श्रीदत्तात्रेय स्तोत्रम् — Benefits & How to Chant
श्रीदत्तात्रेय स्तोत्रम्
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting श्रीदत्तात्रेय स्तोत्रम्
Invokes Lord Dattatreya, who as 'Sarva-roga-hara' removes all diseases and grants health
Worships the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) united in one form
comprehensive devotion
Said to destroy enemies and quell all sins (as stated in verse 17)
Bestows knowledge (jnana) and realisation (vijnana), and frees from the bonds of samsara
Brings the grace and guidance of the supreme Guru and avadhuta
Reciting it is traditionally said to lead to the direct vision (pratyaksha) of Datta
Especially powerful on Thursdays (Guruvar) and on Datta Jayanti
How to Chant श्रीदत्तात्रेय स्तोत्रम्
Instructions
Sit facing east before an image of Lord Dattatreya, ideally after a bath. Light a lamp and incense. Begin with the dhyana verse 'Jatadharam Pandurangam', then recite the eighteen verses with devotion, sounding the refrain 'Dattatreya Namostu Te' at the close of each. Recitation on Thursdays and especially on Datta Jayanti is held to be most fruitful; many devotees recite it daily as a guru-prayer for health, protection and spiritual guidance.
Spiritual Significance
Lord Dattatreya is praised as 'Sarva-roga-hara', the remover of all diseases, and the Datta tradition abounds with accounts — gathered in texts such as the Guru Charitra — of the chronically ill, the possessed and the despairing being cured and uplifted at his shrines. The closing verse itself promises that this divine hymn is 'Datta-pratyaksha-karaka' — it brings about the direct, living vision of Dattatreya for the sincere devotee.
Origin & History
Source: Proclaimed by the sage Narada (Narada-krita Dattatreya Stotram); transmitted in the Puranic and Datta-sampradaya tradition
Author: Sage Narada (as stated in the closing verse)
Lord Dattatreya was born to the great sage Atri and his pativrata wife Anasuya as the union of the three supreme gods — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — who came to test and then bless her devotion. He grew into the ideal avadhuta and Adi Guru, wandering naked and free, begging his food, established in the bliss of Brahman. This stotra, sung by the celestial sage Narada by the grace of Datta himself, gathers his glories — his ash-smeared ascetic form with trident and begging bowl, his identity as the Trimurti, and his power to heal disease and grant liberation — and closes by declaring that it bestows the very vision of the Lord.