Dhanwantari is considered integral to Ayurveda’s genesis.
Dhanteras, also known as Dhanwantari Trayodashi, is an auspicious Hindu festival that marks the beginning of the five-day-long festival of Diwali. It is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the Krishna Paksha, the dark fortnight of the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin. This year, Dhanteras will be observed on November 10, Friday.
In addition to various customary practices on Dhanteras, such as acquiring valuable and practical objects, devotees pay homage to Lord Dhanwantari.
Why is Lord Dhanwantari worshipped on Dhanteras?
In the tradition of Ayurveda, Dhanwantari, an embodiment of Lord Vishnu, the omnipresent divine consciousness, embodies the divine healer. According to the Charaka Samhita, Ayurveda’s wisdom is eternal and manifests during each cycle of cosmic creation. When humanity’s suffering necessitates it, Lord Vishnu descends as Lord Dhanwantari to restore Ayurveda’s tradition and alleviate human afflictions.
According to the National Library Of Medicine, Dhanwantari is considered a mythical deity born with Amrit (Nectar) in one hand and Ayurveda on the other at the end of the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean). He reincarnated himself in the Chandra dynasty. He was born to King Dhanwa and learned Ayurveda from Bharadwaja. His great-grandson Divodasa was also known as Dhanwantari but specialised only in the surgical branch of Ayurveda. Sushruta is said to have learned the art of surgery from Divodasa Dhanwantara. He is considered to be the Vaidya (doctor) of gods.
The churning of the ocean of milk, a renowned narrative in the Puranas, epitomises the spiritual pursuit of an individual to attain self-realisation through mental focus, sensory withdrawal, control over desires, rigorous austerities, and asceticism. This symbolic tale finds its manifestation in the Kumbh Mela, a sacred festival celebrated every twelve years in India.
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