Tattva

AyurVeda is the medical system of the Vedic Sciences that originated in Hindusthaan (present day India) approximately five thousand years ago. Since Vedic Science views the whole universe as a single organism (macrocosm) and everything in the universe as a miniature replica of the universe (microcosm), the foundation science of every branch of Vedic Science from AyurVeda, Suchi Karma, Vastu to Jyotisha are the same and therefore each branch of Vedic Science is complementary to each other.

According to Vedic Science, the universe and the human being are created from the pancha mahabhutas (five great elements). From the pancha mahabhutas, the material and nonmaterial substances arise. The material forms create the outer form of things and the nonmaterial substances provide their inner qualities.

In human beings, the material substances are classified as the dhatus (tissues) and the malas (waste materials) and the nonmaterial substances are classified as the trigunas (three primary qualities of nature) and the tridoshas (three biological humors). The trigunas determine our tridoshas which in turn affect our dhatus and malas.

1. Pancha Mahabhutas

The basic material constituents of a human being are pancha mahabhutas of ether, air, fire, water and earth. The primary properties of pancha mahabhutas are sound (ether), touch (air), sight (fire), taste (water) and smell (earth).

2. Trigunas

The pancha mahabhutas contain trigunas or inner qualities; sattva, rajas and tamas. Ether has sattva guna, air has rajas guna, fire has sattva and rajas guna, water has sattva and tamas guna and earth has tamas guna. The trigunas present in human body are determined by our past and present karma. The proportion of the trigunas that are present in our body determine the dietary, behavioral and lifestyle choices we make for ourselves which reflect our intelligence (sattva), agitation (rajas) or inertia (tamas).

3. Sapta Dhatus

The dhatus are bodily constituents that do not get eliminated from the body (with the exception of reproductive tissue). These are rasa dhatu (plasma), rakta dhatu (blood), mamsa dhatu (muscle), meda dhatu (fat), asthi dhatu (bone), majja dhatu (nerve and marrow) and shukra dhatu (reproductive tissue). In a healthy body the dhatus are maintained within the limit of the skin from outside and the mucous membrane from inside.

4. The Malas

The malas are substances continually being removed from the body. The gross waste products are urine, feces and sweat. The subtle waste products are exudations eliminated from the linings of the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and the reproductive organs. In a healthy human body all waste products are properly eliminated.

5. Tridosha

The three doshas are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is made of ether and air elements and is the by-product of the digestion of food, Pitta is made of fire and water elements and is the product of breakdown; rakta mala of rakta dhatu (blood) and Kapha is made of water and earth elements and is the ejectable product, rasa mala of rasa dhatu (plasma) from which body secretions arises. Vata dosha is responsible for various movements in the body. These include the intake of air, water, food and impressions into the body; output of the processed intake in the form of speech, memory, exhalation; propulsion of blood, sweat, efferent nerve impulses from the center to the periphery of the body; propulsion of blood, afferent nerve impulses from the periphery to the center of the body and the downward discharge of urine, feces, flatus, menstrual fluid, semen and the fetus. Pitta dosha is responsible for digestion of food, formation of rakta (blood) and other tissues in the liver, assimilation and conversion of visual stimuli; digesting ideas and information in the brain and maintaining temperature and complexion of skin. Kapha dosha is responsible for protecting various organs from wear and tear due to dryness of Vata dosha and the hot penetrating effects of Pitta dosha. These include production secretions inside lungs, heart, and upper portion of intestines that protect and preserve their integrity; production of alkaline secretions that protects the upper and the middle abdomen from hot, irritant or cold foods as well as from secretion of Pitta dosha; production of the fluid lining that protects the mouth from pungent, hot, cold or irritating foods and drinks; production of the lubricant of the bony ends of joints that prevents their friction during movements; provision of various nutrients to the brain cells and lubrication and protection to the brain and spinal cord.

Based on these five principles, diseases arise due to the aggravation of the doshas; mental diseases are considered to arise due to aggravation of the mental doshas of rajas and tamas gunas and physical diseases are considered to arise due to aggravation of bodily doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The root cause of any disease in the human body whether it is a physical disease such as cancer or mental disease such as schizophrenia therefore, can be treated by identifying the underlying imbalance in the doshas and increasing and/or decreasing any of the five elements to balance them. The eternal truth of the Vedic Sciences allows every Hindu to experience ananda (pure joy) by maintaining the highest level of physical, mental and spiritual health that their karmic potential in this life will allow. Ananda is experienced by the Hindus through the maintenance of the balance of their doshas by careful control of the proportion of the five elements that they intake through their seven senses. Since the five elements were the constituents of human body five thousands years ago, are the constituents of the human body now and will be the constituents of the human body five thousand years from now, the principles of AyurVeda that was based on these five elements were true five thousand years ago, is true today and will be true five thousand years from now. Satyameva Jayatey!

Reference: AyurVeda Nature’s Medicine by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Subhash Ranade

Manjuma Raman is a naturopathic medical student at Bastyr University. You can reach her at manjuma.raman@gmail.com

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