Lord Dhanavantri is renowned as the Father of Ayurveda. The Vedas emphasize that Dhanavantri is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Dhanavantri appeared when the Gods and Demons (Asuras) were engaged in churning the Ocean of Milk. They were eager to obtain the divine nectar, which would grant them immortality. Dhanavantri brought it to the surface of the ocean. Along with it, he brought tremendous insights about traditional ways of healing humanity’s sufferings. In short, he brought knowledge of a traditional healing system to the world. Ayurveda refers to the Science of Life (ayus = life, veda = science).
This Tanjore-style painting aptly depicts him as a dark-skinned individual. Dhanavantri’s complexion is bluish-black. His right hands carry the Sudarshan chakra (Vishnu’s weapon) and a healing herb. His left hands cling to a conch shell, leeches, and a pot of divine nectar/ambrosia. Leeches are blood-suckers that prove useful for removing bad blood from infections/wounds. Since Dhanavantri carries the symbols of Lord Vishnu in his hands, it becomes obvious that he is indeed his incarnation. Vishnu himself wished the world to learn about a new kind of medicine. The advent of Dhanavantri put an end (anta) to surgical interventions (dhanus) in the field of medicine.
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