తేపుస్తపాంసి మునయః పురా

(Sung by Smt. Devi)

తేపుస్తపాంసి మునయః పురా,
శఙ్కయాఽత్రి కలితా దత్త! (పల్లవీ)

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

ఏకం శ్రుతం త్రికర్మ కారీ
త్రయస్తు దృష్టా ఇతి దిదృక్షా ।।

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.

త్రయైక వాదాన్ నేతి చాఽత్రిః,
స్వరూపమేకం మూలం దదృశే ।।

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.

త్రిమూర్తి వదనైరేకో దేహః,
‘దత్త' ‘దత్త' ఇతి ఘోషో జజ్ఞే ।।

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.