29th December, 2020
I would like to talk about the relevance of Datta as a guru. You know, we always say that all masters are the same. Then what is the relevance of Datta here?
Most of the people you meet are a person and personality. So what do you connect to? To the person, the form, and then the personality. Everybody has a distinct personality – Sai Baba had a personality; all masters have their personalities. And we connect to that. That is why we feel connected to certain people, we like their personalities, or we like the person and the personality, and then we connect.
What is the personality of Datta? Can you define the personality of Datta?
It is impossible to define the personality of Datta: that is the relevance. He is the Supreme Consciousness. He is every personality; he is everything. So that’s the relevance – that’s why we call him the Supreme Master. This means he is the master of Masters. He is beyond personality. When you reach the state of an avadhoota, you’re beyond personality.
But not all people are like Datta, even though all people can be Datta. Datta is beyond everything. Datta is universal; the expression of Supreme Consciousness with all the dimensions. They say 33 crore deities – 330 million dimensions of one consciousness. The 330 million dimensions of one consciousness are expressed through Datta. In fact, the 330 million dimensions also express through us, but we have a predominant personality.
We have a personality that we reflect to the world or project to the world is somewhat standard. And we connect to that, and people connect to that personality. But if you take Datta – you can never define the personality of Datta. You know, Datta is everything. He is in every master; he is every master. And every master cannot be him, because unless the 330 million dimensions are continuously being expressed, you cannot be Datta. So nobody can really be Datta, but there can be Datta amshas, Datta avatars – all those are possible based on the time.
Who do you call as a Datta avatar?
Somebody who has raised himself or come with the operating frequency of Datta is a Datta avatar. I’ll repeat, somebody who’s operating in the frequency which is like Datta’s, or equal to that or close to that, we call a Datta avatar. So based on that, there are numerous avatars. Datta incarnates.
See – Datta is a state, a state where 330 million dimensions are always projected from one source. One source is all, already projecting. The whole universe is all projection of that one source: pure consciousness, bright consciousness. Brighter than a million suns, but not as hot as the sun. That is the thing – that it’s brighter than a million suns and that projection is Datta. This means that 330 million dimensions projected simultaneously are Datta. And each person has that potential, we all have the potential. But why are we not able to do that?
Because our minds limit us, we are limited by our personality. We are limited; that’s why. Actually, we have no limitation; we can all be Datta. Datta is every dimension. You are also possibly every dimension. But we are stuck to one dimension, such as name, form, personality, country of birth, colour, complexion and whatever it is.
We are stuck to all this, and we believe it. We believe we are this thing, and that makes us stay away from all things.
You know, we are everything – we are everything. We are multidimensional. We have all 330 million options, but we don’t do that. Our mind limits us – this is the point. This is why we have great, great relevance for Datta. We had this aarati; we had this worship. Why do we worship Datta? Because we aspire to be beyond the limitations, to be unlimited, limitless. That’s why we connect to Datta. And Datta avatars are seemingly limitless, but then they have to operate within the society – Sai Baba had to operate in a society that did not understand him.
Every master has this problem. Masters are dealing with a society that takes time to recognize them or understand them. So what happens? They cannot express all their dimensions because if all the dimensions were expressed, you wouldn’t understand the master. Imagine pure brightness sits in front of you – you will be blinded, you will not even see. That’s why there has to be a form, and that’s why Datta took birth.
Now let us dissect Dattatreya, let’s see what it contains. First of all, to understand Datta, you should destroy all frames. Your mind will have concepts, and your mind will want to put people in frames: this man should behave like this, talk like this, walk like this, eat like this, sleep like this. We have made frames for people. You have to destroy all frames. Datta is no frames, first of all. Likewise, Datta is no fear. Fear has no meaning in the path of Datta. There should be no fear—total fearlessness.
Then, what remains?
Once frames are removed, and fears are removed, what remains? Love. Datta is love. Just love, unconditionally. It doesn’t matter who you are; the connection is love for no reason. It should not be for a purpose – that is a transaction, not love. It is not transactional love; it is love for no reason. Because when there is no fear and no frames, then what remains is love.
Then, what does the D stand for?
D for Discipline. You’ve got to be disciplined. If you don’t have discipline, there is no consistent continuity. There should be discipline. Discipline is essential for every seeker; discipline is very important. And Determination is even more important; you should be very determined – hardcore determination. And also, Datta is Destination.
What is the destination?
What’s inside you, your soul. Your soul has every dimension – 330 million dimensions are in your soul. That soul is Datta. So Datta is your destination. The destination is the journey itself. And the journey is no journey.
What is no journey?
Wherever you’re trying to go, it’s all inside you. Your soul is inside you wherever you go. Where else will you find your soul? You have to look within then you’ll see Datta. That is it.
And what does A stand for?
Acceptance. Total acceptance, unconditional acceptance of what? You. What else will you accept? You accept yourself; then you accept the whole world. And then the whole world will accept you, but you have to accept yourself first. If you are angry, if you’re upset, if you’re criticizing, judging, complaining, standing upside down – that’s because you have not accepted yourself. Not because of the world not accepting you. You’re not allowing the world to accept you, because you have not accepted yourself. Understand this clearly. So, Datta’s A stands for acceptance.
Then, T: what is T?
Tough. Is it possible to be tough? It is. Tough because, when you are subtle when you are everything, you are solid and tough. When people see toughness as a tough thing or a tough material, they are all fragile, they all can break up.
But can the soul break?
Not the soul. Even if the soul breaks up, every part of it is alive. That means it is life splitting into many pieces, no problem. But there is no death there. So, when there is no death, it’s tough.
And second is Tolerance. We have acceptance and tolerance of everything around us, and we love everybody. That’s why I said, Only love remains.
Then we have another T in Datta. That is amounting to Timeliness, Time. He is beyond time; he is time. He is a time rider.
What is the time rider in you?
Your soul is riding through time and coming in different bodies. We must have experienced every possible aspect of existence already if you understand how many past lives you had.
Maybe you have experienced every different aspect of your life or possibilities of life on various levels in various places. So please understand – this is very important to know that Datta is time. He is time, but he’s not bound by time. Your soul is not bound by time; the body is bound by time. So if you think you are the body, you are bound by time. If you understand you are the soul, you are unbound by time. So, time is Datta and Datta is beyond time, and it is timeliness.
What is timeliness?
Being in the present. Your only time is now. Yesterday is finished, tomorrow you don’t know. Now you have to do your best. If you waste this time, that time is lost. Maybe since you wasted this time, and if you had a serious desire, you might take another birth to complete this. So, this is very important. Timeliness – do things right now. Right now is the only time we have. So that’s the next T.
And then comes A
Anonymous. That means he’s invisible; he is everywhere. Where is Datta? All the 24 gurus of Datta are Datta. Plus, nature is Datta. Every tree, every plant, every bird, every animal, every fish in the water. What lives in the water, what lives in the sky, what lives on earth, it’s all Datta, because inside everybody is the same soul. Different bodies but same soul. When Datta is everything, he is in everything. So he is invisible, but he is everywhere, anonymous.
Then, another T comes:
Tangible. He has come in a form. Why did he take a form at all? Not because he wanted to experience a few more ice creams. He came here as a form so that you can connect to him. You can link up with him. Otherwise, where is Datta? Datta is within you, but he has to be outside of you – so you can connect to what is inside you, outside. Then you again come back to the inside with full clarity. That is why he has a form. So that T is tangibility.
Then comes R, very important. What did he come for?
Righteousness. He came to preserve dharma. His duty is to re-install dharma when adharma comes. Adharma means what? Cheating, stealing, doing things that are not appropriate to liberation. Things that we do which are affecting our conscience and not good for liberation is adharma. To preserve dharma, Datta has come.
What is E?
Dattatreya – E is Enlightenment or liberation. He is a walking example of liberated existence, an enlightened being. He came with a purpose – not for the pleasures of the world or pleasures of the senses; he came for the purpose of liberation. He is walking liberation, he is established in liberation, and he is living liberation. So this is enlightenment.
Then the Y:
It’s You. Where is Datta? Within you. You are Datta. You don’t see the outside unless you see Datta inside. Please remember – you are Datta. You don’t have to look anywhere. An idol with three heads is only the personification of the three aspects of existence. But Datta is actually within you. So if you can’t see Datta within you, you may not be able to find Datta at all. So Y is You, you are Datta.
And then, what is finally A?
Very important: Awareness. Awareness is the key. Being aware that everything around you is Datta. All that sits inside everything, the all-important thing that sits inside every being is Datta. And you are Datta. This awareness should always be there.
Then if you ask, what about other masters?
All other masters have come for purposes. They are realized beings, they are relevant. They are extremely relevant, and they have a role to play. But Datta is multidimensional. Datta avatars are multidimensional because they are operating in not one dimension only. They just transform into the dimension which is necessary at that time. This means that you can never arrest them in one dimension. Most other masters you can make a frame and say this is their dimension.
Lord Krishna was different. Lord Krishna was difficult to put into any frame. He was playing roles: as a child, as a lover, as a husband, as a warrior, as a politician, as a king. He played every role in 125 years. So Krishna can never be put into any frame, like Datta. Datta is every bit of nature, every stone, every tree, every plant, every animal, every bird.
What sits inside, the antaryami, is Datta. You can never put him in a frame. That’s the relevance of Datta.
Transcribed by Ulla Bernholdt
Proofread by Geeta Iyer