http://srath.com/mantra/datta_upanisad02.htm Jaya Guru Datta
Dattatreya His Works 1 Markandeya Purana mentions that he taught the Asthanga yoga to Patanjali, who then wrote the yoga sutras. Thus, Dattatreya is the Guru of Patanjali and the teacher of the Yoga Sutra. How could this happen when they lived so very separately in time? This happens due to Pratibha - a state of yogic being of the mind that opens to receive the Sruti's (as has happened with the Rig Veda which was received by the Maharishi's) and Shastra. 2 Jivanmukta -gita is a short compendium of 23 verses which is a discourse about the Gyani (jivan mukta).Ê 3 Avadhuta gita, a text of eight chapters. Swami Vivekananda once said of this book, "Men like the one who wrote this song keep religion alive." 4 Dattatreya met Sankara near Kedarnath before the latter took Mahasamadhi. A cave exists near Kedarnath in the Himalayas, the seat of the Jyotirlinga, signifying this event. 5 He narrates the Jnana Kanda of Tripura Rahasya to Parasurama to dispel the latter's doubts on liberation. (The story of Samvrata found in Tripura Rahasya has been cited by Sankara in his Brahma Sutra Bhasya).Ê 6 Parasurama (eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), approached Lord Dattatreya and was initiated into the intricacies of how to worship the Mother (Shri-vidya Upaasana), before undertaking intense penance to obtain the grace of the Divine Mother Tripura Sundari/ Sodasi. 7 Dattatreya is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. 8 Dattatreya is attributed with a couple of Tantric works chief among them is the Dattatreya Tantra. 9 The great learning is from the Dattatreya Upanishad where the three types of mantras are taught. His Form Traditional form for worhsip: Traditionally, Lord Dattatreya is depicted with three heads representing the trinity of the Hindu pantheon - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He has six hands two each from Brahma (holding theÊ rosary - japa mala that represents the Guru and knowledge, water vessel - kamandala that represents the power behind all creation), Vishnu (holding theÊ weapon - chakra that gives emancipation/moksha from rebirth cycle and conch shell -sankh that echoes the monosyllable mantra OM), and ShivaÊ (holding a drum - damaru that awakens all from sleep/ignorance and a trident-trisula that kills the ego).Ê He is followed by four faithful dogs representing the four Veda's. Remember that Dharmaraja had also followed Yudhisthira (the eldest Pandava) in his last journey, in the form of a dog. He is standing in front of a cow -Kamadhenu (that represents creation and kindness) and the tree (wish fulfilling tree).Ê The Saandilya Upanishad declares that Lord Dattatreya is the Supreme Reality and is the cause of everything that is created. It states,Ê "The Supreme Brahman performed penance which was of the nature of knowledge (jnyana), and desiring to become many, assumed the form of Dattatreya. From that form came out the three letters A, U, M; the three mystical names Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah; the three-lined Gayatri; the three Vedas Rig, Yajur and Sama; the three Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara; the three castes Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vysya; and the three fires Gaarhapatya, Ashavaneeya and Dakshina." "The lord is endowed with all wealth. He is all pervading and resides in the hearts of all beings. He is the great Maayavi, sporting with His own Maaya. He is Brahma. His Vishnu, He is Rudra. He is Indra and He is also all the gods of heaven and all other beings. He is East, He is West, He is North, He is South, He is below and He is above. He is everything. This is the glory of the form of Dattatreya." Sri Guru Datta Hanuman ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> AIDS in India: A "lurking bomb." Click and help stop AIDS now. http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpTY2A/lzNLAA/yQLSAA/JjtolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
