The first physician — dhanvantari
Today is the 13th moon phase after full moon in Aswini star. Asvayuja kRshna trayOdaSi, known as dhanvantari trayOdaSi
In the beginning, everything was invisibly merged in the milky ocean. All the creation is in the conceptual model. In that conceptual model, the cosmic witness is called ‘kashyapa prajapati’. Two wives of kASyapa namely diti and aditi gave rise to two groups of powerful beings — daityas and Adityas.
After a period of power struggle, both the groups wanted to bring out all the “essence” from the milky ocean. They wanted to churn it. They collaborated to churn the ocean by making the mandhara mountain as the churning rod and the great serpent vAsuki as the churning rope.
Having churned for a 1000 divine years, vAsuki spit out most venomous halahala. The halahala started consuming anything that came in contact with it and it started spreading. Leaving all the churning, both groups ran for protection to the supreme lord, dEvadEva, Sankara. Upon the request, the auspicious lord took the halahala and kept it under control.
When the groups reassembled for churning the ocean again, the mandhara did not stand in position, it fell down. The two groups of conceptual energies approached the supreme lord in the form of vishnu for help. Vishnu took a form of a tortoise held the mandhara (the basis of mind) on his back making it possible to churn the ocean again.
By putting the vAsukI (signifies time) as rope again, they restarted churning. Another 1000 years of churning gave rise to the fulfillment of effort of both the groups. First appeared the controller of physical and psychological health and longevity — lord dhanvantari.
dhanuH means the source of pain. antari — is the one who removes any source of pain in physical or psychological layers. Thereby he controls the ‘comfortable’ lifespan of beings here. He is the first physician of this world. Only after he emerged, 600 million apsarasas i.e., celestial beings who can produce life have emerged. Followed by vAruNi, the daughter of waters or the sap that flows as essence in all plants arrived.
The plant life is not accepted by the daityas, the sons of diti or darkness. But the vAruNi is accepted by the sons of aditi i.e, Adityas or the brightness. Thus the creation started in plant life.
After that emerged a white horse and a white elephant signifying the animal life. Then arose the most awaited “nectar” from the churning.
There was a great conflict that arose for ownership of the nectar between asuras and suras. In a magically mesmerizing form of mOhini arrived lord vishnu and distributed the nectar to all those who are not taken away by lust. Thus ended the process of emergence of all this is seen which was submerged in the milky ocean as the butter.
So, the king of bright beings, indra took the control of these visible worlds along with dikpalakas i.e., the lords of directions and other supporting administration as described in the conceptual creation blueprint done by creator brahma.
The emergence of lord dhanvantari who later gave us the AyurvEda the wisdom about the life and longevity as a upa-vEda of atharveda. This further came to us by Sushruta and Charaka and other followers of the tradition.
The highest duty of a physician is to remove the ‘source’ of the pain — both physical and psychological layers. Hope the grace of divine physician be on one and all and grant a comfortable healthy and long life to all the beings! Let one and all make use of the wisdom granted by Lord dhanvantari!
om tat sat
