Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Dhanvantraye Amrutha Kalasha Hastaaya Sarva Amaya Vinashanaya Trailokya Nathaya Shri Mahavishnave Namaha

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Lord Dhanvantari ,the father of Ayurveda, was the first divine incarnation to impart Ayurveda wisdom and knowledge to humans. Lord Dhanvantari is an outstanding personality in the history of Ayurveda. Being the physician of the Gods, an extraordinary surgeon is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and an expert in Ayurveda,  he is worshipped all over India, particularly in South India, as the God of Medicine, especially on Dhanvantari Jayanti. Lord Dhanvantari is represented as a four-armed deity holding a pot of Amrita (ambrosia- nectar of immortality  ) in one hand and a Shankha (conch) in another, with the other two hands holding medicinal herbs and leech.

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It is told in the scriptures how Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the god of Ayurveda, emerged with the nectar of immortality.  in the ancient  scriptures that, “One who remembers the name of  Dhanvantari can be disease freed .

The most frequently told story about  lord Dhanvantari is that he first appeared during the churning of cosmic ocean of milk.  When the ocean was churned by the devas  and asuras  In search of the elixir of life, Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, came out of it holding a bowl of nectar in his hands.

The churning of the ocean of milk is a famous episode in the Puranas that represents lot of   spiritual endeavor of a person  to achieve control of all world desires

The Bala Kanda of the Ramayana and Bhagavat Purana, feature stories of Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda, and his miraculous deeds.  starts the story like this -

Indra, the king of devas, when riding on his elephant, he came across the sage Durvasa Muni. Seeing Indra, Durvasa muni  offered him a special garland that had been blessed by Sri, another manifestation of Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth. Indra accepted the garland without much concern and put it on the trunk of his elephant who in turn tossed it onto the floor. Durvasa Muni, known for his reddish eyes and quick temper, was very annoyed by this way of  indras disrespect, and in anger , He cursed Indra and all the devas with reddish eyes, filled with anger.  to be devoid of all strength thereafter.

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Taking advantage of this situation, the Asura demons attacked the devas and killed many of them, and slowly started capturing control over the universe.

Unable to tolerate this, Indra and other devas sought Brahma's help.  Brahma suggested bringing their difficult situation to the knowledge of   Lord Vishnu, who in turn advised them to seek an alliance with the Asuras to churn the ocean of milk together for the nectar of immortality. 

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Devas  agreed only because Lord Vishnu told them that he would  support them and make sure that they alone would get the nectar to recover their strength further on to defeat Asuras.

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So now the churning episode begins.

Using the mountain Mandara as the rod and Vasuki the serpent as the cord, both devas and asuras  proceeded to churn the ocean of milk.  The churning was so difficult that various things started emerging out of that.

First amongst was the deadly visha called halahala which only lord shiva could swallow  without being affected, even by the potent venom that the serpent Vasuki, used as a churning rope during the churning of the ocean, could release.

 

The churning continued, with the serpent Vasuki being used as the rope.

Lord Dhanwanthari appeared on the next row . He was young, and strongly built, with a broad chest, strong arms, curly hairs, and a bluish-black complexion. As he emerged, he was holding a conch, leeches, healing herbs, a sankha and chakra, and the long sought pot of amrita (ambrosia). The asuras guessed the right moment and realized that the pot contained the nectar of immortality and snatched away the pot from his hand at the right moment.

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Snatching the pot away, They started quarreling amongst themselves about who will take the nectar first and have it to attain immortality. Seeing  them busy fighting, lord Vishnu tricked them. He appeared as Mohini, a beautiful woman who fascinated the asuras, recovered the nectar from them, and distributed it only amongst the devas. As soon as the devas  drank it, they were energized  and defeated the demons. After worshipping Lord Vishnu and Shri Laxmi, they resumed their position in the heavens.

At the time of the churning, Lord Vishnu foretold that Lord Dhanvantari would appear again in the world to teach the science of Ayurveda. Seeing humanity suffering from ailments, he pleaded with Lord Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda, to descend into the material world and teach Ayurveda to the human race.

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In another legend,

Lord Dhanvantari is said to have incarnated as the son of King Dirghatamas of Kasi and Queen Sudha. The king was performing severe austerities and offerings to the Lord with the hopes that he would be blessed with a son. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Dhanwanthari was born in the royal house of Kashi. He Learned Ayurveda from Lord Indra himself and became an expert. He taught Ayurveda, emphasizing the importance of Dhanvantari Jayanti to his disciples.  and the science of healing techniques to his disciples and from there to the suffering humanity.

Lord Dhanvantari is honored on the occasion of Dhanteras, which falls two days before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. On this day, people worship him and seek his blessings for good health and well-being. On this day, a Diya (lamp) facing northeast is lit at the house's doorstep to greet Lord Dhanvantari and wish for good health and happiness in life. Lord Dhanvantari's blessings are believed to provide relief from ailments and promote overall wellness.

 

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