Dhanvantari

Dhanvantari
God of Ayurveda
Physician of the Gods
Devanagari धन्वंतरी
Pali ඕම් ධන්වන්තරි නමහ්
Affiliation Avatar of Lord Vishnu
Weapon Shankha, Chakra
Symbols Amrita, Leech

Dhanvantari is an avatar of Krsna in The Vedas. He appears in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of the gods (devas), and the god of Ayurveda. It is common practice in Hinduism for worshipers to pray to Dhanvantari seeking his blessings for sound health for themselves and/or others, especially on Dhanteras.

Textual sources

Bhagavata Purana states that Dhanvantari emerged from the Ocean of Milk and appeared with the pot of amrita (elixer for immortality) during the story of the Samudra (or) Sagara Mathana whilst the ocean was being churned by the Devas and Asuras, using the Mandara mountain and the serpent Vasuki. The pot of Amrita was snatched by the Asuras, and after this event another avatar, Mohini, appears and takes the nectar back from the Asuras. It is also believed that Dhanvantari promulgated the practise of Ayurveda.[1]

Iconography

According to the ancient Sanskrit work Vishnudharamottara, Dhanvantari is a handsome individual and should usually be depicted with four hands, with one of them carrying Amrita, the ambrosia of the gods. Dhanvantari is depicted as Vishnu with four hands, holding Shankha, Chakra, Jalauka (leech) and a pot containing rejuvenating nectar called amrita. He is often shown with a leech in his hand rather than the scriptures.[1]

Birthday celebration

An idol of Dhanvantari at an Ayurveda Expo in Bangalore

His birthday is celebrated by the practitioners of Ayurveda every year, on Dhanteras, two days before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Statue of Dhanvantari at Taxakeshwar temple

Temples in India

There are a few dedicated temples to Dhanvantari in South India especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where ayurveda is highly practised and patronised. The Dhanvatari temple in Thottuva in Kerala is a particularly famous temple, where Lord Dhanvatari's idol is almost six feet tall and facing east. On the right hand the lord holds Amrith and with the left hand the lord holds Atta, Shanku and Chakra. The 'Ekadasi'day celebration, which falls on the same day as the 'Guruvayur Ekadasi' is of special significance.

In Tamil Nadu, in the courtyard of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple (Srirangam), there is a Dhanvantari shrine where daily worship of the deity is performed. In front of this temple there is an engraved stone believed to be from the 12th century. According to the writings on the stone, Garuda Vahana Bhattar, a great ayurvedic physician, established the statue inside the temple. A prasada or theertham, a herbal decoction, is given to the visitors. The shrine is the oldest Dhanvantari shrine in the state.[2] Another Dhanvantari shrine is found in the second precinct of Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram.[3]

Dhanvanthari temples in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry include:

In Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, one statue of Dhanvantari is present in the University museum. Two statues are at the headquarters of the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha at New Delhi. There is another statue inside the Ayurveda Maha Sammelan office, Dhanawantari Bhawan at New Delhi and one statue of Dhanvantari is present at Mohyal Ashram in Haridwar.

One black-stoned statue facing south is also located in a personal property of a Brahman family in Chowk area, Varanasi. It is said that the Idol was found beneath the premises of that property when it was being constructed. When the Brahman owner was unable to identify the god represented, he decided to set it adrift on the Ganges the following morning. However, the same night, the god appeared to him in a dream, introducing himself as KashiRaja Devodas (Dhanvantari), and requesting that the statue be left where it was found. Hence, in his house he built this temple, which is largely unknown in that area. Of them all, this temple could be believed by the god's devotees to be the most divine and spiritual, because of the idol's serendipitous discovery, the reason for its rescue from oblivion, and its preservation.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Madhavan 2007, p. 107
  2. ↑ Madhavan 2007, p. 108
  3. ↑ Madhavan 2007, p. 110
  4. ↑ http://www.sreedhanwantharitemple.in
  5. ↑ http://aanakkaldhanwanthari.com/home.htm
  6. ↑ http://temples.avpayurveda.com
  7. ↑ http://www.dhanwantharitemple.org
  8. ↑ http://sreedhanwantharitemple.com/index.html

Further reading

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