Atri (अत्रिः)

Atri (Samskrit : अत्रिः) is one of the Saptarshi rshis and one of the Brahmamanasa putras. Mahabharata mentions another maharshi named Atri as the son of Sukracharya (MB Adi Parva 65 chap verse 27). Atri has been a mantra drashta mentioned in the Rigveda (Mandala 1 Suktas 51, 112, 116 etc). He is also the rshi for the fifth mandala of Rigveda.

Birth and Family

जन्मा ॥ Birth

Atri is one of the Brahma manasaputras (mental creation of Brahma) and was significant among the Saptarshis. Another reference to Atri maharshi is that he is the son of Shukracharya. Brahmanda Purana mentions about the birth of Atri during the Homa performed by Brahma by means of his semen.

अहं तृतीय इत्यत्रिस्तस्मादत्रिः स कीर्त्यते ॥ २,१.४४ ॥ ahaṁ tr̥tīya ityatristasmādatriḥ sa kīrtyate ॥ 2,1.44 ॥ (Brah. Pura. 2.1.44)

The third was born saying "I am the third (अहं तृतीय)" hence he is named as Atri.

दक्षप्रजापतिः ॥ Daksha Prajapati

According to Mahabharata Shanti parva (Adhyaya 208) ten Prajapatis names Prachetas arose from Barhi who belonged to Atri vamsha. The ten Prajapatis had one son known as Daksha or Ka.

अत्रिवंशसमुत्पन्नो ब्रह्मयोनिः सनातनः। प्राचीनबहिर्भगवांस्तस्मात्प्राचेतसो दश॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.208.6)

atrivaṁśasamutpanno brahmayoniḥ sanātanaḥ। prācīnabahirbhagavāṁstasmātprācetaso daśa॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.208.6)

दशानां तनयस्त्वेको दक्षो नाम प्रजापतिः। तस्य द्वे नामनी लोके दक्षः क इति चोच्यते॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.208.7)

daśānāṁ tanayastveko dakṣo nāma prajāpatiḥ। tasya dve nāmanī loke dakṣaḥ ka iti cocyate॥ (Maha. Shan. 12.208.7)

Daksha Prajapati is well known as the father of Sati Devi who married Shiva and as the father-in-law of Chandra (who married the 27 nakshatras).

Family

Wife : Anasuya (अनसूया)

Sons : Prachinabarhi (प्राचीनबर्हिः), Dattatreya (दत्तात्रेयः), Soma (सोमः) (Chandra) and Durvasa (दुर्वासा)

Daughter : Apala (अपाला)

Atri's wife was Anasuya (one free from malice), who was one of the daughters of Devahuti and Kardama Prajapati. When Brahma instructed Atri to further creation by fathering children, he began rigorous austerities and meditation. For a prolonged period, Atri underwent with faith the most drastic penances and meditations. Pleased with his tapas, the Trimurtis - Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara - appeared and roused him. With devotion Atri bowed to them. After mulling over the immensity of their grace, he asked the boon to have the three deities incarnate as his three sons.

The story of Atri and Anasuya bringing forth their sons has variant versions. Silavati, reputed for her chastity, was once carrying her husband Ugrasravas (who though a leper desired to visit the brothel house) to a prostitute's house, and on the way disturbed the penance of Animandavya muni (Mandavya) who cursed Ugrasravas to die before sunrise. With the power of her chastity, Silavati countered it by stopping the sunrise. When chaos prevailed as sun did not rise, devatas and rshis request Anasuya, the chaste wife of Atri maharshi to talk to Silavati. Anasuya prevails upon Silavati to withdraw her words and let the sun rise. Due to this the devatas were pleased and bless Anasuya to choose a boon of her desire. It was then that she prayed that the Trimurtis be born as her sons. Atri and Anasuya are famous as the father of Dattatreya (amsa of MahaVishnu), Chandra (amsa of Brahma) and Durvasa (amsa of Shiva) according to one version (Brahmanda Purana Adhyayas 39 to 44).

According to another anecdote, once the wives of the Trimurtis (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Parvati being jealous of the greatness of Anasuya decide to test her devotion to her husband. Towards this end they request their husbands to test Anasuya. The three of them visit the ashrama of Atri, at the time of absence of Atri and request Anasuya to serve food to them with a condition of being divested of clothes. At that instance, Anasuya transforms the trimurtis into babies by her power and feeds them fulfilling their precondition. Seeing them as babies, the wives of Trimurtis accept defeat and request Anasuya to transform them back into their real forms. At that time Anasuya requests the Trimurti's to be her son and they take the form of Dattatreya (with three heads one each of the Trimurtis).

Apala, the daughter of Atri, suffered from leprosy and hence was forsaken by her husband. Rig veda (8.91) mentions the story of Apala where she did great penance to appease Indra. Apala tasted the Soma to be offered to Indra and offered it back to him when he appeared before her. Please with her he cured her of the disease and she reunites her with her husband.

Famous Aspects

Atri in Vedas

The earliest reference to Atri is as a Vedic seer, found in the mantras of the Rig Veda, along with Agni, Indra, etc. The fifth mandala (section) of the Rig Veda is ascribed to him. In the Rig Veda, it is described how asuras try to burn him by putting him in a machine called Shatadvara Yantra. He prayed to the twin gods, the Ashvinis, who released him (Rig. Veda. 1.51 and 116).

In a mystic meditation on prana, the vital breath, the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (2.2.4), after describing the other six sages, depicts Atri, the seventh, thus: 'The tongue is Atri, for through the tongue food is eaten. He is called Atri because he eats (Atti). He who knows it as such becomes the eater of all things, and everything becomes his food’.

वागेवात्रिर्वाचा ह्यन्नमद्यतेऽत्तिर्ह वै नामैतद्यदत्रिरिति । सर्वस्यात्ता भवति सर्वमस्यान्नम्भवति । य एवं वेद । १४.५.२.[६] (Shata. Brah. 14.5.2.6)

vāgevātrirvācā hyannamadyate'ttirha vai nāmaitadyadatririti । sarvasyāttā bhavati sarvamasyānnambhavati । ya evaṁ veda ।- 14.5.2.[6] (Shata. Brah. 14.5.2.6)

Atri and Parashara

He dissuaded Sage Parashara and other sages from performing a sacrifice to annihilate the whole race of demons. He accompanied many other sages who went to Drona to counsel him to stop hostilities between the warring Kauravas and Pandavas. He was also the chief priest at a sacrifice called rajasuya yajna, which was initiated by King Soma. He was one of the sages who witnessed Parashurama's austerities.

Atri and Ganga

The Shiva Purana tells the story of how Maharshi Atri and Anasuya were responsible for getting the holy river Ganga to flow down to earth. Pleased with them, Shiva appeared in the form of a linga, and at their ardent request took his seat there permanently by assuming the name Atrishvara.

Atri assumes the forms of Surya and Chandra

Another episode, related by the god Vayu to Arjuna in the Mahabharata, goes thus: During a pitched battle between the gods and the demons, the latter were winning. The demons shot off a shower of arrows, obscuring the sun and the moon. The gods broke ranks and began groping in darkness. Some of them approached Maharshi Atri and begged him to help them. Moved by their pleas, Atri transformed himself into the sun and the moon. The fiery sun scorched the demons, thus rescuing the gods.