Datta Stavam

Datta Vaakya Vijaya Vyakhya

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Datta Stavam

From Datta stava vivarana CD wherein meaning is explained in Telugu by HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji.

Sri Ganeśāya namaḥ
Śri saraswatye namaḥ
Śri Pādavallabha ṇrusimha Saraswati
Śri Guru Dattatreyaya namaḥ

Datta Stavam composed by Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati is a supreme mantra. As such before chanting this mantra, one should recollect the Guru lineage (Guru parampara smarana). Through this recollection, he will be able to draw in the energy contained in it. Think of all your Gurus – Śri Guru, Paramaguru, Paratpara Guru and so on.

In this case, at the outset we think of Lord Ganapati who is the Lord of knowledge as well as the Lord of obstacles. For this reason, we have uttered Śri Ganeśāya namaḥ. Thereafter, we contemplate upon Her, who is the presiding deity of entire knowledge (Jnana Devata) and also of all energies (śakti Devata). She is none other than Goddess Saraswati and so we chant Śri Saraswatye namaḥ.

The word ‘Saraswati’ has 3 meanings.

1) She is the wife of Lord Brahma. She is the form of Rajo Guna (Rajo guna rupini). Brahma is in the form of Rajo Guna. In this form, She showers the knowledge of creation (śristi vignana).

2) She is the incarnation of Goddess Parāshakti, who had manifested in three forms i.e. as Goddesses Mahakāli, Mahā Saraswati and Maha Lakshmi. This Mother has 18 hands. She is the destroyer of demons. She is in the form of Rajo guṇa.

3) In the knowledge of Srividya, which is in the Jnana mārga, this Mother takes on the name ‘Mantriṇi’. She is in the form of Sattva Guṇa (Stave guṇa rupini).

When we utter Śri Saraswatye namaḥ, all these meanings should be recollected.

As we are going ahead with Dattatreya’s mantra, as per this method we should think of the Guru Dattatreya Parampara (lineage). In this lineage of Dattatreya, the incarnation that was closest to us in terms of time period was that of Nrusimha Saraswati. Nrusimha Saraswati Swami lived primarily in Ganagapura, Maharashtra. His predecessor was Śripāda Śrivallabha Swami and His primary place of residence was Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh.

The Guru lineage is vast but in this lineage we think of only these two great saints. Next we think of our Guru who has blessed us with the mantra (mantra Guru) with the words ‘Sri Guru’. There is no need to recollect His entire name. Just the words ‘Śri Guru’ will suffice. Therefore Guru lineage is contained in the words ‘Śripāda vallabha Nrusimha Saraswati Śri Guru’.

Although routinely we worship many deities, each of us will have one main presiding deity. We should consider all other deities as parts/ limbs or manifestations of our main presiding deity. Incorporating this principle we think of Lord Dattatreya. With the feelings that all other deities are forms of our presiding deity Dattatreya, we offer obeisance to Him. Therefore we say- ‘Dattatreyaya namaḥ’.

Significance of the word Namaḥ and method of offering salutation to Guru.

The word ‘Namaḥ’ implies- ‘You are my protector (savior). I am your servant.” With such feelings (bhavana), the person should joyfully, lovingly and with all humility surrender to that Lord.

When this meaning is truly understood, the person should immediately, without any feeling of embarrassment, fall of the floor and offer prostration (shastanga namaskara) whole-heartedly. He should not be worried whether he is being noticed by others. He should forget the presence of others in the vicinity and believe that only ‘God and me’ exist in this creation. “I am the jeevatma, He is the Paramatma. Only we both exist” should be the intense bhavana (feeling) in his mind.

It is said that when offering obeisance, the person should forget his relatives, friends and family as well. The devotee should think, “In this place, only my Guru and me are seated”. The person should also not feel embarrassed that he is losing his power and prestige by bowing down in front of another. To symbolize this, kings in the ancient past would remove their crown, alight from their horses/ chariots and approach great Gurus to offer obeisance.

‘Namaḥ’ means ‘There are no two. Only one exists. Maya does not exist. This world is nothing but an illusion (maya)’. When this meaning is deeply imprinted, then it amounts to having the bhavana- “This jeevatma i.e. myself and Paramatma that is You are one and the same.” With such feelings, non-dualism (ekatvam, advaitam) should be practiced. This supreme tattvam is the embedded in the namaskara offered.

With the eight limbs touching the ground, men should offer shastanga namaskara. The backbone and the head should be in a straight line. Both the hands should be raised above the head and the palms joined together. The chest should touch the ground. Ladies should offer shastanga namaskara in a slightly different fashion. Ladies adopting the men’s style of namaskara is considered as to be an offence. As a general practice, men should also not adopt the ladies style of offering namaskara. At times of emergencies, men can offer namaskara in the manner adopted by ladies.

There is one lotus in the head/ heart. Joining the palms and raising them above the head symbolizes another lotus. It is like ‘lotus upon a lotus’. Such a namaskara contains a symbolic message. ‘O Lord I am merging my heart into that of yours. I thus merge into You’.

The left palm represents the individual being (jeevatma). The right palm symbolizes Paramatma. When these two palms are joined and kept at the heart position, it implies that the feelings of separateness between jeevatma and Paramatma have dissolved and that only Supreme Being (kevalatma) remains. “I don’t exist. Only You exist’.
Upon seeing Sadguru, namaskar should be offered in either of the three ways detailed here –
1) by joining the palms and keeping them at chest position;
2) by raising the joined palms above the head or
3) shasthanga namaskara (falling flat on the ground and offering namaskara) with the joined palms raised above the head.

No other form of namaskara is acceptable. Do not offer namaskara with one hand, or salute him with one hand in military style etc. Although they symbolize some respect, they cannot be accepted as complete namaskara.

The innermost feelings (bhavana) of the person play a very critical role in this process of offering namaskara –
When offering namaskara, believe that you are merging into Him. Have the pure feeling- ‘Jeevatma and Paramatma are one and the same. Paramatma is seated in front of me as Sadguru. I am the individual soul (jeevatma). Apart from us both, none exists in this creation. I am merging into Him. Only the supreme atma exists now’. It is the kevalatma. The word ‘Namah’ encompasses this supreme essence. This is the ultimate meaning of the word ‘namah’.

Among all the varied different methods of offering namaskara, pick the one that touches your heart deeply. You are free to choose anyone amongst the three. Adhere to the essence contained in this meaning and contemplate upon it at all times. Every time you offer namaskara, chant mentally- Śri Ganeśāya namaḥ Śri saraswatye namaḥ Śri Pādavallabha Nrusimha Saraswati Śri Guru Dattatreyaya namaḥ’. Let the essence of this prayer fill your heart at such time.

This is the ultimate Deva-Guru moola Parampara (lineage). There is no lineage (parampara) superior to this. This is because Datta is the Guru for all Devatas (deities) also. For this reason, this Datta parampara is called Deva guru moola parampara. After chanting this mantra, the person should think of his individual Guru parampara, if any.
In this manner, only after recollecting our lineage of Gurus, we should proceed to the real mantra.

Every mantra/ hymn (stotra) serves 3 different purposes –

1) Aihika: It can be used for worldly purposes i.e. to dispel sorrows/ difficulties and to grant us comforts in this world. “O Lord, please pull us out of these difficulties” the person prays.

2) Āmūśmika: means to chant the mantra so as to increase the feelings of bhakti, dharma, spiritual thoughts etc. within us. In other words, to convert us to spiritual beings.

3) Pāramārthika: Here the mantra is chanted selflessly and with feelings of oneness towards the deity whose mantra is chanted. There are no expectations whatsoever from the Lord for chanting the mantra.

Amongst them, undoubtedly the third is the most supreme, but yet, even when the first two methods are adopted, in the right manner and with the right intention, they gradually lead the person towards the third stage. Gradually the feeling of oneness (aikyam) with the deity arises in the person. This is why in most hymns, all these three methods of upasana (worship) are interlocked and incorporated. To put it in simple words- every hymn can be used to mitigate worldly difficulties, to increase devotion, knowledge and also can be chanted selflessly with the feeling that we are merging into the supreme.

In the Pāramārthika (third) stage, the person prays- ‘O Lord, I seek only You and nothing else. I don’t have any desires. The more I desire, the more births I have to take to fulfill/ enjoy them. So please I seek to merge into You. If I ask you to dispel my difficulties in this birth, then again I will have to be reborn in order to complete those difficult karmas of mine. I will then have to face difficulties.”

Wise people therefore never seek relief from difficulties. “O Lord, give us the mental strength to face these difficulties” they pray. Escapism is not their cup of tea. A fool uses all his prayers to obtain relief from problems. He will waste his spiritual bank balance. The balance will get depleted quickly. “O Lord, please remove this particular difficulty or please help my son get a seat in engineering college”- with this request, all the worship and prayers done until that point of time, evaporate into the thin air.

Wise people therefore pray, “O Lord, may all my prayers, japam, nama sankeertana, parayana etc. help me merge into you. Apart from this I seek nothing. I am willing to face all my problems. I will go through this phase of ill health. It is enough if you bless me with the energy and the wisdom necessary to withstand the pain and difficulties. But if at all you drive my problems away, O Lord, then my spiritual account balance will get depleted, which I don’t want. I want my tapas, pujas and parayanas only to help me merge into You. Apart from that I don’t want to use it for anything else. In order to merge into You, O Lord, I need enormous amount of bank balance. What I have done so far is inadequate for merger. I need to increase my efforts. If foolishly I use some of this balance for my trivial worldly problems, which I can anyway face and complete, I will be wasting my resources. My balance will be reduced to zero and I will have to begin my efforts anew. It will be painful. It is enough if you are by my side; it is enough if Your grace falls on me, I will face all these hardships cheerfully. I will exhaust my karma. But please safeguard my punya because I want to use it solely in order to merge into You.”
We often come across people who set up petty shops or restaurants but then foolishly use the seed capital as well as the stocks for their personal/ home needs. The family members themselves frequently dine in the restaurant or they use the groceries from the shop for their kitchen. If the person runs a cloth shop, then the family members themselves take away the best dresses for their use. The end result is that the shop faces bankruptcy in no time. Even in spiritual matters the same policy holds good. If you perform abhishekam to the Lord and as a result of this worship seek that some personal problems be resolved, then you have exhausted the good energy (punya) generated from that prayer.

Even this Datta Stavam fulfills all the 3 purposes mentioned above. The prayers suited to all the three types of people have been incorporated by Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati.

Now we will proceed into the main stotra. Before doing so, let us understand the main makutam (crown) of this mantra- śmaṛtrgāmī sano’vatu.

The essence contained in the words – smaṛtrgāmī sano’vatu.
Although this mantra refers entirely to Datta, there is no direct reference to his name. Instead the words ‘smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu’ have been used in every verse.

What could be the meaning contained in these two special words?

Smaṛtrgāmi:
It means ‘He who appears instantly as soon as He is thought of’.

Lord Datta is exceedingly pleased when a devotee merely thinks about him. He immediately blesses him with darshan.
This Lord does not have a name:

Why is it that the Lord’s name does not appear in the hymn? What is the reason behind addressing him as ‘smaṛtrgāmi’? Why ‘Dattatreya’ cannot be said to be his name? There is a reason. Let us try to understand.

His name does not appear in the hymn because, in reality, He does not have a name. Name and form create limitations to the all pervading entity. Paramatma is inherently nameless and formless (no nāṃa, roopa). The Lord exists within you, me, within all these forms and all bhāvanas. Avadumbara and digambara are synonyms. They emphasize that the Lord has directions (dik) as his clothes (ambara). In other words it means He is all-pervading. He is everywhere, within everyone and everything, but at the same time He is beyond reach. It is impossible to catch Him. This is the essence of Paramatma. Name and form cause limitation to this all-pervading inherent nature of His.

How does a person get his/her name? In the normal course, the parents assign a name to the new born and it becomes his/her name. What happens in case the parents refrain from naming the child? He will remain without a name, unless he decides to take on a name for himself when he grows up. Even to give a name for the child, there is a particular procedure to be followed. This is called naming ceremony samskāra. The infant has to be brought to the temple or to the Sadguru; his star and other details need to be given and the name should be sought from Guru/ God. The practices differ from region to region. Going to Sadguru and seeking name for the child is also an accepted procedure.

In case of Lord Datta, his father Maharishi Atri, did not comply with any of the samskāras (purification ceremony) prescribed. He did not perform the naming ceremony. This is because the parents were aware that the Supreme Being, who is devoid of all samskāras (tendencies) and who is over and above them all, was born to them as their son. They were aware that their son was none other than the form of time. In fact, He was over and above time.

In the case of Krishna, Mother Yashoda did not realize this fact. She presumed him to be her son. Due to this lack of realization, she had to get separated from him. At a later stage however she realized that he was not her son but was the Supreme Paramatma. This was Krishna’s maya.

Datta’s father was Atri and mother was Anasuya. A-tri means ‘he who has crossed over the trigunas or he who holds the trigunas in his grip’. Anasuya means ‘she who has absolutely no trace of jealousy (asuya)’. Within their names is contained their supreme state. They did not look upon Datta as their son. They believed that he did not need any samskaras (refinement) and hence did not give him a name.

If he had no name, why did they address him as Datta?

Desiring a good son, both Atri and Anasuya performed intense tapas in the Nirvindhya mountain ranges, upon the Rukṣādri mountain. All the Gods in the presence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva wondered who was to give them the results of their penance. In the congregation of 33 crore Devatas, it was decided that the 3 main Gods would approach the couple and deliver to them the fruits for their penance. The boon granted through the medium of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara was actually the boon given by the 33 crore Devatas. As per this plan, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara appeared before the couple and said, “We have gifted ourselves (datta) to you.”

Datta means ‘gift, presentation”. Datta means ‘He who has given himself away’ or ‘He who gives jnana’.
When translated into English, Datta means present.

The English word ‘present’ means ‘gift’.
B) Present can also be split as pre+sent. Datta was sent before all the individual beings (jeevi) were created.
C) present means the present period of time. We should also live in present. Here Datta is a form of time. The time that has been given to us. Past refers to time that has elapsed; future refers to time that is not yet born. Great souls are referred to as ‘vardhante’ which means that ‘they who live entirely in the present’.

The Trinity now transformed into a boy with three heads and approached the couple. As the Gods had used the word ‘Datta’ when blessing this couple, all people in the vicinity who had witnessed this, addressed this boy as ‘Datta’. As such this Lord acquired his name before his birth. The ascetics addressed him as ‘Dattatreya’ which means- Datta who belongs to Maharishi Atri or Maharishi Atri’s gift (Datta). Hence it was not exactly a name but just a title. The boy also did not take on a name when he grew up. He continued to be addressed as ‘Atri’s gift’.
Thus, in a nutshell, this Lord has no name. It is enough if we think about Him who is nameless and formless. This is a nameless incarnation.

When we say smaṛtrgāmi – we imply “O Lord I am thinking of You.” It is not necessary to call him out loudly; by merely thinking of Him, He is pleased. But we should think of Him with utmost love, faith, fear and reverence. Only then He makes himself visible. Where will He be visible? In that heart which is calling out, He will be visible. When? Instantly as soon as He is called, He makes himself visible. For this reason, smaṛtrgami is an apt name for Him. With such intense feelings of devotion, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati addressed the Lord in this manner.
Sano’vatu:

It means ‘may this Lord protect us’.
What is the meaning of the word ‘us’? ‘Me and my family’ is one interpretation. The true meaning is ‘protect me and also protect all beings in this universe’. A saint-like person never prays solely for his own benefit. He prays for the well-being of all living entities in the creation- sarve jana sukhino bhavantu, samasta sanmangalāni bhavantu.
Penance done to secure selfish benefits is wrong. The person has to pray for the welfare of himself, his family, his relatives, all the inhabitants of his village and of his country; and for every being in the entire creation.
How can a person be happy when other members of his family are unhappy? Likewise how can a person or family be happy when others families in the village are unhappy? It is not true happiness. True happiness exists only when every being in the world is happy. A person should in fact pray that every being in every plane of existence should be happy. This is because all the planes (lokas) are inter-connected. When seen from the top-down approach, earth exists only because of the existence of the various different planes (lokas). Because of the existence of earth, your country and your village came into existence. You are able to live in your house peacefully only because of the harmony in your village. In your house you are able to live happily only because of the happiness of other members. Therefore a broad minded person seeks welfare of every being in every plane of existence.

Learn to pray for the welfare of your neighbours, enemies, landlords, tenants. Seek that everyone should be blessed with good buddhi. A true gentleman, even when he is in deep trouble/ sickness will pray, “Even my enemy should not face such hardships”. This reflects his broadmindedness. It is wrong to even curse or seek the destruction of an enemy.

In this Datta stavam, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati has through the usage of the terms ‘sanovatu’ ensured that we pray for the well being of one and all!

Now let us proceed to verses of Datta stavam.

Verse 1:

Dattātreyaṃ mahātmānam varadam bhaktavatsalaṃ
Prapannārti haram vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

We have already discussed the meaning of the word ‘Dattatreya’. We have understood that it is a title and not his name. Dattatreya means ‘Atri’s gift’.

To understand about any being or any object in this world, there are only two methods – name and form. In the absence of these two it is impossible to understand about it. There is no third method. So far we have understood that this Lord has no name. So now we realize that we have to focus on His form in order to understand Him. Hence let us seek to understand His form (roopa).

All of us know that He has 3 heads. From this, can we decisively infer that He has a form consisting of only 3 heads? No. This is because as discussed earlier, the 33 crore Devatas, through the medium of the 3 primary deities, gifted themselves to Maharishi Atri in a form that has 3 heads. This was a form taken on by the Lord, but not His original form. So in order to learn more in detail about this Lord, it is essential to know His original inherent form (swa roopa). Only then we can understand about Him. In this hymn, this swaroopa of the Lord is being explained through the word ‘mahātmānaṃ’.

These days, the term Mahatma has lost its significance. Either people look down upon those who are addressed as Mahatmas, or as seen in Northern India, they address everybody who wears saffron clothes as Mahatma. Anyone who wears saffron clothes, long beads of rudrakshas, who grows a long beard or locks is considered to be a Mahatma or Sadhu irrespective of whether he is deserving of that title or not. Southern India follows yet another strange practice. Anyone who performs miracles i.e. who creates coins or coffee powder is addressed as Mahatma. This is the present funny situation. None of these are the apt definitions of the term Mahatma. Who then is a Mahatma?

Mahātmānaṃ :

He whose atma (self) does not have divisions/ limbs, He who considers himself to be the entire creation and He, who sees himself everywhere in this creation is a true Mahatma. He is also called as ‘antaryāṃi’ (inner being) or ‘sākśi’ (witness). This is the true original form (swaroopa) of Lord Dattatreya.

Therefore do not be under the assumption that Datta is an ordinary being. He does not go around wearing saffron clothes or performing miracles. Taking shelter under Him is itself a great miracle! He sees himself everywhere in the creation. He exists everywhere. This is the form of that Lord who, as we discussed earlier, does not have a name!

Thus the hymn begins with the words ‘Dattātreyaṃ mahātmānam’ through which Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati emphasizes that this Lord has no name and no form!

What is the benefit that we could get from such a Lord? This is now explained.

Varadam: He who fulfills the desires;

Bhaktavatsalam: ‘He who has tender feelings of love and affection towards his devotees and looks upon them as his children.’ Here it should be understood that He showers fatherly love upon His devotees. It is far superior to mere love and affection.

Varadam is commonly understood as the Lord who fulfills every desire of ours.

The true inner meaning of this phrase is – He who grants that which is most auspiciously suited for his devotee. In other words, while granting the desires sought by the devotees, He grants only those which is best suited for him. It should be understood that He does not simply grant everything that a devotee seeks. He figures out which one is best suited and grants accordingly. Such is His compassion. If He were to fulfill every single desire of ours indiscriminately, we would be comparable to monkeys. We do not know what is needed and what is not.

That is why it is best to adopt the approach- “O Lord, You please give me whatever you feel is aptly suited for me. Do as You please, O Lord. Even this I will not ask. If you feel like giving, give. Else I am happy with what I have. I am standing before you. Take me on that path which You feel is best suited for me. If you want to make me cry, it is also acceptable to me. I will accept it as the path You have chosen for me. If you make me laugh, I will believe that this path is the correct one for me and proceed on that. But if You think that I should proceed on this path of crying, then I have a small request. Please give me the strength to endure the pain. I will withstand every pain and every obstacle, as long as You give me the energy to bear it all. But O Lord, even in that pain and even when I am crying, I request You to give me enlightenment (jnana).”

Every devotee should learn to pray in this manner. We have to exhaust our karma. There is no escape. So never pray that sorrows should be removed or that you should be happy throughout life. Who will complete your karma?

Secondly not all desires of yours are right for you. Assume a small child is playing with a blade. The mother will simply snatch the blade away from him. Similar to this, some of your desires are like blades. You are unaware that they are blades. If that desire is fulfilled, it will simply cut through and cause damage. That is why such desires are best left unfulfilled. Either there is no benefit to you from that desire or it could be possible that if fulfilled, it would ruin you totally. That is why, God takes on the responsibility of deciding which one is auspicious for the devotee and accordingly grants that.

Prapannārti haram: He dispels (haram) the distress (ārti) of those who have totally surrendered (prapanna) to him.
You could ask- Does this Lord also dispel our problems in addition to fulfilling our desires? He definitely dispels but towards this He has certain conditions. The Lord will be pleased (prasanna) only when you truly surrender (prapanna). Surrender should be whole hearted. It means that you should leave your responsibility whole heartedly and unconditionally to Him.

In the courtroom, we know that Krishna came to Draupadi’s aid. But when? When she raised both her hands, and with feelings of total surrender, called him out- ‘Krishna, Krishna…”. As long as she fought her battle, Krishna was watching her silently. When she failed totally, she gave up her fight and surrendered to the Lord. He then rushed to her rescue.

From this we learn that at first one should learn to tackle the problems to the best of his ability. It is a duty. The energy within you is also God-given. Use it therefore to tackle your problem. Else it will be considered a sin. You will automatically get the energy to tackle it further. It is wrong to go and ask the Lord to solve every small problem in life or to complete every trivial task of yours. Assume a person has worked hard and with the money he has bought food grains. Now can he say- O Lord, you have my responsibility, so come and cook for me. Or can he put a few morsels of food into his mouth and say- O Lord, now you transfer the food from my mouth to my stomach. I will not swallow. I will simply sit.” Are these practical? Why did you work then in the first place? You cannot take partial responsibility. There are certain jobs that you need to complete. He will give the energy. Can you say- I will simply sit in my house, let God do everything? In that case you have no right to walk, talk, eat etc. You should simply sit like a stone statue. It is not right that you continue to enjoy life, fulfill your desires on the one hand and expect God to take over your problematic responsibilities on the other.

If You are truly desirous that Paramatma should take over your responsibility, then at first you have to learn total self-surrender (atmarpana). As long as capacity exists, you should fight your battle. Thereafter you should leave it to his mercy.

Once upon a time a mad monk lived on earth. At every moment he would utter the Lord’s name “Shiva, Shiva..”. One day some boys noticed this mad monk and threw stones at him. Noticing that his devotee was in trouble, Lord Shiva rushed there to help. But meanwhile this monk took up stones and began to retaliate. Shiva immediately went back to his home. Goddess Parvati wanted to know the details. Shiva replied, “As he was totally lost in contemplation I thought it was my duty to protect him. So I rushed to help him. But then, he stopped contemplating upon me and instead focused upon protecting himself. So when he can take care of himself, why should I remain there? Hence I returned home.” Had the monk continued to contemplate upon the Lord, the stones would not have hurt him because Lord Shiva would have taken care. From this we should understand the essence of complete surrender.

Vande- I bow down to this revered Lord

Smaṛtṛgāmi sano’vatu- May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

In Datta darshanam, the story of King Dharmakirti brings out the essence of this first verse.
Dharmakirti who was constantly swinging between theism and atheism (astika, nastika), once approached Lord Dattatreya and sought to be imparted with the knowledge of dharma. Dattatreya pondered over it for a while and finally agreed to teach him. Dharmakirti stayed with the Lord for a few days and learnt the rajadharma (dharma applicable to kings). He returned to his kingdom and sincerely adhered to dharmas for certain period of time. Yet, gradually he fell under the influence of atheists. Under the influence of these bad friends, he forgot all that he had learnt from the Lord. He went to the extent of forgetting the Lord himself! Even after having stayed with the Lord and after having learnt all the dharmas from the Lord and after having practiced them for a long period of time, due to the bad association he forgot them all! More importantly, he forgot the Lord who preached them to him!
In this case as the boon sought by the devotee was supreme, the Lord granted and fulfilled his desire. But the devotee had not surrendered totally to the Lord. He had only desired that he should be taught dharmas but had not anticipated that bad times could also attack him in future. As such he had not surrendered (atmārpana).

Due to these bad associations, the king got addicted to many bad habits. He got trapped in his vices. At last, when the time of death approached, he was filled with total repentance. In those last moments, he surrendered to the Lord. He realized the importance of surrendering to the Supreme Lord.

Lord Datta is smaṛtrgāmi- He responds instantly when called. The moment the king was filled with deep remorse and feelings of total surrender, Lord Datta ensured that the inner being within the king (jeevi, soul) was reborn as an infant in the house of a saint. He blessed him thus with a better birth. With this his troubles came to an end. The small boy, due to the memory of his previous birth, constantly guarded himself against bad associations. He ensured that he was always in the right company. Being thus alert he attained liberation in that birth itself!

In the story of Dharmakirti, all the definitions of Lord Datta – varadam (bestower of boons), bhakta vatsalam (who loves devotees as his children) and prapannarti haram (dispeller of all troubles) become meaningful.

Verse 2:

In this verse Lord Datta’s infinite compassion as well as his true essence are highlighted.

Dīnabandhuṃ kṛpāsindhum sarva kāraṇa kāraṇaṃ ǀ
Sarva rakṣākaraṃ vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

Kṛpa sindhum: He is an ocean of compassion.
Who is eligible to be addressed in this manner?
Kṛpa means total compassion (karuna or daya). It means the heart melts at the sight of others’ sufferings.
Is this a good or a bad trait? Think for yourself.

Normally people feel compassionate towards their personal problems (self-pity) but when others are in trouble they do not feel it necessary to have feelings of compassion towards them. This is the rule upon which this world runs. To have compassion for one’s own problems is considered a good sign while compassion towards others is not considered a healthy sign. Feeling sorry when problems land upon the head and feeling jealous or criticizing others who are successful is a norm in this world. “Why should problems come only to me? Why should happiness visit other’s houses exactly when sad tidings have entered mine? Why did joy and happiness not enter my home?”- overcome with self-pity, people lament in this manner.

Why is it that when another is suffering, the thought- “O how sad! I wish this misfortune had not befallen him!” – did not arise within you? It is a pity that not many can empathize with others. It is wrong to think- “Oh, good luck has smiled at me. I don’t care if it has not favoured another as long as I have got what I want”. Do not encourage such habit.

Self pity is not the right definition for compassion. Having compassion only towards near and dear ones is also not correct. Anyone who distinguishes between friends and enemies (A is my friend, B is my enemy) also cannot have the right attitude towards compassion.

The right kind of compassion can be had only by that person who has no enemy and no friend in this world. Everyone is alike in His eyes. Such a person cannot shower his compassion only on a few while neglecting the others. Like the ocean, his compassion flows infinitely in every direction. Such a great being is addressed as ‘kṛpa sindhum’ i.e. ocean of compassion.

Deena bandhum: He is a relative for all who are in distress.
Needless to say, a Mahatma, who is an ocean of compassion, will have infinite compassion towards any person who is distressed and who is submerged in problems. Hence He is addressed as ‘Deena bandhum’.

In the previous verse we discussed that this Lord only comes to the aid of those who have surrendered to him totally (prapannārti haram). But it is not necessary that every person in distress surrenders to Him. How can he help these people who have not surrendered to him? How then can he be generalized as ‘a relative of all the poor and pitiable people (deena bandhum)?’ Let us analyze.

Any devout, pious, saint-like person does not have the heart to enjoy luxuries when others are deprived of it. Such a person before eating his food, will provide for those unlucky beings who couldn’t enjoy the luxury of food.
He will not say- “By God’s grace in our house there is plenty of food. Why should I worry about those who are starving? After all it is their bad karma which they have to face. What can I do about it?” He will try to help at least those who are in front of his eyes even though they have not asked for help. He will not be able to eat until he has fed them. If a saint-like person can have such feelings, then isn’t it natural that Datta, the Lord of all, will rush to the aid of all sufferers? To be truthful, even an ordinary selfish hard- hearted person cannot eat if he sees a beggar eyeing his food. Either he will hide and eat or will offer a few pieces of bread to that beggar before finishing his meal. If this is the behavior exhibited by an ordinary person, is it not natural that a saint rushes to help the distressed?

Now, why do people suffer? Two reasons can be attributed for the troubles/ sorrows experienced by people. It can be said that he/ she is reaping the results for the sinful deeds of the previous births or for those of the present birth. Let us assume a person with deep wisdom is able to know the reason for the suffering of another. He will be compassionate to that person who due to his wrongful actions of the present birth got entangled into problems and thus he will try to help him. He cannot help the person who got entangled into problems due to wrongful actions of previous births. Can he then be addressed as a Mahatma? No.

A Mahatma will show compassion towards a person in distress irrespective of the reason for the suffering. This is his speciality.

A child puts his hand into the fire. Will any mother say- “You deliberately put your hand into the fire. Now suffer the consequences.” She will give the required medication irrespective of whether the boy had put his hand knowingly or unknowingly. Likewise, a Mahatma will also try to help the suffering person irrespective of the cause behind. He will not say, “You brought these problems upon your head. I can’t help you.” He will not be selective in showing compassion or rendering help. If He were to be selective, why would people approach him? People approach him because he can resolve the problem or guide us in that path by which the problem will get resolved.

There is another important point to be noted here. A Mahatma will help irrespective of whether the person is deserving or not. This is a very important quality of a Mahatma. Just as a mother does not bother whether her son had placed his hand knowingly or unknowingly, the mahatma sees only the suffering of the being and not the cause/ reason behind the suffering. This is His limitless compassion.

The difference, if at all he shows, can be in only one point. He will allow that person, who had knowingly brought problems upon his head, to suffer a little, so that he realizes his mistakes. But in the case of that person who unknowingly got into trouble, he will rush to his rescue. Note that he helps both the types of people. It is just that in one case he rushes to the rescue and in the other, he will allow them to suffer slightly so that they do not repeat that mistake.

Why does this Lord help the undeserving? Does he lack common sense? No. He has the essence of that sense. That is why he helps all the people but the type of help offered is different.

If a virtuous/ saint-like person (sadhu purusha) suffers due to the troubles caused by others (when others trouble him), he instantly surrenders to the Lord as he understands the significance of surrender. He realizes that the arrogance within is preventing him from surrendering. That is why the Lord also instantly rushes to his rescue. Recollect how the Lord rushed to rescue Draupadi or Prahlada. For rendering such help, the Lord is addressed as ‘prapannārti hara’.

Those who admit that ‘their own actions of the past, be it in this birth or a previous birth, are the cause for their present day suffering, who take responsibility for the same and who repent truly for the sins committed by them are naturally inclined towards surrendering. They automatically surrender to the Lord. The moment a person realizes- ‘I was responsible for this misfortune, my actions of the past have led to this suffering today’, he automatically repents and surrenders to the Lord.

It is not the case with that person who lacks this realization. Such a person does not realize that his karma is responsible for his misfortune. Such a person cannot surrender. He will keep asking for help and yet at the same time will continue to argue his point. It is a strange situation. It is like going to a doctor and saying- “Doctor, I have no faith in you. I do not believe in your method of treatment or in the medication you are going to give. But I want to recover at the earliest. Please help.” How can the doctor help such a patient? Why should the doctor offer to treat such a patient? If the doctor refuses to treat, the patient argues- “you are a doctor. To treat patients is your duty. So help me.”

“O Sadguru, I will not surrender to you. I will not bow down before you nor will I give you any respect. But then give me liberation.” What madness is this! The only compassion that can be shown towards such people is to direct them towards a mental hospital. Apart from that, even God cannot help such persons.

On the contrary, those who surrender by admitting that their actions led to their present state, can be helped easily. By increasing their patience (sahana shakti) and concentration (ekagrata shakti) and by increasing the degree of faith and courage in them, their problems can be dissolved. The Lord also strives to help such persons and dispel their sorrows.

We have discussed that the Lord helps people of every nature, but the kind of help differs. The help offered to Bheeshma Pitamaha and Bheema stand as an example for this.

In order to prove his might, once Bheema foolishly threw his mace up in the air and waited for it to land on his chest. He would have been smashed under the weight of the mace. So instantly the Lord came to his rescue and protected him.

When Bheeshma Pitamaha was lying on the bed of arrows, Lord Krishna visited him. Bheeshma Pitamaha had surrendered totally to Him. The Lord ensured that, through the medium of Arjuna’s arrow, the water from Ganga reaches Bheeshma’s mouth. He further initiated him into Jnana.

There is a sea of difference between Bheeshma Pitamaha and Bheema. Bheeshma Pitamaha realized his mistakes and with feelings of total repentance, surrendered to the Lord. The Lord protected him. Bheema, on the other hand, unknowingly committed a mistake. He had implicit faith in his bhakti. If the Lord had not stepped in, Bheema would have been reduced to pieces. To Bheema the Lord gave advice. To Bheeshma, He gave jnana. Thus He protected both, but in different ways.

He considers even those who are suffering (deena) but who do not get this realization, also as his relatives. He helps them. That is why He is ‘deena bandhum”. That is the Lord’s trait.

Even an ordinary doctor gives medication to that patient who openly declares that he has no faith in him but seeks medication. If a doctor, who is an ordinary being, can have such noble feelings, what more can be said about the Supreme Lord? He is therefore ‘deena bandhu’. It should be noted here that he will not reduce the punishment in such cases. He will gradually introduce them to satsangatya (good association). In small doses simultaneously he will give them punishment. Due to this true satsangatya, he ensures that they are gradually inclined towards dharma. He will also infuse jnana in little doses to them. Through these, He will ensure that their sins are gradually dissolved and ultimately He blesses them with permanent protection.

Even in the case of demons such as Ravana and Hiranyaksha, the Lord followed these principles. Even though Ravana had committed a crime, he gave him protection (rakshana), ensured that he learnt his lessons (sikshana) and then punished him (siksha). He did the same with Hiranyaksha and other demons. He did not destroy them. He punished and then protected them.

With this it is clarified that he helps one and all, irrespective of whether he has surrendered or not. The type of help is different, that’s all.

Sarva rakṣākaraṃ: He helps everybody.
From this we now understand that irrespective of whether a person surrenders or not, the Lord helps him. The words ‘Prapannarti haram (dispeller of the grief of those who have surrendered)’ and ‘deena bandhum (relative of all who are in distress)’ are not opposed to each other. Both are true. The only difference is that where a person surrenders, He quickly grants them enlightenment. In others, he helps and gradually through various methods ensures that they turn into his devotees. He causes the transformation so that the devotee surrenders totally.

What knowledge did Dhruva have? The little boy knew nothing. After appearing before him, the Lord wrote the seed letters on the boy’s tongue and through this got the boy to praise him. The Lord himself gave him enlightenment.
In between these two pharases ‘Kṛpa sindhum’ and ‘sarva rakṣkaram’, comes a phrase that is of great significance:

Sarva kāraṇa kāraṇaṃ:
This explains the essence of that Supreme Lord or His real form.
In this world, every action necessarily has a cause behind it. All these worldly objects emerge from the five basic elements (pancha bhootas). In other words, the pancha bhootas are the cause (kārana) for their existence. Now, what is the cause for the existence of these five elements? The Lord is the cause for the existence of these basic elements. In simple words, our Lord Dattatreya is the cause for everything in this creation. He is Sarva kāraṇa kāraṇaṃ.

Vande: To such a Lord, I bow.

Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu- May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!
This phrase Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu is the crown and needs constant recollection.

To understand the essence contained in the second verse, one should delve deeply into the story of Kartaviryarjuna and Parasurama. What happens before and after surrender? How does the Lord help? All these will be understood very clearly from their stories.

Kartavirya and Parasurama were enemies but both had Dattatreya as their Guru. One was a devotee and the other was not. It was not that the other did not have devotion, his type of devotion was different, that’s all. Without the knowledge of the other, both of them ultimately sought refuge and surrendered to Guru Datta. The all-knowing Lord helped them both but in different ways. Both of them were unaware that they had surrendered to the Lord. They fought bitterly. He protected them both. To one He granted jeevanmukti (liberation when living); the other left his human body and thereafter achieved supreme state. Kartavirya was relieved of his curse and he returned back to heaven. Parasurama was relieved of his anger and was transformed into a Brahmarishi. He showered boons on both. Both were blessed with yoga.

To the Lord, there is no enemy. That is why he could love both of them equally and bring about a transformation in their tendencies.

In the similar manner, he causes a change in tendencies and brings about transformation in every being- irrespective of whether they have surrendered or not.

At every stage in this hymn, the words smartṛgāmi sanovatu must be recollected. They are the key points of this entire hymn.

Verse 3:

Śaraṇāgata deenārta paritrāṇa parāyaṇaṃ ǀ
Nārāyaṇaṃ vibhuṃ vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

In the above two verses, we understood that the terms ‘deena bandhum’ and ‘prapannārti haram’ were not contradictory to each other. In this verse the phrase ‘śaraṇāgata deenārta’ puts an end to any speculation that could have arisen in this matter.

Śaraṇāgata deenārta paritrāṇa parāyaṇaṃ: He undertakes a special supreme journey (parāyaṇa) to give deliverance from (paritrāṇa) the grief (ārti) for those suffering people (deena) who have totally surrendered to him (śaraṇāgata).

The term ‘deena’ refers to the poor and to people who are in severe distress. Amongst them only some surrender to the Lord (śaranagata). To help those who have truly surrendered to him, this Lord undertakes a special supreme (para) journey (ayana). He comes rushing to their aid. He runs all the way from Vaikunta. In many puranic stories, we read that Lord Vishnu forgets his chakra or his weapons at home when he comes rushing to rescue his devotee. Although it makes an interesting story, the essence that is being conveyed here is about his ‘infinite compassion’ and ‘the speed at which he hastens to the rescue of an ardent devotee’. To surrender and to call out to Him is totally in our hands. There is never a delay from his side.

But we, with our wavering mind, with our lack of proper faith, with our ego fail to call him. How then can he appear? Deep within we still debate about his capabilities and take pride in our own. Unless we surrender and declare that we are nothing but zero, he will not come rushing to our aid. Haven’t we seen this in Gajendra Moksha story of Bhagawatam? As long as Elephant Gajendra fought, the Lord watched. When finally Gajendra wept in total surrender, then instantaneously Lord Vishnu rushed to his rescue.

Even in Datta charitra, there are similar stories.
How is it possible for this Lord to appear the moment He is called? Why doesn’t he need travel time? The answer to this is contained in the phrase ‘Nārayaṇaṃ vibhuṃ’.

Narayaṇa: He who resides within every human being (nara); He who resides in water bodies (ocean); He from whom all the 25 tattvas (principles) emerge is ‘Nārayaṇa’. He, into whom, all living beings merge is ‘Narayana’. From all these meanings we can decipher that Narayana is the Lord who is present in all states and at all times i.e. who is all-pervading. This essence of His is further emphasized with the word ‘vibhum’.

Vibhuṃ: means ‘He who is all pervading’ (sarva vyāpi).
As He is all pervading, He can make himself instantly visible. He does not need any travel time.

Vande – to him I bow

Smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Verse 4:

We had discussed in the beginning that every hymn/ mantra can be used for 3 purposes- aihika, āmuśmika and paramāthika. In this verse, the aihika (worldly) results that can be attained, and the way in which they take the person to the supreme pāramāthika state are detailed.

Sarvānarta haram devaṃ sarva mangala mangalaṃ ǀ
Sarva kleśa haraṃ vande smaṛrṛgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

On the face of it the phrases ‘sarva anarta haram’ and ‘sarva kleśa haram’ appear to be repetitive in nature and both seem to imply that He grants relief from severe troubles. But, both the words have different purposes.
Sarvānarta haram devaṃ Sara mangala mangalaṃ :

‘Anarta’ means developing inclination towards those objects which are useless/ not beneficial/ unworthy (ayogya). Inclination towards them is the root for all sorrows. As such it is imperative that they be washed away.
In general people focus on those objects of the world, which can be termed useless and wasteful. Amongst the worldly objects, there are some that they dislike and some others which in their opinion, are sacred and auspicious (mangala). For instance, a calf or a temple is considered to be auspicious (mangalam). How is it that these objects have turned auspicious? Who has given them this auspiciousness?

The auspicious force which bestows such objects with auspiciousness is ‘sarva mangala mangalam’. When the focus/ attention is placed on this force, all anarta automatically gets washed away.

How then can a person shift his focus/ attention towards this supreme auspiciousness? This can be done through ‘yoga’.

Now in the path of yoga there are some obstacles. The obstacles in yoga sadhana are known as ‘kleśa’. They are 5 in number.

Avidya 2) Asmita 3) Rāga 4) Dweśa 5 ) Maraṇa bhaya.

This Lord dispels all these 5 kleśas (sarva kleśa haram) and thereby ensures that we progress in the path of yoga sadhana. Through the progress in yoga sadhana, he causes our focus to shift away from the wasteful worldly objects (sarvāṇarta haram) and instead focus on the absolute reality (sarva mangala mangalam).

Vande: To this Lord we offer our obeisance.

Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Verse 5:

In this verse, some very special meanings are being explained.

Brahmanyaṃ dharma tattvajnam bhakta keerti vivardhanaṃ ǀ
Bhaktābhiṣṭa pradaṃ vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

We should constantly keep in mind that this Lord does not have a name. Dattatreya means ‘Atri’s gift’ and is not his name. We should understand that ‘smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu’ is itself His name! He is pleased when we just think about Him. It is said that Shiva is ‘abhisheka priya’ i.e. to Shiva, abhishekam with water of Ganga is very dear. Vishnu is ‘alankara priya’ –Vishnu loves decoration with varied flowers and peetambara. Datta is ‘smaraṇa mātra santuṣṭa’- He is very pleased when we just think of Him. When we think ‘Datta’ He is instantly pleased.

In a slightly twisted and subtle manner, the method adopted by Lord Datta to help his devotees is being explained in this verse.

Brahmaṇyaṃ: He who is agreeable/ friendly to Brahma, he who brings about the welfare of Brahma, He who brings about the prosperity of Brahma is Brahmanya. Dattatreya is the true Braḥmaṇya.
Who then is Brahma?

The word Brahma has many meanings: tapas (penance), Vedas, caste (jāti), Jnana (knowledge), creator (Sristi karta) as well as Paramatma.

Therefore, He who causes prosperity to penance (tapas) is Brahmanya. Tapas means jnana, dhyana, ekagrata (concentration), and the firm determination needed. For instance, the firm determination and the complete concentration that is shown towards completion of any task that has been begun, is tapas.

Brāhmaṇya also means the person who practices Vedas and who makes them audible to all the living beings. It also refers to the person who causes welfare to people of all castes and who imparts knowledge (jnana) to others. You may question- how can knowledge be distributed? When any being prays for knowledge, he should be able to bless him in such a way that causes an increase in the knowledge of that person. He who walks in a path that is favourable to this creation and to the creator is Brahmanya. Brāhmaṇya also refers to that being who has understood about Parabrahma (who has realised Parabrahma).

He to whom every definition explained above is applicable is the true Braḥmaṇya. He is none other than Lord Dattatreya.

The word Brahma instantly brings to memory the words ‘Guru Brahma’.
All these traits are simultaneously seen in the Sadguru. For this reason, Sadguru is addressed as ‘Guru Brahma’. Why is the Guru addressed as Brahma? This is because He can bless the devotee with any or all of the positions that were explained as meanings to this word ‘Brahma’. In the form of Shiva, our Guru removes all our sins and hence we address him as Guru devo Maheshwara.

Dharma tattvajna: For all the reasons mentioned above, He is dharma tattvajna.
He is adept in the knowledge of manava dharmas (dharmas of humans). He is also completely aware of that, which would be obtained by the human beings, when they adhere to the dharmas laid down. In addition, He is proficient in the tattva (knowledge) that is explained in all the scriptures related to dharma (dharma shastras). What is it that is needed to uplift these human beings? What is the goal/ final essence that they attain? All these are very well known to Him.

Bhakta Keerti Vivardhanam:

Dattatreya is the first Guru (ādi Guru murti). Eternally He preaches to his devotees the essence of Brahma (Brahma tattva) and the essence of dharma (dharma tattva). We have understood the meaning of the word Brahma. Dharma is the set of rules of righteousness. By imparting this knowledge to his devotees at all times, He is blessing them with keerti (glory). At all times His focus is on ensuring the devotees’ glory.

Bhaktābhiṣṭa pradaṃ: He also ensures that all the desires of the devotee are fulfilled.
In addition to causing their renown, He fulfills the desires that are in their mind from various births. While granting to them only what is rightfully due to them, He causes in them a feeling that they have attained everything sought by them. Through this illusion He uplifts them.

The devotee who adamantly states –“I demand this particular desire of mine has to be 100% fulfilled” is actually not a devotee at all. A true devotee is he who leaves his desire in entirety to Paramatma. Devotees entertain various desires. It is impossible to fulfill them all. Assume there are two patients in a hall and the same doctor treats them both. To one he gives an injection due to which the patient is able to walk about freely. Can the second patient, who is still in bed, demand that the same medication be prescribed to him? The diseases being different need different treatment procedures. The second patient has to be in bed for a longer while for his body to heal. He cannot complain that the doctor has been unfair to him.

“My Guru has blessed that person with riches. He has granted him everything. Look at this guy. Guru has converted him into a pundit when he was so ignorant earlier”- it is wrong to draw such comparisons seeing other devotees. You should understand that they needed this treatment. Their karma was written in that fashion. From there also they will be brought down. From there also they will face problems (tāpatraya). It is none of your business.

He will grant, to each what is desired/ needed based on the time and situation. At the same time, He causes an illusion as if He has granted exactly what he/she had sought. There are some who think- ‘What I desire is immaterial. Let Him grant whatever He wants’. These are the true devotees. “To entertain this desire was a mistake on my part. Please excuse me. Do per Your wish”- such devotees say. “Perhaps this little is what I was destined for. Why should I then entertain great expectations? So now I am contented with this little return.”

Thus while fulfilling the desires of the devotees, the Lord grants jnana. Through the processes of Brahma jnana and dharma jnana, He fulfills the desires. This is one of the methods through which Lord Datta blesses his devotees. This is such a wonderful method.

Vande: To this Lord we offer our obeisance.

Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Under no circumstances we should forget this key words Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu.

Verse 6:

The method in which the Lord washes away the troubles of his devotees is elaborated in this verse.

Śoṣaṇaṃ pāpa pankasya deepanaṃ jnāna tejasaḥ
Tāpa-praśamanaṃ vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu

Every being on earth faces difficulties/ hardships. A rich man, wise man, strong man, a doctor, a lawyer – everyone has problems in life. Even a doctor faces health issues; a rich man also has money problems. Why do problems arise in the first place? They are the result of previous karma. What is previous karma? The actions of the previous day can be called previous karmas. If a person has eaten spoilt/ junk food on the previous day, he suffers the next day. This previous day is itself the previous birth (janma).

Sins are like a deep bog which encircle the human being and he continues to sink into it. Based on circumstances he undergoes different problems. This is why our elders state…dāridrya dośe na karoti pāpam, pāpāt daridraḥ punareva pāpaṃ. It means- ‘Due to some sinful deeds of a previous birth a person is born in absolute poverty. Due to poverty he commits further sins in that birth. Due to these additional sins, he is once again born in absolute poverty.’
It continues like a wheel. Thus it becomes impossible to exit from this bog, which keeps pulling the person down. The depth of this bog cannot even be estimated. First one lie (falsehood), to cover it up the person lies again; to cover the second lie he needs to lie again, thus it becomes an endless cycle. In order to safeguard against them, our elders reprimand us. ‘pāpa bheeti’ (fear of sin) is therefore a recommended treatment.

Only the Sadguru can save the person from this bog of sins.
Soṣaṇaṃ pāpa pankasya: He dries up the entire bog of sins.

Lord Datta, in order to pull his devotees, at first, sucks up their entire bog/ mire of sins. He dries it up completely. However the devotee cannot escape the punishment (siksha). The Lord prevents further sinking. To this extent he helps. For this total self-surrender (ātmārpaṇa) is necessary.

Deepanaṃ jnana tejasaḥ: He lights the lamp called knowledge in them.

Due to sins people undergo unexplainable hardships. At such troubled periods, they show least inclination towards charity (dānam), penance (tapas), vratas and pujas. “In what way will we benefit from these pujas? We have performed many pujas so far. But yet these problems have come to us” – they argue. Due to this non-performance of good deeds, they further slide into the bog. They add to their daridra (poverty). They look at pujas and other good deeds with a business attitude. “What return did we get for all that we had done thus far? We got nothing. Therefore what can we expect from this in future? No one can help us. Even these pujas won’t solve our problems”- they think.

In this way, the daridra shani, the Rahu-Ketu who are within, do not allow them to tread the path of dharma. They will be sinking into the bog. To add to this, such people insult God, Guru as well as the parents who have given them birth. “Why did my mother give birth to me? I am unfortunate to have been born in this unlucky lineage.”- they curse. They do not spare themselves too. “What a wasteful birth this is! It is better to die than to live in this manner. What has this world given me? Nothing. Therefore from today I will not wear even bottu (bindi). I will not bow in front of any God”. This way people lament and in frustration they act as if they have attained vairagya. It is their bad luck that is dragging them further down. They will be rough in their speech; their stomach will be full of hatred and jealousy when they come across people who seem to enjoy what they are deprived of. A sick man will be jealous when he sees someone enjoying sweets that he has been forbidden to eat. An old man will be jealous of the youth who are enjoying life. This is called daridra. Daridra is not lack of money. Lack of right discrimination is the real daridra (poverty).

At such difficult times, in fact, one should increase the time spent with God. He should increase his pujas and should visit temples more frequently. Why is Garuda Purana read when someone passes away? The place where a dead body is placed is a temple. Paramatma has just left that body. The divine atmosphere is created there. In order to create a healthy attitude amongst the near and dear ones, in order to prevent them from crying and abusing God, in order to ensure that they have an healthy attitude towards the deceased person, Garuda Purana is read. During time of grief, when we spend time with God, we forget our sorrows. Instead it is wrong to curse God at such times. “At least because of this, I have become closer to you, O Lord” – it is better to think in this manner.

In those who are dejected, disappointed and depressed and are dragged down under the weight of the problems, daiva jnana (knowledge about God) should be created. There is no use of asking them to perform vratas and pujas.
Paramatma tattva should be taught to them and fear of sin should be instilled in them. Knowledge about God is itself great effulgence (maha tejas). It is an enormous heat. When this compassion called divine effulgence/ heat is radiated upon the person, the bog of sins will simply dry up. Lord Datta resorts to this method to help devotees. That is why it is said- deepanaṃ jnana tejasah.

Just as the present day laser operations remove the stones from the body without any external incision, Lord Datta lights the lamp called divine knowledge within the person who is drowned in these sins and through this He causes the bog to dry up. With this the problems come to an end. That is why at such times one should seek shelter under a Guru.

When the lamp of knowledge is lit and the sins washed away, automatically the tāpatrayas of the person get destroyed.

Tāpa praśamanaṃ: He drives away the three tāpās in those who seek shelter under him.
What are these tāpatrayas? There are three types of tāpās- ādhyātmika tāpā, ādhibhoutika tāpā, ādhidaivika tāpā.
Ādhyātmika tāpa: This word ‘ādhyātmika’ used here has nothing to do with spirituality (Vedanta). The word ‘atma’ in this context refers to gross body. The sufferings undergone by the body such as bodily illness etc. are classified as ‘ādhātmika tāpa’.

Ādhibhoutika tāpa: Sufferings caused due to natural calamities and due to other living beings. Excessive rain, typhoon, earthquakes and other natural calamities as well as the troubles due to scorpions, snakes, insects, worms, bacteria, food poisoning etc. are classified as ādhibhoutika tāpa.

Ādhidaivika tāpa: Those sufferings which come due to curse of parents, Gods and Gurus i.e. due to supernatural forces beyond human control are ādhidaivika tāpa.

Even cheating business partners, friends and suffering due to their curse can be classified under this.
Cheating is common in business and money matters. Business should never be entrusted to anyone; the owner should watch over the dealings carefully. Likewise, in money and property matters boasting is not recommended. Secrecy should be maintained in this matter. The moment another person hears about your bank balances, he presumes he has a right over it. Cheating begins here.

In those who seek shelter under Him, Lord Datta drives away these three tapas using both the methods mentioned in this verse. Hence He is tāpa prasamanam.

Vande: To this Lord we offer our obeisance.

Smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Verse 7:

Sarvaroga praśmanaṃ sarva pīḍā nivāraṇaṃ ǀ
Vipaduddharaṇam vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

Human desires can be broadly classified into two categories- 1) that they should enjoy newer types of comforts 2) existing sorrows should be dispelled.

At every minute human beings search for newer comforts. They want something new to munch or to enjoy some new luxury. They do not even fear that they will have to pay for this all. Simultaneously they seek to get rid of all their sufferings at the earliest. Amongst the two, this second far is far more desirable. The great saints of the earliest periods had decided that getting rid of suffering is by far the most important desire of human beings.
Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati explains how the Lord resolves this issue.

Sarvaroga praśamanaṃ: He destroys every form of disease- physical, mental and those related to sadhana.
Here disease includes physical/ bodily ailments, mental ailments and diseases pertaining to sadhana.

Everyone is familiar with the term bodily disorders/ sickness. Mental sickness means wavering of the mind (chanchala) and lack of wisdom/ discrimination. Such people do not know what they are doing. Ahamkara (feeling of self importance) etc. are diseases pertaining to sadhana.

What is Sadhana-ahamkara? It means taking pride in spiritual achievements- ‘I have reached this particular level in sadhana. I can now make predictions. My chakra is floating up. I am able to see strange lights. Now I know everything. I can now start preaching’ –such thinking is a disease (roga) in itself. This ahamkara should give way to humility.

As humility increases in the person his sadhana-ahamkara vanishes. When disease (roga) called sadhana-ahamkara vanishes in the person, bodily diseases disappear. When these bodily diseases disappear, mental diseases disappear. All the three are deeply -connected.

The ego –‘I know, I know, I know’ is the root for the diseases. This causes intellect to malfunction. When the mind is disoriented, bodily diseases appear. For this reason, it is imperative that ahamkara (ego) should be given up totally.

By seeking shelter under Lord Datta, all these three diseases are destroyed.

In addition to above-mentioned diseases, there are some pīḍā (extreme difficulties) that torment the person. They are of 8 types. That is why, in commonly people use the term ‘aśta kaśta’ to explain unimaginable hardships faced by them.

Sarva pīḍā nivāraṇaṃ: He destroys the aśṭa kaśṭa (pīḍā) that torment the person.

1) Having to leave the country/ homeland and run away
2) separation between husband and wife
3) Relatives arriving at the doorstep when the host is suffering from severe poverty
4) having to eat other’s left-over foods
5) forcibly having to befriend an enemy
6) eagerly having to look forward for the food that other’s will offer
7) depression and difficulties
8) absolute poverty.

These are classified as asta-kasta. Having to leave the homeland and running away could be for various factors- due to bad name earned, when someone dear has cheated them, unable to repay the loans taken from others, due to bad name that children have brought etc. It is a painful experience.

Husband and wife are good partners to each others. Therefore separation causes great pain.
There are situations when relatives arrive at times of severe financial tightness or friends ask for a hand loan at such times. This is a very difficult situation for the host.

Life at times pushes the person into situations wherein he has to beg and eat other’s leftover food. This is a very great difficulty. Having to befriend an enemy is also a difficult situation. Like a dog waiting for someone to come and give food is yet another horrible situation.

Going into severe depression and self-loathing is yet another severe difficulty. Such persons are prejudiced against their own self and will loath- “After all I am good for nothing. I am not intelligent. I am not rich enough. I am not even beautiful who will even look at me? I am inefficient”.

Last but not the least is absolute poverty. At such times friends distance from the person. Being weighed down by severe diseases, being called a traitor by the society, being unable to study, being dim-witted, losing all the hard earned money all these are part of ‘aśṭa kaśṭa’.

As Lord Datta destroys these ‘aśṭa kaśṭa’, He is praised as – sarva pīḍā nivāraṇam.
This Datta Stava is a very difficult and an extremely powerful mantra. In Kali Yuga, Lord Datta himself preached this great mantra. It is not easy to obtain this mantra.

Vipaduddharaṇam: He extricates the person from all forms of dreadful misfortunes.
As if troubles in life were inadequate, exactly at times of severe problems, more problems land on the head. This is comparable to that person who has injured his arm. Even while the wound is healing, if people come and accidentally hit him on that arm, what would be his condition?

From every difficult situation, Lord Datta can rescue a person. He is the sole refuge. He will gently pull the person out of the problems and seat him at a height from wherein he will be unaffected. That is why it is enough if we worship Him.

Vande: To such a Lord we offer our obeisance.

Smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Verse 8:

This is a special verse with very deep meaning. Datta stavam is an ashtakam (hymn comprising of 8 verses). This is the last verse of this ashtakam. In this verse, what a human being should in-reality seek through prayers is being explained.

Janma samsāra bandhagnaṃ swaroopānanda dāyakaṃ ǀ
Niḥśreyasa padaṃ vande smaṛtrgāmi sano’vatu ǀǀ

In the earlier stanzas we prayed that grief/ difficulties be destroyed and that we should be blessed with comforts. In order to attain fulfillment in this life, we should with feelings of surrender, pray to that Lord, “O Lord, this repeated cycle of births and deaths (samsara) has become bondage for me. Please relieve me from this bondage.”
Laughing for a while and grieving for a while are part of this samsara. One second we enjoy; the next second we are depressed. At times we say life is great while at other times we call it a burden. Life is full of ups and downs and they bind us completely.

Janma samsara bandhagnam: Lord Datta relieves us from this repeated cycle of births and death.
This is a continuous cycle of births without any break. It is never ending parampara. This samsara is a self-propelling machine (swayam chālita yantra). There is no mechanism by which it can be brought to a halt. Neither does it deplete nor does this machine ever fail. So it rotates endlessly. One birth follows another in a never ending pattern. We have been travelling endlessly. In this lifetime we are born here. During other lifetimes we were born to different parents, in different countries and have spoken different languages. At other times we were born as mute animals.

In a short period of time while we are on earth, we build attachments. A couple married for just about a week claim to be inseparable from each other. What is this, if not māya? The couple pledges to never separate in every lifetime. But yet, just after the birth of a child, they are ready for divorce. Is it nice? It was Paramatma’s intention due to which both of them were united. How can they think in this manner?

Our feelings are fleeting and temporary. There is no true love and feelings. The word ‘thanks’ has replaced all genuine feelings. Even a husband and wife thank each other for every trivial help. Where is genuine love?

This is māya (illusion). Only that Lord has the statistical records of all our births. Lord Datta has the brakes; He has the remote controls through which he can bring this cycle to a grinding halt. That is His greatness.

Commonly people think that samsara is just married life with its ups and downs but in reality taking birth itself is samsara! This samsara is like an unimaginably huge tree with infinite branches, countless fruits and flowers.
Ramana Maharishi had said, “Repeated births are itself a cancer.” From this one can understand how dangerous it is.
Be it the life of a Brahmachari, householder or sanyasi, this birth is a samsara. In this samsara which is beyond our control, we add bondages and buy problems. We are worried about this worldly samsara that we forget to think about the bigger samsara. “Oh, I don’t have kids; I have not earned sufficient profits” in this manner worries and attachments of this trivial temporary samsara eat away our time. You have brought it upon yourself and are seeking to push the blame on God. Never try to argue with God- “you gave hence I am struck”. It is wrong. He will say- “you asked for it, hence I gave it to you”.

At the same time there are sadhakas who seek that they should never die and try to accomplish this. This is also wrong. A sadhaka can pray to be spared from re-birth but he should never seek to escape death. Whether he chooses or not, death is inevitable. Re-birth is what you can escape. Hence it is right to pray that you should be spared from re-birth. After living for a long period of time the being gets bored with this life. How then can we seek to live for 600-800 years in this body?

Namadeva had prayed, “O Lord, if at all I need to be re-born, please ensure that I am born amongst sadhakas. I need a chance to think of you.”

Do not seek re-birth only for enjoying luxuries. For having been born, use this life for God’s seva. “In every birth I should remain as your servant, O Lord. It does not matter how many ever births I take, as long as I remain your ardent servant”- we should pray in this manner. We should as far as possible, not seek re-birth. It is janma (birth) that binds the being. Death never binds the being. All bondages began only because we decided to be born. With practice, determination and good association, bad habits can perhaps be overcome, but bondage called janma (janma samsara) cannot be cut so easily.

It is impossible to earn this state with our own self efforts. Only Lord Datta can bring it to a halt. Hence we should beg Him to grant us this.

Swaroopānanda dāyakaṃ: He showers the bliss, which is our own true inherent inner bliss.
When the bondage called janma is cut, all that remains is ananda (bliss), which is the true inherent state of every being.

When a delicious mango is tasted, the tongue enjoys unexplainable bliss. The person drowns himself in this bliss for a long time. Good music brings divine bliss to the ear. When another person praises you profusely, the mind soaks in that bliss. “It was all because of my intelligence/ capabilities. Thank you for recognizing my capacities. At least you recognized me” people say. Generally people do not admit that it was God who got the task completed through them as the medium. They do not openly and wholeheartedly admit God’s role in it. No one says, “Please do not praise me. Praise that Lord”.

We should not allow others to praise us as it boosts our ego. But this ego boosting gives bliss to the mind. We discussed three types of bliss- the bliss enjoyed by the tongue, by the ear and by the mind. When the mind was experiencing bliss, the bliss enjoyed by the tongue was non-existent. In other words, when one form of bliss is being enjoyed, another form cannot exist. How can the ear enjoy good food? Likewise the tongue cannot enjoy the good music. Each of the five senses derive bliss only from those objects that are connected directly to it.

Now, what happens in the event a person decides to obtain/ know himself? At that point when he knows his true self, he realizes that ‘true bliss’ (ananda) is his natural state (swaroopa). At that point when this illusion and sorrow get wiped out, then all that remains is one’s true form. This form is bliss (ananda). Not only through various proofs but through direct experience he understands that bliss is his inherent nature.

Lord Datta takes us to this supreme state of experience! He is therefore addressed as ‘swaroopānanda dāyakam’- He shows to us that our inherent state (swaroopa) is true bliss (ananda)! We understand that our original form (swaroopam) is that which gives us bliss (ananda dāyakam).

Niḥśreyasa padam: Obtaining this true bliss is Niḥśreyasam. In other words it is liberation This is also known by many names moksha, nirvana, kaivalya, ātmaikya.

Until we reach we do not know about this stage. In other words, Datta himself is this ultimate state called Niśreyasa. He is liberation.

This sounds a bit queer, doesn’t it? If it is said that through worshipping Lord Datta a person reaches the state of liberation it perhaps makes sense, but then how can one declare that Lord Datta himself is liberation? We board a train to reach our destination. Can the train and destination be one and the same? Likewise Datta and liberation cannot be one and the same, people argue.

Now a potter bakes a clay pot. The pot is nothing but clay. Here the clay has become the pot or the pot is nothing but clay. Likewise, through worshipping Datta, a person becomes Datta. This is called ‘ahamgrahopasana’. To reach this state, a person is asked to perform Datta upasana.

In the Upanishads, it is said- sadā dattōha asmīti…” . It means he who believes himself to be Dattatreya, and with this firm belief behaves lovingly is not a samsari. Here it should be interpreted to mean that such people have ample opportunities to exit from the cycle of samsara (births and deaths).

We should understand that the person who truly believes, “I am Datta” and conducts upasana with this firm belief stands a chance to attain liberation. Just as the insect which watches the Bhramara bee in full fear and concentration transforms into the Bhramara bee, the person who conducts Datta upasana every minute transforms into Datta. His atma becomes Datta. He becomes the form of Paramatma. Upanishad declares that this state is ‘na samsari’ or moksha.

From this Upanishad statement we understand that ‘becoming Datta” and “attaining liberation” are one and the same. The upasaka transforms into Datta just as the clay transforms into pot, pans and various other clay articles. When any of these articles break, the broken parts merge into the clay. Only clay remains. Likewise beings have created lot of assumptions around themselves- I am a man, I am a woman, I am a king, I am a servant etc. When all his earlier imaginations, assumptions and beliefs vanish, the upasaka merges into Datta. He merges into that from which he originated. Only Datta remains. This is called moksha.

This is the last verse in the hymn (ashtakam). This ashtakam destroys all forms of grief and difficulties (aśṭa- kaśṭā). This last verse explains the final destination of a human birth.

Vande: To this Lord we offer our obeisance.

Smaṛtṛgāmi sanovatu – May that Lord who responds instantly when called, protect us all!

Now we will discuss the final concluding verse, which explains the results of reciting this mantra. This is the mangala vācaka.

Verse 9:

Jaya lābha yaśaḥ kāma dātur-dattasya yaḥ stavam ǀ
Bhoga mokṣa pradasyeyam prapaṭet sakṛtī bhavet ǀǀ

This is the phala śruti (results of chanting) for this hymn.

People in general seek instantaneous results and hence this verse explains such results. These are people who want some prasadam or the other. They are not satisfied with kumkum, vibhooti given in temples; they are on the lookout for edible prasadam. They are willing to buy prasadam from the shop but they feel incomplete without reward for their temple visit.

Yet, there are some zealous devotees who state- we do not seek any results for our prayers. We have prayed without any selfish motives and hence we will not recite this 9th verse. These are people who refuse prasadam given at the temple, refuse teertham and refuse to wear the kumkum / vibhooti offered at temples as they consider them to be the results for their prayers. While these are admirable traits, what the person does not realize is that all these form part of his prayers. Sitting in temple, accepting the flower, kumkum, vibhuti, kalkand that is offered there is part of the prayer. It should be considered as archana to the Lord. These are phala śruti.

While not seeking results for prayers (phala) is admirable, not wishing to chant phala sruti is wrong. This phala śruti is also part of the mantra and hence should be mandatorily recited. Even if the person knowingly did not seek any results for his prayer, he should still remember that he had sought relief from re-birth (janma samsāra bandhagnam). As such this phala śruti should be recited.

By chanting this phala śruti, your inclination towards the presiding deity of this mantra will strengthen. In other words, phala śruti is the hymn for this hymn. It is in itself a hymn which emphasizes the power contained in this hymn.

In the temple we look up in awe at the tall gopurams. When we thus look up in awe, it implies that the greatness of that deity has pervaded the entire air/ space (pervaded everywhere). It means that He is everywhere. But when you enter the temple precincts, the idol is tiny. We have to bend to enter into the tiny inner sanctum and to bow to Him. The idol is small but the greatness is all-pervading! Similarly this phyla śruti explains the importance and greatness of this hymn.

Jaya lābha yaśaḥ kāma dāturdattasya yaḥ stavam: Lord Datta blesses his devotees with victory, success, fame and fulfillment of their desires, when this Datta stavam is recited. This is His trait.

Bhoga moksha prada syeyam: He blesses his devotees with comforts in this world as well as with liberation.
Prapaṭet sakṛti bhavet: When chanted incessantly, it blesses the person with everything he had sought.

Prapaṭet means chanting (the hymn) repeatedly. This is of two types- chanting repeatedly as a pārāyana and side by side trying to understand the meaning when chanting. Only when both these methods are combined, it can be said that the person is chanting with concentration. Then it is true prapaṭanam.

We should try to understand the meaning of the hymn we are chanting. When Bhagavan Veda Vyasa was searching for the right person who could, at high speed, note down the verses of Mahabharata as he chanted, Ganapati’s name was recommended. In speed, Ganapati was matchless. Even before Maharishi Vyasa could complete one verse, Ganapati could finish writing it. Ganapati agreed to write but on one condition- “If there is a situation wherein I need to pause during writing, I will simply walk away”- He said. Maharishi Vyasa, while agreeing to this, put forth a counter condition- “You should understand what I am saying and then write”. Based on this agreement, Ganapati had to understand the verse first and then write.

Just because they are asked to chant the hymn, people in general, keep their concentration elsewhere and chant routinely. They will notice all the passersby; they will focus on all that what is happening around them while they are chanting. Such chanting serves no purpose. It is the same when people are chanting/ writing ‘Srimata’. If they observe the puja and write, there is no sin. But as they write they observe who is seated where, who gets up in between, who is talking to whom, the arguments between people. Hand that is accustomed to writing Srimata routinely continues to do so. As they write, they also gossip over their mobile phones. How can such chanting/ writing be acceptable? In fact it is a sin; a dosha. Concentration should be fixed upon the Divine Mother when writing Srimata.

Here the word prapaṭanam has been used to signify this. While chanting in large numbers it should be ensured that every chanting is with the proper understanding of the meaning contained in it.
What is the benefit of prapaṭanam?

Lord Datta rewards such devotees with ‘sakṛti bhavet’. It means he becomes a kṛtakrtya i.e. a person who does exactly what needs to be done by him.

In accordance to the result a person seeks, he should work. A person desirous of eating rice should buy rice grains and not wheat grains. To eat ragi mudda, he should bring ragi grains. When he wants to eat ragi mudda, what is the use of buying wheat? In other words, based on returns expected, work should be done.

But in case of Lord Datta this rule is inapplicable. To obtain anything, be it -victory (jaya), profits (lābha), fame or liberation it is adequate to chant this Datta stava. Do prapaṭanam as explained above. With such chanting, you will become a krtakrtya. Then every desire of yours will be fulfilled.

Datta Stava is thus a supreme composition. Such is the greatness of this hymn. By explaining the greatness of Lord Datta through this phala śruti, Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati is sending across another message to us. What is it?
First of all there is no need for the individual to entertain any desire. If at all he has a desire, then there is no need to go in search of a deity who will fulfill it. Forget all about desires. Go on chanting ‘Datta Stava’ repeatedly. Your jobs will all get done.

It is said that for every desire there is a separate mantra/ separate deity. But in this case, it is said –forget about desires and instead go on chanting Datta Stava. Datta will take care of everything. This should be the manner in which Datta devotees should pray to Datta.

In even in the Guru- shishya relationship, instead of the devotee seeking fulfillment of any particular desires, it is better for him to pray- “O Sadguru deva! You know what is right for me. Therefore please grant what You think is best for me.” If you seek fulfillment of particular desire, then there is a limitation. He will fulfill only that and be quiet. You will have to chase Him again if you need another desire; but then He may not be available. Hence it is better to leave everything to His discretion. “Give me only that what is rightfully due to me. You know what I seek. When I do not know how much to eat, how can I know what to seek? Due to my selfish desires, I eat everything that comes my way and then I suffer. You please decide for me.”

We have discussed the meaning for all the 9 verses. Let us now recapitulate the essence once again.
Smaṛtrgami sano’vatu- We have discussed that this Lord has no name, no form, no address. He is all pervading.
If we were to assign an address to Him for example, if we say- ‘Vaikunta vāsa namaḥ Om’, then the Lord has to travel all the way from Vaikunta. If we pray- ‘O Mysore vāsi Datta’- then Datta has to board a flight from Mysore and come to see you. If we, on the other hand pray- ‘O Lord who lives in my heart’, then instantaneously He can make himself visible there.

In the verse Dattātreyam mahātmānaṃ: In this we discussed that Dattatreya himself is Parabrahma and the self-surrender is the only way to reach Him.

In the verse Deena bandhum: In this the root for the hardships faced by humans was explained and the nature of compassion exhibited by the Lord was detailed.

In the third verse, śaranāgata deenārtha- In this the all pervading nature of the Lord was elaborated.
In the fourth verse- sarvānartha haram devam- This verse explained that even if this Lord is worshipped to obtain worldly desires, He grants the Paramārthika results.

In the fifth verse- Brahmaṇyaṃ dharma tattvajnam- it was explained that the Lord grants the knowledge of Brahma tattva and dharma tattva to his devotees.

In the sixth verse- śoṣanaṃ pāpa – the method in which this Lord destroys the sins of his devotees was beautifully elaborated.

In the seventh verse- sarva roga praśamanam- Here it was explained that the Lord fulfills both the desires of the devotees i.e. destruction of all grief/ diseases as well as obtaining comforts/ happiness.

In the eighth verse- Janma samsara bandhagnam- in this the ultimate goal of human birth, Datta’s tattva and the relationship between Him and his devotees was clearly explained.

In the ninth verse- jaya labha- this verse, in the name of phala śruti, actually explains the manner in which this Lord should be worshipped.

In this way, these 9 verses teach us in a crystal clear manner, Datta’s essence as well as the way in which He should be worshipped. In the mirror called mind, He will be visible. Through this tiny stotra, He makes himself visible in the mind.

Śri Ganeśāya namaḥ
Śri saraswatye namaḥ
Śri Pādavallabha ṇrusimha Saraswati
Śri Guru Dattatreyaya namaḥ.

Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla