Atri

In Hinduism, Atri(Sanskrit: अत्रि) or Attri is a legendary bard and scholar and was one of 9 Prajapatis, a son of Brahma, said to be ancestor of some Brahmin, Prajapatis, Kshatriya and Vaishya communities who adopt Atri as their gotra. Atri is one of the Saptarishi(Seven Great Sages) in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara.

Mahanirvana Tantra, translated by Arthur Avalon,(John Woodroffe), 1913, Introduction and Preface shows that The Rishi are seers who know and by their knowledge are the makers of shastra and see all mantras. The word comes from the root rish Rishati-prapnoti sarvvang mantrang jnanena pashyati sangsaraparangva, etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya and Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other sapta-rishi. In present manvantara, the seven are Kashyapa, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Bharadwaja. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brah-marshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank,and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.