Dattātreya
Purāṇic · Ādi-guru of the Avadhūtas · Datta tradition
Dattātreya, son of Atri and Anasūyā, is worshipped as the Ādi-guru, the first teacher, and as the union of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva — usually shown with three heads and six arms, a cow behind him and four dogs at his feet. He is the ideal avadhūta, free of all outward bonds.
In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Book 11) he tells King Yadu of his twenty-four gurus — the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, a python, the ocean, a moth, a honeybee and others — each of whom taught him a lesson. The Avadhūta Gītā is attributed to him. His worship is strong in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra and Gujarat, and Datta Jayantī falls on Mārgaśīrṣa Pūrṇimā.
Ādi-guru · 24 gurus (Bhāgavata 11) · Avadhūta Gītā · Datta Jayantī