Facing health challenges of today’s era with Panchamahbhutas

* Sonali Tendulkar ** Prof.R.R.Dwivedi

Key words: Panchamahabhutas, Shareera, pathogenesis, challenges.

Abstract:

Ayurveda is an age old science, but still lives and appeals to the modern scientist. Its crux lies in its fundamental principles. These set of principles have neither faded nor changed with the changing times but on the contrary are equally relevant in today’s era too, albeit their understanding is required. Hence Ayurveda is said to be Sutra Rupa i.e. in concise form which can be elaborated to any extent according to the scholar’s intellectual capacity. No matter what new fact or disease is discovered, they can always be incorporated in these principles.

One such basic principle is that of the Panchamahabhutas. This principle is common to the other Indian sciences as well, which indeed has influenced its description in the Ayurvedic classics. But still Ayurveda has its own perspective on these Panchabhutas and has described utility of these five Bhutas in terms of treating a disease, which highlights a different aspect of these Mahabhutas as compared to the other sciences.

The classical description of the fact that every substance in the universe is Panchabhautika is undebatable. The very minutest of the entities which are considered to be the building blocks of the universe are themselves Panchabhautika. Even the basic entities of the human body eg. Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen etc. atoms are again made up of all the five Bhutas.

Charaka states that every individual is made up of six parts, the five Mahabhutas, which make up the body and the Atman, or the soul.(Ch. Sa.5/47) The soul is Nirvikara, i.e neither does it ever vitiate nor can it be treated with any kind of medicine.(Ch.Sa.1) Therefore that which vitiates and can be treated is the Panchabhautika Shareera or body. The Indriyas or sense organs and the Manas or mind according to Ayurveda are also Panchabhautika.(Ch.Su. 8/8, 13)

*IInd yr. M.D. scholar, I.P.G.T. & R.A., Jamnagar.

**H.O.D., Dept. of Basic Principles, I.P.G.T. & R.A., Jamnagar.

Any cause of any disease is mainly due to unhealthy contact of the external environment with the body or certain unhealthy changes in the atmosphere around (Ch.Su.1). Every of these factors are Panchabhautika and in accordance to its own Panchabhautika constitution, it causes changes in the five Mahabhutas in the body. The dominant bhuta will increase the like Bhuta in the body and decrease the others, leading to an imbalance called a disease state.

These Mahabhutas are influenced by Desha or Disha and Kala. i.e. for their creation as well as dissolution, which is a continuous process; both Desha and Kala is essential. Wherein the Akasha evolves to form the Vayu, the Vayu to form the Agni, the Agni forms the Ap and the Ap Prithvi which is the stable most. Desha is the particular space that is required here and Kala the particular time in which it occurs. In other terms this process also accelerates or diminishes according to Time.

During the Sristi, the evolution process far exceeds the dissolution, middle is the stage of equilibrium and then the end stage of destruction, where again the dissolution far exceeds evolution. Today’s times and those ahead signify the dissolution stage. Wherein the Prithvi is dissolved into Ap, Ap into Teja, Teja into Vayu and Vayu into Akasha and then into the Avyakta or nothingness. This rule is true in every single object, both animate and inanimate, when it is created, when it exists in a stable form and when undergoes destruction.

Hence as observed today the dissolution process has also started wherein Prithvi is already decreased, and is falling short. Stability is the hallmark of Prithvi. Today in the fast moving world, every thing has become instant. With the use of latest farming methods and injections the maturity of trees and ripening of Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers, Poultry animals etc. natural products, are accelerated. i.e. the adequate Kala for formation is not provided to them. Therefore at the subtle level the evolution of the Mahabhutas during its formation is hampered.

Changes not only in the external Srishti but also in the human body, are either anatomical physiological or psychological. All three of these functions are controlled by Mahabhutas. The Akasha, provides the space for movement or proliferation, the Vayu initiates movement or proliferation, Agni, is responsible for digestion and conversion, Apa is responsible for binding together of tissues and providing nourishment and Prithvi provides stability and shape. These functions are not only physical but also are performed at the psychological level, eg initiation of movement done by Vayu, accepting and analyzing information is the responsibility of Agni, Prithvi provides stability of the mind etc. in physiological conditions..

Prithvi, which is formed last is the first affected. Hence these food items lack the stability in them and when consumed fail to create the optimum Prthvi mahabhuta in the body therefore there is a lack of stability in the body tissues too. As a result the overall life span as well as the period of youth of the people today is gradually decreasing. Further due to lack of stability of tissues the immunity of the person has decreased and he soon falls prey to the external infections.

The Parthiva tissues have also started showing degenerative changes much before the expected time leading to diseases like premature osteoporosis, greying and falling of hair, decaying teeth etc. Mentally the people today also lack patience, calmness and stability, hence the undue increase in the stress and anxiety related disorders, like insomnia etc..

Secondly Ap is also gradually on a decline. The function of Ap is to bind together and provide nourishment. It prime quality is that of Sneha or unctuousness. It is the only mahabhuta which can control the Ushnata and Tikshnata i.e the heat of the Teja Mahabhuta. Hence decrease in the Ap mahbhuta consequently sees an increase in the heat quotient. The Ap content of all food substances have declined, causing a decline in their tastes and nourishment levels. If is often heard our ancestors opining many a times that the tastes of fruits, grains and vegetables have degenerated since the time they were young!

When such food articles are consumed they do not provide the adequate nourishment neither create the unctuousness in the body that is expected out of them. Hence lack of stamina, arthritic changes due to lack of synovial fluid, dryness in the skin and hair, therefore causing premature wrinkling of skin and delayed wound healing etc. changes are seen on the body.

At the psychological level the decreased Sneha amsha show its effect on the behavior of the people. Love and affection for each other has decreased, the sweetness in the language and the caring attitude seen the actions of people have long since been missing. These changes though may not seem to be harmful are in the long term causes of psychological diseases like depression, anxiety etc.

The world today seems to be a dominant state of abnormal Agni. This is well described by the modern scientist by the term Global warming. Agni is the only factor which can perform conversion. The abnormal conversion processes; in the body as the digestion process or even at the subtle level the processes of tissue formation, or even subtler the D.N.A. replication is today a major cause of almost all diseases seen today, leading to diseases like Diabetis, obesity etc. It is again seen in the nature of the person, as he tends to be more irritable, losses his temper over small issues and is bogged down easily by stress.

The Vayu mahabhuta which is marked by the capacity to produce movement is also in the vitiated status in today’s world. The fast automobiles, the fast food, fast money all speed up the life’s process in an abnormal way. These vitiates the movement of the Vata in the body causing diseases like Hypertension, Parkinsonism etc. This speed not only affects the anatomy and physiology of the people today but also the mental activities, causing an decreasing memory power, decreased patience, anxiety, wavering decisions etc.

Akasha or space, is that in which all the other Mahabhutas will dissolve to mark the end of the existence. A person is created from Akasha and will dissolute into it finally, as is seen when the human body on his death is cremated. The body becomes one with the surrounding and losses its own identity.

Both the normal changes in the body as well the pathogenesis in the body follow the same chronology; albeit in an physiological phenomenon they are relevant to the Desha and Kala; whereas in pathogenesis they are not.

The diagnostic tests and interpretations done thenafter are again that of the Panchamahabhutas in the body and the drugs, (no matter of which pathy) that are used to treat the anomalies are again Panchabhautika. When selecting the drugs the above principle of increase with like Mahabhutas and decrease with the use of others is employed, but to reverse the pathogenesis.

Therefore, by understanding the pathogenesis at the subtle level of the Bhutas, any disease on the basis of its signs and symptoms can be understood in terms of the vitiation of one or more of these Mahabhutas. This is equally true with diseases which have erupted in today’s era due to the changing life style, diet and environment, eg. Cancer, AIDS, etc. No matter what the challenges of the modern era, these fundamental principles of Ayurveda can give a solution to each, even at times in situations, which the modern developed science find hard to explain. Hence Sushruta Acharya has hence categorically stated that “To treat a disease, you need not think beyond the Mahabhutas.”(Su.Sha.1)

A detail description of the above with an inclusion of the Gunas of Mahabhuta and their application in understanding and finding solutions to some of the major health challenges of today’s era will be dealt with, along with some practical examples in the final paper.