Divinizing the medical process - What does ‘Dhanvantari?’ have in store for medical practice?

 

Divinizing the medical process - What does ‘Dhanvantari?’ have in store for medical practice?

Introduction

 

The atma-body dichotomy, and its solution thereof dominates Indian thought. Human beings are on one hand, portions of Brahman, Sat-Chit-Ananda, existence-consciousness-bliss, and on the other primates, desiring food and shelter. Ishvara, the universe personified as a deity, also dwells inside each atma. At moments of reflection, human beings look at their higher nature, and contrast it with their physical status. This gap drives them to art, music and drama – all that is pleasurable and liked. However, in the Indian religious context, material enjoyment is considered carefully – investment in the manifestations of God, rather than in God herself. The Vedantic solution is to direct all efforts to God, and thereby attain release from the fruits of the action. Hence art is a manifestation of God, and can be used to venerate God – for instance, in the form of divine sculpture and poetry; in emulation of the Lila, the divine play. Science too, is marked by a desire of mankind to comprehend the infinite, and describe it intelligible terms. Technology is an attempt to use this understanding to control the surrounding environment. However, oftentimes excessive greed and competition mar the world of technology. To humble oneself by reflecting on the nature of things as God, has been prescribed as a solution for this problem.

Medicine is both a technology and an art. However, there is deeper underlying significance to medicine. The human body, is prone to disease and frailty; the atma which is attached to the body suffers from the ravages of time on the body. The medical process which attempts to address this is thus divine. It attempts to help the atma, unchanging, adjust to its role in the physical body. Thus, the prescription of medicine and the performance of surgeries to rectify bodily pathologies constitute only one part of medical practice.  Critics of modern medicine, like Illich, have argued that it provides a material solution to what is a spiritual problem. Medicalization is thereby the process by which society loses tolerance to natural changes in the body. Illich also poses another problem – death, is seen as the point where the body is withdrawn from life-support rather than as a divine process. Criticism of modern medicine, is in one way, the rebellion of the atma, against the nature of modern medicine, algorithmic and at times, disregarding of human emotions. The iconology and the philosophy of Dhanvantari provide solutions to these issues.

The mythogenesis and the iconography Dhanvantari

The devas and the asuras, beings of order and chaos come together to churn the ocean of milk, the Ksirashabdi, to extract Amrita, the divine nectar. To do this, Vishnu, the lord of preservation, in the form of a turtle, Kurma acts as a base upon which the axis mundi or Mount Meru is supported.  Vasuki, the divine serpent, entwined around this pivot is used as a churn, with the Asuras standing at its head and the Devas, at its tail. During the process, the principles of the universe, such as the goddess of grace, Lakshmi, the divine tree, the Kalapavriksha and the divine elephant, Airavata emanate. Shiva, the god of destruction consumes the vicious poison, halahala, that arises from the ocean, and his throat turns blue. Finally, Dhanvantari, an avatar of Vishnu, and the divine physician emerges carrying a vessel, a Kumbha, containing Amrita. The asuras attempt to snatch the vessel, but are deluded by Mohini, yet another avatar of Vishnu, who distributed the contents amongst the Devas.

The above episode has a philosophical interpretation. The devas and the asuras, are representatives of the dual forces, both within the body, microcosmic, and in the universe, macrocosmic. When the atma, sits in meditation, with the stability of a turtle, and rationalizes these forces, the divine ocean, the collective subconscious get churned. Through churning the subconscious, the atma relives the emanation of the universe from Brahman, or Srishti. The results of this churning are powerful rewards such as Lakshmi and Airavata, but also the toxic poison. Shiva’s consumption of the poison, indicates the protective role of Ishvara, who destroys troubles as the destroyer. Finally, Dhanvantari, emerges with the Amrita, literally, the elixir of immortality. The greed of the asuras, and their delusion by Mohini, represents the repercussions of falling into the trap of Maya, and the eventual victory of the devas, represents the victory of order over chaos in the cycles of time. This is the summum bonum of the spiritual process. Vishnu as the Lord of Preservation, acts as the catalyst in these vital events.

The iconography of Dhanvantari is interesting. The male form, represents the passive aspect of the universe in Sankya metaphysics. Deities which are standing indicate easy accessibility and the colour blue, represents the depth of the collective subconscious. The four arms of Dhanvantari, represent the potentiality to act, four being the cardinal number. The conch, Panchajanya, represents the elements of the universe which produce the sound Om, and the discus, Sudharshana, represents the capacity to transform. The pot with Amrita represents the capacity of to heal, and fourth hand, alternatively carries a leech, representing balance between the elements, or herbs, signifying the healing aspect of nature.

The takeaway

Dhanvantari replaces the Ashwini Kumaras who in the Vedas are twin physicians of the Devas. The icon of a Devata, represents a physical representation of an infinite concept, the various parts of the Murthi, represent principles of the cosmos, which are microcosmically contained, in a manner that the mind and five senses can comprehend. The Puranas, with their various stories, represent metaphysical events, which are re-enacted in the theatre of the body. Physicians who attainted great levels of scholarship, were in medieval India, given the title Dhanvantari.

Taking Dhanvanatari to be the prototype physician, we arrive at new meanings of health of sickness. Firstly, the physical body is reflection of the spiritual body the atma; secondly the Atma itself is a microcosmic representation of the macrocosmic Brahman. The art of medicine is thus a form of spiritual practice, helping the Atma trapped in the body realize its true potential as a portion of Brahman. Doctors are thus health facilitators rather than providers. This difference isn’t merely semantical, the Illichian arguments against modern medical practice, draw from the cold and mathematical nature of medical algorithms, bereft of spiritual meaning. When healthcare systems acknowledge their role as facilitators, the spiritual factor gains a role, as a provider of meaning, and this can potentially influence management. This also provides a remedy for increasing health care costs, a problem that the discipline of Pharmacoeconomics attempts to deal with. Human life need no longer be weighed against financial resources, instead medical resources can be better directed to help bodily transition from infancy to old age, rather than prevent it.

By treating Dhanvantari as a prototype physician, one who according Harivamsa Purana, knows both anima and garima, the small and the big, doctors can better serve as health facilitators, rifting through the ups and downs of bodily ailments. Spiritualizing the doctor-patient relationship will also prevent exploitation in the doctor patient relationship, and will highlight the role of trust, as key factor. Finally, eradication of disease which is practically impossible needn’t be the purpose of medical practice, instead medical practice can aim to rationalize disease a part of life which must be overcome, in some means. This also aids the human reaction to traumatic health events - parts of the cyclical process of birth-death-rebirth which cannot be stopped, but overcome.