The Divine Doctor

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedantadesika Yatindra

Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

The Divine Doctor

________________

 

 

Doctors (with due apologies to the bhagavatas who

belong to the profession) are not a species one loves.

One goes to them reluctantly, when one can’t help it.

This dislike is perhaps ingrained in us right from

childhood, when, in a bid to ensure our obedience,

parents often hold out the Doctor as a bogey, who will

punish us with bitter pills and painful injections.

And when we grow up, we find nothing endearing about

Doctors, whose avocation has become as commercial as

any other. The Doctor we shall be considering in this

essay is quite different- He is eminently lovable, His

love and concern for our well being know no bounds,

His fees are never exorbitant, and His cures

permanent. Eager to get acquainted? Please do read

on.

 

We tend to patronise a doctor only if our friends or

relatives recommend him, as no one would like to

entrust their health to strange hands. The Doctor we

are about to consider comes quite highly recommended,

by none other than Sage VyAsA-

“ShareerE jarjaree bhootE vyAdhi grastE kaLEbarE

Oushadham JAnhavI tOyam, vaidyO NarayanO Hari:”

“When the body is weak and old, or beset with

innumerable diseases, the only medicine to make it

well is the water of the Holy GangA, and the only

Doctor to go to is Sriman Narayana.,” says Sri Krishna

DvaipAyanA. This is his considered opinion, after

analysing the import of all Vedas and other Shastras,

not once but repeatedly (“Alodya sarva shAstrANi,

vichArya cha puna:puna:- idam Ekam sunishpannam”). The

name “Hari:” appended to the word “Narayana:” in the

sloka is significant- it means “destroyer”(“Harim

harantam” says the Taittiriya Aranyaka too)- Hari

destroys disease. The treatment we obtain at the hands

of human Doctors provides relief, which may or may not

be permanent. Not infrequently, the treatment one

undergoes for a disease will, by itself, give rise to

quite another disease (in what is euphemistically

called a “side effect”). But Doctor Hari destroys the

root of disease, making it impossible for that disease

or any of its clan to raise its ugly head again. No

wonder the Vishnu Sahasranamam calls Him,”Vaidya:” and

again, “Bhishak”.

 

Some doubting Thomases are not satisfied with a single

opinion- they will inquire with at least a dozen

people, to satisfy themselves that the Doctor they

have chosen is indeed efficient and effective. So, for

those who are not content with the well-researched

findings of Sage Vyasa, here is corroboration from

Sri Periazhwar-

“erutthu kodi udayAnum Piramanum Indiranum matrum

oruttharum ip piravi ennum nOikku marundu arivArum

illai

MarutthuvanAi nindra MamaNi VaNNA ! maru piravi

tavira

Tirutthi un kOil kadai pugappei, TirumAlirum SOlai

endAi «

 

The disease Azhwar seeks relief from is indeed a

chronic one, considered incurable by other famous

Doctors, with a considerable practice, like Shiva,

Brahma and Indra. Sri VishnuchitthA seeks a

cure for the unending cycle of births and deaths,

which afflicts us throughout our sojourn on this

earth, in various incarnations- a permanent cure, so

to say, from disease of all types. Convinced of the

inability of other physicians to offer a cure for this

endemic affliction, Sri Periazhwar chances upon the

Physician of all Physicians, “KaLvan” of

TirumAlirumSOlai, and prays to Him for everlasting

cure. Here, though it is heretic to tamper with

Azhwar’s sreesookti, adiyen would like to slightly

realign the third line of the aforesaid pasuram to

“MA MarutthuvanAi nindra MaNivaNNA”, (shifting the

position of the adjective “MA”) which indicates

Emperuman’s supremacy in providing cures to incurable

ills.

 

Once the Azhwar finds refuge at the Lord’s lotus feet,

he is emboldened to cry out to diseases, “Oh Diseases!

Don’t you dare come near me! Entry into this body is

banned for you. The mighty Lion God Nrsimha , capable

of destroying you all instantly, resides in this

body.. So don’t you ever dream of troubling me again.”

 

 

“mangia valvinai nOigAl umakkum Or valvinai kaNdeer

ingu pugEnmin pugEnmin- eLidu andru kaNdeer pugEnmin

SingappirAn avan emmAn sErum tirukkOil kaNdeer”

Azhwar’s conviction is reflected in the

thrice-repeated admonition to maladies-“PugEnmin”

(‘Enter Not”).

 

Emperuman’s fame as a peerless Physician is brought to

the fore in His avatara as “Dhanvantari”, the

preceptor of AyurvEdA. “Vaidya Veeraraghavan” of

Tiruvallur, and several other divya desa Emperumans

have a huge practice, in whom people afflicted with

even life-threatening maladies have found solace.

Such curative powers accrue even to the Lord’s true

servants. The sight of Sri Periya Tiruvadi, with the

Lord ensconced on his shoulders, is reported to be a

sure cure for several diseases. This is borne out by

the way even the sick and infirm throng the temple

environs on the day of the GarudOtsavam. Sri

Sudarsana, the Lord’s discus, is reputed to be another

curer par excellence, as is Sri Anjaneya. Enough of

the Divine Doctor. In a sequel, adiyen would like to

write about the Divine Potion.

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrsimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya

Nama:-------------dasan,sadagopan.

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out Shopping and Auctions for all of

your unique holiday gifts! Buy at

or bid at http://auctions.