Panch Mahabhut
Nature is made up of the five great elements — Pancha Maha Bhuta, where Pancha means five, Maha means great, and Bhuta means elements — and so is the human body. As is the macrocosm, so is the microcosm, the body.
In its periodic table, modern science recognises 118 elements. The entire science of Ayurveda, however, is based on the theory of the five great elements.
According to Ayurveda, Everything in This Universe Is Composed of Five Elements Which Are:
Like all existence, we too have these five elements within us, in different proportions. These elements refer to the etheric, gaseous, radiant, fluid and solid states of matter, and their respective principles of space, movement, light, cohesion and density.
They are not merely elements in the chemical sense, but different densities of matter. The elements themselves are far subtler than their visible counterparts here on earth.
Each of these prime elements possesses a characteristic property, through which we can comprehend it via the senses. The knowable property of ether is sound; of air, touch; of fire, sight; of water, taste; and of earth, smell.
It is interesting to note that only five types of elements are described in Ayurveda. This numerological agreement on the number of elements accords with the physically perceptible forms of matter, their absence, and also with the state of energy acting in transition. The five elements are also linked to the five sense organs as the means of their perception.
Each body is a unique combination of these five elements, and keeping this combination in balance is the key to health. External disturbances — such as excess heat or cold, or an incorrect diet — can cause disharmony within the body, which in turn can cause disease. It can be cured by restoring balance, through pacifying the disturbed element in the body.