Tradition hands authorship of the Avadhuta Gita to the sage Dattatreya, a figure revered in many strands of Hindu lore. Often portrayed as the archetypal “wild yogi,” Dattatreya is said to have spoken these verses in a state of ecstatic non-dual awareness, laying bare the essence of Advaita in crisp, unvarnished language.

Scholars date the text anywhere from the 8th to the 13th century CE, though exact origins remain as elusive as mist at dawn. It surfaces within tantric compilations such as the Mahanirvana Tantra and has trickled through centuries of oral transmission. Like a whisper carried on the wind, snippets of its radical message have found their way into the teachings of modern mystics—Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, and more recently, voices on social media channels exploring non-duality.

In a world busier than ever—where mindfulness apps rival streaming platforms—this text offers a refreshing detour. Its punchy couplets read like lightning strikes, shattering conceptual walls around “self” and “other.” For anyone exploring the spiritual side of 21st-century life, these verses land with the impact of a viral tweet on cosmic unity.

Take it with a grain of salt or let it wash over you like a cool breeze—either way, the Avadhuta Gita remains a singular voice in the Advaita chorus, inviting seekers to look beyond duality and taste the freedom that has inspired seekers for a millennium and more.