Panchabhuta & Their Effects
Panchabhuta – ether, air, fire, water, earth – made the substances of everyday life. The substances possess multiple qualities and each substance is made of more than one bhuta and the density of bhutas increases while they travel from ether to earth. During the process each bhuta gets additional quality from the predecessor bhuta.
When a bhuta merges or combines with other bhuta multiple actions are resulted. The multiple actions which are with varying speed from substance to substance are evolutionary from ether to earth. The multiple actions also lead to mahabhutas perceived by the senses. Substances constituting food, drink and medication consist of five mahabhutas or say elements. The practice of medicine is inherent with the homology of the five mahabhutas in food, drink and medication on one side and the body constituents on the other side. The manifestations of the perturbations in the balance of body constituents result in the disorders of the body, Charaka established.
