Datta Jayanti

Datta Jayanti is celebrated on the full moon day of Margashirsha in the Hindu calendar. Datta Jayanti celebrations in Amalner. This day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Dattatreya . It is celebrated across the country, and especially in Maharashtra, on the full moon day of the month of Margashirsha (Agrahayana) according to the Hindu calendar (December/January).

Datta Sect-                                                                                                                                                    Datta Jayanti Festival Raipatan (Taluka Rajapur) .Dattatreya continued his work of serving the downtrodden and eradicating suffering and ignorance in society. After him, Shripad Shrivallabh , Shri Narsimha Saraswati and Vasudevananda Saraswati are considered to be his incarnations. Datta's places are in Prayag , and in Maharashtra, in places like Audumbara , Gangapur , Mahur , Narsimhawadi , Kuravpur, and Kardalivan. The famous book Gurucharitra, written on the work of Shri Dattatreya, is read with devotion. 

Deity form-                                                                                                                                                  Dattatreya or Datta was the son of sage Atri and mother Anasuya. Dattatreya, who has three mouths, six arms, two legs, four dogs representing the four Vedas and Kamadhenu (cow mother) near him , is a form of Brahma , Vishnu , and Mahesh. Dattatreya is considered the first guru in Hinduism. Dattatreya traveled around India with the aim of spreading Hinduism . He established his shrines (gadi) in various places and continued his tradition. The birth of Dattatreya is also mentioned in the Ananushka Parva of the Mahabharata.

Gurucharitra Reading Week-                                                                                                                    The important text of the Datta Sampradaya, associated with Lord Dattatreya, is the Shri Gurucharitra . For seven days before Datta Jayanti, devotees of Datta read this Gurucharitra, following strict rules. This reading is performed on Datta Jayanti.

Nature of the festival-                                                                                                                                  Datta Jayanti Festival Kirtan Raipatan Taluka Rajapur. On the day of Datta Jayanti, bhajans and kirtans are performed in the temple of Datta. It is believed that Datta was born in the evening, so the birth kirtan is performed at that time. The temple is illuminated. A procession of Lord Dattatreya is taken out in a palanquin. This festival is organized in various parts of India for a week. Various artists in the field of music and dance come to perform their art in this festival. Special programs are also organized for such events. This festival is celebrated with enthusiasm not only in the city but also in small villages. Food and prasad are arranged for the devotees who come. 

Guruchritra-Author of the book-                                                                                                            Saraswati Gangadhar was a disciple of Shri Narsimha Saraswati and belonged to the fifth generation of Sayandeva. Sayandeva is among the seven major disciples of Narsimha Saraswati. The Gurucharitra gives the genealogy as Sayandeva -> Nagnath -> Devrao -> Gangadhar -> Saraswati Gangadhar. It is reported in the Shri Gurucharitra that Shri Narsimha Saraswati herself ordered Saraswati Gangadhar to write the biography, and this is also traditionally believed in by the Datta Sampradaya. This book is believed to have been composed around 1480 CE. It is found written in this book that the author, Saraswati Gangadhar, was a Brahmin of the Apastamba branch and his surname was Sakhra. The Datta Sampradaya is particularly widespread in Maharashtra and South India , especially in Karnataka .

Original texts and translations-                                                                                                                  This original Marathi verse version of Shri Gurucharitra was translated into Sanskrit almost verbatim by Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati alias Tembeswami in the latter half of the nineteenth century. This Sanskrit Gurucharitra is mostly composed in anushtubh verse. Gurucharitra is considered a worship text of the Datta sect. Saraswati Gangadhar's mother tongue was Kannada. Therefore, some Kannada inscriptions are found in it.

There are many variations in the Marathi Gurucharitra. After a comparative study of the copies of many such texts, an authenticated copy of the Gurucharitra was produced in the twentieth century by Shri. Ramchandra Krishna Kamat. Kamat's copy shows a strong imprint of the Sayandev copy. Kamat's authenticated copy and the Chitrashala copy used by Shri Vamanrao Gulvani in the tradition of Vasudevanand Saraswati are the most popular copies used for the recitation of the Gurucharitra.

Topics in the book-                                                                                                                              Gurucharitra has a total of 52 chapters and 7491 verses. Mangalacharan, Gurubhakti and Guruprasad are the main topics of this book. The special thing about Gurucharitra is that Vedanta and Kriyashunya Bhakti do not have a place here. The position of Guru and the Guru-Shishya relationship are given more importance in Gurucharitra than the person Narasimha Saraswati. Topics like Avtaranika are found in this book. This book is a guide to receiving the grace of Guru, achieving success in worldly and spiritual life. Both Shripad Shrivallabh and Narasimha Saraswati are considered to be incarnations of Dattatreya. Therefore, special descriptions about them are seen in this book.

The book describes various vows, pilgrimages and pilgrimages, and the rules for how a Brahmin should perform them. Along with that, important concepts related to the Datta Sampradaya such as Ashwath, Audumbara, Bhasma etc. are explained in detail in this book, and their importance is explained. The book also provides guidance on how to anoint the body with Bhasma and how to worship Shiva. The book also explains the importance of chastity and hospitality for women. 

Historical context- During the period in which this book was written, Maharashtra was ruled by Adilshahi and Nizamshahi. Therefore, this book discusses the need to establish peace in the society without increasing religious rifts.

Recitation-                                                                                                                                                    The recitation of the book Gurucharitra is considered an important part of the Datta Sampradaya. The recitation period of the book is 7/ 18/ 28/ 34/ 37/ 43/ 51 days. One should take a bath every morning and evening and meditate. For this, one should always use the same seat. The person performing the recitation should eat light and nutritious food. One should meditate on God throughout the day. During the recitation, one should spread a blanket and sleep on the floor. During the recitation, one should maintain purity of body, mind and intellect. After the recitation is over, one should end the recitation by offering food and dakshina to Brahmins and Suvasini.

Research-                                                                                                                                                      The original Sanskrit composition of Gurucharitra is speculated by R.C. Dhere that his disciple Siddha may have composed it in Sanskrit . The original Sanskrit text is no longer available. The currently available Gurucharitra may have been composed in Marathi by Saraswati Gangadhar in 1535 AD. Researcher Dhere speculates that the basis for its composition may have been available at that time. The original Gurucharitra had 51 chapters. Some scholars believe that the Avtarnika chapter was added later. It is believed that the thoughts of both Vedic and non-Vedic traditions have been recorded in this book, but the necessary research has not been done on it yet. 

Prose Guruchari-                                                                                                                                          Many people have converted the verse-based Gurucharitra into prose. One of them is Bal Vamanbhai Panchbhai. In the book 'Shri Gurucharitra - As It Is' written by him, the essence of the stories from all 52 chapters of Guruchari is written in simple Marathi.

Dr. Sitaram Ganesh Desai (Gadgil/Vaidya), who holds M.A.P.H., has narrated the Gurucharitra in prose form in his book 'Bhavarth Gurucharitra'. A total of 52 chapters have been presented in this form of stories. When Namkarni, a devotee of Shri Guru Narasimha Saraswati, went to Gangapur to have darshan of the Guru, Siddha Muni told him about the origin of the universe, the four yugas, Gurubhakti, the Datta avatar of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, the biography of Shripadvallabh and the glory of the Guru. All of them are given in very simple language.

Then he has given information about Shri Gurucharitra and Shri Datta Sampradaya, the author of Shri Gurucharitra, the differences between various books, the weekly reading method, the benefits of reading, the meaning of Guru Geeta, the Marathi meaning of Kannada verses in Guruchari, Datta Bavani composed by Shri Rangavadhuta Swami, the three Datta Stotras and Karuna Tripadi composed by Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati, Datta Stotra composed by Shri Narada, Guru Ashtak of Shri Shankaracharya, an introduction to Shri Datta Sampradaya, some major Datta Kshetras, etc.

Manuscript versions of Gurucharitra-                                                                                                       According to manuscript scholar V.L. Manjul, the oldest manuscript copy of Gurucharitra is from 1695 AD. This copy has 51 chapters. So far, 100 manuscripts of Gurucharitra have been collected from various institutions. Of these, 32 manuscripts are in the Marathi Manuscript Center, while 15 manuscripts are in the Bharat Itihas Shoshod Mandal . There are about 50 manuscripts in institutions such as Bhandarkar Institute, Vedic Research Board, Deccan College and Tilak Maharashtra University . They include manuscripts such as 52 chapters, fifty-one verses, Laghu Samhita, Gurucharitra Saar and Sanskrit translation.

There is an illustrated manuscript from the collection of Sardar Kibe in the Pragya Pathshala of Wai . It contains a rare colored picture of Datta. However, in this picture, the cow is not drawn behind Datta.