This book presents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from
his Puranic emergence up to modern times. Dattatreya's Brahmanical
portrayal, as well as his even more archaic characterization as a
Tantric antinomian figure, combines both Vaisnava and Saiva motifs.
Over the course of time, Dattatreya has come to embody the roles of
the immortal guru, yogin and avatara in a paradigmatic manner. From
the sixteenth century Dattatreya's glorious characterization
emerged as the incarnation of the trimurti of Brahma, Visnu, and
Siva. Although Maharastra is the heartland of Dattatreya devotion,
his presence is attested to throughout India and extends beyond the
boundaries of Hinduism, being met with in Sufi circles and even in
Buddhism and Jainism via Nathism.
The scarce attention which most Western scholars of Indian
religions have paid to this deity contrasts with its ubiquitousness
and social permeability. Devotion to Dattatreya cuts through all
social and religious strata of Indian society: among his adepts we
find yogis, Brahmans, faqirs, Devi worshippers, untouchables,
thieves, and prostitutes. This book explores all primary religious
dimensions: myth, doctrine, ritual, philosophy, mysticism, and
iconography. The comprehensive result offers a rich fresco of Hindu
religion as well as an understanding of Marathi integrative
spirituality: precisely this complexity of themes constitutes
Dattatreya's uniqueness.
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