Lord Dhanvantri is the god of Ayurveda, interestingly according to Hindu mythology Lord Dhanvantri and the festival of Dhanteras, which occurs two days before the festival of Diwali is known as the birthday of Dear Lord Dhanvantri.
Dhanteras is also celebrated as the National Ayurveda Day in our country.
Here are 5 Amrutam Interesting facts about Lord Dhanvantri:
1. The father of Ayurveda
Charaka and Sushruta, the two prominent names associated with the field of Ayurveda learnt their lessons from lord Dhanvatri which they have documented in the ancient scriptures- Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita from Lord Dhanvantri.
2. Multiple Names
Lord Dhanvantri has been given multiple names, Divodasa and Kasiraja are few amongst the multiple names associated with him. Divodasa and Kasiraja, the names found their reference the ancient mythological text “Mahabharata”.
3. King of Kashi
The kingdom of Kashi finds its reference in both the popular epics of Hinduism- Mahabharata and Ramayana. The capital of the kingdom of Kashi was Kasipura which in modern times is known as Varanasi. Kashi was initially ruled by a (demigod) asura named Kshemaka- Lord Dhanvantri who was the Panchala prince defeated him to become the King of Kashi- Kasiraja. (Panchala was also a kingdom in ancient India).
4. Incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu is considered as the Preserver amongst the three Hindu Gods trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
● Brahma is considered the Creator.
● Vishnu is considered the Preserver.
● Shiva is considered the Destroyer.
Lord Dhanvantri is believed to be the 13th incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
5. Student of Sage Bharadwaja
Sage Bharadwaja was an Economist and Physician, Lord Dhanvantri was a student of sage Bharadwaja who is said to have learned about medicinal sciences and Ayurveda from Lord Indra- the lord of rain.
Yes, the number of deities and lords in Hinduism is endless.
