What is Panch Mahabhut
The nature is made up of the five great elements(Pancha maha bhuta-Pancha= five, Maha= great, and Bhuta= elements)and so is the human body. "As is the macrocosm, so is the microcosm (body)"
In its periodic table, modern science has 118 elements. The entire science of Ayurveda is based on the “five great elements” theory.
According to Ayurveda, everything in this universe is composed of five elements which are:
1. Ether (akasha) - The principle of space2. Air (vayu) - The principle of movement
3. Fire (agni) - The principle of conversion, heat and light
4. Water (jala/aap) - The principle of liquidity and cohesion
5. Earth (prithvi) - The principle of form and structure.
- Like all existence, we also have these five elements within us, in different proportions. These elements refer to the etheric, gaseous, radiant, fluid and solid states of matter, and their respective principles of space, movement, light, cohesion and density.
- They are not merely elements in the chemical sense but different densities of matter. The elements themselves are much subtler than their visible counterparts on earth.
- Each of these prime elements possesses a characteristic property through which we can comprehend it through the senses. The knowable property of ether is sound; that of air is touch; that of fire is sight; that of water is taste; and that of earth is smell.
- It is interesting to note that only five types of elements are described in Ayurveda. This numerological agreement upon the number of elements is in accordance with the physically perceptible forms of matter, its absence and also with the state of energy acting in transition. The five elements are also linked to the five sense organs as means of their perception.
- Each body is a unique combination of these five elements. Keeping this combination in balance is the key to health. External disturbances like excess heat or cold, or a wrong diet etc. can cause disharmony inside the body, which in turn can cause a disease. It can be cured by restoring balance through pacifying the disturbed element in the body.