Ayurveda And The Panchamahabhutas
Admin 16 Jan 2020
Attributed to be the science of life, Ayurveda consists of ancient beliefs, practices, transferred knowledge, observation, logic, and experimentation. Ayurveda has a great emphasis on encouraging health and well-being through close attention to balance in an individual’s life.
Ayurvedic practice enables one to understand the balances and imbalances in the fundamental elements of the body. Ayurveda states that every being in the universe, including the human body, is composed of five elements or Panchamahabhutas.
The five principal elements or Panchamahabhutas which make a physical body are – Earth (Prithvi), Air (Vayu), Fire (Agni), Space (Akasa), and Water (Jala).
Various theories state that Akasa or Space was the first element to come into existence. Following it is the Air (Vayu) element, then comes Fire (Agni), followed by Water (Jala) and in the end Earth (Prithvi). Every element has specific attributes and keeps on constantly changing and interacting with each other.
5 principal elements in Ayurveda
- Akasa – The first element which is considered to come into existence, means a cavity with the freedom to move. This element has the qualities of being clear subtle, light, and measurable.
- Vayu – the dry, light, cold, and some element has the main action to do any moment. This element maintains the constant motion of the body.
- Agni – The element is responsible for all forms of transformations such as intelligence, perception, understanding, etc. including digestion.
- Jala – Considered as the constructive force, the water element exhibiting the qualities of liquidity, dullness, softness, and coolness have the main actions of adhesiveness and cohesiveness.
- Prithvi – The last element is solid, hard, and dense, and it represents the heart structures of the body, such as bones, muscles, and teeth. It provides structure, strength, and shape.
To suit the needs and requirements of the human body structure and functions of the body arts, a balanced condensation of these elements in varying proportions is needed.