Dhanteras opens the Diwali cycle and honours Dhanvantari, the physician of the devas who rose from the churning of the ocean holding the pot of amrita. Wealth here begins with health — the tradition's first form of prosperity.
Source: Bhagavata Purana 8.8
dhanvantariḥ
The Bhagavata describes Dhanvantari emerging from the samudra manthana bearing the vessel of nectar — the origin of Ayurveda.
Honoured deity: Bhagavan Dhanvantari, with Lakshmi and Kubera
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