The practical meaning of Datta is experiencing ‘I am the soul’. Here the meaning is to explain that soul is the God and he is omnipresent and we cannot exist without him at any point of our lives. Having understood that every soul is a God by itself, then we start loving one and all. And through Datta Jayanti we try to achieve this. Datta Jayanti this year is today and Religion World calls upon the people love, respect and pray human beings and their existence in this world.
Deity Datta is also called Avadhūt, which means the One Who destroys ego. Hence the prayer– ‘O Dattatreya, please give me strength and intellect to destroy the ego’, is chanted on this day.
Another name of Deity Datta is Digamabar, which means, The One Who is all pervading. It means He is everywhere. In comparison, we are nothing. Let us pray – ‘O Dattatreya, please teach us how to surrender ourselves.’
Datta Jayanti
Dattatreya Jayanti is also known as Datta Jayanti, which celebrates the birthday of Hindu God Dattatrya (Datta) who is a combined form of the powerful trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is observed on a poornima (full moon day) of the Margashirsha month by the Hindu calendar. This puja and vrat of Diety Datta is mainly celebrated in Maharashtra. Devotees believe that they benefit in all aspects of life by performing puja on Dattatreya Jayanti but the main significance of this day is that it protects individuals from ancestral issues.
Deity Dattatreya is known to guide people to live a good life in the right manner. Worshipping him on the day of his incarnation helps devotees to lead a prosperous life. Naam jaap of few thousand times is very beneficial to everyone on Dattatreya Jayanti. It is important that one do more jaaps for severe problems as compared to small issues of life.
Who is Datta?
The birth of Deity Datta, Who incarnated on the full moon day (pournimā) of the Hindu lunar month of Mārgshīrsha, is celebrated as Datta Jayanti. In the previous eras, the atrocities of demonic forces increased tremendously; hence, Deity Dattatreya incarnated in different forms and destroyed the demons.
On Datta Jayanti, Deity Datta’s principle is 1000 times more active on Earth as compared to any other day. By worshipping Deity Datta with full devotion, one can derive maximum benefit of the Datta principle.
Different synonyms & Different experiences
The One Who has been endowed with the anubhūti (spiritual experience) of the unmanifest (nirgun) is called Datta. The anubhuti of nirgun essentially means realization that He is the soul (ātmā) or He has attained God-Realization. Deity Datta is also known as Dattatreya, Avadhut and Digambar.
Mythology associated with Datta’s birth
According to the Purānas, Anasūûyāâ, the wife of Sage Atri, was well known for Her chastity (pativratāâ). As a result, she had acquired tremendous power, due to which Deity Indra and other deities felt threatened. So, they went to Deity Brahmāâ, Shri Vishnu and Deity Mahesh (Shiva) and told Their agony. The trinity of Deities decided to test Anasuya’s chastity.
Once, when Her husband Sage Atri had gone out, the trinity of Deities disguised as guests and approached Anasuya asking for alms. She requested Them to wait till Sage Atri returned; but They insisted on being served food immediately. They further said, ‘we have heard that you serve guests food as per their wishes in your hermitage; that is why, we have come here.’ Anasuya agreed to serve Them food as per their wishes. The Deities laid down a condition that She should serve Them in nude. Baffled by this, She thought, ‘my mind is pure, the prowess of my husband’s penance will save me.’ She then contemplated upon her husband and got a thought, ‘these guests are my children.’ The trinity of Deities immediately turned into three little crying babies ! She took Them in Her arms and fed Them Her breast milk.
Just then, Sage Atri returned and She narrated everything to Him. He recognized the true form of the babies and offered obeisance to Them. The trinity of Deities was appeased and They appeared in front of Sage Atri and Anasuya and told Them to ask for a boon. Sage Atri and Anasuya wanted the babies to be with them. The Deities blessed the couple and left for Their abodes.
Chandra (Moon), Datta and Durvâs were Deity Brahma, Shrivishnu and Deity Mahesh respectively. Chandra and Durvas left to undertake penance, however, Deity Datta stayed back on the earth to accomplish the mission of Shrivishnu. Thus, the origin of the Guru lineage commenced from here onwards.
According to the science of Spirituality, The word ‘Atri’ is made up of A+tri (‘A’ means absent & ‘tri’ means triad), hence this name means – absence of the triad.
Purpose of Datta Incarnation
Deity Datta is an incarnation of Shrivishnu, hence His mission includes sustenance, creation and developing devotion in people, and teaching people how to lead an ideal and Blissful life. Deity Datta also provides forward momentum to the ancestors in their after death journey.
On Datta Jayanti, the Deity Datta principle is 1000 times more active than on any other day. Hence, one can derive maximum benefit from it by chanting ‘Shree Gurudev Datta’ for at least 1-2 hours. If possible one can chant up to 4-6 hours. If one is not able to monitor number of hours, one can chant as much as possible throughout the day.
Must Read Thiruvannamalai : “Thirukarthigai: – The Oldest Hindu Festival
Must read Karthigai Deepam : The Festival of Lights – Story and Significance
