Shri Dattatreya Jayanti
What Is Shri Dattatreya Jayanti?
Shri Dattatreya Jayanti is an annual celebration of the birthday of Lord Dattatreya, the divinity considered to be an embodiment of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva.
The celebration falls on the day of Puranmasi or the full moonlight in the month of Margashirsha.
Devotees, on this day, worship lord Dattatreya and offer him reverential regard for peace, happiness and prosperity in their life. To be noted here is that it is a chief celebratory event in the state of India’s Maharashtra.
Significance Of Observing Shri Dattatreya Jayanti
Devotees observe Shri Dattatreya Jayanti, as the day is associated with the birthday of Shri Dattatreya, who is considered a divine part of the trinity gods – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva. This virtue of divine alliance with Trinity Lords accentuates the significance of Shri Dattatreya Jayanti manifold.
Moreover, the significance of the day also is noteworthy because observing it can help a devotee to rid of problems caused by ancestral curses. Hence, a devotee is advised to conduct Shri Dattatreya Jayanti puja religiously or have it done under the supervision of an erudite priest to gain the most beneficial advantages out of the ritual.
Rituals To Be Followed During Shri Dattatreya Jayanti
- Wake up early in the morning, finish your daily routines, take a holy bath, and wear fine clothes
- Observe fast religiously for the day.
- Ingredients for puja include flowers, Diya, sandalwood paste, vermillion, incense stick, etc.
- Sing devotional songs, chant mantras, and read religious books like Avadhuta Gita
- Apply on the image or idol of Lord Dattatreya sandalwood paste, turmeric or vermillion.
- Offer reverential regard to the lord Dattatreya
- Make seven rounds of circles around the deity’s idol.
- Prasad and aarti to be given post conclusion of the puja
Who Is Lord Dattatreya? The Story Behind Shri Dattatreya Jayanti
Sage Atri and his wife Anasuya had a son named Dattatreya.
It is believed that Mata Anasuya was a woman of dignified chastity. Her virtue was famous far and wide. Even Trinity Lords – Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh extoled her virtue. However, their wives, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati questioned the virtuousness of Anasuya and requested their husband to test it.
To make their wives understand the power of Anasuya, the Trinity gods wore the guise of mendicants and appeared before Anasuya. There, they made a weird demand, asking Anasuya to give alms without wearing any dress. Though surprised at the demand, Anasuya maintained her composer and sprinkled mantra-siddh holy water on the mendicants. As a result, all three of them turned into three different babies. Thereafter, Anasuya, as naked, breastfed the babies, thus fulfilling their demand.
When the sage Atri came back to his hermitage, he was informed by his wife about the incident involving the three babies. Though Atri, being an omniscient himself, already knew the whole incident. He hugged the babies and turned them into one beautiful baby with three heads and six arms. Meanwhile, the wives of the trinity lords got worried about their husbands not returning home. So, they rushed to meet Anasuya only to find their husband turned into a baby. On being requested for forgiveness several times by the three goddesses, Anasuya transformed their husbands into true forms. At last, the trinity lords blessed Anasuya a son named Dattatreya.
Conclusion
Shri Dattatreya Jayanti is celebrated annually to commemorate the birthday of Shri Dattatreya. He is believed to be a divinity having the form of Trinity lords, Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. The day is celebrated with joy as devotees offer reverential regard to the lord for peace, happiness and prosperity in their life.
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