Dhanvantari the god of good health and herbs

The Ancient Aryans worshiped nature. Plants, Trees and and all forms of nature were always revered. Even today Hinduism reveres nature and her bounty. The Bhagavadgita (9.26) says: 'I accept a leaf, flower, fruit or water, Or whatever is offered with devotion '

The neem tree, ‘India’s Pharmacy’ , referring to its holistic properties, is related to ‘Dhanavantri ’ (the Aryan god of medicine). Dhanvantari, the God of Physicians, is the Hindu equivalent of Asclepius, the Graeco-Roman God of medicine and healing. He is the father of the Ayurveda, the age-old system of Hindu folk medicine.

Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth day (teras) of the Krishna paksha (the waning cycle) of the lunar month of Ashwin in the Hindu calendar. Dhan Teras, is celebrated two days before Divali, the Hindu festival of Lights. Dhanteras honors the hindu patron of medicine - Dhanavantri. Lord Dhanvantari is shown with the, Shankha(conch shell), Chakra(discus) and Jalauka(pot or cup) and Ayurveda(book) each one in his four hands.

The legend of Dhanavantri is that he arose from the ocean during the churning of the oceans by the Gods, carrying a metal container with all the herbs and medicines needed to cure humanity of all diseases. One variation of the legend says that Dhanavantri brought the elixir of eternal youth for the Gods from the ocean. The emergence of Dhanavantri was preceded by the appearance of Goddess Lakshmi (deity of wealth) seated on a lotus, from the ocean.

The tradition arising from this legend is that Dhanteras is celebrated by purchases of gold jewellery and silver coins inscribed with images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha (deity of luck). Women in the household will also by new metal cooking utensils for their kitchens. An earthen lamp is lit after sunset and is constantly refilled with oil to keep it lit throughout the night as an offering (daan) to placate Lord Yama (the deity of death).

Dhanvantari is regarded as the patron-god of all branches of medicine. There is a voluminous medical treatise in nine sections known as Dhanvantari-Nighantu; it is a compilation which is probably of the same period as the famous Amara-kosha (A.D. 100).

Dhanvantari also appears to have been an actual historical person, although his precise identity is hard to specify. He taught surgery and other divisions of Ayurveda (Indian system of medicine) at the insistance of Susruta, to a group of sages among whom Susruta was the most important.

This association of healing with a deity is by no means restricted to Hinduism - in many other ancient cultures like Greece (Asclepius, mentioned above), Egypt (Imhotep, the high priest and healer), Tibet (Abjihnaraja, the physician God), healing was considered a divine act.