Gorakshanath was responsible for including Sri Datta in the Nath Sampradaya and giving the deity a socially acceptable form today. In the earliest Tantric traditions, this deity was portrayed with only one head. The Dattatreya Upanishad, which is part of the Atharva Veda, describes him as variously taking the form of a child, a madman and even a demon, in order to help his followers attain moksha (liberation) from the material world. The earliest references to him can be found as far back as in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Lord Dattatreya’s birthday is celebrated in a big way as Dattatreya Jayanti.ĭattatreya is regarded as one of the most ancient deities. Today, this deity is worshiped by a multitude of Hindus from all walks of life, spanning the entire globe.ĭata is believed to be the author of the Tripura Rahasya, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta, which was given to Parashurama. He is also considered more of a God today, than a teacher. But later, he was accepted and absorbed into many other cults and sects, even including the more conventional Vaishnavism. Dattatreya first emerged as a teacher of Yoga, with clear Tantric traits. In the Nath tradition of Hinduism, Dattatreya is considered to be an avatar or reincarnation of Lord Shiva and is revered as the Adi-Guru or the First Teacher of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nath sect of followers. The name “Dattatreya” is derived from two Sanskrit words, Datta (which means “given”) and Atreya (which refers to the sage Atri, who was also Datta’s biological father). This is a sloka or hymn in praise of Sri Dattatreya, the meaning of which is as follows:ĭattatreya, or Sri Datta, as he is also referred to, is a Hindu deity who is also regarded as an aspect of the Divine Trinity or Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.