#Dhanteras : The Real Wealth

Happy Birthday to Lord Dhanvantari - the Father of Ayurveda

Today is Dhanteras or Dhanatrayodashi - the thirteenth lunar day (trayodashi) of Krishna Paksha (waning moon) in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin or Kartika. Dhanteras also kickstarts the three-day Diwali festival in many parts of India. ‘Dhan’ also meaning ‘wealth’ in Sanskrit; I remember the festival being associated with buying something – typically metallic (mostly it was for the kitchen). I have happy memories of going out with Ma to buy a coveted utensil from the absolutely jam-packed neighbourhood store. It took great skill to be seen and heard by the frazzled salesman amidst the cacophony – and actually get him to take out the article that you wanted – the thrill of walking out triumphant clutching the precious stainless steel tumbler (or bowl or spoons…) simply cannot be matched - even by more expensive jewellery purchases in later years!?

What is ‘Dhan’ – a reference to Wealth or Health?

This is also the day when the Hindu almanack becomes the best marketing tool for all major brands selling everything from jewellery through kitchenware and beyond. Luxury brands announce the most auspicious moment for buying gold/diamonds/cars/houses - and even though I also work in marketing, I cannot help feeling a little depressed. Is #Dhanteras really all about wealth? What then of those who have none – nor the means to acquire any? With the devastation of the ‘pandemic years’ brining about a shift in both perspectives and priorities, I felt motivated to write this piece today.

?While I acknowledge that #consumerism fuels the economy (and God knows it needs fuelling!), IMHO it is also important to know the origin of customs and festivals so that we may appreciate the season in the proper spirit. The ‘Dhan’ in ‘Dhanteras’, is primarily a reference to Lord Dhanvantari – who, is the acknowledged as the celestial physician! Believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (the ‘preserver’ in the Hindu holy trinity of creator, preserver and destroyer), Dhanvantari is also the father of Ayurveda – the ancient science of wellness, medicine and surgery. Dhanteras is his birthday! So the popular ‘Dhan’ reference now looks to be shifting, right?

Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean of Milk) and lessons in #leadership and #teamwork

The events that led to Dhanvantari’s birth are filled with lessons in #leadership and #teamwork, alongwith a reaffirmation that our mythology provides for grey areas and room for questions – nothing is totally black or white. And I again fall back to my favourite friend – the well-researched and beautifully illustrated Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) volume on ‘Churning the Ocean’. The story goes – the devas (gods) had become weakened as a result of a curse from the famously short-tempered sage, Durvasa, and they turned Lord Vishnu for advice. He advised them to churn out amrita, the elixir of immortality, from the depths of the cosmic ocean. But being weak, the devas needed help – so he advised them to make peace with their enemies – the asuras (demons) so they could take their help.

“It is better to make peace with enemies even as a serpent will make peace with a mouse if necessary,” said Lord Vishnu.

Advice that great leaders have lived by later – for instance Nelson Mandela, who once said, ‘If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.’ Even in the workplace today we find that rivalries can be destructive to both personal career growth and group success. An effective leader following the same advice has the potential to turn a rival into a collaborator and set the stage for a healthy work relationship, and also driving fresh thinking within an organization.

Success isn’t always easy

As with all mythical stories, this one too is filled with many adventures – of problems which required absolutely out of the box thinking, solutions which blended knowledge and ingenuity, and resource mobilization which would put modern day generals to shame. The ocean was vast, and to churn it required the use of an equally vast churning rod – so, Mount Mandara (yes, an entire mountain) had to be raised and placed into the ocean. And the churning rope? None other than the celestial serpent, and King of Snakes, Vasuki. But when the devas and asuras started churning in unison, because they had not provided for a base support for Mount Mandara, it started slipping down!! It seems even the gods were not immune to slip-ups when faced with a time-crunch! Cries of help brought the benevolent Vishnu to their aid – he assumed the Kurma (giant tortoise) avatar and supported the mountain on his back so that the churning could continue.

The Poison before the Prize

And then came the most dangerous obstacle of all – alongwith fire and smoke from Vasuki’s thousand mouths, emerged the dreaded poison, Halāhala – which had the potential to annihilate all creation. While Vishnu’s healing blessings protected from the fire and smoke, the poison was an entirely unanticipated derailer which no one could manage. So, they all desperately prayed to Shiva, the destroyer, for help. Shiva started drinking the entire poison but his wife, Goddess Parvati was alarmed, and gripped his neck to stop the poison from reaching his stomach. Quick thinking, from the feminine mind. Since the poison stayed in Shiva’s throat, it turned blue – and he became known as ‘Nilakantha’ (the blue-throated one).

This massive roadblock managed, the churning started producing celestial treasures – which included the moon (Chandra), the wishing tree (Parijata) the four-tusked elephant (Airavata), Kamadhenu, the cow of plenty, Varuni, the goddess of wine, the seven-headed flying celestial horse Uccaihshravas, many precious gems and divine dancers, Vishnu’s conch, mace and bows and Goddess Lakshmi. Finally, Lord Dhanvantari emerged, holding the pot full of Amrita – the elixir of immortality.

Which then starts an unfortunate sequence of events, that will need a separate article!

Which is the real ‘Dhan’ of Dhanteras then?

Lord Dhanvantari is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, the preserver, and is depicted with four hands, holding the shankha, chakra, jalauka (leech), and a pot containing amrita. He is believed to have been created to shield all the living things from illness, untimely death, and grief. The Vishnu Purana also narrates the story of his incarnation as the son of the King of Kashi – he proved to be a great king, and is described as the "dispeller of all ailments". He is described to have been exempt from infirmities and recognised as a "master of universal knowledge". The sage Bharadvaja educated him regarding the therapeutic practice of Ayurveda, and he later ?created a classification of his knowledge of medicine into eight fields and disseminated it to his disciples – with Sushruta, the author of Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium) being perhaps one of the most common names. Modern day Ayurveda borrows heavily from this work, which details a holistic approach to medicinal treatment.?

Throughout this story of the many adventures and misadventures, we find that the goal remains constant – the attaining of amrita. None of the many gems, treasures and distractions on the way succeed in shifting anyone’s focus away from the ultimate prize. That is perhaps one big lesson for us all in this age of many distractions. The focus on the goal. And the goal itself is enlightening too :

Neither magic, nor possessions – the ultimate goal is a reference to what we Delhi dwellers will perhaps be craving – as we struggle to breathe in these days of steadily worsening, critical AQIs. The realization that the ultimate prize is the simplest – good health.

And that is what I wish for you today, on Lord Dhanvantari’s birthday. May you all be blessed with the ultimate wealth – of good health, knowledge and prosperity. May the simplest of pleasures be yours again today and everyday. Happy Dhanteras all!