Dattatreya Jayanti, also called as Datta Jayanti, is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Dattatreya. According to the ancient beliefs, Lord Dattatreya is considered to be the combined form of the trinity, i.e., Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The combined form the powerful trinity is known as Lord Dattaterya and thus, it is believed that he posses the powers of all the three Gods. This festival is mainly celebrated in the state of Maharashtra. The devotees are believed to receive all kinds of benefits with the blessings of Lord Dattatreya. The auspicious occasion of Dattatreya Jayanti is believed to provide protection from any kind of ancestral issues the individuals. It also helps the devotees to lead a happy and prosperous life. It is believed that the occasion of Dattatreya Jayanti is able to provide relief from the major problems of life and removes the obstacles from the path of success of an individual. The person is blessed with the powers of trinity and achieves maximum success and benefits in life. The six hands of Lord Dattatreya are holding Snankha, Chakra, Gada, Trishul, Kamandal and begging bowl. The significance of these is as follows:
- The Shankh represents the divine sound and is believed to provide knowledge and spiritual expansion.
- The Chakra stands for time and represents the fact that life is a combination of both good and bad times.
- The Gada is considered as the symbol of pride and it signifies to live life with the feeling of love and compassion.
- The Trishul represent triple energies of materialization, spirituality and the third energy that maintains a balance between these two.
- The Kamandal represents a little port containing water and it signifies that Lord Dattatreya is actually the carrier of life on earth.
- The Begging bowl signifies that the individual should donate his pride, negativity, ego and evil thoughts and should remain free from these evil energies.
Thus, all these six things signify the important facts of life that should be followed by the individuals to live a happy and problem free life. In this way, Lord Dattatreya shows the path of success and knowledge to the devotees that help them to achieve happiness and prosperity in life.
What is the story behind this festival?
The son of Atri and Anasuya was known as Dattatreya. Dattatreya’s mother did many tapas or austerities to get a son like Trimurti who should have power of three Gods namely Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Because of this, wives of three Gods, namely Mata Lakshmi, Mata Saraswati, Mata Parvati became very jealous. Trimurti God appeared in front of Anasuya. Her mother chanted some mantras on them and made them babies. She also feeded them with her milk, then went back to the ashram. As Anasuya knew about the story, he hugged all the babies and made them single baby that had three heads and six legs and arms. When the three Gods did not return back to their wives, they got worried and went to Anasuya. All the Godesses requested Anasuya to forgive them and requested to return their husbands. He accepted their apology and returns them their husbands. All Gods appeared in their original form and gave them a blessing of a son named Dattatreya. As he was born because of the blessing of three gods, he was considered an incarnation of Vishnu, and his siblings were considered an incarnation of Shiva and Brahma.
How is this day celebrated?
People who worship God Datta wake up early in the morning in Bhrama Mahurat and take a bath in a holy river or a steamer. They also hold fast on this day. A very famous Pooja of Lord Datta is done with lamps, flowers, camphor and incense. Worshippers also meditate in front of their idol, pray God Dattatreya to become like him. They recall the good works done by God and read dharmik books like Jivanmukta Gita and Avadhuta Gita on the day. They also read Datta Mahatmaya, Datta Prabodh and Guru Charities and sing Bhajans for all the five days when this occasion is celebrated. Celebrations are done for 7 days in temples like Manik Nagar, Manik Prabhu Temple. People arrive from far places like Telanagana, Maharashtra and Karnataka for his Darshan. The incarnation of Dattatreya (Saint Manic Prabhu) was also acquitted on this day.
People used to apply tilak on forehead before beginning the puja. This occasion is believed to provide the devotees with concentration power and improves their ability of learning things. A sense of devotion is developed in the individual and he is able to earn benefits in life. People used to surrender themselves in front of the Datta Deity who is believed to omnipresent (present everywhere). Lord Dattatreya provides the individual with strength and improves his intellect. He is considered to be the destroyer of ego and thus, it is believed that the individual starts behaving with love and care with everyone around him.
What was the mission of Datta deity?
Lord Datta was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, therefore his mission was to institute creativity, developing devotion and sustenance to the people of the world. His aim was to teach people how to live blissful and happy ideal life. This God also helps the soul of ancestors of family members to give momentum in their journey after death. This occasion is celebrated to indicate that God is omnipresent and is always there with everyone. A sense of unity and oneness is developed in the individuals and they realize the presence of God in each and every individual. It is believed that that the three heads of Lord Dattatreya represents serenity and peace and the devotees are blessed with a peaceful and prosperous life.
A person is able to live the life with love and compassion and his presence attracts the attention of others towards him.
