Dhanvantari is thought to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who comes into the world to bring health, healing, and protection against physical or mental disease through the practices and teachings of Ayurveda. He manifested to protect living beings from untimely death, disease, and sorrows.

It is said that Lord Vishnu appears in many forms to help relieve humanity’s suffering. Dhanvantari is one of these divine manifestations. He is a physician to the gods and propagates the teachings of Ayurveda to people on Earth.

The most famous story is of Lord Dhanvantari’s birth. It is mentioned in Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, and the Mahabharata. During the Samudra Manthan, the milky cosmic ocean was being churned by the Devas and Asuras, using Mandara Mountain as the rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. Many gifts and also a deadly poison arise during this celestial agitation. Dhanvantari is one of the deities that comes into being from this churning, holding the pot of Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

The Asuras, greedy for all things, realized right away that the container is full of nectar and they snatch it from him. Asuras (also called demons) are filled with greed and pride, and so begin quarreling about which of them should drink the nectar first, each grabbing the pot from the other and fighting like thieves.

Lord Vishnu didn't miss this opportunity to trick them. He manifests as a beautiful woman, Mohini, who dances and charms the demons, captivating their attention, and recovers the pot of Amrita from their clutches. Still disguised as Mohini, Vishnu then distributes the sweet nectar of immortality to the Devas first. As soon as the Devas taste the nectar, they’re invigorated with energy and strength to defeat the demons, who do not get the opportunity to taste the elixir of life.

What is a Dhanvantari Yagna ?

Yagna means “exchange, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering" and it refers to a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, accompanied by mantras. A Yagna is always purposeful, even though the aim can be something as general as sustaining the natural order of the universe. The correct performance of the ritual and recitation of the necessary mantras, or sacred formulas, is considered an essential component, and the one performing the ritual, as well as the objects used in the ceremony, must all be in a high state of purity.

Dhanvantri Yagna is performed to cure any type of illness. It can be used to help remedy universal struggle, or physical, mental, and spiritual illness within individuals or collectively. It is believed to increase strength in the body and restore life and energy to the people. Lord Dhanvantri blesses his devotees with health and longevity.

I am joining my friend Sri Vigneshwar Bhat in a worldwide initiative to increase healing and raise up consciousness around the planet by joining in reciting the Dhavantari Mantra. Collectively, we will chant the mantra 80 million times, between now up until April 14th (prior to the start of the ceremonial Yajna), when 80 Vedic Priests in India, will make 800,000 offerings into the sacred fire between April 14-21.

This practice is in line with the tradition of the Akshara Laksha Sadhana - the recitation or chanting of a mantra as many times as the number of syllables x 100 000!

(For example: “OM” is 1 syllable x 100 000 recitations). You can see this is a very challenging personal Sadhana, but it contains within it the real Tapas to burn away the impurities, as described in the ancient texts.

According to scriptures, mantra can have a significant impact on the laws of nature, as well as change the vibrations within the individual having deep spiritual, physical and emotional effects. The more times we can recite the mantra, the more we will contribute to shifting our energy and the consciousness within ourselves and this will ripple out to the entire world.

The Mantra To Recite:

ॐ धं धन्वन्तरये नमः

Oṃ Dhaṃ Dhanvantaraye Namaḥ

You can sign up to register to join here.

Participation is free. This is only a way to keep track of who is chanting and how many times.

For an explanation on the correct pronunciation of the Mantra listen here:

Use this recording of the 108 recitations of the Mantra for your personal practice:

Watch this video that recaps much of what I’ve written here and listen to a retelling of the story of the Samudra Manthan.

Now it’s your turn!

Make a commitment to join us in chanting the Dhanvantari Mantra for the next four months and observe what changes you start to feel within yourself.

OM…