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Eternal India
encyclopedia
PERCEPTIONS
PANCHA MAHAABHUTA
(FIVE ELEMENTS)
“Earth, Water, Fire, Air and the Sky,
Human body is made from five elements"
- Kabir
There are five basic elements,
Which are life's main ingredients,
'Earth', 'Water', 'Fire', 'Sky' and the 'Air',
Their combinations determine life's fare,
Factoral five is one hundred and twenty, For
the periodic table, this is quite plenty.
"Trikenu”
Pancha Mahaabhutas
arranged in the order of increasing “Lightness’
The ether, air, fire, water, and earth are the
subtle elements. Combining with the parts of one
another and becoming gross, they are the cause
of the gross body.
Their subtle essences form sense-objects —
the groups of five such as sound, which are
conducive to the happiness of the enjoyer.
The parallels in science to these
Pancha
mahaabhutas
are : 'Ether' for
Aakasha,
'Air' for
Praana,
'Fire' for
Agni,
'Water' for
Aapaha
and
'Earth' for
Prithvi.
In the
Pancha Mahaabhutas
the symbol
square represents the element 'earth', circle
represents the 'water', triangle represents the
'fire', crescent represents the 'Air' and
bindu
(point) represents the 'ether'. These elements are
arranged in the order of their increasing
"Lightness".
The properties of the five elements are
sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. In
Aakasha
('ether'), 'air', 'fire', 'water' and 'earth',
the number of properties successively are one,
two, three, four and five.
A 'fire' feels hot, and its colour is red.
'Water' makes a characteristic rippling sound; it
is cold to the touch; its colour is white, and it is
sweet to taste.
The 'earth' makes a characteristic rattling
sound; it is hard to the touch; its variegated
colours are blue, red and so forth; it is sweet,
sour and so forth in t a s t e . T h e 'earth' emits
smells, both pleasant and unpleasant.
Thus the characteristic properties of the five
elements are well classified. The five senses
(which perceive them) are hearing, touch, sight,
taste and smell.
SPACE
"The traditional example : Space within a pitcher is not really separate from the space outside.
It was not distinct before the pitcher was made; it will not be distinct once the pitcher is broken and is
not therefore really distinct while the pitcher exists. All the divisions of space into atoms and heavenly
spheres is illusory. Space within the atom can be as immense as that within a solar system, and there can
be no limit to the number of possible worlds contained in another system, (Hindu Polytheism: Alain
Danielou).