All
Dattatreya Jayanthi Pooja Orders received after 5:00 PM (IST) 11-Dec, 2016 cannot
be executed on Dattatreya Jayanthi Pooja Day (12-Dec-2016). Instead Pooja will
be performed on the date selected by you and Prasadam will be sent to you.
In ancient times there was a very rigorously disciplined rishi
called Atri. He was believed to be the mental son of Brahmadev, because he
had been born from the brilliance of Brahma's eyes. His wife was Anusuya,
who was a very loyal, humble and faithful wife.
In heaven sage Narada used to tell the gods very interesting stories about Anusuya's loyalty to her husband. This annoyed Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and Parvati, who decided to lower Anusuya's repute. They sent the three Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to earth for the purpose of bringing about her disgrace.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva became three guests, and when Atri was not in his house, they knocked the door. Anusuya at once welcomed the guests. She got food ready for them and requested them to have a meal. Then they said that they would eat only on one condition. The strange condition was that Anusuya should serve them the food without clothes on.
Anusuya was shocked. But in a minute she thought of a solution, and by the power of her mind she turned the three guests into small babies. The babies began to cry. She kept them in a cradle and with great love she began to rock them and feed them.
There was a commotion in heaven. The three wives of the gods, Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Parvati became worried. If the three great gods become small babies, who will take the responsibility of the universe ?
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva asked for Anusuya's forgiveness. The form of three babies kept a particle of their being in the house of that faithful wife and they returned to heaven.
Anasuya named the three babies, Som, Datta, and Durvas. When they grew up Som went to the moon, and Durvas went to the jungle to do penance. Before leaving both of them kept their particle of being with Datta. Thus Datta became the combined avatar of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Since he was the mental son of Atri too he became Dattatreya. There
are very few temples exclusively for Lord Dattatreya and one of them is in Sengalipuram
near Kumbakonam
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