Dhanwanthri - God of Ayurveda

Dhanwanthri - God of Ayurveda

             Dhanwanthri - the divine God of Ayurveda, also called as 'God of Health and Medicine', vedic physician of devas (Heavenly Gods), granter of long life and immortality. According to Sanatana Dharma, worshiping Lord Dhanwanthri brings sound health and relieves from all health related problems. In the old sculptures, it is mentioned that he will negate the effects of all kinds of poisons and snakebites. 

           He is the one who introduced powerful, complete healing system of medicine know as 'Ayurveda' to the world. People worships Sri Dhanwanthri for healthy, happy and disease free living, he is empowered to heal every soul and living being of this universe. It is believed that to get cure from a disease, people will worship him first before starting any kind of treatment / therapy, this is still in practice in South India. 

       Ayurveda = Ayur (Life) + Veda (knowledge ) Knowledge of life.

         Ayurveda is not only a medicinal science, it also determines person's physical, physiological and mental characteristics and also common aliments. It aims at a balance between body, mind and soul, it helps us to stay vital, to heal, energize and turn back to the body clocks.

           In Ayurveda, disease is an imbalance between body, mind and soul. This way it treats the root cause of the problem, rather than a particular part / organ of the body. Same disease / aliment will be different for each people based upon on their mind and soul, so ayurveda deals with different therapy for every person, not the same treatment / tablet for a particular illness. Ayurveda can even explain what you will like to eat, what colors you are attracted to etc based on the doshas (Dosha - a biological energy found thorough out the body). That's the power of Ayurveda, literally it's a god's gift to human beings, indeed Sri Dhanwanthri's Gift !!!

          Every year birthday of God Dhanwanthri is celebrated in India, now it's been comparatively reduced as the knowledge about the God Dhanwanthri is not passed to the next generation. 

       Two days before Diwali, Krishna Paksha Trayodashi (13th Tithi of Krishna paksha) is celebrated as 'Dhantrayodashi', the day when the Lord 'Dhanwanthri' arose while churning the cosmic milky ocean. 

 To know more about Samudra Manthan, look at 

https://divinediyaas.blogspot.com/2018/02/maha-shivaratri-part-1.html

            After Samudra Manthan happened, Goddess Lakshmi (God of Wealth and Consort of Vishnu) emerged from the ocean followed by Lord 'Dhanwanthri', an incarnation of Vishnu with four hands, holding Conch, Sudarshana chakra, Amrta Kalash (Nectar Pot of immortality) and a Leech (Jalauka) in his left hand.

             Leech plays an important role in Ayurvedic treatment. In Ancient times around 5000 BCE, it is used to remove the impure blood from our body, to cure certain diseases,  it is also used for vaccination.  When no one in the world aware of the vaccination, it has been followed widely in India for immunization against diseases,  later it spread across countries about the knowledge of vaccination and immunization. In Ayurveda, an unique Leech therapy is followed, written in Sushruta Samhita.

      Lord Dhanwanthri is the one who trained Sushruta sage, the first surgeon in the world. Sushruta, known as father of Indian surgery, was the foremost disciple of God Dhanwanthri. He taught him the science of Ayurveda and began practice of surgeries in Vedic age. About 5000 years ago, he has written, the famous ancient book of medicinal surgeries called Sushruta Samhita, it was written in sanskrit about Ayurvedic therapies, treatments and medicines.

Sushruta Samhita and Plastic Surgery

     In Sushruta Samhita, Surgical procedures, training and instruments were explained in detail, use of medicinal herbs and  prevention is also mentioned in this book. This book deals with every surgeries such as Caesarian surgery, cataract, brain surgery, fractures and even plastic surgery. Later, it has been translated into different languages and traveled across the globe.

English Translated Sushruta Samhita

       According to Charaka Samhita, knowledge of Ayurveda is eternal and is revealed to the people in each cycle of universe creation. It was written by Charaka, he is also one of the disciple of Lord Dhanwantri along with Sushruta. Charaka Samhita is an ancient medicial text book talks about Nutrition and Diet, Teamwork of Physician, nurse, patient and medicine, herbal concoction, anatomy, sensory response, pharmaceutical and toxicology and pathology.

       Both Sushruta and Charaka samhita were written by these sages on the banks of Saraswati river where Ayurveda flourished widely during Saraswathi civilization.

      People who have frequent health issues, incurable medical problem worships Sri Dhanwanthri, the divine Doctor and get his blessings. Also people who are going to practice as doctors, worship him first, get his blessings and then join the course to study.

   There are few temples in India (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), where God Dhanwanthri is still worshiped. 

Famous olden temple of Lord Dhanwanthri is at 

Nelluvaya Dhanwanthri temple, Thrissur, Kerala

Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam, Trichy, Tamil nadu

Dhanwanthri Mantra

" Om Nama Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Dhanvantaraye Amrita - Kalasha Hastaaya

Sarva - amaya Vinashaaya Trailokya Naathaya

Dhanvantri Maha - Vishnave Namaha "

"Om shankha chakram jalaukam

dadhad amruta ghatam charu dorbhi chaturbhih 

sukshma svachh ati hridyam sukha pari vilasanam

maulim ambhoja netram

kalam bhodojo valangam kati tata vilasan

charu petam baradhyam

vande dhanwantrim tam nikhila gada vanam

praudha devagni leelam"

 Dhanwanthri Homam

         The Divine doctor, God of Ayurveda , Sri Dhanwanthri can also be worshiped by performing Dhanwanthri Homam at home individually or along with Gruhapravesham (house warming cermony), for good health of family members, happy and peaceful living.

   This homam is best for,

•  to get relief from all health related problems, physical / mental aliments, cures any type of illness 
• increase body strength. 
• Sri Dhanwanthri blesses one with longevity
• Removes any troubles on your way

Ayurvedic doshas

            Ayurveda is the oldest complete healthcare system of healing, it is based on the principle that body is made up of 5 elements and their related properties - Ether, Water, Air, Fire and Earth. All that exists in Universe, exists within us. All the human beings have all these elements in different proportions in the body and when Prana, the energetic equivalent of breath, mixes with these five elements, doshas (Biological energies) are formed, making a person fall in one of these categories 

1. Vata - Air + Ether
2. Pitta - Fire + Water
3. Kapha - Water + Earth

Vata:

           Vata governs Movement and Communication.

The qualities of Vata are light, dry, airy, quick and cold. They are thin and either tall or short. When vata people are in balance, they are creative and easy adaptable. When vata people are in out of balance, they will suffer from fear and anxiety.

Pitta:

       Pitta governs Digestion and Transformation.

The qualities of pitta are Hot, sharp, sour, pungent and acidic. They have athletic build and good digestion. When pitta people are in balance, intelligent and sharp. When pitta people are out of balance, they will be short tempered, aggressive and prone to rashes.

Kapha:

        Kapha governs Cohesiveness, structure and Lubrication.

The qualities of kapha are slow, steady, oily, sharp and cold. When Kapha people are in balance, they are loving, warm, intelligent and grounded. When out of balance, they will be lethargic, depressed and heavy.

           Today most of the doctors prescribe probiotics for the patients. Probiotics are good bacterias, which is live microorganism, good for the digestive system. Gut health is crucial for the body, maintaining right balance of these microorganism is vital for physical and mental health and immunity. Ayurveda identified this 5000 years ago and asked us to have fermented food such as Curd, Idli, dosa, Koozh, vella appam, pickles and chutneys. In Indian climate, fermentation occurs naturally without the use of artificial yeast. Even today, South Indian people daily eat these fermented foods like Idli, Dosa, Appams for breakfast, adding curd in the lunch, drinking Koozh during Summer etc. In every meal, Indians add at least one such fermented food in their diet and that's the reason for the Indians to be healthy and balanced. 

Thali, A Complete Lunch Meal with Curd in the last

Typical South Indian Breakfast

            
          Stress, unhealthy diet, lifestyle, weather, strained relationships, emotions, environment and even time of the day influences the balance that exists between person's dosha.
        Ayurveda seeks to negate the effect and strike the balance back into equilibrium. To deal with the illness, imbalanced doshas and stress, there are certain treatments followed in Ayurveda. One such important and effective treatment is Abhayangam (Ayurvedic Oil Massage) 

Abhayanga 

        Abhayanga - It is a healing massage treatment ending with traditional bathing ritual. Ayurveda states that daily full body oil massage restores the balance between three doshas.

           This full body oil massage is usually practiced on wooden table known as Dhroni, traditionally the table will be made of medicinal woods such as Neem, Tamarind etc. It is an effective therapy for conditioning the body. 

         Ayurvedic oil massage is performed in the morning before you bathe. sesame oil is best for full body oil massage. Ayurveda recommends oil massage to be an integral part of daily routine for overall health and well being. 

           Abhayanga nourishes the body, pacifies the dosha, relieves fatigue, provides stamina, promotes sleep, enhances the complexion, increases mental alertness, increases stamina, lubrication of joints, toning of muscles and increased circulation of vital fluids. 

        Ayurvedic oil massage helps the skin, the largest organ in the body and penetrates into the skin made of seven layers.

      

         Sesame oil is best for oil massage. To cure different type of illness, specific herbs infused oil is used for the massage. Few examples are Karpooradhi thailam, Pinda thailam, Puli thailam, Kumkumadi thailam, Ksheerabala thailam, Nalpamaradhi thailam etc. Each herbal oil is prepared according to the process mentioned in the medicinal books. Prescribed quantity of fresh herbal paste, flowers , base oil(Thailam) are used in correct proportion, followed by heating, filtering and preserved in glass containers. 

     These herbs are medicinal plant's parts such as flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, bark etc. They are also used for herbal concoction, lotion and treatment.

Ayurvedic herbs

          Turmeric, King of Spices, is one of the renowned spice in every south indian's kitchen. Turmeric is an important spice added to almost every south Indian dishes prepared. It aids digestion, by helping to break down the fats during digestion process. God Dhanwantri, prepared many medicinal pastes, Kashayam (Medicinal drink), oinments and lotions using turmeric. It has numerous values, revealed by god himself. Dhanwantri was credited with the discovery of Turmeric and its magical properties. 

         India produces the whole world crop of  turmeric, as it grows only in warm and humid climate.

          Turmeric has great healing power, it is used to purify the blood, treating skin aliments, healing wounds and bruises, treating heart, lung and liver diseases, arthritis, cancer, gastro intestinal disorder, Alzheimer disease etc. It is a super medicine without any side effects.

         Fresh turmeric roots have medicinal values than the powdered turmeric. Peel the fresh turmeric root and grate it. This can be made to paste along with freshly grated coconut or can be added as it is to the curries for rich flavor and to get maximum benefits. It acts as antioxidant and having great anti inflammatory properties. For cold and cough, fresh turmeric and black pepper powder mixed in warm milk, will be taken in the night.

        It is also tridoshic, its heating quality balances vata and kapha, and its bitter taste balances pitta. 

Kasturi Manjal / Wild turmeric

             There is another type of turmeric called as Kasturi Manjal, Wild turmeric in English. The difference between Kasturi Manjal (Wild turmeric) and Pasu Manjal (Fresh Turmeric) is, Kasturi Majal is used as cosmetic, it is not edible. It is applied on skin, gives more fragrance than fresh turmeric and doesn't stain on the skin like the edible turmeric and yellow color is also little lighter than the Fresh turmeric. Indian women uses this turmeric on face and body for glowing skin and for its anti ageing property, this is in practice from 5000 BCE. 

Cardamon, Cinnamon, Tulsi, Vacha / Vasambu, Aloe Vera, Black pepper, Cumin, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Amalaki and many more medicinal spices, herbs and plants are used in Ayurveda. Will put a separate and detailed post about Ayurvedic herbs and spices.

          World's first university Takshashila and Nalanda had Ayurveda as a course and spread ayurvedic knowledge to different parts of the world, around 4000 BCE. People from different countries got educated in these universtities, realized the importance of ayurveda and carried it to their countries, to help their people. Ancient India is the Mother of Ayurveda, still in India Ayurveda is been practiced (especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu) for all kinds of illness.

      In ancient Egypt, Indian herbs and spices were used widely as medicines, lotions and treating diseases. Aloe vera, fennel, castor oil, cinnamon, raw garlic, cloves, cumin, coriander, cardamon, pepper, honey were used in Egyptian medicine and it was mentioned in their ancient papyrus medicinal books. 

        

       Cinnamon, is one such important herb used by Egyptians in the mummification process, to help the body to be more of a  lifelike appearance i.e to preserve the body. Cinnamon is cultivated only in India and Sri Lanka (In Ancient times, Sri Lanka was also part of Bharat, India) and from India it has been exported to various countries. 

            Even today, Ayurvedic medicines are best for certain diseases, no modern medicines can beat Ayurveda. Need proof ???  Papaya leave juice is the best to improve blood platelet count, mixture of Bitter gourd and Amla (Gooseberry) juice for Diabetics, Turmeric herbal concoction for cold, Dhanwantram Thailam for post pregnancy body ache , Chyawanprash for immunity booster and much more. 

          Indian spices have good demand in the world's market till today, that's the specialty of Indian Land, Land of Moksha, the divine land and  Mother of all civilization !!!

- Aarthi Thiyagarajan