The last and most significant component of the human physiology is called dosha. Ayurveda considers this aspect of the body to be of vital importance because it is responsible for coordinating and directing all the structures and substances of the body. Knowledge of the doshas and their functioning give us the understanding of the intelligence that commands the dhatus and malas and gives the body its vast functional capability. The theory of the three doshas is the crown jewel of Ayurvedic science and the cornerstone of all its diagnostic and treatment modalities.
The three dosha theory is unique to Ayurveda. With this powerful conceptual tool, the Ayurvedic physician can detect and treat patients at the earliest stages of the disease process. In fact, through the doshic model, a physician can locate the seeds of disease long before clear clinical symptoms appear. Countless patients visit doctors every day with vague complaints and inconclusive symptoms which indicate some deviation from balanced health. In time, these vague symptoms manifest as diseases which may be irreversible or have no effective cure.
The doshic system, however, can make sense of these early complaints and symptoms and point to effective treatment. The Ayurvedic texts declare “that neither in theory nor in fact, is there a physical manifestation that cannot be accounted for by the concept of Tridosha.” The texts show that by handling this one thing, everything gets handled.
Like the theory of panchamahabhuta, the three dosha theory has been somewhat difficult for Western medical science to grasp because it demands a more intuitive approach to studying the body. The doshas have no obvious material qualities like the dhatus or malas. They cannot be “objectively” studied under a microscope or in a test tube though their influence in the body is all-pervasive. As with the mahabhutas, Ayurveda relies on observation and comparison to understand how they work in the body.
The Relationship Between the Bhutas and Doshas
Understanding the nature of each of the five elements and their organizing principles gives us practical insight into the dynamics that drive all bodily processes. What goes on in the world at large also goes on within the human physiology. The only difference is that when the elements manifest within the body they are called doshas.
The question then arises, “How do the five elements become the three doshas?” The answer lies in the fundamental nature of each element. All five elements are responsible for orchestrating creation, yet some elements play a more active role than others. Akash and prithvi, the first and last elements to manifest, are static and unchanging in their basic nature. Akash, for instance, is only space and nothing exists in the emptiness of space to change. In and of itself, this element offers no resistance to change or motion, yet it provides the medium in which all change and motion occur.
Prithvi, on the other hand, has the qualities of the earth — solidity and structure-making its basic nature virtually immutable. The only time prithvi ever changes is under the influence of the remaining three active elements of vayu, agni and jala. It is in the dynamic nature of these three elements that the capacity for change and process in nature resides.
Five Elements Highlighting the Three Active Elements
Akash (Space) – Does not change
Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Jala (Water) – Constantly changes
Prithvi (Earth) – Does not change easily
Think about the impact of the various elements on our daily lives. We rarely give much consideration to the effects of akash or space on our lives unless we are on a very crowded elevator, and we tend to take for granted the relative stability of earth unless we are in an earthquake. We do, however, pay a great deal of attention to vayu (air or wind), agni (heat) and jala (water), because of the tremendous influence they have on everyday life. We are constantly measuring and monitoring them. Every time we look out the window, we take into account the condition of these three bhutas. Meteorologists and other scientists regularly study wind and storm patterns, earthquakes, temperature changes, rainfall and relative humidity.
Vayu, which is commonly associated with the wind, is responsible for all motion as well as all drying functions in nature. When vayu is balanced, it operates like a benevolent director of transportation, causing everything in creation to move in a smooth, orderly fashion so that it arrives in the right place at the right time.
Because vayu controls all movement in nature, it actually governs the actions of the other two dynamic elements. For example, a rain cloud contains both jala, in the form of moisture, and agni, in the form of lightning. However, without vayu’s impulse for movement, the cloud cannot move and it cannot release its water or lightning. Vayu, in fact, governs all weather patterns and natural events. When vayu goes out of balance, it drives the wind into cyclones and hurricanes and is responsible for volcanic eruptions. Vayu can whip the ocean into huge waves, and shake the earth.
Agni, the fire element, manifests the properties of heat and light and facilitates all transformations. It is associated with the sun, whose energies are essential to life, and regulates temperature, keeping it within the narrow range necessary to maintain life. Without light and heat, none of the metabolic activities which convert nutrients into energy and structure would be possible. Agni’s balanced functioning plays a critical role in the life of the planet. With too little heat, all conversion processes would come to a halt. With too much heat, all processes would accelerate until everything was completely consumed.
Fluidity and cohesion characterize jala, the water element. Associated with the moon, jala influences the ocean tides and the ebb and flow of fluids in the body. Due to jala’s binding quality, when humidity rises, things stick together. Jala manifests as rainfall, and when it is balanced, rain comes on time and in sufficient quantity to provide cohesion and nourishment to the earth. Growth results largely from jala’s nature to add, unit by unit.
Just as these active elements control all processes in creation, so also do the three doshas perform similar functions within the body, regulating all movement, transformation and liquefaction. The doshas are the bhutas in microform. As such, they take on the qualities associated with their respective bhutas.