Dhanvantari is the gods' physician and the inventor of ayurveda, India's traditional medical system, according to Hindu mythology.
When the gods and demons (supernatural entities) churn the Ocean of Milk to generate the nectar of immortality, Dhanvantari is born.
Many precious items are created during the churning process, including the goddess Lakshmi, the wishing-cow Kamadhenu, and the Kaustubha diamond.
Dhanvantari rises from the ocean with the pot of amrta, the nectar of immortality that has been the final outcome of the whole attempt, as the churning approaches its culmination.
Also see Tortoise avatar.
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