Guruji's teachings

Dattatreya: Guruji on the Inner Meaning of Datta

Guruji gives short notes on Datta, also called Dattatreya, and what he stands for in Sri Vidya. This page keeps his words as he wrote them.

From the teachings of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati (Guruji). Post title: "Guruji: On Datta (Dattātreya) and His Inner Meaning". Dated 5 November 2016. Posted on Guruji's blog by Vira Chandra. Originally published at amritananda-natha-saraswati.blogspot.com.

In short

Guruji calls Datta the energy of amnaya puja.
Datta's mother Anasuya gave him the power of Brahma.
In the Sri Chakra, Datta appears as Brahmi, who has four faces, with three seen in front.
Bhuh, bhuvah and suvah in the Gayatri mantra are Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra, and are parts of Datta.
The four dogs with Datta are the four Vedas, and Datta is guru of the tantras.

Guruji's words

Guruji:
Datta is energy of āmnāya pūjā.
Anasūyā is mother of Datta and she gave the power of Brahmā to Datta.
Datta is seen in Śrīcakra in the form of Brahmī, who is four-faced, but only three faces are visible in front.
Bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ and suvaḥ in the Gāyatrī mantra are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra respectively and they are the aṃśas of Datta.
The four dogs that appear with Datta are the four Vedas.
Datta is the guru for the 64 tantras, 64,000 upa-tantras and for upaṇa tantras — Dakṣiṇāmūrti Tantra, Datta Tantra.
There is no difference between Dakṣiṇāmūrti and Dattātreya; only in pūjā vidhānam there is slight difference.
The mukoṭam for Datta is:
“om dram dram om”
“dram aham aham dram”
da means jananī,
ra means sṛṣṭi,
ā means sthitiḥ,
m means layam.

Guruji, "Guruji: On Datta (Dattātreya) and His Inner Meaning", as posted on Guruji's blog by Vira Chandra on 5 November 2016. The text is kept as in the original.

How this shows up in Kaula practice

In Kaula practice, Datta is the guru principle. Guruji ties him to amnaya puja and to the Sri Chakra, the yantra that Kaula worship centres on.

The notes also link Datta to the Gayatri mantra, so a daily mantra you may already know carries his meaning too. Guruji says Dakshinamurti and Dattatreya are the same, with only a slight difference in puja steps. He attained mahasamadhi in October 2015, and Guru Amma Annapurnamba guides the lineage today. This site is an independent practitioner's space and does not speak on behalf of Devipuram.

Common questions

Who is Dattatreya according to Guruji?

Guruji calls Datta the energy of amnaya puja. His mother is Anasuya, who gave him the power of Brahma.

Where is Datta seen in the Sri Chakra?

Guruji says Datta is seen as Brahmi, who has four faces. Only three faces are visible in front.

What are the four dogs with Datta?

Guruji says the four dogs that appear with Datta are the four Vedas.

Are Dakshinamurti and Dattatreya different?

Guruji says there is no difference between them. Only the puja steps differ slightly.

What do the syllables of the Datta mukotam mean?

Guruji gives da as janani, ra as srishti, a long as sthiti, and m as laya.