A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.s8.35

v1.c23.s8.35

The Suśrutasaṃhitā presents him in his incarnation as Divodāsa as a surgeon.51 Daḷhaṇa gives, as an etymology of Dhanvantari’s name: dhanuḥ śalyaśāstram, tasya antaṃ pāraṃ iyarti gacchatīti dhanvantariḥ,52 which means that he completely mastered the science of surgery (dhanus = śalyaśāstra). Cakrapāṇidatta’s Bhānumatī53 quotes the same etymological explanation, preceded by another one: jagadarthasādhanād dhanur dharmaḥ, tasyānto vyādhyakālamṛtyusaṃpādako ’dharmaḥ, tasyārir, which means that he was the enemy of adharma, which leads to an untimely death due to disease.54