Datta Jayanti 2026 – Birth of the Three-in-One Guru

Born of Atri and Anasuya

The story goes that the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya, famed for her devotion, longed for a son. Pleased by Anasuya’s virtue, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva blessed her – and a portion of all three was born as Dattatreya, whose very name means “given” (datta) to the sage Atri. This is why he is shown with three heads.

The Trimurti in one form

Dattatreya is the rare deity who holds Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva together, usually pictured with three faces, six arms carrying the emblems of all three, four dogs beside him for the four Vedas, and a cow behind him for the earth and its nourishment. For his devotees he is proof that the divine wears many names but is one.

The guru who learned from nature

In the Bhagavata, Dattatreya explains that he took twenty-four gurus from the natural world – the earth for patience, the wind for detachment, the honeybee for gathering only what is needed, the python for contentment. Datta Jayanti is, at heart, a day about the guru principle and the humility to keep learning.

Head of the Avadhuta path

He is revered as the adi-guru of the Nath yogis and the Avadhuta tradition, the source of the Avadhuta Gita and a living presence in the sampradaya carried on by saints such as Sripad Srivallabha and Narasimha Saraswati. For these lineages the day is less a festival than a homecoming to their founder.

Dattatreya

The three-in-one guru, worshipped as Guru Dev Datta. His image – three heads, six arms, the four dogs and the cow – is the focus of the day’s puja, and his name is chanted as “Digambara Digambara Sripada Vallabha Digambara.”

Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva

The three heads of Dattatreya are the three gods themselves. Worshipping Datta is understood as worshipping all three at once, which is part of why the festival draws devotees across sectarian lines.

Atri & Anasuya

The sage and his devoted wife, Dattatreya’s parents. Anasuya in particular is remembered on this day as a symbol of pativrata devotion and the power of a pure heart to summon the divine.

Sabudana khichdi

The classic fasting dish – tapioca pearls tossed with peanuts, potato, cumin and a little green chilli. Light enough to keep the upvas, filling enough to carry a devotee through the day’s reading.

Sunthawada & panchamrit

Sunthawada, a dry-ginger and jaggery sweet, is a traditional Datta Jayanti offering, along with panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar) used in the abhishek and then shared.

Milk, fruit & dry fruits

Those fasting through the day usually take only milk, seasonal fruit and a handful of dry fruits until the evening puja is complete.

Kheer & sattvic naivedya

A simple rice or vermicelli kheer is often cooked as naivedya, kept free of onion and garlic, and offered before being distributed to everyone present.

Maharashtra

The heartland of Datta bhakti. The peethas at Audumbar and Narsobawadi (on the Krishna) and the Datta temples across the state see enormous seven-day observances, with the Gurucharitra read in almost every Datta-following household.

Karnataka

Gangapur, on the banks of the Bhima, is the great Datta centre here and draws lakhs of pilgrims. The nirgun paduka (footprints) shrine is the focus, and the palkhi procession is a highlight of the Jayanti.

Andhra Pradesh & Telangana

Datta is revered as Sripada Srivallabha, whose birthplace Pithapuram is a major pilgrimage site. Temples hold special abhishekams and readings on the full-moon day.

Gujarat

Mount Girnar near Junagadh, with its Dattatreya peak, is the pilgrimage draw. Devotees climb the long flight of steps to the shrine at the summit, especially around the Jayanti.