30 Dec 2020
[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on December 06, 2020, in which several devotees participated. Some of the questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]
[Śrī Pavan asked: It is well known that Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Maheśvara (Śiva) were born to Sage Atri and Anasūya as Candra, Dattātreya and Dūrvāsa respectively. If this is true, why do we only worship Lord Dattātreya and not Candra and Dūrvāsa?]
Swāmi replied: Candra and Dūrvāsa, who were Incarnations of God Brahmā and God Śiva respectively, gave their God-components to Dattātreya and left. Candra went to become one of the planets (planet-deities) while Dūrvāsa became one of the sages. Dattātreya became the Incarnation of the three Gods in human form. Dattātreya is the Human Incarnation of God Datta, the first Energetic Incarnation with which the unimaginable God merged. Further, the three Energetic Incarnations called God Brahmā, God Viṣṇu and God Śiva emerged from God Datta. God Datta was born to Atri and Anasūyā as Candra, Dattātreya and Dūrvāsa, corresponding to the three divine forms called Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva respectively. The three Energetic Incarnations of God, namely, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva carry out the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world. Creation, which is the responsibility of Brahmā, is already over. The final destruction, which is the responsibility of Śiva, is yet to come. All of us are in the middle stage of the maintenance of the world. This stage is called sthiti and is presided over by God Viṣṇu. Hence, Brahmā and Śiva merged with Viṣṇu in Dattātreya. This is also the reason why Rāmānuja and Madhva selected Viṣṇu as the form of mediated God to be worshipped.
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