Lord Dattatreya

Atri Maharshi and his wife Anusuya by the fruits of their austerities begot the divine Trinity i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and
Mahesh as their of-spring. The age named the young Vishnu as !Datta!, the "harming Brahma as !#handra! and
the infant iva as !Durvasa!. The three being son$s of Atri Maharshi, were "a%%ed as !Atreyas! and Datta "ame to be
"a%%ed !Dattatreya!. After some time, with the permission of their mother, Anusuya, #handra &Brahma' and Durvasa
&iva' merged their divinity in Datta and retired for doing penan"e. The upreme pirit, hen"eforth (nown as
!Dattatreya!, is indeed unbound by phenomena% e)isten"e. *et, in deferen"e to a "urse %aid on him on"e by the
sage Durvasa, he ever abides on earth, assuming diferent human forms. This he does out of "ompassion for the
"reatures on earth and for the gods. There were avatars of the Lord ear%ier too, but a%% of them, after "omp%eting
their mission, %eft of those forms and returned their one essen"e. +n order to b%ess his devotees, the Lord had
in"arnated as Lord Dattatreya, yet he did not, %i(e the other avatars, %eave the earth%y p%ane of e)isten"e after
a""omp%ishing his divine mission.
As this mission has to be "arried out as %ong as "reation e)ists, he does not %ay down his body and %eave for his
heaven%y rea%m but goes on wandering from p%a"e to p%a"e. Thus Dattatreya is the eterna% avatar of ,od$s pirit of
se%f dedi"ation to the sa%vation of a%% "reatures. -e manifests himse%f perennia%%y as the perfe"t saints of a%% re%igions
of the wor%d. Lord Dattatreya is a%so refereed to as the Adi-,uru &The primeva% Tea"her'.
ri reepada reeva%%abha&./0/-./11'2
+n a vi%%age named 3ithapuram %o"ated near the sa"red ,odavari 4iver, in 5ast ,odavari Distri"t in the tate of
Andhra 3radesh, +ndia, there %ived a pious "oup%e, of the Brahmin "aste, devoted to Lord Dattatreya, Appa%a 4a6u
arma and umati by name. To this pious "oup%e was born Lord Dattatreya as reepada reeva%%abha to "he"( the
evi% ways and strengthen the righteous for"es in man. -e was the third surviving "hi%d of the "oup%e. in"e the "hi%d
born had a%% the divine features besides "e%estia% radian"e, it was 7tting%y named as ree pada. This was the 7rst
manifestation of Lord Datta in this age of $8a%i$. As per the tradition, reepada$s !9panayanam! &investiture with the
sa"red thread' was performed when he was of eight years o%d, and from that very moment, being the divine
in"arnate, instead of %earning from a !,uru! &Tea"her', started imparting Vedi" (now%edge to his pupi%s.
At the appropriate time, reepada, b%essed his two brothers, who were in7rm from birth, with his in7nite gra"e and
made them norma% human beings. Then he granted his 3arents, the vision of his divine form. Then ta(ing %eave of
his 3arents, he renoun"e a%% wor%d%y ties and "hristened himse%f as !reepada reeva%%abha!. -e visited various ho%y
p%a"es and sett%ed in a p%a"e "a%%ed !8urupuram! on the ban(s of 4iver 8rishna. -ere, p%eased with the devotion of a
washer-man, he granted him a boon to be born in a 4oya% fami%y and reign as a 8ing in his ne)t birth. Thereafter, he
a%so advised a poor Brahmin %ady, who was about to end her %ife by drowning in the 8rishna, that she sha%% be
b%essed with a nob%e son e:ua% to him in spiritua% stature, in her ne)t %ife if she spends her %ife in the worship of Lord
hiva. To (eep up his promise, reepada reeva%%abha de"ided to "ast-of the physi"a% body by entering into the
river 8rishna and he wi%%ed his own birth on"e again. -owever, unseen, even to this day, the good %ord, has been
granting wishes to those who serve him and "ontemp%ate his divine name2
!Digambara, digambara, reepada va%%abha digambara! Digambara, Digambara, Avadhuta"hintana digambara!
ri ;rusimha araswati
The se"ond !Avatar! &in"arnation' of Lord Datta in this age of 8a%i was in the form of ri ;rusimha araswati. To the
pious "oup%e, Madhava harma and his wife Amba, who %ived in a vi%%age named 8aran6a or Laad-(aran6a in the
tate of Maharashtra, was born this divine "hi%d who ama<ed every one from the time of his birth, not by "rying, but
by uttering "%ear%y the !3ranava-;adam! &the sound of =M'. The "hi%d named !;arahari!, grew upto be a handsome
boy of 7ve, but he "ou%d not spea(. This was a "ause of worry to the 3arents.=ne day the young boy "onveyed to
his mother that he wou%d spea( if his !upanayanam! was performed. ;o sooner than the "hi%d was invested with
the sa"red thread, the divinity in the "hi%d swe%%ed out and (eeping his promise, he started re"iting a%% the Vedas
and immediate%y sought !Bhi(sha! from his mother. -e then did !prada(shina! &pa"ing in a "ir"%e thri"e around a
person&s'>deity et".' of his 3arents and sought their permission to enter the !anyasa Ashrama!, &i.e. the fourth
tage of re%igious %ife'.
?hen they remonstrated to him that he was their on%y son, he b%essed them with his divine form and presented
them the wisdom that he was not an ordinary morta%. After a year, with the birth of twins to his parents, they
permitted him to renoun"e the wor%d and he %eft his home dressed as renun"iate. =n his way to Badrinath, ;arahari
visited Varanasi &8ashi' and in a""ordan"e with ho%y tradition, resorted to -is -o%iness wami 8rishna araswati as
his !,uru! and from him too( the vow of !anyasa! and he "ame to be (nown as ri ;rusimha araswati. -e
thereafter visited various -o%y p%a"es and during the "ourse of his wanderings b%essed many devotees, had "aused
many divine mira"%es to happen and resurre"ted many forgotten -o%y p%a"es %i(e 8araveerapuram, Bhi%%avati,
,anagapuram et". The very Trinity in human form that he was, ri ;rusimha araswati, performed many %ee%as
beyond the "omprehension of the morta% mind. Li(e in his previous in"arnation, ri ;rusimha araswati, ended his
in"arnation by sitting on a @oat with the %eaves of banana and @owers on the waters of river 8rishna in 3ata%a
,anga, near risai%am and drifted a%ong the @owing river to merge in the 3ure "on"iousness.
ri Mani(ya 3rabhu
The third in"arnation of Lord Dattatreya was in a p%a"e "a%%ed 8a%yan in the tate of Maharashtra. -e was born to a
pious "oup%e, Manohar ;aya( and Bayadevi on 00nd De"ember, .AB.. As a "hi%d, Mani(ya 3rabhu used to go a%one
deep inside Dar( Corests and be put there for days together. 5ven as a "hi%d he performed many mira"%es whi"h
showed his divinity. =n being reprimanded by his un"%e, he %eft his house and wandered in diferent Corests, #aves
and sa"red p%a"es. Many devotees approa"hed him for his benedi"tion. Mani(ya 3rabhus divine :ua%ities attra"ted
even the Mus%ims so mu"h so that he was "a%%ed 3ir-un-3ir-Dastsagir. =n"e he was being "arried in a pa%an:uin and
as it was approa"hing a p%a"e "a%%ed -umnabad it got entang%ed and stu"( between "reepers and wou%d not move.
Mani(ya 3rabhu sett%ed there permanent%y and the p%a"e "ame to be referred as !Mani(ya ;agaram!. -e prea"hed
e:ua%ity of a%% re%igions. Cestiva%s of both -indus as we%% as Mus%ims were "e%ebrated with e:ua% fervour. =n"e the
8ing of A((a%(ot visited Mani(ya 3rabhu and re:uested him to visit their p%a"e.
3rabhu prophesied that his form wi%% again in"arnate in A((a%(ot. adguru Mani(ya 3rabhu, on an appointed day in
the Month of De"ember, .ADE, de"ided to enter a sub-terrain p%a"e and sat therein in meditation a%ong with a "opy
of !ree ,uru #haritra! and attained Maha amadhi.
ri A((a%(ot wami
The fourth in"arnation of Lord Dattatreya in this 8a%iyuga manifested in a 3%a"e "a%%ed A((a%(ot in the tate of
Maharashtra. This was "on7rmed by none other than ri Mani(ya 3rabhu himse%f. wami 7rst manifested himse%f in
the year .AED in A((a%(ot and remained there throughout ti%% he attained his amadhi. wami had trave%%ed
e)tensive%y throughout the #ountry visiting various -o%y p%a"es. This was narrated by wami himse%f whi"h was a%so
"orroborated by many others. wami treated peop%e of a%% re%igions a%i(e and used to visit the temp%e as we%% as the
Dargah. Vedi" "hants and abuses @owed with e:ua% ease from his mouth for"ing peop%e to initia%%y "onsider wami
as a !mad person!. -owever, he "ame to be gradua%%y "onsidered as ,od in"arnate and revered and worshipped by
a%%. =n the evening of a Tuesday in the month of Apri% .ABA, wami re:uested his dis"ip%es to ta(e him to the
Banyan Tree when amidst the singing of Bha6ans,&ongs in the praise of Lord' wami sitting in the 3admasana
&yogi" posture' attained amadhi. A((a%(ot wami or Mahara6 is a%so referred to as wami amarth.
hri hirdi ai Baba
ai Baba, one of the foremost saints of modern +ndia, the Cifth avatar &in"arnation' of Lord Dattatreya in this age of
8a%i, %ived in the tiny vi%%age of hirdi in the tate of Maharashtra for si)ty years and e%evated it to the status of a
great spiritua% "entre. -e never prea"hed, toured nor dis"oursed. -e never advertised himse%f. *et by the sheer
bri%%ian"e of his spiritua% 7re did he draw innumerab%e devotees to him from a%% over the "ountry, irrespe"tive of
their "aste, "reed or re%igion.
urprising as it may sound, a aint of his stature and fame is without a name. ;o one (nows his origina% name, time
and p%a"e of birth, his re%igion, "aste and not even of his "aste. !ai Baba!, the name by whi"h he "ame to be
(nown, is what has been used by one of his 7rst devotees to greet him on his se"ond arriva% at hirdi. $ai$ means a
saint and $Baba$ means father. The name is thus 6ust an e)pression of %ove and reveren"e due to su"h a spiritua%
giant as he and is not a persona% name.
-is arriva% at hirdi was very sudden. -e appeared, one day, as a boy of si)teen or seventeen, seated under a
neem &margosa' tree in the outs(irts of the vi%%age of hirdi, about the year .AE1. -e stayed under the neem tree
for about three years, not bothering about the vagaries of the weather nor did he approa"h any one for his dai%y
needs. The boy disappeared sudden%y the way he had appeared. ;one (new where he went or why. After a year or
so, he again returned to hirdi and stayed on there for fu%% si)ty years.
ai Baba "onverted an o%d di%apidated Mos:ue as his residen"e and had named it as $Dwara(amai$ and in this
uni:ue p%a"e, the essen"e of a%% the prin"ipa% "reeds were united and the "ommon worship of the universa% god
brought home to ea"h and a%% in a uni:ue and %oving manner. The presen"e of Dhuni &sa"red 7re' was a temp%e to
the -indus and the 3arsees, the nimbaru &ni"he' on the western wa%% made it %oo( %i(e a mos:ueF and to the
#hristian it was a "hur"h where the be%%s announ"e prayers. hri hirdi ai Baba attained his !Mahasamadhi! on the
auspi"ious !Vi6ayadasami! day in .G.A.
Sai Baba's Assurance to His Devotees
.. ?hoever puts his feet on hirdi soi%, his suferings wou%d "ome to an end.
0.
The wret"hed and miserab%e wou%d rise into p%enty of 6oy and happiness, as soon as they "%imb the steps
of my Mos:ue.
/. + sha%% be ever a"tive and vigorous even after %eaving this earth%y body.
1. My tomb sha%% b%ess and spea( the needs of my devotees.
E. + sha%% be a"tive and vigorous even from my tomb.
D. My morta% remains wou%d spea( from my tomb.
B. + am ever %iving to he%p and guide a%%, who "ome to me, who surrender to me and who see( refuge in me.
A. +f you %oo( at me + %oo( at you.
G. +f you "ast your burden on me, + sha%% sure%y bear it.
.H. +f you see( my advi"e and he%p, it sha%% be given to you at on"e.
... There sha%% be no want in the house of my devotees.