Lord Dhavantari

Lord Dhanvantari: Divine Healer and Father of Ayurveda

As part of our Healing Rime Deity Garden, which honors the sacred healing wisdom of the world’s spiritual and medical traditions, we are pleased to enshrine Lord Dhanvantari, the revered Hindu deity of medicine and healing. He stands as the divine embodiment of Ayurveda, India’s ancient system of holistic health and wellbeing. Through his presence, we celebrate a lineage of healing that harmonizes body, mind, spirit, and nature.

Dhanvantari: Emanation of Compassionate Medicine

Lord Dhanvantari is widely recognized in Hindu tradition as the celestial physician of the gods. According to sacred texts, he manifested during the Samudra Manthan—the mythic Churning of the Ocean of Milk—bearing in his hands a pot of Amrita, the nectar of immortality. Emerging from the cosmic waters, Dhanvantari brought with him not only divine medicine, but the promise of longevity, spiritual health, and liberation from suffering.

He is often depicted with four arms, holding sacred healing symbols:

• A conch shell representing the primordial sound and divine vibration that underlies all existence.

• A pot of Amrita, the elixir of immortality and ultimate vitality.

• A leech, symbolizing ancient purification and detoxification techniques used in early Ayurvedic practices.

• Medicinal herbs, denoting the healing bounty of the natural world.

These symbols together portray Ayurveda’s holistic framework, which balances the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life through diet, herbal remedies, bodywork, ethical conduct, meditation, and alignment with natural rhythms.

Ayurveda: The Science of Life

Ayurveda (Sanskrit: Āyurveda) means “science of life” or “knowledge of longevity.” It is one of the oldest known systems of medicine, with roots dating back over 5,000 years in the Indian subcontinent. Deeply spiritual in nature, Ayurveda teaches that health is a state of dynamic equilibrium between the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—which govern individual constitution and bodily functions.

Dhanvantari is believed to have transmitted the teachings of Ayurveda to humanity to alleviate suffering and promote harmony with the natural world. He is venerated as both a mythic deity and an archetypal healer, embodying the healing impulse that arises from divine compassion.

A Garden of Global Healing

In including Lord Dhanvantari in our Healing Rime Deity Garden, we honor a lineage of sacred medical wisdom that has been passed down through sages, rishis, and Ayurvedic doctors (Vaidyas) for millennia. His statue serves not only as a spiritual beacon but as an invitation to reconnect with wholesome, earth-based living, and to recognize the sacredness of self-care, prevention, and the body’s natural intelligence.

This garden is a mandala of global healing traditions, transcending cultural boundaries to reveal the universal truth: healing is a spiritual journey. In this space, Dhanvantari joins a pantheon of compassionate healers from around the world, each guiding us back to our sacred truth and interconnectedness with all life.