Stories of divine healing
Vasthu Sastra
By T. Selva
Amazing stories send our columnist on a journey to discover the divinity that prompted them.
I HAD heard of many people experiencing divine healing after they had given grace to a unique deity in India.
Moved by their stories, I travelled to India last week to visit the temple of Lord Danvantri, located in the remote
village of Walajapet, 160km from Chennai. The temple’s unusual statue wears a stethoscope and watch like a
surgeon because the deity is the Hindu god of medical science.
He is an avatar of Mahavishnu’s 12th incarnation from the Hindu tradition, and according to ancient records, he
introduced medicine to the world. He appears in the scriptures as physician to the gods and god of ayurvedic
medicine; those who worship this deity are said to be assured of a disease-free life.
It is commonly known in India that there are powerful places of worship where Hindus go to seek blessings
from deities in matters related to health, wealth, marriage, peace and happiness.
A priest performing prayer rituals at one of the 468
Shiva linga in the grounds of the Danvantri temple. Visitors are not allowed to photograph the statue of the deity. – T.
SELVA / The Star
Hindus generally believe that spiritual remedies can play a major role in maintaining general well-being,
especially if they are devout and faithfully carry out the rituals. The story that finally prompted me to make the
trip to India was that of U. Pretyyba, four, from Puchong, Selangor, who suffered from Kawasaki disease, a rare
condition that inflames the walls of blood vessels throughout the body, most dangerously, the cardiac arteries
and veins.
Pretyyba’s mother, R. Yoges, 34, reported that the little girl recovered speedily after wearing a Lord Danvantri
pendant in the shape of a yantra (mystical diagram). The pendant was obtained by a family friend who
performed prayers for Pretyyba’s recovery at the Danvantri temple.
Yoges, who is a Vasthu Sastra follower, says that her daughter was diagnosed with the disease five days after
birth and was very sickly, crying a lot and not gaining weight.
“We were sad because Pretyyba was our first child and her condition caused us so much pain and hardship
because there was no sign of recovery, initially. She was in and out of the hospital so many times.”
The baby was prescribed large doses of Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), which has a blood thinning effect, and had
to have monthly ECG and other heart related tests.Yoges adds that the family consulted a numerologist who
recommended that her daughter’s original name, Vikkshana Shree, be changed to Pretyyba – but the change did
not help much.
Pretyyba showing off her precious pendant. – ART CHEN / The Star
Yoges and her husband, M. Uthiyakumar, 37, performed several prayers and rituals in local temples to try to
improve Pretyyba’s health but her condition remained unchanged. Then, in October, the family friend gave them
the Danvantri yantra, which Yoges placed on her daughter as a pendant.
“After one month of wearing the pendant, Pretyyba went for her usual checkup and the doctor told us we could
stop giving her the Aspirin – he had originally said she was supposed to take that daily for another two years.
“We were so surprised when we were told that Pretyyba had recovered from the disease and would need not see
a doctor again,” says Yoges, who attributes Pretyyba’s recovery to Lord Danvantri.
I discovered many interesting things about the temple when I visited it. For instance, it is open 24 hours a day,
365 days a year because it is almost like a 24-hour hospital that “patients” visit day and night.
In the temple, male devotees are told to remove their shirts and present themselves before the 2m-tall statue of
the deity. This is because the “rays” of Lord Danvantri should fall on the body to provide a cure.
Following this, devotees are recommended carry out the homam, the sacrificial fire ceremony, with a variety of
medicinal plants, herbs, fruits and flowers in a huge fire pit. This wafts the offering’s medicinal properties into
the air to be breathed in to help alleviate ailments.
What makes this deity powerful is that more than 50 million Danvantri mantras written by various people
belonging to various religions and nations have been placed under the main statue’s base as a yantra.
Another highlight in the temple grounds is the 468 Shiva linga where rituals are performed daily. Shiva linga
are regarded as a “symbol of the great god of the universe who is all-auspiciousness”; Shiva is regarded by some
as “one in whom all of creation sleeps after dissolution”.
Devotees who come from all over the world to the divine physician’s abode daily are reminded constantly to
chant the Danvantri mantra and perform their prayers with faith and respect to receive the positive vibrations
and shield them against all health disorders.
Vasthu talk
T. Selva will present a talk on Jan 8 at 3pm on ancient Indian secrets following Vasthu Sastra and an astrology
forecast for 2011 at Lembaga Air Perak, Jalan St John, Ipoh. Admission is free. To register, call 012-329 9713.
He provides Vasthu Sastra tips on RTM’s TRAXXfm 100.1 at 11.15am on the last Friday of every month.
Chief News Editor T. Selva has spent years researching and writing about the ancient Indian science of
construction, better known as ‘Indian feng shui’. He is the first disciple of 7th generation Vasthu Sastra Master
Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India.
The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, usefulness, fitness for any particular purpose
or other assurances as to the opinions and views expressed in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility
for any losses suffered directly or indirectly arising from reliance on such opinions and views.
Devotion
A LORD Danvantri mantra:
Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya Dhanvantraye,
Amruthakalasa Hasthaya,
Sarvaamaya Vinasanaya,
Thrailokya Nadhaya,
Sri Maha Vishnave Namaha.
Meaning: We pray to Lord Vasudev Danvantari as he holds the nectar of immortality. May the Lord
Dhanvantri remove all fears, remove all diseases and heal our souls. We bow to the lord of ayurveda.