Dhanteras [in Hindi], is the 3rd day of the celebration, and the thirteenth day of the fortnight. In Sanskrit, the name for this day is Dhana-trayodaśī. On this day, we honor all the forms of wealth in our life.
Generally, when we hear the word “wealth”, we think of money. However, while money is a potent form of wealth, the true nature of wealth is about so much more than just having money. It is a sacred power unto itself, and a deep experience of the inherent abundance of this universe.
What’s interesting is that the word धन dhana, wealth, shares the same Sanskrit root as the word for blessed, धन्य dhanya. To have wealth is a form of blessing; to feel blessed is the greatest wealth. And, often all that it takes to feel wealthy is to remember our blessings.
धन – Wealth धन्य – Blessed
Traditional Forms of Wealth
The first traditional wealth is simple – good health! Think about it: if you were sick, how much would you be able to enjoy having anything else? Have you noticed how when you’re not feeling well, all you want is to feel better again? In fact, today is the day that we honor Dhanvantarī, the cosmic healer. He is an incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu, the sustaining power of creation, and you can learn more about him in the next lesson.
The second traditional form of wealth is the obvious one: money! And, money isn’t just limited to bank notes; traditionally, money was measured by gold and jewels. Not only are these high value in terms of trade, but they physically embody the beauty, light, and effulgence of Śrī, the cosmic power of abundance. They are the wealth of this planet, and we are thankful to be able to adorn ourselves and our lives with the earth’s splendor.
Another type of wealth is having children, and living elders. To be able to have children is a great blessing; similarly, to have elders in your family and/or in your home is also considered a form of great wealth.
Fifth, the scriptures refer to this as the greatest wealth of all: विद्या vidyā, knowledge/wisdom. If you have wisdom, you have everything you need to handle anything. You have freedom, and you have power. And unlike money, health, and your relationships – wisdom will stay with you always.
Sixth, a genuinely awakened guru and friends who support your sādhanā, your spiritual life, are also tremendous forms of wealth. There are countless songs and verses of people singing “dhanyo’ham! dhanyo’ham!” (I am blessed! I am blessed!) because of the gift of spiritual initiation from a true guru and the family of fellow truth-seekers. By following the guidance of the teacher and other awakened beings, inner emptiness and the suffering of lifetimes can be transformed and released.
Lastly, being both able and motivated to live a life of dharma is a great, great, great, form of wealth. Dharma is the sacred and natural principle that upholds all creation. Dharma contains everything and flows through everything; attaining dharma is attaining the universe. As mentioned in the last lesson, Śrī is married to dharma (Mahālakṣmī and Bhagavān Viṣṇu).
Reflect on the forms of wealth in your life – can you feel the blessings that shine through them?
The primary practice on dhanteras is to do pūjā, ritual worship, of all your wealth – to sanctify it and express your gratitude for it. The photo above is from a Dhanteras pūjā in India (read on for basic instructions on how to do this pūjā).
Secondly, it’s an auspicious day to give or receive gold or jewelry – to share wealth and to receive more into your life. (In modern India, jewelers have learned to commercialize and promote Dhanteras for this reason). However, the original spirit of this day is to honor wealth in all its forms and its nourishing, beautiful presence.
Thirdly, Ayurvedically speaking, we are still in a very fiery and hot season. We need to be able to calm and soothe the body. There’s a tradition on Dhanteras of drinking coriander seeds soaked in water. Incidentally, the word for coriander in Sanskrit is dhānya – that which contains dhana. (In Hindi, it’s dhaniyā). These are very cooling and very healing for the body.
1) Gather all your representative forms of wealth. You can start with jewelry and money (coins or notes are fine). If you use credit cards a lot, you can include those as well (just don’t get them wet, obviously). You can also include anything that you consider to be your wealth – for example, if you have any sacred books or scriptures (even chanting books with hymns are fine), and even small gold or silver icons of deities are included.
2) Clean them. If it’s metal, it’s traditional to actually wash it until it’s clean (also a good day for polishing all your jewelry and silver, if you have the energy). If you are inspired, you can wash it with the five sacred offerings of milk, sugar, ghee, yoghurt, and honey, and then wash it again with water to clean. If it’s paper or something delicate, you can dust it off.
Anytime we clean something we not only physically connect with whatever we are cleaning, but we also connect with its power inside of us. For example, cleaning our jewelry and money is an opportunity to “dust off” the part of us that is abundant, beautiful, and sparkling. The act of cleaning is revered throughout the tradition as being a way of inviting Śrī into our lives.
3) A traditional way to honor anything is to mark it with a spot of kumkum powder, which is red and represents the living Śakti, living consciousness – pure life force energy. It is a way of acknowledging the divine life within something. This is done with the ring finger, which represents fire and its purity. It also “marks” it/blesses it with the power of Śrī.
4) We also offer a few grains of rice to each object we are doing pūjā to. The rice represents nourishment and abundance (again, another form of Śrī, but this time as food and physical sustenance). It’s also an act of generosity on our part – a ritual “feeding” – which is our way of indicating that we want to nourish and sustain whatever we offer rice to.
5) Finally, you can wave a flame in a clockwise circle three times in a practice called ārati. This is another way of saying that your inner divine light sees and honors divine light in the other, and that this light is one (hence the circle).
6) If possible, offer some flowers, fragrant oil, or fruit to your various forms of wealth. Flowers represent beauty, life, vitality, and joy. Fragrant oil delights the senses and makes an otherwise inert object come alive. Fruit is sweet, nourishing, and tasty!
7) As part of the pūjā, you can sing hymns to Śrī or Mahālakṣmī, and/or meditate on Her form. Recognize that all of the everyday objects that you use to sustain and beautify your life are all manifestations of Her. Let deep gratitude arise. Know that you are blessed.
If you have any questions, or want to share your experience, you can do so by emailing us at admin@livingsanskrit.com.
Teacher: Shivani Hawkins
Maitreya Larios is a scholar and practitioner of the ancient and living traditions of India. He has been a practitioner of Indian spirituality since he was 9 years old.
In 2013, he obtained a doctorate in classical Indology from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, where he is currently employed as a research fellow. He wrote his dissertation on the living Vedic traditions of Maharashtra, which will appear as a book in late 2015.
He is most excited about being a student of Sanskrit and philosophy and about igniting that enthusiasm in his students. His personal journey over the 26 years of studentship in this tradition has been a humbling experience, but it is a path that he assures brings the most amazing transformations.
Besides his area of expertise as a scholar of Indian culture and religion, Maitreya is passionate about photography, visual arts, traveling and vegan/vegetarian cooking.
He is happily married and a father to a beautiful boy named Kabīr.
Few artists have the power to create an indelible impact on the minds of their audiences through their art form and one such name in the world of Kathak is Shambhavi Dandekar. Shambhavi Dandekar as an accomplished Indian Kathak master performer, has carved a niche for herself through her sheer talent, unique performances and unparelled choreography, that has brought her recognition on the national as well as the international platforms.
As a young dancer, Shambhavi started her training under the able guidance of her own mother and renowned Guru Pandita Maneesha Sathe, a celebrated dancer and a teacher in her own right. Shambhavi then went on to complete her intense training in ‘laya and tala’ or rhythm and beats from Table virtuoso “Taalyogi” Pandit Suresh Talwalkar. Along with her top-notch traditional dance training, Shambhavi also has a strong academic educational background with a Bachelors in Commerce and two Masters degrees in Dance. Furthermore, she also holds Diplomas both in French and Sanskrit.
Shambhavi has more than 20 years of teaching experience at an undergraduate and a graduate level at various dance education institutions in India. She has also started her own international school of dance in 2008, called ‘Shambhavi’s International School of Kathak’ or SISK. SISK is a prominent and a thriving international institution with five branches in India and the United States of America with over 400 students and a staff of 15 teachers who are trained by Shambhavi herself.
SISK has produced many a talented student over the years. Shambhavi’s years of experience, intellectual understanding and analysis of the nuances of the art form, has helped her create stellar performers out of her dedicated students. Many of her students are emerging as budding Kathak professionals. Shambhavi guides performers and students all over the world through workshops and master classes.
Shivani is a meditation teacher and multi-disciplinary artist, and the founder of Living Sanskrit. Born both American and into the yogic tradition, she is devoted to preserving and accurately practicing ancient indigenous wisdom in modern times and non-native contexts.
Shivani first heard Sanskrit in the womb, and not a day has gone by without it. She grew up immersed in dharma culture, yogic teachings, and sacred practices under the guidance of her spiritual teacher and also her grandmother.
Living Sanskrit is the culmination of a long-held dream to keep this tradition alive and share its magnificent gifts with the world.
Shivani started teaching meditation in 2001, and professionally a few years later at the suggestion of her spiritual teacher. Since then, Shivani has shared meditation with thousands of people at venues that range from corporate offices to hospitals to schools. From 2008-2014, Shivani was a Fellow with the Berkeley Initiative for Mindfulness and Law, leading retreats and weekly meditation sessions at Berkeley Law School.
Alongside teaching, Shivani is a prolific artist, photographer, and writer. She is a graduate of the Waterfront Conservatory and Playhouse, a member of the California Bar, and has a J.D. from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Rhetoric with minors in Theater, Business Administration, and South Asian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
She lives with her beloved husband Nick in Redwood City, California, where she can often be found dancing, gardening, listening to birdsong, and hiking in nature.
Ekabhumi is an award-winning poet, author, illustrator, yoga instructor and arts educator with 18 years of international teaching experience. Through a ritualized and meditative creative method, he makes artworks for ceremonial and educational use that help people deepen their spiritual practice, recognize the divinity of common experiences, and find meaning in the beauty of our world. His artworks may be found in yoga studios, private homes, and on altars around the world. He is currently part of the core faculty of livingsanskrit.com.
His name was given by his first guru during a formal initiation ceremony into a tantric yoga lineage in 2005. Since that time, he has studied with many spiritual teachers and traditional artists both in India and the States. His art teachers include eminent western figurative painters like Domenic Cretara, as well as Newar artist Dinesh Charan Shrestha, Bikaner-style miniature painter Mahaveer Swami, Thangka painter Andy Weber, and yantra painter Mavis Gewant.
Ekabhumi’s writing and artwork has been published widely, appearing in anthologies and journals like The Poetry of Yoga, Berkeley Fiction Review, and Pearl, as well as books like Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Hareesh Wallis and Awakening Shakti by Sally Kempton. His instructional Shakti Coloring Book and the uplifting Bhakti Coloring Book are now available world-wide from Sounds True Press.
Though his first love is the arts, he has a wide range of interests that are reflected in his many past occupations: event producer, stock options broker, handyman, journalist, ski boot fitter, competitive surfer and champion sailor. He toured internationally as a performance poet, and the poets he coached won numerous regional and national titles. He facilitated writer’s groups, hosted poetry readings, and organized spoken-word festivals for nearly 20 years, culminating in the acclaimed 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam.
Ekabhumi is an inspiring, playful yet methodical teacher who helps students cultivate deeper intuitive states. For nearly two decades, he variously taught yoga, painting, public speaking, and creative writing to students ranging from kindergarten to post-graduate level. Much of his time is now spent creating educational material about interpreting, making, and utilizing sacred art of the dharma traditions. On weekends, he can be found in his garden practicing silence and learning directly from Nature.
Hema Patankar has spent her life immersed in study, practice and service to the Vedic tradition. It began when she was a teenager irresistibly attracted to the sound of Sanskrit and images of yogis who had become profoundly wise and blissful through meditation.
An alumni of a gurukula in Western India, Hema spent over 30 years intimately engaged with the traditions that have emerged from the Vedas. She worked on research, translation, and editorial projects in the company of learned pandits and scholars. She assisted with yajnas – ancient fire ceremonies – and rituals, which allowed her to get extraordinarily close to the living practice of Vedic traditions. She immersed herself in the sādhana of singing Sanskrit hymns and the songs of the poet saints, which she studied intensively with her Gurus and traditional devotional singers. She became known for devotional singing, and taught students from around the world.
Hema has a passion for the preservation of sacred Vedic heritage. For several years she was the Executive Director of the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute. There she spearheaded the development of an extensive online collection of rare Sanskrit texts. She nurtured the establishment of a traditional Vedic school where an endangered branch of the Vedas is preserved. She also directed the video documentation of remarkable Vedic rituals and brought rare texts on Śaiva philosophy and Vedic ritual to publication.
She later studied traditional Āyūrveda and earned a Vaidya Bhusana (vaidyabhūṣaṇa) Ayurvedic Practitioner degree. She is President of the Board of Trustees of Vedika Global, a school for the study and practice of traditional Āyūrveda and Vedic sciences. She has published articles on Āyūrveda, the Bhakti tradition, and the preservation of Vedic manuscripts. Most recently she edited a text on Vedic full and new moon rituals. Her current writing focuses on the intersection of living Ayurveda with the rituals and philosophy of the Vedic tradition.