Ayurveda

Panchmahabhoot Theory

The basic premise of Ayurveda is that the entire cosmos or universe is part of one singular absolute. Everything that exists in the vast external universe (macrocosm), also appears in the internal cosmos of the human body (microcosm). The human body consisting of 50-100 million cells, when healthy, is in harmony, self-perpetuating and self-correcting just as the universe is. The ancient Ayurveda text, Charaka, says, 'Man is the epitome of the universe. Within man, there is as much diversity as in the world outside. Similarly, the outside world is as diverse as human beings themselves.' In other words, all human beings are a living microcosm of the universe and the universe is a living macrocosm of the human beings.

Pancha Mahabhuta Theory
(Five Great Elements)

The Pancha Mahabhuta, or "five great elements", of Ayurveda are:

1.Prithvi or Bhumi (Earth),
2. Ap or Jala (Water),
3. Agni or Tejas (Fire),
4. Vayu or Pavan (Air or Wind),
5. Akasha (Aether).

Hence, Ayurveda advocates : Yat Pinde, Tat Bramhande .

Concept of Mahabhoot in Other Civilizations

_ Classical Elements : Panchamahabhoot
_ Western Air, Water, Aether, Fire, Earth
_ Chinese (WuXing): Water, Metal, Earth, Wood, Fire
_ Japanese (Godai): Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Wind, Void, Sky, Heaven
_ Hinduism (Tattva) and Buddhism (Mahabhuta):

Vayu // Pavan —Air // Wind
Agni // Tejas—Fire
Akasha —Aether
Prithvi // Bhumi —Earth
_ Jala—Water

_ Bön: Air, Water, Space, Fire, Earth
_ New Zealland: Air, Water, Flora, Fire, Earth

The Greek classical elements are Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. They represent in Greek philosophy, science, and medicine the realms of the cosmos where in all things exist and whereof all things consist. According to Galen these elements were usedby Hippocrates in describing the human body with an association with the four humours:yellow bile (Fire), black bile (Earth), blood (Air), and phlegm (Water). Some cosmologies include a fifth element, the "aether" or "quintessence." These five elements are sometimes associated with the five platonic solids. The Pythagoreans added idea as the fifth element, and also used the initial letters of these five elements to name the outer angles of their pentagram.
 
Man inscribed in a pentagram, from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Libritres deocculta philosophia. The five signs at the pentagram's vertices are astrological.

03-Mar-2014

More by :  Dr. Rajeev Kumar Verma

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