The last aspect of human life to be elaborated is sharira, the physical body. When viewed in its proper perspective, the body is nothing less than an evolutionary wonder, an unbelievably complex instrument capable of supporting limitless possibilities for human life. This marvel of nature can be studied from many points of view. Our Western model has taught us to see the body as a thing or object composed of successively smaller objects: organs, cells, organelles, molecules, atoms and sub-atomic particles.
Though Ayurveda does not argue the validity of this “objective” view of the body, it takes a somewhat different perspective. Rather than place so much emphasis on the strictly material nature of the body’s components, it maintains that it is far more useful to understand the underlying principles that order and govern their functioning. The same dynamics that orchestrate the processes within the human body also orchestrate life everywhere in the universe. The conceptual model that Ayurveda uses to understand the principles of nature’s functioning is called Punch amah abhuta or the theory of the five great elements.
This theory serves as the foundation for all of Ayurveda’s diagnostic and treatment modalities and has allowed physicians for thousands of years to successfully detect and treat imbalances anywhere in human life. Charaka Samhita, the primary Ayurvedic text, states: “One must master the understanding of the elements in order to be a physician.” While considerable training and experience is required to turn this knowledge into clinical skill, a general grasp of it will offer a practical and therapeutically useful comprehension of the vital interrelationship between man and nature.
The basic premise of the Panchamahabhuta theory is that everything in physical creation is composed of five fundamental building blocks of nature called elements. In the West, most people are familiar with only four elements, the ones commonly known as earth, air, fire and water. However, Ayurveda recognizes the element of space to be the first and most basic of the five elements. These bhutas or elements are understood to be the most fundamental properties of physical creation.
Since the five elements fall within the realm of material, observable creation and can be objectively studied, it is curious that modern science has overlooked their utility in understanding both the human body and physical existence in general. The reason for this is twofold. First, as modern science became more and more object-oriented in its approach to studying life, it became less process-oriented. As a result, it has failed to develop a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of the underlying principles that govern the world of objects. Because of their abstract and invisible nature, these “laws of nature” are difficult to be objectified.
But just because we cannot “see” the local, State and national laws which govern society’s interactions, doesn’t mean that their influence does not exist. When we visit a foreign land, we can deduce from peoples’ actions the codes of conduct that regulate them. Ayurveda takes a similar, subjective approach to understanding the existence of these unseen laws of nature’s functioning.
Ayurveda calls these universal organizing principles mahab-hutas, or cosmic elements. They are the essence or inherent intelligence within each bhuta or element, which allows it to function with the specific qualities and characteristics that are unique to it. Unlike the bhutas, the mahabhutas have no dimension, no states and no physical properties. In the process of the creation unfolding from universal intelligence, the mahabhutas precede the bhutas and are more fundamental and comprehensive in their scope.
It is not possible to comprehend the nature of the elements as basic building blocks of physical creation without understanding their underlying organizing principles. It is this knowledge that defines the function of the bhutas, and thus gives the five element theory its practical utility for understanding the body.
Because modern science lacks this more comprehensive understanding of nature, it has failed to see the connection between the processes that happen in the universe at large and those that occur within the human body. For thousands of years, Ayurveda has observed that the same laws of nature which govern the elements and their interactions in the world must necessarily govern the elements within our bodies. Our bodies are structured from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. These things are nothing but the various combinations of the five elements. Therefore, how could our physical nature be anything but the elements? There is no difference, we are part and parcel with nature!