THE TREE

Consider a tree. The tree is present in the now. It is not worried if it is an oak or an elm, if it lives in the West or the East, if it is day or night. It is present and fulfilling its purpose (dharma) and because of that it can share its magnificence; sometimes quietly on winter day with no leaves and sometimes majestically in the Summer sun lush with green leaves. Whatever its state, it is always, always perfectly perfect for this tree.

The five great elements (pancha mahabhutas) and the tree.

Akasha (ether) holds this tree gently for the story to take place.

Vayu (air) begins to shake its leaves in a slightly different pattern that signals a change is about to come.

Tejas | Agni (fire) takes that friction that Vayu can create because of Akasha and cooks up a perfect stew of leaf colors from greens to yellows, oranges and reds.

Apas (water) gives the correct amount of nourishment for life to continue through this signal of change.

Prithvi (earth) then takes all these elements and makes a beautiful bed of rich soil and leaves upon which to rest the roots of the tree until it is time to awaken again.

WHAT IS PANCHA MAHA-BHUTAS?

Everything in this universe, including human body is the product of different combinations of the five basic elements.

The concept of Pancha Maha-bhutas (five great elements) is defined scientifically in Ayurveda classics. The Pancha Maha-bhutas serve as the foundation of all diagnosis treatment modalities in Ayurveda and has served as a most valuable theory for physicians to detect and treat illness of the body and mind successfully.

When the state of the body is not in its natural harmony, the body will try to maintain it’s equilibrium by eliminating excess elements and taking in others. All disorders of the body are manifested because of a disturbance in this balance of the body’s components.

If you took the tree and pulled it out of the ground, it would wither and rot over time; no longer connected it to its natural source of life. There may be some time period, where there is still life coming from the uprooted tree, but dis-ease will be apparent and increase over time.

The goal of Ayurveda is to find balance, create harmony for each (unique) individual and to live a sattvic life (more on this later). As we come to understand the elements and our own unique constitution, we can then better understand when we are out of balance - and how to come back into balance.

Exploring the Maha-bhutas.

1. Five Great Elements and Significance:

(1) Space/Ether - Ether element is the very first developed because it is the most subtle one. It refers to space.
It corresponds to spaces within the body (mouth, nostrils, abdomen, blood vessels, pores etc.). Without space in our digestive system food can’t move through our digestive system.

Ether is a part of ALL other elements. Ether mixing with eternity creates air. As air moves, it creates friction, which creates heat or fire. Heat produces moisture, thus creating water. Finally, water produces the densest form of matter, earth.

(2) Air - This element developed from ether. Air element initiates and directs motion or movement.
It keeps the body in constant motion. Air represents every movement including muscular movement, lungs contraction, blood flow, intestines movement and movement in every cell.

(3) Fire - Fire evolves from air. All various forms of transformation including digestion of food, transformation of thoughts and perception of light are carried out by fire element. Fire (Agni) controls enzyme functioning, body temperature and regulates metabolism.

(4) Water- Water evolves from fire. Its main actions are cohesiveness and adhesiveness.
In the human body, all fluids are obtaining from the water element. They exist in many forms in the body such as plasma, blood, saliva, nasal secretion, digestive juice, eye secretion, mucus, cytoplasm, cerebrospinal fluid and liquid inside the cell. Water provides the body with its most basic nourishment.

(5) Earth - Earth evolves from water. The earth element is responsible for giving structure, shape, strength and stability to body and mind. Bones, teeth, muscles, fat and the structure of the different organs are derived from the earth element.

In Ayurveda, these are described in Charaka Samhita (on of the three ancient writings on Ayurveda), which says that the body is composed of the aggregate of the 5 maha-bhutas, creating “the seat of consciousness.”

These are the five Bhutas from whose unlimited combination everything results including the living bodies which are material forms living in space and time. Maha-bhutas are considered fundamental to Ayurveda and pivotal to understanding the functioning of the human body.

2. Sanskrit:

(1) Prthvi - Earth
(2) Ap or Soma - Water
(3) Agni or Tejas (“brilliance”) - Fire
(4) Vayu (“breath/wind”) - Air
(5) Akasha (“radiance”) - Ether

The Charaka Samhita says, “In the heart, the 10 vessels/arteries, prana and apana, mind, intellect, consciousness and maha-bhutas are established as spokes in the hub.”

3. Qualities:

(1) Solidity - Earth
(2) Liquidity - Water
(3) Heat/Energy - Fire
(4) Expansion/Repulsion - Air
(5) Infinite Space - Ether

4. Senses:

As per Ayurveda classics, the human body comprehends these five natural elements. As the human body consists of sensory organs called ‘Sushma-indriya’ i.e., nose, tongue, eyes, ears and skin. Likewise, each of the organs rasps their functions from the universe by five basic elements known as pancha maha-bhutas.

According to Vedic science each and, every element is associated with one of the senses in our body. Let us see the characteristics of each element.

Each of these five elements comes from the pancha tanmatra. Tanmatra is a Sanskrit word that can be translated as “subtle essence” and is related to each of the body’s sense organs.

The different tanmatras are as follows:

Shabda (sound)
Roopa (vision)
Sparsha (touch)
Gnadha (smell)
Rasa (taste)

The individual great elements described by pancha maha-bhuta are made up of all five different tanmatras, but with each one featuring them in different proportions and having one that is predominant.

The sensory attributes of the pancha maha-bhutas are as listed below;

Space (Akasha): Sound
Wind (Vayu): Sound + touch
Fire (Agni): Sound + touch + form
Water (Apas): Sound + touch + form + taste
Earth (Prithvi): Sound + touch + form + taste + smell

5. Evolution:

Below is a quote from one of the ancient Ayurveda texts; explaining the person as having all five elements since its state as embryo.

“From the un-manifest (primordial nature) intellect evolves, then ego, from ego the maha pancha bhutas emanate in order. Thus evolved and complete with all the organs the person is born and is said as emerged…. Thus, the embryo is the aggregate of the 5 maha-bhutas being the seat of the consciousness. The aggregate of the 5 maha-bhutas and consciousness as the 6th one is known as Purusa (person). Consciousness alone is also known as Purusa, the eternal self.” (Charaka Samhita).

BELLY BREATH + TREE POSE

Continuing your practice of Belly Breath, I invite you to notice belly breath while in a tree pose.

You may find this an interesting journey as you need to keep your core slighty engaged while in tree. Here is an exercise that helps you learn to balance between ‘effort’ and ‘ease’ and is a good exercise for our lives.

Belly Breathing Hints: While in tree, bring your hands above the head (if available) and bring them to prayer. Breathe in through nose for 3 seconds and feel your belly fill, breathe out through mouth for 3 seconds and let all the air out. Tune in to the feeling of the belly expanding and contracting (repeat 5 times).

You can modify your tree pose, by balancing on a wall or chair.

RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS HERE

Day 3 - Ayurvedic Journey