Dattatreya Aarti (जय जय दत्त दिगंबर)
Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Purnima), daily in Datta temples, Gurupurnima, Thursday
About this Aarti
Dattatreya Aarti honours Lord Datta — the combined trinity avatar of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — revered as the Supreme Guru in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.
Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Purnima), daily in Datta temples, Gurupurnima, Thursday
Significance & Importance
Lord Dattatreya -- the combined avatar of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva -- is revered across Maharashtra and Karnataka as the Adi Guru, the supreme teacher. The aarti 'Jai Jai Datt Digambar' salutes him as Digambar: one for whom the sky itself is clothing.
According to tradition, Dattatreya was born to the sage Atri and his chaste wife Anasuya, whose purity of devotion drew the Trimurti to manifest as her child. He is depicted with a cow behind him -- symbolising nurturing abundance -- and four dogs beside him, representing the four Vedas. The audumbar (cluster-fig) tree beneath which he is often shown is sacred to his worship. As Avadhuta, he recognised twenty-four gurus in nature itself: the earth's patience, the sky's vastness, the fire's non-discrimination.
Datta Jayanti, on the full moon of Margashirsha, is his principal festival, observed with all-night kirtan at his major temples -- particularly at Gangapur (Karnataka) and Girnar (Gujarat), the holy mountain where tradition holds he dwells as an immortal yogi. The aarti invites all who hear it to receive his threefold grace: wisdom from Brahma, preservation from Vishnu, and liberation from Shiva.
English Transliteration
Jai Jai Datt Digambar, Dayal Trimurti.
Brahma Vishnu Shiv Rupa, Guru Ki Poorn Murti.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Chaar Kutte Saath Mein, Audumbar Chhaya.
Peechhe Gaay Sada Rehti, Datt Ki Maya.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Girnar Parvat Par, Vaas Karte Datt.
Maharashtra Karnataka Mein, Poojit Hain Gupt.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Trishul Kamandal Dhari, Shankh Chakra Saath.
Shaddarshan Ke Gyaata, Sab Guruon Ke Naath.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Datt Jayanti Ke Din, Bhajan Poojan Hota.
Jo Datt Ka Smaran Kare, Uska Bhav-Bandhan Chhootta.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.Verse-by-Verse Meaning
Tap “Show meaning” under any line to read its bhāvārth.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar, Dayal Trimurti. Brahma Vishnu Shiv Rupa, Guru Ki Poorn Murti.
Show meaningHide meaning
Victory, victory to Datta Digambar! You are compassionate and the very form of the divine trinity (Trimurti). You embody Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva all three, and you are the complete embodiment of the Guru. ('Digambar' = sky-clad, one for whom the directions themselves are the only garment — utterly detached.)
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Show meaningHide meaning
(Refrain — repeated after every verse.)
Chaar Kutte Saath Mein, Audumbar Chhaya. Peechhe Gaay Sada Rehti, Datt Ki Maya.
Show meaningHide meaning
Four dogs always accompany you, and you abide in the shade of the Audumbar (cluster-fig) tree. A cow forever stays behind you — all this is the divine play (maya) of Datta. (The four dogs are revered as symbols of the four Vedas.)
Girnar Parvat Par, Vaas Karte Datt. Maharashtra Karnataka Mein, Poojit Hain Gupt.
Show meaningHide meaning
O Datta, you dwell upon Mount Girnar. Across Maharashtra and Karnataka you are worshipped, even while remaining hidden (gupt — present yet unseen).
Trishul Kamandal Dhari, Shankh Chakra Saath. Shaddarshan Ke Gyaata, Sab Guruon Ke Naath.
Show meaningHide meaning
You bear the trident and the water-pot, and the conch and discus are with you too (the emblems of both Shiva and Vishnu). You are the knower of all six schools of philosophy (shad-darshana) and the Lord of all gurus (the foremost Guru).
Datt Jayanti Ke Din, Bhajan Poojan Hota. Jo Datt Ka Smaran Kare, Uska Bhav-Bandhan Chhootta.
Show meaningHide meaning
(This final verse appears in the Hindi lyrics but is absent from the romanized text; transliterated here.) On the day of Datta Jayanti, hymns and worship are offered to you. Whoever remembers Datta with a sincere heart, their worldly bondage (bhava-bandhana) is released.
Jai Jai Datt Digambar.
Show meaningHide meaning
(Refrain — repeated.)
More aartis you may love
Find an aarti by occasion
Frequently Asked Questions
When should the Dattatreya Aarti be recited?
Datta Jayanti (Margashirsha Purnima), daily in Datta temples, Gurupurnima, Thursday
What are the benefits of reciting the Dattatreya Aarti?
Reciting the Dattatreya Aarti with devotion is traditionally believed to invoke the grace of Dattatreya, steady the mind, dispel negativity, and create an auspicious, sattvic atmosphere at home. It is offered as an act of bhakti (loving devotion) rather than for any guaranteed material result.
Where can I read the complete Dattatreya Aarti lyrics?
VedKosh provides the complete Dattatreya Aarti lyrics dedicated to Dattatreya (दत्तात्रेय) in both Hindi and English (with transliteration for regional readers), along with its meaning and a printable/downloadable version.