Atri

Atri is one of the great seers of the Rig Veda and one of the Saptarishi, the seven rishis of the tradition. The fifth book of the Rig Veda is attributed to his family line.

Tradition/Life

The Vedic hymns name Atri as a seer whose offerings the gods favour; one celebrated narrative credits him with restoring the sun at an eclipse through prayer to Brahma? — the story is told in the hymns of his descendants. The Puranas give him the sage Anasuya as wife; their sons are Dattatreya, Durvasa, and Soma (the moon), making Atri the ancestral father of three great lineages of devotion, asceticism, and royalty.

Teachings/Works

The Atri hymns of the Rig Veda (Book 5, attributed to the Atri family) invoke Agni, Indra, and the Visvedevas. Later tradition connects Atri’s line with manuals of ritual and with devotional texts on Dattatreya.

Legacy

Atri appears among the Saptarishi in the Ursa Major constellation lore; gotras bear his name across India to this day.

Verification notes

• The Vedic Atri is a seer of the hymns; the Puranic biography is much later and mythological.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).