According to Ayurveda, the entire universe is made up from the basic building blocks - the 5 elements. This is referred to as the 'Pancha-maha- bhuta-siddhanta' translating into Five Great Elements Principle. This includes everything in the universe - the galaxies, solar system, earth, body, food, molecues and atoms etc. The Five Great Elements or Panch-Maha-Bhutas are (in order of being most subtle to most tangible):
Genesis:
In fact, according to the rishis, in the beginning the universe existed in an unmanifested state of consciousness. From this state of unified consciousness, AUM, the subtle vibrations of cosmic soundless sound manifested.
The vibrations resulted in the movement of Ether, thus realizing Air.
The movement of ether caused friction to develop which resulted in heat (Fire).
The heat liquefied certain 'ethereal elements' resulting in Water.
The solidification of the liquefied ethereal matter resulted in formation of solid molecules of Earth.
My Thoughts: Creation of Water and Earth element is not clear. The heat liquefies 'ethereal elements'...but at that point what other 'ethereal elements' are present. If they are, how are they created? Similarly, solidification of ethereal elements forms solid earth but what forms the 'ethereal elements'?
Quantum physics suggests that the basic fabric of nature lies at the quantum level. This is far beyond the atoms and molecules. A quantum is defined as the basic unit of matter or energy and is 10-100 million times smaller than the smallest atom. All the quanta are made up of invisible vibrations - waiting to take physical form.
According to Ayurveda, everything in this universe is made up of combinations of these Five Great Elements.
Each of these five elements represent not only the physical characteristic but also the subtle ones.
TIP: According to me, it is rather important to read, understand and digest the various five elements as this is truly the building block towards better understanding the doshas that we will read about later. It is suggested that you think and make points on the five elements yourself before reading further. Few points that you can think about are the characteristics of the five elements, its presence in the environment around you, its presence in you and if you can then also the words that we use to describe these elements.
Earth:
Earth for example represents the solid state of matter and is responsible for giving shape and structure. It manifests stability, rigidity, fixity and permanence. Thus, we can call the solid things that we see around us like the bark of trees, stones, bricks, mud as 'Earth'. Also, in our body, we can call bones, teeth, nails etc as 'Earth' components. In the subtle way, we can call ones steadfast mind, strength of the moral fibre, good memory (ability to bind and retain information) as constituents of Earth.
Water:
The liquid state is represented by Water. It characterizes fluidity, flux and change. Water forms a large part of all living beings. Our blood, lymph, digestive juices and other fluids move between our cells and from one part of the body to another carrying oxygen, bringing energy, transmitting information etc. In the subtle way, we refer to the water as having the property of being cohesive wrt various aspect of reality that flows into and holds things together perfectly. The ability to adapt to situations being one just like water takes the shape of the container.
Fire:
Fire represents the universal force that produces heat and radiates light.It has the ability to transform substances from one form to another - solid to liquid, solid to gas etc and it characterizes transformation. The source of fire and light in the solar system is the Sun. In our human body, fire works in the digestive system by transforming food into energy and helps in all metabolic and chemical reactions. In a more subtle way, fire reflects brilliance - the ability to 'digest' information quickly and come out with pinpointed observations or conclusions.
Air:
Air is the gaseous state of matter and is responsible for all movement necessary in the process of conception and creation. It means air as we think of it, the wind, and also the backdrop of our environment which we don't necessarily notice. Air flows freely throughout the body, giving movement to biological functions e.g. movement of the muscles, beating of the heart, functioning of the lungs etc. It also feeds every cell with oxygen. It is also attributed towards removing wastes from the body. In a more subtle way air characterizes mobility and dynamism.
Ether:
Ether is the field or space or emptiness where everything happens. Even from the viewpoint of quantum physics we learn that matter is much less solid than it appears, and is mostly composed of empty space. Ether is the empty space between atoms. One characteristic of Ether is sound or vibration; its main characteristic is lack of resistance. It manifests in the human body through the various spaces that we see in the mouth, nose, ear, thorax, respiratory tract and cells.
| Next > |
|---|
