National Ayurveda Day

The Government of India has decided to celebrate Dhanvantari Jayanti, the birth date of Lord Dhanvantari, as the National Ayurveda Day. This year it is falling on 28th October. Ayurveda is the traditional Hindu system of medicine and is incorporated in Atharva Veda, the last of the four Vedas.

It is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing. Bhagavata Purana states that Dhanvantari appeared with the pot of Amrita (nectar) during the Sagara Mathana while the ocean was being churned by the Devas and Asuras. The pot of Amrita was snatched by the Asuras, and after this event another avatar, Mohini, appears and takes the nectar back from the Asuras. It is also believed that Dhanvantari promulgated the practise of Ayurveda.

On the National Ayurveda Day, the Ministry of AYUSH is launching “Mission Madhumeha through Ayurveda.” The Mission Madhumeha will be implemented throughout the country through a specially designed National Treatment Protocol for effective management of Diabetes through Ayurveda. The national treatment Protocol will be also released on the occasion of a national seminar on the day.

Dhanvantari Jayanti, the birth date of Lord Dhanvantari, which occurs before two days before Badi Diwali on Dhanteras. Few Indians know that Dhanteras is originally Dhanvantari Jayanti, not simply a day for outer prosperity but also for inner renewal. Dr David Frawley writes at http://www.dailyo.in/ that Dhanvantari is the form of Lord Vishnu, the protective aspect of divinity, who arose from the samudra manthana, the original churning of the cosmic ocean, as a gift of healing for all.

Lord Dhanvantari holds the nectar pot of immortality that grants optimal health, extending to rejuvenation of body and mind. He is the ideal doctor and manifestation of compassion, representing the wisdom of Ayurveda in practical application. His image can be found at Ayurvedic schools and clinics, where mantras to him are chanted daily. By honouring Dhanvantari we can open ourselves to the power of healing within us.

Accessing such inner blessings is more important than merely buying gold and silver that Indians commonly do on Dhanteras. It is our own inner wealth of positive vitality that we need to increase, particularly today when medicine is expensive and medicinal drugs have numerous side effects, thus writes Dr Frawley.