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The Vaidya community, practitioners of traditional medicine, observe this day as Dhanvantari Jayanti.
Lord Dhanvantari and Goddess Laxmi are celebrated during this festival.
Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Diwali festival. It is a significant Hindu festival that is dedicated to the worship of Lord Dhanvantari, the God of health and Ayurveda, and Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth. The name Dhanteras is derived from Dhan which means wealth and Teras which is the 13th day of Trayodashi. On this day, devotees buy precious metals like gold, silver, or new utensils, as it is regarded as auspicious and brings prosperity and good fortune. Devotees also light lamps to get rid of evil and pray for the well-being and prosperity of their families.
This year, the festival of Dhanteras will be celebrated on October 29.
Astrologer and Vastu expert Rakesh Chaturvedi of Pratap Vihar Ghaziabad talks about the significance of the ritual. Rakesh Chaturvadi claimed that Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu was the divine propagator of medical science in the world. The Vaidya community, practitioners of traditional medicine, observe this day as Dhanvantari Jayanti.
According to the religious scriptures, during the Samudra Manthan, Lord Dhanvantari appeared with Amrit Kalash in his hands. This miraculous event took place on the Trayodashi Tithi of the Krishna Paksha in the Kartik month. Two days after the appearance of Lord Dhanvanatari, Goddess Laxmi also emerged in the ocean. For this reason, Diwali, the festival of light is celebrated on that day.
Nevertheless, once, Yamraj, the God of death, asked his messengers if they ever felt pity while taking a human life. Initially, the messengers replied that they only followed orders, but when pressed, one of them shared a story that touched their hearts.
The messenger recounted the tale of a king named Hans who, while hunting, wandered into the territory of another king, Hema. On that same day, King Hema’s wife gave birth to a son. Astrologers predicted that this boy would die within four days of his marriage. To prevent this, King Hema ordered that the boy should be raised in a secluded cave near the Yamuna River away from all women.
Destiny had other plans. King Hans’ daughter happened to visit the riverbank and met the boy. The two fell in love and had a Gandharva marriage. But unfortunately, the boy died within four days of their union. The messenger of death was deeply moved by the young widow’s cries. When Yamraj heard this, he explained that it was the law of nature, and even he had to follow it. He added that worshipping and lighting lamps with devotion on Dhanteras could help prevent untimely deaths. This is why, on Dhanteras, people worship Lord Dhanvantari and Goddess Lakshmi and light lamps to seek their blessings.
