Sri Dattatreya

Bestower of the boons of penance - LORD DATTAATREYAR

Lord Dattaatreya incorporates the trinity of the Hindu pantheon. Lord Dattaatreya is the remover of mental anxieties. He anchors a person, removing doubt and vacillation. He is also Sri Karthaveeryarjuna's guru.

When the time came for Lord Dattaatreya to be taken to the original temple, Swamigal decided to go to Pune, where the shrine of Adi Dattaatreya is situated. From Pune he travelled to Shirdi since Shirdi Baba is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Dattaatreya. As part of the karikolam, he took the Dattaatreya idol to Podhigai Malai. The road was in rough terrain and Swamigal had no road maps. As he decided to walk, asking the route along the way, he noticed that a dog walked along with him from Kuttralam to Podhigai Malai, showing Swamigal the way.

What does Lord Dattaatreya give you? Lord Dattaatreya is the giver of the 64 skills that a human can master. Maha Meru also grants the same. Thus, Lord Dattaatreya is on par with the Maha Meru.

Lord Dattaatreya relieves one of mental anxiety. To his devotees just the call of "Datta" stabilises a vacillating mind.

Mental anxiety begets ailments, so 'Datta must be here in my healing centre', says Swamigal. Lord Dattaatreya also bestows the boons of penance.

The Dattaatreya idol is made of green stone. The four dogs on the pedestal symbolize the four Vedas. The Govardhana Kamadhenu stands behind Him. Swamigal had already decided that Lord Dattaatreya would be installed here, as Lord Kaartheevarayarjuna was already in residence.

Anecdote

As always, call it coincidence or divine intervention, a real estate broker came to offer thanks at the centre for curing his sister of a serious illness.

He offered to fund Lord Dattaatreya's installation, and Swamigal's vision fructified.