Anasuya

Anasuya (IAST: Anusūyā, अनसूया "free from envy and jealousy"), was wife of Rishi Atri. In Ramayana, she appears living with her husband in a small hermitage in the southern periphery of the forest of Chitrakuta. She was very pious and always practiced austerities and devotion. This allowed her to attain miraculous powers.

When Sita and Rama visited her during their exile, Anasuya was very attentive to them and gave Sita an ornament which could maintain her beauty forever. She was mother of Dattatreya, Durvasa and Chandra. She was daughter of Sage Kardama and his wife Devahuti. Sage Kapila was her brother and teacher. She is extolled as Sati Anusuya – Anusuya, the chaste wife.

The Trimurtis test Anasuya

Sage Narada praised Anasuya in his hymns and verses, making the wives of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva jealous. They requested their husbands go and tempt her away from her husband, breaking her chastity. The Trimurtis went to Anasuya as guests when Atri was not at home and asked her to serve them lunch in the nude. She agreed, but first splashed them each with enchanted water, turning them into infants. The three goddesses waited for their husbands to return and when they didn't, travelled to Anasuya’s Ashram to find them transformed. The Goddesses repented and at request of Anasuya, the three Gods agreed to be born as her sons. According to one version, the gods merged turning into Anasuya's three headed son Dattatreya.

A Brahmin named Kaushik from Pratishthan used to visit a prostitute, in spite of being a Brahmin and having a devoted wife. When he later became infected with leprosy, the prostitute stopped seeing him, forcing him to return to his wife who still cared for him. He still longed for the affections of the prostitute and one day asked his wife to take him to her. In that town, sage Mandavya had been impaled in lieu of a criminal and was lying on a spike in the forest. While being led by his wife through the deep forest at night, Kaushik happened to trip on the sage, who cursed him to death before the next sunrise. To stop the curse, Kaushik's wife stopped the sunrise with the power of her love, creating havoc in the heavens. The gods went to Brahma for help, who in turn went to Anasuya, asking her to convince Kaushik's wife to allow the sunrise. Anasuya not only convinced Kaushik's wife to allow the sun to rise, but also brought Kaushik back to life after the curse had run its course. Brahma was very happy with Anasuya and was then born to her as Chandra.

Some time later, Rahu masked Sun, cloaking the whole world in darkness. Atri, with powers granted by many years of austerity, wrested Sun out of Rahu's hands, restoring light to the world. The Gods were pleased and Shiva and Vishnu were born to Atri and Anasuya as Durvasa and Dattatreya.