हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम | श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः
धन्वंतरेंगरुचि धन्वंतरेरितरु धन्वंस्तरीभव सुधा-
-भान्वंतरावसथ मन्वंतराधिकृत-तन्वंतरौषधनिधे ।
दन्वंतरंगशुगु-दन्वंतमाजिषु वि-तन्वन् ममाब्धितनया
सून्वंतकात्महृद-तन्वंतरावयव-तन्वंतरार्तिजलधौ ॥ ४ ॥
(श्रीवादिराजतीर्थ-विरचिता दशावतार-स्तुति)
Five centuries ago, in response to an incident where Lord Hayagriva appeared as a white horse and ate up a farmer’s Bengal gram (कडले) crops, Shri Vadiraja Tirtha extemporaneously composed the beautiful (दशावातार स्तुति) in (अश्वधाटि), the cadence of a horse’s canter. Even today it is traditional to sing this Stotra of love and affection for the Lord after daily Pooja.
The fourth shloka of this divine work describes Lord Dhanvantari, who brings us health, healing and protection against physical and mental afflictions, and is the presiding deity of all medicine, i.e. Ayurveda the knowledge of longevity. The meaning is provided below with moola (in parentheses) and some editorial comments.
- O Lord Dhanvantari (धन्वन्तरे),
- of form (अंग) of radiance (रुचि) [beyond that] of the source of the rainbow (धनु अन्तरे) [i.e. brighter than the Sun];
- who does to enemies (अरि) what the desert (धन्वन्) does to plants and trees (तरु) [i.e. withers them away];
- residing (अवसत) within (अन्तर), the luminous body (भानु) that gives nectar-like beams (सुधा), i.e. Moon = (चन्द्र अन्तर्गत);
- presiding over the different epochs (मन्वन्तर अधिक्रुत);
- with different forms (तनु अन्तर), i.e. (सत्-चिद्-आनन्द विग्रह) taking forms at will;
- the source and repository of all medicine (औषध निधे);
- Creator (वितन्वन्) of an ocean (उदु+अन्वन्तं = water + container) of sorrow (शुगु) to the sons of Danu (दनु अन्तरन्ग = demons) on the battlefield (आजिशु);
- Being inside (अन्तर) the voluptuously (अ-तनु = not lean) limbed (अवयव) Mohini form, the stealer of the mind/heart (आत्म ह्रित्) of .the killer (अन्तक) of the son (सूनु) of the daughter of the ocean (अब्धि तनया), i.e. Shiva = destroyer of Kaama who is son of LakshmI Devi;
- become (भव) my (मम) boat (तरि) [to cross the] deepest (आर्ति) ocean (जलधौ), i.e. of सम्सार.
Here is more information on this wonderful composition and on Lord Dhanvantari:
/Raghunath Rao/ “Do your Best … and leave the Rest … “
(All mistakes mine – all credit to Gurus and Acharyas )
|| sarvaṁ śrī kṛṣṇārpanamastu ||
