| Dattatreya Upanishad | |
|---|---|
 Dattatreya Upanishad is dedicated to the deityDattatreya | |
| Devanagari | दत्तात्रेय |
| IAST | Dattātreya |
| Title means | The godDattatreya |
| Author(s) | Vishnu |
| Type | Vaishnava |
| LinkedVeda | Atharvaveda |
| Chapters | 3 |
TheDattatreya Upanishad (Sanskrit:दत्तात्रेय उपनिषद्), also called theDattatreyopanishad, is a Sanskrit text and one of the minorUpanishads ofHinduism. It is attached to theAtharvaveda, and classified as a text of theVaishnava sect, which worships the godVishnu.[1]
TheDattatreya Upanishad appears in theTelugu languageanthology of 108 Upanishads called theMuktika canon, narrated byRama toHanuman, where it is listed at number 101.[2] However, the Upanishad is neither part of the anthology of 52 popular Upanishads in north India by Colebrooke, nor is it found in theBibliotheca Indica anthology of popular Upanishads in south India by Narayana.[3]
The text is a Tantra and Vaishnava work, likely one of the relatively recent, 14th- or 15th-century CE era composition compared to other Upanishads.[4] The text presents a Vaishnava mantra that is the most popular mantra in Dattatreya tradition,[5][note 1] as well as a series of tantricmantras for the worship of sage Dattatreya, a form of Vishnu.[7] The text asserts that the worship of Vishnu, Narayana and Dattatreya leads one to the nature of Truth-Bliss-Knowledge.[8]
The author and composition date of the text are unknown. Rigopoulos states it is a tantric sectarian work, with a mix of Vaishnavism andShaktism ideas.[9] Given this sectarian nature, and the description of tantric mantras in the text, it is likely a relatively late Upanishad. Sectarian Upanishads with tantra mantras were likely composed after the 10th century, states Douglas Brooks.[10]
Patrick Olivelle states that sectarian Upanishads attached to Atharvaveda were likely composed in the 2nd-millennium, until about the 16th century.[11] Rigopoulos states that the text likely was written in perhaps the 14th or 15th century CE, after Dattatreya sampradaya (monastic group) within Vaishnavism was well established.[12]
The text is named after sage Dattatreya. He appears in several Upanishads, states Rigopoulos, because he symbolizes the mastery ofYoga and the perfectly liberated individual (Avadhuta) in ancient and medieval Hindu texts.[13]
TheDattatreya Upanishad is divided into threekhandas or sections. The first section opens with the creator godBrahma asking the godVishnu (Narayana) how to overcomesamsara, the cycle of birth-death-rebirth. Vishnu replies that he is Dattatreya (Datta), the Supreme God and one should meditate on Vishnu in the form of Dattatreya to free oneself fromsamsara. After following Vishnu's advice of meditating upon him as Dattatreya, asserts the text, Brahma realizes that the infinite and peerlessBrahman is realized, as the residuum after one meditatesneti, neti ("not this, not this") negation process on the phenomenal universe.[14][15]
The text presents variousmantras of Dattatreya. The single-syllable mantra is considered the important mantra in Tantra for a deity. Dattatreya'sdam is described as thehamsa (swan), interpreted as theatman (soul) that dwells in alljivas (living beings). Its lengthened formdām is described to symbolizeParabrahman, the Supreme Brahman. The phoneme ofdam,dram is popular in Dattatreya worship. The six-syllabled mantra "Omsrim hrim klim glaum dram" is given. This mantra shows Tantric and Shakta influences, and contains a reference to Dattatreya'sshakti (female counterpart), denoted byhrim.Srim denotesLakshmi, Vishnu's consort/shakti, thus Dattatreya's shakti is in the mantra. The eight-syllabled "Dram Dattatreyaya namah" follows. It means 'dram obeisance to Dattatreya'.[7][14]
The text says that "Dattatreyaya" stands forSatcitananda (literally "being, consciousness, bliss"), whilenamah denotes Bliss. This is followed by the twelve-syallabled and sixteen-syllabled mantras of Dattatreya, "Om Aam Hrim Krom Ehi Dattatreyasvaha" and "Om Aim Krom Klim Klaum Hram Hrim Hraum Sauh Dattatreyaya svaha" respectively. Both mantras show Shakta impact and have terms likekrom,hrim etc. which represent Dattatreya's shaktis. The mantra denotes to the "Tantric blissful union" of Dattatreya and Lakshmi, similar to the godShiva and goddessShakti. Thepoetic meter of the mantras isGayatri, the associated rishi (sage), who is believed to have composed the mantras, is Sadashiva and presiding god is Dattatreya.[7][14][16]
After the syllable mantras, the text presents the mantra – "Dattatreya Hare Krishna ..." – inAnustubh metre.[5][note 1] It praises Dattatreya asHari andKrishna, names of Vishnu. It identifies the god as an "antinomian ascetic", calling him a "crazy" (unmatta) bliss-dweller, a naked ascetic (digambara) andmuni, a sage who has observed a vow of silence. It calls him a child and aPishacha (demon), hinting towards his role as violator of moral laws. Finally, Dattatreya is called an ocean of knowledge, conveying his role as a great Teacher; this mantra is one of the most popular mantras of sage Dattatreya as a deity.[14]
The secondkhanda begins with themala-mantra ("garland-mantra") of Dattatreya, "Om Namo Bhagavate Dattatreyaya ...", which is prescribed to be used injapa. The hymn says that Dattatreya is propitiated easily by simply remembrance. He is the "dispeller of great fears", giver of great knowledge and who dwells inConsciousness and Bliss. He is called "crazy" (unmatta), child and demon, as earlier.[17] Dattatreya is exalted as a greatyogi, anAvadhuta and the son of SageAtri and his wifeAnusuya. He is described as the manifestation of all mantras (incantations),Tantras (esoteric scriptures or knowledge) and powers. He is said to fulfill the wishes in a devotee's heart, destroy worldly bondage, destroy the effects of malignantgrahas (celestial bodies), take away sorrows and poverty, cure diseases and bring great joy to the mind.[17]
The lastkhanda, in tradition of Upanishadic literature, tells the advantages of reading the text. He who learns thevidya (knowledge) and the mantras in the scripture is sanctified and earns the merit of reciting theGayatri Mantra, themaha-rudra hymns and Om mantra numerous times, and is cleansed of all sin.[18] Meditating on the mantra taught, asserts the text, leads the yogi to transmute, fuse with the supreme and realize god within himself.[18]
The description of Dattatreya worship in theDattatreya Upanishad, states Rigopoulos, is comparable to the reverence for goddesses described in various Shaktism-related Upanishads.[18]
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