Canto XVII - The Birth of Dattātreya

The Prajāpati Atri begot three sons by his wife Anasūyā, namely, Soma, Dattātreya, and, Durvāsas, who were incarnations of portions of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva respectively—Their offices are described — Dattātreya, assembling young Munis about himself, tested their loyalty, by living immersed in a lake and by revelling in sensual pleasures.

The son spoke,:

Then after many days’ time the adorable Atri, the second son of Brahmā, looked upon his wife Anasūyā. Her, bathed after menstruation, very lovely in body, seductive and perfect in form, free from blame, the love-possessed Muni enjoyed mentally.

But while he contemplated her, a powerful wind through and above brought the change that was produced in her. The ten regions of the sky seized the white-lustred form of Brahmā, as it fell all around, in the form of Soma, characterized by passion. That mental Soma was begotten in her as the son of the prajāpati Atri, the life and possessor of every excellence. Magnanimous Viṣṇu being pleased begot of her Dattātreya, the brāhman, in whom goodness predominated, by production from his own body, Dattātreya was he called; he sucked Anasūyā’s breast: he was Viṣṇu indeed incarnate; he was Atri’s second son. He issued from his mother’s womb seven days afterwards, being enraged on seeing that the haughty king of the Haihayas was near and was offending Atri, being angry he at once desired to burn up the Haihaya. Filled with indignation at the long pains and toil of his residence in the womb, a portion of Śiva was born as Durvāsas, in whom darkness predominated. Thus three sons were born of her, being portions of Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu.

Brahmā became Soma, Viṣṇu was born as Dattātreya, Śiva was born as Durvāsas, through the boon granted by thegods. The prajāpati Soma, ever causing creepers and medicinal plants and mankind to grow with his cool rays, abides in Svarga. Dattātreya protects oilspring from destruction by the malignant Daityas: and Viṣṇu’s portion must also be known as the benefactor of the docile. Durvāsas, the adorable birthless god, destroys the scorner; assuming a formidable body, he is haughty in look mind and speech. The adorable prajāpati, the son of Atri again created the Soma plant.^[1] Dattātreya also, being Viṣṇu, enjoyed objects of sense while engaged in profound meditation. Durvāsas, deeming his father and mother to be the chiefest object of devotion, assuming the form known as ‘frantic,’ roamed about the earth.

Surrounded by the sons of Munis, the lordly yogi Dattātreya also, desirous of obtaining exemption from all attachments, long immersed himself in a lake. Nevertheless those youths, resorting to the bank of the lake, did not forsake him, who was magnanimous and exceedingly benign. When after a hundred heavenly years were ended, all those youthful Munis, through affection for him, still forsook not the bank of the lake, the Muni, taking his noble wife clothed in heavenly raiment, beautiful and plump in form, arose from the water, thinking, “If these sons of Munis shall forsake me because of the presence of a woman, then I will remain free from all attachments.” When nevertheless the sons of the Munis did not forsake him, he next drank intoxicating liquors in company with his wife. Thereupon they did not forsake him, though he was engrossed in drinking spirituous liquor in company with his wife, and though he was rendered impure by addiction to singing, musical instruments and such like, and also by intercourse with his wife; deeming that the high-souled Muni when with her was detached from religious rites. The lord of yogis, although drinking spirituous liquor, incurred no fault. Dwelling like Mātariśvan within the abodes of caṇḍālas, drinking strong drink he, skilled in yoga, the lord of yogis, attended by his wife, performed austerities, being-meditated on by yogis wbo longed for deliverance from mundane existence.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The text appears to be corrupt. Another reading has been suggested by Babu Hari Mohan Vidyābhuṣan, the pandit of the Bengal Asiatic Sooiety, from a MS., atreḥ putraś for atriḥ punaś; this is preferable and I have adopted it.