Devi Anasuya was the daughter of Rishi Kardam and his wife, Devahuti. She was the spouse of Rishi Atri. Anasuya was one of the most virtuous and wise female sages in the Vedic era. It is said that she was a master of tantra and was able to perform many miracles. Maharshi Atri and Anasuya used to live in their ashram at the southern end of Chitrakoota forest, on the bank of the Mandakini river.
One day, three Devis—Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati—the consorts of the Tridevas—asked Narada muni to mediate a decision over which of them was the most virtuous and pure. Narada Muni was quite clever. He knew that speaking in favor of any one of the Tridevis would ignite the other two. So he pulled a ruse. "All three of you are the source of all the wealth, power, and wisdom in the universe, yet none of you are whole and therefore deserving of the status of most pure and virtuous. Any one of you cannot even become the purest and most complete one because the distinctions in qualities among the three of you are necessary to keep the universe in balance. You may therefore argue that only the purest and most virtuous entity could arise if someone were to combine the three of you. From this perspective, I can affirm that Maharishi Atri's wife Anasuya is the most chaste, virtuous, and purest of all in the entire universe."
Narada's words astonished the tridevis. If it is true that there is only one single woman in the entire universe who can be regarded as the most virtuous and flawless, then she has to be put to the test for her integrity. To find out if it was true or not, the Tridevis asked for assistance from the Tridevas. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the Tridevas, were amused as well to see the reaction of their consorts. Thus, three attractive and youthful men emerged from the Tridevas and were sent to see Anasuya in order to test her virtues and purity.
In disguise of muni, those three men went to the ashram of Atri when the Rishi went to take a bath. Devi Anasuya was very pleased to see the munis, and she welcomed them. She cleaned their feet with water, gave them clean mat to sit on and fresh water to drink.
The munis were attractive, youthful, and extremely captivating. They informed Anasuya that they were going to enter a lengthy period of austerity and that they would not be allowed to eat again; so they asked to be fed one more time. But they had three conditions.
Feeding guests was always a pleasure for Anasuya. However, things seemed somewhat weird this time. Firstly, the food must not be served in any earthen pot, leaf, or on the ground. Secondly, the lady must serve the food without wearing any cloth. Lastly, she must feed all of them herself using her own hands.
When Anasuya first heard that, she became confused. How on earth can she, without wearing any clothes, feed three men with her own hands? She won't be able to keep her purity. On the other hand, if she refuses, she will lose her virtue, and it is unacceptable by the social norms to leave the guests without feeding them.
But Anasuya had solutions to all her problems. She thought for some time and then smiled agreeably. She fetched her kamandalu and prayed to the Tridevas for fulfilling her wish before splashing blessed water on three munis without realizing that they were the incarnations of the three Devas. With her holy water, the three munis were transformed into three infants. Then Anasuya undressed herself and started to breastfeed the three infants with love and care. Thus fulfilling all the conditions without losing her purity.
The three Devis watched the entire spectacle, keeping themselves hidden from Anasuya in the disguise of three birds. The capability and intelligence of Anasuya really impressed them. At this moment, three Devas also appeared there. The munis, transformed into infants, instantly merged with the Tridevas.
The Devas explained everything and told Anasuya that as she breastfed them as mother, they would take birth from her womb. Thus, a portion of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva each entered the womb of Anasuya, thus giving birth to Dattatreya (literally meaning something that is given by three entities). Rishi Dattatreya was considered the yuga guru of the treta yuga and an authority on the Vedas.
As Atri Muni returned to the ashram after taking a bath, he understood everything and blessed his wife for her devotion, virtue, and purity. Apart from Duttatreya, Devi Anasuya was the mother of two other sons, Durbasa (incarnation of Shiva) and Chandra (incarnation of Brahma), and a daughter, Shubhatreyi.
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