Had your dose of Deepavali Murundhu?
“It is health that is real wealth, not the glittering gold and silver.”
We are so obsessed with ‘Dhan’ or wealth that we think the festival of Dhanteras is a festival to pray for more wealth. Most of the greetings shared on this day are with images of pot of gold and wishing for prosperity. Read my lips: “Health is Wealth”. Good health is the first requirement to enjoy life and all the wealth that life gives us.
On this day, lord Dhanavantari, the celestial physician incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared during the Samudra Manthan with the Amrit Kalash or the elixir of life. Lord Dhanavantri is the founder of medical science known as Ayurveda or the science of longevity.
The ocean has abundance of wealth hidden in its depth. Bigger challenges require larger collaboration, hence the arch rivals, the Devas and Asuras made a pact to churn the ocean (Kshira sagara) to extract its wealth. The ultimate aim was to get the Amrit (elixir of life) for immortality. The conglomerate required further assistance from above hence they prayed to Lord Vishnu, who consented to assume the form of Kurma (the turtle) and settle at the floor of the ocean offering his hard back to place the agitator. Mount Mandarachal was placed on it as the agitator to churn. There could not be such a long rope hence Vasuki (the serpant god) coiled around the rock as the rope required for churning. The Asuras held him by the head and the Devas held the tail. The scrub caused Vasuki’s gurgitation of venom (the halahal) which fogged the Asuras badly and there came Shiva to suck the venom and store it in the Adam’s apple of his throat, hence Neelkanth Mahadev.
Then from the depths of the ocean emerged the Parijat (wish tree), Kamadenu (all providing cow), Airavata (the white elephant), enormous wealth of various kinds, and finally emerged Lord Dhanavantri with a golden pot of Amrit.
Once the most sought-after Amrit emerged the Devas and Asuras lost control. Project got abandoned and they ran towards Dhanavantri to grab the Amrit. Once again Vishnu took the form of Mohini, the finest female in the cosmos. She offered to distribute the Amrit to each of them if they promised to behave and sit in a row. Femme fatale worked and they all sat in a row waiting for their turn. The secret ploy was to serve the Amrit only to the righteous Devas and deprive the notorious Asuras. Beginning from Indra (king of gods), Surya (Sun god), Chandra (moon god), all the Devas were gulping their share of the potion while the Asuras waited patiently. One of the Asuras sensed the ploy and shifted his seat next to the last of Devas and Mohini unknowingly gave him Amrit too. Surya & Chandra saw and identified the Asura and raised an alarm. Vishnu’s chakra immediately struck that Asura and beheaded him but the Amrit was swallowed so it survived as Rahu the dragon head and Ketu the dragon tail. It is said that this is the reason for vengeance that Rahu and Ketu are allowed to eclipse the Sun and the Moon by swallowing them.
Mohini married Shiva and they had a son, who is worshipped as Ayappa. Interestingly the prasad that is given at Ayappa temple at Sabarimala is said to represent Amrit (elixir of life). Wise mothers in south Indian homes have the tradition to prepare ‘murundhu’ on Dhanatrayodashi. As I shared my heirloom recipe of kheer in my previous post, I am now sharing with you the secret recipe of ‘murundhu’ which has immense medicinal properties that helps to boost immunity. It is prepared and kept at home. One tiny ball is eaten in the morning before sunrise.
How to make Murundhu
Ingredients:
List A: 2 sp coriander seeds (dhaniya), 2 sp cumin seeds (jeera), 2 sp carom seeds (ajwain), 1 sp black peppercorn (kali mirch), 1 sp long pepper (pippali), 1 inch piece of dry ginger.
List B: 50 gms fresh ginger, 100 grams purified Dhampur jaggery (gur)
List C: 2 sp clarified butter (cow milk ghee), 1 sp Gingely oil (til ka tel), 1 sp pure natural honey.
Dry roast the list A items (light roasting), cool and grind to powder.
Peel and chop the ginger, make a fine paste with some water. Now take a thick bottom pan and heat it. Add grated jaggery and ginger paste, sprinkle some water and stir to cook till thick and tacky. Add the ground spices, add ghee and gingelly oil, stir to cook till thick enough to roll into a ball. Stop cooking and transfer the paste into a cool dish. When it is mildly warm, add honey and mix well. Honey should never be heated.
Now roll the paste into thumb size balls. Store in air tight container.
Have a Diwali murundhu, boost your immunity, pray to lord Dhanvantri for good health, peace, contentment and happiness. Light a lamp, offer a prayer. In the north it is also called Yama diya or the lamp that forbids Yama, the lord of death from entering the home because they have already garnered support from Lord Dhanavantri.
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