According to Ayurveda, everything in life is made up of Panchamahabhuta. The meaning of the word Panchamahabhuta is five great elements. Thus according to Ayurveda, there are five main elements, with which everything in this universe is composed of such as air, fire, water, earth and ether.
Each element has its own attributes and they are constantly changing with each other. For example — in case of a single cell — the earth element is shown by the structure of the cell. Cytoplasm is filled with water, various metabolic processes are regulated by the fire element, air represents the gases in it and the space occupied by cell denotes the ether element. The article deals with details of the panchamahabhutas in Ayurveda.
Panchamahabhutas in Ayurveda
According to Ayurveda, there are five kinds of elements in the universe, which are given as follows:
- Air (Vayu)
- Fire (Tejas)
- Water (Jal/Aap)
- Earth (Prithvi)
- Ether (Akash)
Air — It is the gaseous state of matter, also called Vayu. Air is responsible for any movement required for creation and conception. As the air flows it gives movement to the biological functions such as heart beating, muscles movement and lungs functioning etc. it also help circulate oxygen in the cells and removes waste from the body.
Fire — It signifies the universal force with which light and heat are produced. It has the power to change one form of the state to another, such as solid to liquid and gas. In whole universe, the source of light is the Sun. Fire helps in digestion of food in our body and transforms food into the energy. It thus, helps in all chemical and metabolic reactions in the body.
Water — It represents the liquid state and characterizes flux fluidity and change. 70% of the living beings are composed of water. In our body, various digestive juice, blood, lymph and other fluids flow between the cells and carry oxygen from one part of the body to the other. It also helps information and energy transmission.
Earth – It represents the solid state of the matter. It is responsible for giving structure and shape. It shows rigidity, stability, permanence and fixity of the matter. Hence, all solid things corresponds to earth element. For example — the bones, teeth and nails in our body have the prominence of earth element. In simple way, we can conclude that it provides a steadfast mind, good memory and strength of moral fibre etc.
Ether — It represents the empty space or field, where the processes take place. It is the empty space between the atoms. The characteristics of ether elements are vibration, sound and lack of resistance. In a human body, various spaces such as nose, mouth, ear, respiratory tract, thorax and cells corresponds to ether element.
The above are the details and importance of Panchamahabhuta in Ayurveda.
