Lord Dhanwantari

10 Mar

Lord Dhanwantari – Physician of the Gods

Lord Dhanwantari

Ayurvedic medicine - According to traditions, he taught surgery methods and procedures to Susrutha, the Father of Ayurvedic Surgery. : Click for image credit

Lord Dhanwantari is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is known as the Preserver. If you study the image of Lord Dhanwantari carefully, you will see that he is the persona of glowing skin, health and vitality, everlasting youth, compassionate and serene face, and perfect body and mind. His four arms hold a symbol each:

1. The right upper arm symbolizes the surgical instrument.

2. The right lower arm, that is holding a conch shell, symbolizes metals and minerals used in Ayurveda.

3. The left lower arm, that is holding the root of a plant, symbolizes plant life, which helps us in maintaining and balancing ourselves.

4. The left upper arm, that is holding a golden pot, symbolizes rejuvenation. Inside the golden pot, is the ‘Amrit’, or the ‘Elixir for youthful existence’ that is a concoction of minerals and herbs, and gold is of course a great rejuvenator, according to Ayurveda.

According to the ‘Sushruta Samhita’ written around 400 AD, Lord Dhanwantari was the physician of Gods. The story goes that Sushruta had approached Dhanwantari, who was then the king of Kasi, or Benaras (present day Varanasi), to learn Ayurveda (the science of life) as it was believed that Dhanwantari had learnt this art from the King of Gods, Lord Indra.

Sushruta was a famous surgeon and physician of Ayurveda, in his times. In fact, he had propounded plastic surgery and the details given in ‘Sushruta Samhita’, or the ‘Treatise of Sushruta’, are very similar to the surgery of the present day. Even the crude instruments and incisions used by Sushruta those days, are the same used now with the crudeness given a better finishing touch.

If the ‘Charaka Samhita’ (Treatise of Charaka) was compiled between 5 BC and 200 AD, and if the ‘Sushruta Samhita’ was written around 400 AD, then how come that King Ashoka (the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the famous Mauryan king), who ruled India between 270 BC and 260 BC (roughly), had established schools and hospitals dealing with Ayurveda? The scripts and edifices of his time speak highly in this regard.

This means that either King Ashoka had knowledge of Ayurveda, or someone in his kingdom knew Ayurveda thoroughly and taught the king this science of life. Well, it is not yet known exactly as to who else knew Ayurveda before Charaka and Sushruta, or who had it penned down before them. Researches, in this regard, are still being carried out.

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