"Om Namo Bhagavate Maha SudharshanaVasudevaya Dhanvantaraye; Amrutha Kalasa Hasthaaya Sarva Bhaya Vinasaya Sarva Roka Nivaranaya Thri Lokya Pathaye Thri Lokya NithayeSri Maha Vishnu Swarupa Sri Dhanvantri SwarupaSri Sri Sri Aoushata Chakra Narayana Swaha"

We pray to the God, who is known as Sudarshana Vasudev Dhanvantari. He holds the Kalasha (container) full of nectar of immortality. Lord Dhanvantri removes all fears and removes all diseases. He is the well wisher and the preserver of the three worlds. Dhanvantari is like Lord Vishnu (sustainer of all creation), empowered to heal the individual souls.

We bow down to the Lord of Ayurveda.

At a time of great conflict between good and evil, the God of medicine manifested in all His glory. His feminine aspect (Shakti - energy) in a man’s form (Shiva - matter) was very evident representing the energy of creation imbude into matter. He had four arms which were holding four items; a conch shell, a chakra (flying discus or wheel), a leech and a pot containing amrita, the elixir of life.

The conch shell symbolizes the ability of purification through the space element. When it is used it fills the surroundings with the primordial sound of creation OM, dispelling all the mire and confusion in the mind of man thus bringing him peace. Peace is necessary for one to remain in a state of health.

The chakra with it’s sharp edges symbolizes the ability of Ayurveda to cut the pathological process in half and thus weakn it to its very core. This it can do thanks to its knowledge of the elements.

The leech sucks out all the impurities in the blood creating more healthy space and a possibility for the intelligence present in the body to regenerate healthy tissues.

Amrita, the elixir of life can be obtained by man through the study of Ayurveda for it recognizes the descent of that unborn and undying reality in man. Seeing that he has forgotten his reality, Ayurveda through its spiritual and scientific vision and wisdom, has the potential of reminding man that he was never born and will never die.

AYURVEDA - The key to life and to knowing the world

Ayurveda (Ayush + veda), is the world’s most antique medical science. It was received by man from the annals of time immemorial, from the very force that runs and sustains existence itself. This science was not conceived or created by man but channeled to him thanks to his humility in admitting how much he still doesn’t know, how great is his ignorance in front of Nature’s intelligence.

Ayurveda gives us, potentially, an insight into the physical and functional foundations like no other science ever can. This is concretized thanks to its vision towards existence that is filtered by utmost respect and symbiosis towards the elements. The word Ayurveda is a combination of two terms, Ayush meaning “life” and Veda meaning “knowledge” or “science”. We are thus dealing with the science of life and this implies everything in a person’s life from dealing with a pathology, when and if present, right down to how he lives his daily life, based on his habits and his vision towards life and the world he has created for himself to live in.

Just as it has been the case with other sciences Ayurveda has also been subject to losses and changes over time. Losses related for example to some of its branches like ancient techniques of surgery and knowledge of therapeutical use of metals and minerals. The latter is a branch that still exists but valid experts, not the namesake ones, are rare to find today. These are just a few examples. At the same time though, Ayurveda has been adapted to the modern world and this has been possible thanks to the fact that the principles it is based upon have never changed over time, only their application has.

Some of the basic principles of Ayurveda revolve around the building blocks of matter such as the five elements or mahabhuta, energy (which is considered sacred) that animates and sustains matter, the relationship between a person and his surroundings etc. These are only some of the basic points related to the only science in existence that is spiritual. Science without spirituality (or humanity for that matter) is potentially very harmful. Only when science and spirituality go hand in hand and when they are applied together will mankind come to realize the true nature of the world he lives in, a world that will be able to reveal its precious potential of peace, health and longevity.