Anasuya

Anasuya
Rama visiting Atri's hermitage. As Atri talks to Rama and his brother Lakshmana, Anusuya talks with his wife Sita
Spouse(s)	Atri
Children	Durvasa Chandra Dattatreya
Parents	Kardama Prajapati (father) Devahuti (mother)

Anasuya(IAST: Anusūyā, अनसूया "free from envy and jealousy"), also known as Anusuya, was wife of an ancient Indian rishi (sage) named Atri, in Hindu mythology. 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, Anusuya was very attentive to them and gave Sita an ointment which could maintain her beauty forever. She was mother of Dattatreya, the sage-avatar of Trimurti Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, the irascible sage Durvasa, avatar of Shiva and Chandraatri, avatar of Brahma. She is also mother of Chandra Dev Moon. 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.

Anasuya is made up of two parts: An and Asuya. An is a negative prefix and Asuya means jealousy. Hence, Anasuya could be translated into English as one who is free from jealousy or envy.

The story of Anusuya's family is mentioned in Bhagavata Purana Skanda III. Sage Kardama married Devahuti, daughter of Swayambhu Manu and had nine daughters, including Anusuya, each one of whom married various Saptarishis and one son avatar Kapila.

Sage Narada praised Anusuya 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 pativrata. The Divine Trinity went to Anusuya 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 small children. The three goddesses waited for their husbands to return and when they didn't, travelled to Anusuya’s cottage to find them transformed. The Goddesses repented and at request of Anusuya, 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. The word pativrata used in the above composition should be replaced by the word pativratya because pativrata means a chaste woman who is devoted to her husband and the word pativratya means chastity.Thus the sentence should read-They requested their husbands--------breaking her pativratya.