often encounter remarkable spiritual abilities known as Siddhi, the accomplishment of abnormal spiritual powers needed for an Yogi. By maintaining control over over mind and diligently following the intended path, one can achieve success and become a Yogi. What truly matters is perseverance.

Consider the tiny ant, with its minuscule mouth, still it thrives within the vast hollows of giant trees. Even when leaves or flowers are removed from a tree, it continues to regenerate them, time and again. In the same manner, those who commit to yogic practice with determination can rise to the level of a Yogi, no matter how many obstracles they may face in their journey; over period of time they will gain the ability to master their mind and senses to reach their goal Samadhi. When the senses are under control, ego and arrogance diminish, leading one into a realm of tranquility and peace. Alarka you must keep these in mind and attempt to become an Yogi.

As Alarkan listened to Lord Dattathreya’s profound words, he gradually recognized that he was in a place of serenity. He bowed deeply at Lord Dattathreya’s feet several times, expressing his gratitude, telling ‘ Oh, Lord, today I finally see light in the darkness and feel the release of my ego. The seed of the spiritual path that has taken root in my mind is blossoming, guiding me into a world of peace’. Alarkan praised Lord Dattathreya with heartfelt hymns before taking leave to return to the Fort through the same secret tunnel.

Upon arriving at the Fort, he gathered his troops and announced his intention to end the war; he asked them to remain attentive to his next steps and not to engage in combat until he deemed it appropriate to resume the fight and give them order. He had the gates opened and approached the enemies, who were resting in their tents.

In an unexpected turn of events, Alarkan approached the King of Kasi and said, ‘Oh King, take over my Kingdom, or alternatively, you may pass it on to my brother, who is eager to assume the throne, the decision is yours, as I am leaving the palace immediately’. The King of Kasi was taken aback by Alarkan’s boldness, noticing he was alone and unarmed. However, he quickly drew his sword for protection, ready to defend himself if necessary. After hearing Alarkan’s words, King Kasi stood in shock, surprised and searched for words to respond.

Before Alarkan went before the King, the King of Kasi was perplexed as to why there was no resistance from within the Fort, even though his spies informed him that the King was missing. Adhering to the conventions of war, he refrained from forceful entry. Struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events, he questioned Alarkan, whether he was pretending out of fear or had some hidden agenda to deceive him. Alarkan chuckled and assured the King that fear no longer held a place in his life. ‘Oh King, I am resolute in my decision to offer the Kingdom to you. Life is fleeting, and we cannot halt its inevitable passage. When you surrounded my Fort, I used a secret tunnel to reach out to Lord Dattathreya seeking his guidance. His guidance led me to this rightful choice of throwing away all my properties to become a free man. I owe my gratitude to my brother for facilitating such a meeting. Had he not conspired with you to weaken my position, I might not have undergone this transformation. I sincerely thank you both for the role you have played. Please believe me, I am leaving the Kingdom, handing over its thorn to you to merge it with your state.

Alarkan’s elder brother, who was by the side of the King of Kasi, hailed Alarkan’s decision to hand over the Kingdom to the King of Kasi, dismounted from his horse, rushed to him and hugged him. Expressing happiness over the decision of Alarkan, he ‘Brother, my happiness goes beyond boundaries on hearing your fabulous decision at the instance of the sermons of Adi Guru to whom you have fully surrendered’. Then turning to the King of Kasi, he said ‘Oh King, I have achieved what I set out for. I am grateful for your invaluable support in this matter. I will be joining my younger brother and going away with him. You may take the entire Kingdom and rule it in the best manner’. Shocked at the series of developments, King of Kasi stopped the brothers and asked ‘Wait, why are you both fooling me? I fought this war against my conscience to secure the Kingdom for you, yet you have now chosen to align with your brother against whom you fought till yesterday. Now you are leaving putting the burden of governing this state under my rule’.

Alarkan’s brother expressed, ‘Oh King, it is time to reveal the truth to clear your doubts. Although my mother was married to my father, Ruthuthvajan, she was no ordinary woman as many believed. She was a universal mother, and her marriage was destined for specific reason. All four of us were groomed by  teaching how to remain detached from the materialistic world . While all the three brothers took her teachings to heart and embraced renunciation,  Alarkan our youngest brother  chose a different path, driven by desires much like an animal. His choice to live in the materialistic world caused much mental pain to me as he is a son of universal mother, Yoga Matha who appeared in the form of our mother. Had Alarkan  continued to travel   in that path, it would have been not only a great betrayal to my mother, but also tantamount to disrespect shown to her. Therefore, I sought your support to help him understand the truth. Now that my goal has been accomplished, I will also take leave and entrust our Kingdom to you to govern.

The King of Kasi felt a deep sense of regret for not fully embracing the spiritual life himself. He then requested that someone from their family step in to lead the Kingdom, as he was not also inclined to take on that responsibility; having cleared his views thus, he too returned back to Kasi. Alarkan entrusted the Kingdom to his son before departing with his brother to pursue the path of renunciation. This story illustrates how Lord Dattathreya guides those who surrender to him wholeheartedly.

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

 

Seventh day Parayan

Om Dattathreyaaya Vidmahe
Yogeeswaraaya Deemahey
Thanno Datta Prachothayaath

Lord Dattatreya and Shri Vishnu Datta

Once, there lived a Brahmin by name Vishnu Datta, known for his piety and devotion. He led a simple life in line with his beliefs and was respected in his community. He was married to a devoted wife who supported him in every way. Near his home stood a large tamarind tree, which many believed was inhabited by ghosts and spirits that roamed at night. Indeed, one such ghost made its home atop that tree.

Every day, after finishing his chores and rituals, Vishnu Datta would place some food under the tamarind tree as an offering to the deities, hoping that it would be consumed by them through insects. He was unwavering in this practice, never missing a day, and continued to make these offerings after his daily prayers.

One day, the ghost descended from the tree and ate the food. As time went on, the ghost made it a practice to eat the offerings kept by Vishnu Datta and satisfied its hunger. Because the ghost regularly enjoyed the food, as mark of gratitude it refrained from disturbing Vishnu Datta’s family, unlike other spirits might have done. Over time, the ghost’s heart and mind turned Sattvic like the pious Brahmin. It even started to feel a sense of gratitude and a desire to help Vishnu Datta’s family in return for the kindness shown to it.

After debating in mind how to help Vishnu Datta, the ghost decided to reach out to him with offer of help in some manner. One day, while Vishnu Datta was placing the food beneath the tree, the ghost suddenly went and stood before him in its true form and gently expressed its willingness to help him in some manner. Surprised and shocked at the strange encounter with a ghost, when Vishnu Datta remained unable to answer, the ghost realizing his predicament reiterated its offer in a more polite manner as Vishnu Datta keeping food everyday as an offering to the deities, satisfied its hunger. When Vishnu Datta came to his senses, he was astonished to find a ghost coming forward and extended help to a human rather than terrorizing him.

Though initially confused and anxious, Vishnu Datta found reassurance in the ghost’s promise of support and responded that he would discuss the matter with his wife before deciding what assistance they might need. When he returned home, he shared the offer of the ghost with his wife and ultimately decided to seek the ghost’s help in meeting Lord Dattathreya, a long-held dream for both of them, as they had heard that Lord Dattathreya might be residing some where in the near vicinity in the form of an Avadhoot. The couple on numerous occasions attempted to have the glimpse of Lord Dattathreya, but failed to find him.

The next day, when Vishnu Datta shared his wish with the ghost, it trembled expressing inability to assist him in that matter because his request —meeting Lord Dattathreya was beyond its reach. No ghost would dare to even think of meeting the Lord, forget approaching him, fearing the consequences of getting burnt. Instead, it offered to help him in other ways. However, Vishnu Datta, committed to a life of simplicity, politely declined  alternative assistance. He expressed his gratitude to the ghost for its kind offer and asked it to disregard his initial request, as his only desire was to meet Lord Dattathreya, a long cherished dream of him. He said, ‘Oh, ghost, please don’t have regret for not being able to take us to the Lord. We truly appreciate your willingness to help us, which if fructified would have gave us a world of joy as we simply wished to meet the Lord at least once in life time and therefore decided to accept your offer help, when you came forward to help us. Let’s move past this.’ Just as he was about to leave, the ghost stopped him.

The ghost felt that for someone who had fed it for so long, should not be let down, hence, offered an alternate suggestion. It said ‘Look Brahmin since you have asked for a favour it would be unfair for me to run away without doing something. Therefore, I will take you to the locality where Lord Datta could be seen. But remember I cannot take you near him but can only show the Lord from a distance. You should intelligently act and catch hold of the Lord since he will appear in guise of anyone unknown or unseen by you’. Vishnu Datta agreed to the suggestion since he desired to  meet the Lord.

A few days passed, and one day, the ghost called Vishnu Datta to accompany it quickly. They arrived at a location near a meat shop. From a distance, the ghost pointed out the shop and urged Vishnu Datta to go there and identify Lord Dattathreya, who might be wandering in disguise as a beggar or someone else unusual. Being a Brahmin, Vishnu Datta found it difficult to endure the foul smell of the meat and observed the shop from afar. He noticed many people buying meat, except for a heavily intoxicated man with reddish eyes who still remained at the shop. Vishnu Datta struggled to believe that the drunkard could be the Lord incarnate and silently accused the ghost of leading him astray to a place Brahmins typically avoid, as even approaching a meat shop was considered sinful. Cursing the ghost in mind  he continued to watch the drunkard from a distance, when suddenly, the drunkard vanished.  In the next moment, the ghost appeared before Vishnu Datta, expressing regret that he had missed a precious opportunity to meet Lord Dattathreya, who was standing near the meat shop  disguised as the drunkard. The ghost reminded him that Lord Dattathreya often tests his devotees by appearing in unexpected forms. Vishnu Datta also felt deep regret for his mistake and returned home  frustrated.

Few more days passed, the ghost returned in a hurry, urging Vishnu Datta to accompany him urgently. From a distance, it showed him a beggar walking, surrounded by a few dogs. The ghost informed Vishnu Datta that the beggar was, in fact, Lord Dattathreya and encouraged him to go and meet him. Filled with excitement, Vishnu Datta rushed towards the beggar and, before the beggar could say anything, he fell at his feet, offering his salutations and inadvertently blocking his path. Frustrated by Vishnu Datta’s actions, the beggar struck him with a stick and shouted, ‘Move aside and stop blocking my way, you foolish fellow, why are you bothering me?’. When Vishnu Datta tried once more to stop him, the beggar hit him harder and pushed him away. Unable to bear the pain from the blows, Vishnu Datta ran off, feeling betrayed by the ghost for leading him to some lunatic who not only misbehaved with him, but also beat him black and blue. In his frustration, he thought, ‘I will no longer trust this ghost and waste my time searching Lord Dattathreya, instead I will stick to my current way of life and remain contented.’ He returned home, still reeling from the pain of the encounter, and fell asleep, wrapped in discomfort. The next morning, the ghost visited him again, expressing disappointment for having missed the valuable opportunity to meet the Lord, who had taken the form of the beggar to test his devotion and mental resilience.

Fewer more days went by, and each day Vishnu Datta eagerly awaited the ghost’s return with good news. One day, the ghost appeared as usual, urging him to follow quickly so that it could show him the Lord. The ghost led him to a distant place, advising him to be there and search for the Lord who may be wandering in nearby areas. True to what the ghost said, Vishnu Datta spotted a lunatic who seemed unwell, plucking out pieces of flesh from the remains of a dead donkey and throwing the meat to the some birds who were flying at a distance. The ghost pointed out to Vishnu Datta that the lunatic was Lord Dattathreya, and then hurried away.

This time well determined, Vishnu Datta approached the lunatic, grasped his feet, and humbly pleaded, ‘Please accept my salutations, oh Lord’. This time, he resolved to stay put until the Lord revealed his true form, no matter what happened. In response, the Lord, disguised as the lunatic, kicked Vishnu Datta several times, yet Vishnu Datta remained steadfast, continuing to offer his respects tolerating the kicks. Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Vishnu Datta heard a compassionate voice calling ‘Get up, my son. What do you need?’ To his astonishment, he saw Lord Dattathreya standing before him, in the midst of radiant light. The lunatic was not there neither the dead donkey nor the discarded pieces of meat were also there.

The smell of locally called ‘Paneer Poo’ (Guettarda speciose flowers) filled the air. Vishnu Datta Circumambulating the Lord in ecstasy, chanted ‘Deva Charanam, Deva Charanam (meaning Lord, I worship thee)’.  He was unable to contain his joy and happiness. Lord calmed him down and asked him what boon he needed. Vishnu Datta could not think of asking anything instantly nor had time to consult his wife and therefore in hurry asked the Lord whether he could come to his house to take part in the annual rites being performed to his father. Lord did not hesitate to instantly accept  the invitation.

Vishnu Datta was filled with immense joy when the Lord agreed to attend the annual rites for his father. Highly elated Vishnu Datta offered salutations to Lord Dattathreya multiple times before taking leave and rushed to home to share the wonderful news of the divine appearance of Lord Dattathreya . He excitedly informed her that Lord Dattathreya would be joining in his father’s annual rites scheduled for next day. Throughout the night, the couple enthusiastically discussed various dishes which they could prepare to honor Lord Dattathreya. The next morning, they anxiously waited at the doorstep for his arrival. When the moment finally came, Lord Dattathreya arrived as expected.

After the ritual concluded, they laid out plates made of banyan leaves to serve the prepared food. When everyone gathered around to partake the food and waited for the signal from Lord Dattathreya, he playfully inquired from Vishnu Datta ‘Where is the other Brahmin to share in this meal? Two Brahmins should partake food together, along with others’. Vishnu Datta was taken aback, realizing his mistake to invite the second Brahmin. He rushed inside to consult his wife, who was also initially startled but soon found the confidence to seek a solution. She prayed to Lord Sun, requesting him to come down and partake food alongside Lord Dattathreya to help them pass through this predicament. Request from a highly virtuous woman, her prayer to him with all sincerity moved Lord Sun, who graciously accepted the invitation, knowing it was a great honor to share a meal with Lord Dattathreya. He then arrived in the form of a Brahmin priest, ready to sit alongside the Lord.

Lord Dattathreya felt a deep sense of joy when Vishnu Datta successfully passed the first test. However, he raised another question ‘Vishnu Datta, I almost forgot to ask… who is the honored guest invited to share the food offered to Lord Vishnu?’. In response, Vishnu Datta’s wife remained calm and quickly approached the firewood stove where she had prepared the meal. She prayed to the Lord of Agni, seeking his assistance as a special guest to partake the food offered to Lord Vishnu. To her amazement, Lord of Agni emerged from the flames, took the form of a Brahmin and sat alongside Lord Dattathreya, who smiled at the presence of both the Lords Sun and Agni, there to complete the ritual.

Lord Dattathreya appreciated Vishnu Datta’s wife for her honesty and wise act in overcoming the situation. The ritual concluded in a magnificent way, unlike any other celebration held in different homes. After everyone enjoyed the meal, Lord Dattathreya imparted a special and powerful Surya Mantra to Vishnu Datta, explaining that it could bring peace to his family and help resolve others’ problems and ailments. Once the guests departed, it took the joyful couple several hours to regain their composure. What greater gift could one wish for than to receive the blessings of Lord Dattathreya himself?

As time went on, even after receiving remarkable blessing from Lord Dattathreya, both Vishnu Datta and his wife maintained integrity, lived humble and in simplicity. Nearby, a poor Brahmin couple faced great challenges in their life; the husband fell gravely ill due to a serious disease. The most heartbreaking aspect of their situation was that his wife had not yet reached puberty and stayed with her parents. Those were the days when even the children who had not attained puberty used to get married but stayed at the home of their parents till they attained puberty. The ailing Brahmin who married that child girl had no one to look after him in his illness. Concerned for her husband’s well-being, the young wife felt that rather than staying with her parents while her husband suffered, she should break the tradition and go to him to take care of him, hence, she took the brave decision to leave her parental home to go and live her sick husband to serve him. As time passed, she learned of Vishnu Datta’s reputation and decided to approach him to heal her husband through the special mantra he possessed. With determination, she entrusted her husband’s care to her father, bravely approached Vishnu Datta and shared her struggles with tears.

Vishnu Datta, with his profound spiritual insight, recognized the underlying cause of the serious illness affecting her husband. Although he possessed the ability to heal him instantly through the special mantra bestowed by Lord Dattathreya, he chose not to do so. He understood that the Brahmin needed to completely overcome his sins to prevent recurring afflictions. When he shared his view with the young wife, without any hesitation she expressed her readiness to undertake any ritual to cleanse the sins accrued by her husband. Vishnu Datta recommended that she commit to challenging rituals for the next 33 years to restore her husband’s health; she embraced the task with sincerity and dedication. Gradually, her husband regained his health, and they were able to return to a joyful life together.

Throughout this time, Vishnu Datta continued to offer his service to others, guided by the special mantra given to him by Lord Dattathreya. Observing Vishnu Datta’s selfless dedication to helping those in need, Lord Dattathreya felt immense satisfaction and quietly enhanced Vishnu Datta’s spiritual strength, all without him being aware of it.

There are many stories that celebrate the greatness of Lord Dattathreya. Those who have surrendered to him often find immense internal joy and achieve remarkable heights in their lives. The glory of Lord Dattathreya is beautifully expressed in this way: ‘Thou art Lord Dattathreya, thou art Lord Krishna and thou art Lord Shiva as well. Thou appear in nakedness like a child. Thou art show path of enlightenment, thou art grant wisdom. Lord of compassion, bless us to remain ever chanting thine name’.

Digambara, Digambara, Sree Padha Vallabha Digambara
Digambara, Digambara, Sri Dattadeva Digambara
Om Shri Dattatreya Guruve Namaha

-Datta Parayan ends-