Panchamahabhutas: the 5 elements in Ayurveda

When we talk about Ayurveda, people immediately want to know about the doshas and how they affect our health. It’s quite common, in fact, to receive the question “what is your dosha?”, in the same way that one asks a person what their favorite color is.

But the truth is that knowledge of Ayurveda doesn’t begin with the doshas. To understand in depth what this system of medicine invites us to discover, know, and apply, we need to take a step back and look to philosophy—and why not mysticism—for the origins of the Universe and how this manifestation is reflected in us.

What are the panchamahabhutas?

The panchamahabhutas, or five elements in Ayurveda, are:

• Akasha (ether);
• Vayu (air);
• Agni (fire);
• Jala (water);
• Prthvi (earth).

The word panchamahabhuta is a combination of three other words: pancha, maha, and bhuta.

• pancha means five;
• maha means great;
• bhuta means that which can be perceived through the senses.

The word “bhuta” derives from two others: bhu, which means dhatu or fabric, and kta, which means existence in the universe. Therefore, the panchamahabhutas are the five great fabrics that give existence to the Universe.

They are formed from the fundamental constituents of the Universe, which are sattva, rajas, and tamas or mahagunas.

These are fundamental elements because they are the first movements of the Divine Mind before Creation. From the manifestation of Light (which science calls the Big Bang), the first elements of matter arise, and from there the panchamahabhutas emerge.

Each panchamahabhuta carries with it a unique combination of the mahagunas:

• Akasha (ether): dominant sattva;
• Vayu (air): dominant rajas;
• Agni (fire): dominant sattva and rajas;
• Jala (water): dominant sattva and tamas;
• Prthvi (earth): dominant tamas.

Considering that the manifestation of the Universe, according to Ayurvedic philosophy, occurs in the order presented above, we can understand that as it expands from akasha to prthvi, matter becomes denser, more palpable.

Note that prthvi (earth) has dominant tamas, that is, the Absolute All. Meanwhile, akasha has dominant sattva, that is, the Absolute Nothing. Which means that from Nothing arises Everything and to Nothing the entire Universe will return.

If this reminded you of a passage from the Bible, it’s not a mere coincidence 😉

Know thyself, and thou shalt know the Universe and the gods

This phrase, often attributed to Socrates, but which was actually inscribed at the entrance to the Oracle of Delphi in Ancient Greece, has nothing to do with ego issues, but rather with a fundamental understanding of humanity that many people fail to consider: we are a reflection of the Universe.

Therefore, if the Universe manifests itself in a certain way in the macrocosm, in the microcosm it repeats exactly the same process of manifestation. Yes, we are talking about another Hermetic maxim, little understood today: as above, so below.

In this sense, if the manifestation of the Universe occurs in a certain way, it will happen in our physical body in the same way. And so it is with all the things we are able to perceive with our physical senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

So, if the Universe is formed by panchamahabhutas, so are we. Just like a grain of sand, an apple, or an immense mountain.

And what does this have to do with the adage “know thyself”? Everything.

After all, from the moment we understand how the five elements of Ayurveda manifest in us, we understand how they manifest in the Universe. And thus we can know it in its magnitude and glimpse, even in a simplistic way, divinity.

In Ayurveda, we use this fundamental principle of existence to understand the imbalances present in our physical body and seek rebalancing by observing this same principle in Nature, the Absolute All that was created.

To make it clearer: if I observe that there is excess dryness in my body (vayu), I will seek foods that contain excess liquid (jala) to supply the lack of water in my body.

This is one of the main laws we observe in Ayurveda: like attracts unlike, just as a magnet with positive polarity attracts another with negative polarity.

It is the Law of Duality manifesting in our bodies to maintain our physical balance.

The functions of the panchamahabhutas in the material world

In addition to being present in all matter, animate and inanimate, the panchamahabhutas also have specific functions:

• Akasha: sound;
• Vayu: touch;
• Agni: sight;
• Jala: taste;
• Prthvi: smell.

Each of them allows us to experience the material world through our five physical senses — sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

Without the panchamahabhutas, these sensations would not be possible, and thus Atma (Soul) could not experience the material world. Consequently, there would be no reason for our existence, since our physical body is the temple of Atma on this plane of existence.

Each of the panchamahabhutas also possesses its own characteristics, which allow us to recognize them in the things around us:

• Akasha: space, free flow;
• Vayu: mobility;
• Agni: heat;
• Jala: liquidity;
• Prthvi: roughness or unevenness.

Thus, we can perceive that the same roughness of a stone can be reproduced in our body, as well as the heat that emanates from the Sun, showing us another obvious principle, but one that we often forget: we are ONE with the Whole. And just as we are part of the Universe, it is also part of us.

Panchamahabhutas in the constitution of the human being

The panchamahabhutas also have specific functions in embryogenesis, that is, in the formation of the fetus.

Akasha is responsible for the growth of the embryo until it becomes a fetus and, finally, a child ready to be born.

Vayu is responsible for promoting cell division and multiplication after fertilization of the ovum.

Agni is responsible for metabolism. Jala is responsible for providing the fetus with the necessary amount of fluid for the organism to develop properly. Prthvi, in turn, is the one who gives consistency to the body.

Once again, if you compare it to the manifestation of the Universe, we see the same process happening from conception to the birth of a child.

Fertilization is the great Big Bang that gives rise to a new being, the fruit of a duality (father and mother, egg and sperm).

And applying the Law of Correspondence, we arrive at one of the great mysteries of life: could the Universe be a large organism of which we are only tiny parts of a single cell, called planet Earth?

Doshas and panchamahabhutas: what is the relationship?

Notice that the five mahabhutas have several functions that go beyond the constitution of the doshas. So why is the focus of people on the doshas, ​​and not on the five elements?

Because whoever invented the theory of doshas — yes, the tridosha theory was invented by a human being — knew another fundamental Law of the Universe: the Law of the Triangle.

This Law tells us that two polarities or distinct conditions come together to form a third. That is, everything that exists in the material world can be explained through this Law.

And so it would be easier to explain the manifestation of the panchamahabhutas in the human organism. From there, we begin to deal with the concept of doshas, ​​which are formed as follows:

• Vata: akasha + vayu;
• Pitta: agni + jala;
• Kapha: jala + prthvi.

Notice that vata dosha brings with it the characteristics of space and mobility. Without it, pitta and kapha are pangu, that is, immobile. Fire, by itself, does not spread. All does water nor earth. In fact, there is no fire without space and air. Have you ever stopped to think about that?

That is why vata is at the root of most diseases. Because movement generates independence, instability, and rhythm, another great Law of the Universe. And two entities that tend towards rest (pitta and kapha), when forced to move, tend to become even more easily unbalanced.

Now think about this “dance” happening in a person’s physical constitution, in the formation of prakriti. It’s difficult to have a perfect balance, isn’t it?

Panchamahabhutas and the flavors in Ayurveda

From birth, our body is constantly degrading and rebuilding itself.

Every activity we perform, whether eating, sleeping, walking, or even breathing, causes thousands of cells to die in the process. Consequently, we need to return to the body the raw material it needs to rebuild itself. Otherwise, we die.

This raw material comes from the food we consume, which is also made up of panchamahabhutas. In other words, our physical health depends on providing the right elements to rebuild those degraded parts of our body.

Once again, wisely, Ayurveda synthesizes this into six tastes, more easily perceived by humans. Thus, the reasoning about what we should eat and what we should not eat, depending on our state of balance or imbalance of the doshas, ​​becomes simpler.

Each of the six rasas has specific effects on each dosha, helping us understand how each food influences our body:

The first three flavors pacify vata dosha and increase kapha dosha. The last three pacify kapha dosha and increase vata dosha (notice the Law of Duality here?). Kashaya, tikta, and madhura pacify pitta dosha, and katu, lavana, and amla increase pitta dosha. A very simple chart to memorize, in any era of humanity.

Panchamahabhutas and modern chemistry

We don’t need to go far or be geniuses to draw a parallel between the panchamahabhutas and our modern chemistry.

The current periodic table (2023) has 118 elements listed according to their properties and ordered according to their atomic number. This does not mean that only these elements exist, of course. The periodic table is updated whenever a new discovery is made.

Each organism is formed by a combination of chemical elements in greater or lesser quantities. First, these elements combine into atoms, then into molecules, and then they transform into cells. Cells, when grouped together, form animate or inanimate beings.

Recalling a bit from high school: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom form a water molecule (H2O), right?

But two hydrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms (H2O2) do not form a water molecule. The name of this compound is hydrogen peroxide and it has the ability to disinfect objects and environments.

Now, imagine combining two vayu atoms with one agni atom, or two vayu atoms with two agni atoms. The logic is the same. And that’s how the Universe and all substances are formed from the perspective of Ayurveda.

The difference is that we complicate this understanding as we discover new combinations. Ayurveda prefers to simplify the reasoning by limiting it to just five.

Now, how about exploding your thinking a little more?

Panchamahabhutas and biochemistry

Biochemistry considers that of the 118 elements discovered to date, only 4 are essential for the structure and metabolism of living beings: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Together, these four elements are responsible for 99% of the composition of the active part of a cell, called protoplasm.

Considering the Greek understanding of ether (akasha), which they claimed was the “fabric” of the Universe, that is, that which connects all things, we are left with four constituent elements of everything that exists: vayu, agni, jala, and prthvi.

If we consider vayu as oxygen, agni as nitrogen, jala as hydrogen, and prthvi as carbon, we have the basic structure of all living beings expressed.

In this sense, wouldn’t the sages of Ayurveda be more than correct in interpreting only five primordial elements? I leave this reflection for you.

Regards and we’ll see each other in the next article.

Eve.