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Chapter 8 (pg 47) of the Upodghatapada of Brahmanda Purana states the lineage of Atri and Vasistha. It recounts Atri's family and an incident where Atri releases the Sun from it's eclipse.

After the narration there's this interesting statement:

Datta is considered to be the eldest, Durvasas was his younger brother. The youngest of all was a lady who expounded the Brahman.

I know about Atri's sons Durvasa and Dattatreya are incarnations of Rudra and Vishnu but I didn't know that Atri had a daughter that explained Brahmajnana.

Can anybody shed light on who she is? Do any other scriptures mention her?

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    Kashmiri Shaivites believe that Atri had a mind-born daughter named Ardhatryambaka; one of the Paramparas that the Kashmiri Shaivite philosopher Abhinavagupta belonged to traces its origins to her, as I discuss in my question here: hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/18300/36 But I don't know any scriptures that mention Ardhatryambaka. Also, the Vedas describe a daughter of Atri named Apala who was one of the seers of the Rig Veda and who got cured of a skin disease by praying to Indra.
    – Keshav Srinivasan ♦
    Jul 6, 2017 at 15:42
  • @KeshavSrinivasan The question you linked says that Ardhatrayambaka was Durvasa's mind born daughter. Thankyou, I will research on Apala a bit more. There's also this site that says Atri in his first birth had a daughter called Amala and a son called Aryaman, I don't know how true this is. wisdomlib.org/definition/atri
    – Arya
    Jul 6, 2017 at 17:30
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    Oh sorry, you're right, I'm confusing generations. Ardhatryambaka isn't the daughter of Atri. In any case, the story of Apala daughter of Atri is told in Sayana's Bhashya and in Shaunaka's Brihaddevata.
    – Keshav Srinivasan ♦
    Jul 6, 2017 at 17:38

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It is explained in the later verses of the same chapter(Chapter 8 of Upodghāta Pāda). Daughter of sage Atri is Arundhatī.

Among the descendants of his(i.e., Atri), four are well renowned on the Earth. viz. Śyāvaśvas, Mudgalas, Vāgbhūtakas and Gaviṣṭhiras. ||Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa_2,8.85||

ete 'trīṇāṃ tu catvāraḥ smṛtāḥ pakṣā mahaujasaḥ
kāśyapo nāradaścaiva parvato 'rundhatī tathā || Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa_2,8.86 ||

The following four are also remembered as belonging to the side(family) of Atris. They are of very great power. They are Kāśyapa, Nārada, Parvata and Arundhatī. || Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa_2,8.86||

jajñire mānasā hyete 'rudhatyāstannibodhata
nāradastu vasiṣṭhāyārundhatī pratyapādayat || Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa_2,8.87 ||

These were of mental progeny(of Atri). Understand the (progeny of) Arundhatī. Nārada gave her to Sage Vaśiṣṭa.

By this description, it is clear that she is Arundhatī, the wife of Vaśiṣṭa. Her progeny is also explained in the later verses of the chapter. She is also mentioned in other Purāṇas and itihāsas.

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  • Thanks so much for this answer :) It was silly of me to not look at the later verses.
    – Arya
    Sep 8, 2017 at 17:14
  • I'm not sure why Kaashyapa, Narada, and Parvata are referred to as descendants of Atri. Kaashyapa, with a long a, means "descendant of Kashyapa", and Kashyapa is the son of Marichi. And Narada and his nephew Parvata are descendants of Kanva, a descendant of Angiras.
    – Keshav Srinivasan ♦
    Sep 24, 2017 at 2:36

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