॥तेपुस्तपांसि मुनयः पुरा॥

(Sung by Smt. Devi)

तेपुस्तपांसि मुनयः पुरा,
शङ्कयाऽत्रि कलिता दत्त! (पल्लवी)

O Datta! In the ancient time, the Sages joining with Sage Atri performed penance on Ṛkṣa Mountain with a doubt in Spiritual knowledge.

एकं श्रुतं त्रिकर्म कारी
त्रयस्तु दृष्टा इति दिदृक्षा ।।

The doubt is – It is heard from the Veda that there is only one God doing Creation, Control and Destruction of this world. But, the three divine forms of God i.e. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are separately seen each one doing the work respectively as mentioned in the above order. Hence, anxiety arose in the minds of Sages to see that one God doing all the three works.

त्रयैक वादान् नेति चाऽत्रिः,
स्वरूपमेकं मूलं ददृशे ।।

The three divine forms appeared claiming that the three as one group is that one God. But Atri refused this saying that God is only one and not three as per the Veda. Since he refused three, his name “A-tri” became meaningful. Due to this, the three pleased divine forms disappeared and that one root-God appeared before Sages.

त्रिमूर्ति वदनैरेको देहः,
‘दत्त’ ‘दत्त’ इति घोषो जज्ञे ।।

All the Sages cried saying “Given, Given” or “Datta, Datta”. That one God Himself doing the three works i.e. Creation, Control and Destruction of this world through the three faces of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, having only one body proving the oneness of God was seen by Sages.