Shloka 11
Avatāra-kathā — The Puruṣa, the Many Incarnations, and Kṛṣṇa as Svayam Bhagavān
षष्ठमत्रेरपत्यत्वं वृत: प्राप्तोऽनसूयया । आन्वीक्षिकीमलर्काय प्रह्लादादिभ्य ऊचिवान् ॥ ११ ॥
ṣaṣṭham atrer apatyatvaṁ vṛtaḥ prāpto ’nasūyayā ānvīkṣikīm alarkāya prahlādādibhya ūcivān
Dalam penjelmaan keenam, Tuhan menjadi putera resi Atri. Atas doa Anasūyā, Baginda lahir dari rahimnya lalu mengajarkan ‘ānvikṣikī’, ilmu rohani yang melampaui dunia, kepada Alarka, Prahlāda dan yang lain-lain.
The Lord incarnated Himself as Dattātreya, the son of Ṛṣi Atri and Anasūyā. The history of the birth of Dattātreya as an incarnation of the Lord is mentioned in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa in connection with the story of the devoted wife. It is said there that Anasūyā, the wife of Ṛṣi Atri, prayed before the lords Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva as follows: “My lords, if you are pleased with me, and if you desire me to ask from you some sort of blessings, then I pray that you combine together to become my son.” This was accepted by the lords, and as Dattātreya the Lord expounded the philosophy of the spirit soul and especially instructed Alarka, Prahlāda, Yadu, Haihaya, etc.
FAQs
The verse refers to the Lord appearing as the son of Atri and Anasūyā—commonly identified with Dattātreya—who teaches spiritual and philosophical inquiry.
Ānvīkṣikī is the discipline of analytical inquiry—reasoned examination of truth—which, when aligned with devotion, supports clear understanding of the self and the Supreme.
It encourages combining sincere devotion with thoughtful inquiry—learning to question, study, and reflect so faith becomes informed and steady rather than blind or sentimental.