beneficial to all beings in this world and the world beyond.”
Dhanvantari Jayantī & Dīpāvalī
Dīpāvalī is the festival of light, dīpam. Celebrated in a variety of ways, with each day dedicated to different aspects of light, health, wealth, victory and renewal. One of the days brings the celebration of the birth of Dhanvantari Deva, lord of Āyurveda.
At this time, it is told that Āyurveda was born – incarnate as Lord Dhanvantari. The “lord of Āyurveda” emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk, radiant with vitality, standing firm and upright, and holding the pot of amṛtā – the nectar of immortality.
Health is Wealth! Health is considered one of the great resources of life, one of the forms of Lakṣmi Devī herself, as Vīrya Devī – the Goddess of Strength and Vitality.
The vedic system understands that ill-health pain is an obstruction in life. A life shortened or disturbed by ill health is a life that cannot complete its purpose. Knowing this, the Vedic Vision includes Āyurveda – the wisdom of all of life. A great gift to humanity, Ayurveda is the holistic medical science and system embedded in the cosmology and vision of the vedic tradition.
Āyurveda is a gift that allows us longevity, vitality, vitality, bodily comfort and even bliss. Āyurveda allows for health in every aspect of life from work, to spiritual practice, to relationships and sexuality, to family planning, to a clear mind, to aging gracefully.
Health is a form of wealth that allows us to tend to our responsibilities, and mature toward the most supreme life purpose.
So during Dīpāvalī, we offer reverence to Āyurveda, which delivers us the wealth of health through practical means.
Āyurvedic Practices
Dīpāvalī comes at a time of year when health is vulnerable to the season… and so it is a time to ignite and sustain a healthy inner fire, and feed yourself foods that truly nourish and sustain you. Taking care with these things now, can keep you healthy through the whole season, and perhaps the year! This is an auspicious time to begin!
On the mornings of Dīpāvalī you can start the day with a self-oil massage.
- Organic, natural oil such as sesame, coconut, apricot seed or other. You might use an herbal ayurvedic oil or oil with high quality essential oils or flower essences.
- Place the oil in glass bottle or a bowl, and put that vessel into a larger vessel of hot water to warm it.
- Pour some into your palms, and rub together. Distrubute over your body and massage in.
- You can take as little or as much time as you have. Do mini self-abhyanga daily, and if you are able to take one day a week to luxuriate, that is a wonderful blessing to your health!
This week is an auspicious time to begin or invigorate health eating & lifestyle practices overall.
- Start witnessing and tending to your digestive fire
- Eat foods foods that are wholesome, natural, organic, local, seasonal and appropriate to your constitution stage of life and digestive fire.
You can learn how to assess and heal your digestive fire with the mini-course Agni & Soma: Ayurvedic Digestion and then learn which amṛta foods to feed your fire for health and longevity {more on this course below}
The Light and Nectar of Immortality
The pot that Dhanvantari Deva holds contains the nectar of immortality – that nectar is all in life that sustains, nourishes and supports us.
Dīpāvalī celebrates light & abundance, or agni & soma nectar. Where there is abundance, there must be the light of wisdom to utilize the abundance for good. Where there is food, there must be a digestive fire to digest & transform the food into nourishment.
Light / fire & nectar / nourishment are the two primary pillars of health from the ayurvedic viewpoint.
For vitality, longevity and well being we need healthy substances from the earth to nourish and sustain us, and a healthy inner fire to digest those substances. The result of these two – fire and nectar – is true health.
All November, this course is on deep discount for $27,
so you can start the season in good health!
Agni & Soma: Ayurvedic Nutrition for everyone
Assess and improve your own relationship with food, address the digestive imbalances, and integrate Ayurvedic superfoods into your diet. Nourish every tissue and transform each level of your health.
With stories, mantra & practical teachings, this self-empowering audio course on ayurvedic digestion and nectar foods will be a true boon to your wellbeing.
More on soma - the nectar of immortality in this interview
The Simple Ayurveda Podcast, Episode 58: Deep Nourishment and the Nectar of Soma with Kaya Mindlin. Kaya shares her passion for the Soma side of yoga and wellness.