Datta Jayanti - Significance, Puja Vidhi and Mantra

Datta Jayanti celebrates the birth of Lord Dattatreya, the son of Sage Atri and Sati Anasuya. He is the combined form of the Trimurti - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva) in one - and is revered as the Guru of gurus, the original teacher of the spiritual path. He is usually shown with three heads and six arms, accompanied by four dogs (the Vedas) and a cow (the earth and dharma).

Datta Jayanti falls on the Purnima (full moon) of the month of Margashirsha, the bright full-moon day of that lunar month. In the Gregorian calendar this usually comes in November or December. The main puja is performed in the evening or at the time of moonrise when Purnima prevails. Please confirm the exact date and shubh muhurat on the Vandnaa Panchang, as the tithi timing changes a little each year.

The katha tells that the Trimurti tested the chastity of Sati Anasuya by appearing as guests and asking to be fed while she was unclothed. Through her purity she turned the three gods into infants and nursed them. Pleased, they blessed her with a son who embodied all three - Dattatreya, meaning the one given (datta) by Atri's wife. He grew into the supreme guru who taught that the whole of nature can be one's teacher, having himself learned from twenty-four gurus in the world around him.

1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes and take the sankalp to worship Lord Dattatreya. 2. Place an image of Dattatreya with the cow and dogs; clean the altar and light a ghee lamp and incense. 3. Offer sandalwood, flowers (especially white and yellow), tulsi, fruits and naivedya. 4. Recite the Datta mantra and read the Datta Bavani or Dattatreya stotra and aarti. 5. Many devotees keep a fast or eat only sattvic food and observe silence and meditation for part of the day. 6. Feed dogs, cows and the needy as a cherished act of worship on this day. Worship at moonrise is considered especially auspicious.

The simple and powerful Datta mantra is:

Om Shri Gurudev Datta

Another widely chanted mantra is:

Om Dram Dattatreyaya Namah

Chant either 108 times on a tulsi or rudraksha mala. Devotees also lovingly call upon him with Digambara Digambara Shripad Vallabha Digambara, invoking the ever-present guru.

Worshipping Lord Dattatreya is believed to grant spiritual guidance, a true guru's grace, freedom from ego and ignorance, and protection from negative forces and difficulties. As the union of the Trimurti, he blesses devotees with creation's energy, sustaining grace and the power to dissolve obstacles, leading the sincere seeker toward inner clarity, detachment and self-realisation.