Dattatreya

Puranic accounts present Dattatreya as born to the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya; variants in different Puranas and regional traditions place his birth or early life at sites including Mahur (Nanded, Maharashtra), the western Deccan, the jungles near Amarnath in Kashmir, and Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh. Textual traditions describe him as an avatar or combined manifestation of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (the Trimurti). Sources record competing regional and textual narratives rather than a single unified origin.

Iconography commonly depicts Dattatreya with three heads (one for each member of the Trimurti) and six hands bearing attributes: Brahma's japamala and kamandalu, Vishnu's shankha (conch) and Sudarshana chakra (discus), and Shiva's trishula (trident) and damaru (drum). He is typically shown dressed as a simple monk and situated in a forest or wilderness setting; secondary motifs often include four dogs and a cow, interpreted as symbols (for example, of the four Vedas and Mother Earth). Some medieval temple images and textual prescriptions (e.g., Agni Purana) also show or recommend a one‑headed, two‑armed form.

Sources describe Dattatreya as a paradigmatic yogi and 'lord of yoga' credited with mastery of yogic and ascetic disciplines and profound self‑realization. Several Upanishads are dedicated to him and the Avadhuta Gita is attributed to him, texts that function as doctrinal sources for nondual and ascetic teachings. A famous motif presents him learning from twenty‑four 'teachers' in nature, modeling experiential, observational learning. His role as Adi‑Guru in some Nath accounts is attested in devotional traditions, while modern scholarship treats that identification in part as later syncretic incorporation.