Prithvi (Earth) and its Qualities
Prithvi – Solidity
(Earth) – Smell
The sequential manifestation of the elements moves from subtle and abstract to gross and concrete. Consequently, prithvi or “earth,” the most solid of the elements, is the last to emerge. Solidity and structure describe the essence of the cosmic organizing principle for this element. Any substance or particle with shape, no matter what its size, indicates the presence of prithvi bhuta. All structure, whether in an atom, a molecule, a rock, a mountain, a planet, a solar system or a galaxy, is determined by prithvi. This element governs the shape and structure of every branch, leaf and flower in the plant kingdom and every organ, tendon, muscle and bone in the animal kingdom.
The Sense of Smell
Prithvi bhuta is closely associated with the sense of smell, and a brief analysis will demonstrate their connection. Whenever vayu’s drying influence removes the cohesion supplied to a substance by jala, nothing keeps the particles of matter in that substance bound together, regardless of whether the substance is a solid, semi-solid, liquid or gas. Tiny particles begin to separate out from the substance and vayu disperses them in all directions. They eventually come in contact with the nose, the organ of smell. Each of the scattered, microscopic bits of matter has its own chemical signature, i.e., its own molecular shape or structure, which the olfactory mechanism is able to recognize. The mind interprets this sensory information as a specific smell.
Any substance with abundant water will not have as strong a smell as something dry. Take, for instance, coriander seeds. In seed form coriander has only a faint scent. However, when the seeds are crushed, the particles separate from each other and encounter increased exposure to vayu. When the moisture content decreases and jala can no longer hold the chemical structure together, we begin to experience coriander’s sweet smell. If the spice is heated, causing even more water to evaporate, a powerful fragrance will be diffused throughout the room.
The sense of smell can give us information about an object or substance, without having to see its full shape or mass. If someone leaves a fish on the kitchen counter for a brief period, the drying influence of vayu minimizes jala’s cohesive function. Prithvi bhuta, in the form of tiny particles of fish, will then disperse throughout the kitchen. Our sense of smell will be able to recognize the odor long after the fish has been put back into the freezer. Whenever an odor is detected, prithvi is there. In the absence of detectable smell, prithvi’s presence can be determined by the hardness and shape of things.
Prithvi, like the other elements, serves a protective function by preventing us from taking in anything harmful. When our sense of smell detects noxious fumes, we quickly turn away. When presented with unfamiliar food, we often sniff it first before deciding whether to eat it. We are naturally attracted to fresh, sweet smells and repulsed by stale, putrid odors. Ayurveda recognizes that smells, like tastes, have a predictable effect on the balance of the bhutas in the physiology, and uses aroma therapy as one of its treatment modalities.
The structure of each sense organ reflects the quality of the element from which the sense arises. The nose, therefore, has a hard composition. It protrudes from the plane of the face to facilitate receiving the particles of prithvi floating in the air.
In conclusion, if we compare the qualities of the elements with the structure of their corresponding sense organs, we can also gain confirmation of the relationship between the bbutas or elements and the senses. The organ of hearing, the ear, is a hollow, structure with extremely light and porous bones, reflecting akash’s quality of spaciousness.
The skin, the organ of touch, is the driest, thinnest and most sensitive organ of the body, corresponding to vayu’s ability to react to the smallest movement. The eye is the only organ in the body that actually has a brilliance or shine emanating from it, mirroring agni’s light. The tongue, the organ of taste, is covered by watery secretions and discerns dissolved solids, reflecting jala’s fluid and cohesive nature. Lastly, the nose, the organ of smell, is more solid than the other sense organs. It is structured to receive fine particles and molecules, and shows prithvi’s tendency for mass and form.
Diagnostic Utility of the Elements and Their Senses
The concept of the five universal elements, their corresponding physical elements and the senses that arise from them, provides a broad framework for understanding how nature operates in the universe as a whole and within the human body. The practical application of this knowledge provides a clear window into mental and physiological functioning. It allows the Ayurvedic physician to use his senses to perform a thorough and accurate diagnosis, avoiding more costly or invasive procedures.
He uses his knowledge of how each sense derives from the qualities of its originating element. Sound cannot exist without space and lack of resistance, qualities of akasb; touch depends on vibration or movement, aspects of vayu; sight occurs because of light and heat, characteristics of agni; taste cannot function without the liquid and cohesive nature of jala; and smell needs prithvi’s solidity and form.
The physician knows that a sense’s intimacy with its bhuta makes it the best vehicle to inform him of the presence and the state of that particular element in the body. The five bhutas have a natural balance in the body. Jala and prithvi normally predominate, whereas the others, because of their more powerful influence, are found only in microform. They all work in precise and balanced coordination with one another. This natural balance, however, can be.disturbed by a number of different influences which we will elaborate on in later chapters.
Ayurveda employs a number of different diagnostic techniques using the senses to detect imbalances in the elements within the body. Auscultation, or thumping the body’s various cavities, is used to give the physician knowledge of the functioning of the presence or lack of akasb or space. For instance, the resonance will tell him if there is an atrophied organ or the opposite, a tumorous growth.
Perhaps the most versatile of all the senses for diagnostic purposes is the sense of touch. It not only gives knowledge of that element’s functioning but can inform the physician of the state of the other four elements in the body. Nadi vigyan or pulse diagnosis is perhaps the most exceptional diagnostic tool that the Ayurvedic physician has at his disposal.
It is based on the principle, elaborated on in this century by quantum physics, that the physical universe is essentially vibrational in nature. Every organ and tissue in the body has its own unique vibrational signature which carries the information of its state of functioning. The fluid forms of lymph and blood circulate throughout the body from heart to periphery and back again, picking up the vibrations from each organ and tissue, and conducting that vibration through vayu’s five different functions in the body.
Thus, the propulsive force of the heartbeat can accurately communicate a vast amount of information concerning all aspects of physiological functioning to a physician skilled in interpreting the movement or vibration in the pulse. Even the quality of mental and emotional functioning can be determined in the pulse’s subtle variations.
Palpation and touch are also versatile diagnostic techniques. They can inform the physician of the functioning of all five elements by giving him knowledge of appropriate or inappropriate spaciousness, motion or vibration, temperature (inflammation or hypothermia), water content (swelling or edema) and structure (organ size and density).
Using his sense of sight, the physician can determine excess or deficient agni in a person’s physiology through variations in coloration and complexion. Visual inspection of the patient’s body, including the eyes, tongue, physiognomy, size and structure of the body, various discharges, stool and urine samples, will also give him knowledge of the state of the other four elements in the body.
Though the physician rarely, if ever, uses his sense of taste as a diagnostic tool, he frequently employs his sense of smell to determine the condition of the bhutas. Healthy persons usually do not exude strong odors. It is only when the tissues are at risk, as in the case of progressed cancer, that smell becomes an issue. As tissues lose the binding influence of jala, the structure or mass of the tissue begins to degenerate. As cellular disintegration occurs, fine particles of tissue detach and are carried out of the body in the breath, sweat, urine and feces. Odor occurs as the earth element loses its cohesion.
An Ayurvedic physician is trained to detect and discriminate among the odors that are associated with specific disease processes. For example, the ancient texts identifies twenty types of diabetes based on the specific degeneration of the tissues. Each type will discharge different cellular structures through the urine, the smell of which gives the physician a clear indication of the particular form of the disease.
The concept of Panchamahabhuta, the five element theory, gives us a theoretical framework for understanding sharira, the body. The next chapter explores the Ayurvedic understanding of the three components that make up the human physiology. It focuses on the all important theory of the three doshas, which is intimately associated with the theory of the five elements. The theory of Tridosha represents the cornerstone of Ayurvedic diagnosis and treatment. This picture of the human body that this knowledge offers is extremely rich and will demonstrate the practical value of the concepts just presented. Without it, our comprehension of the interdependent nature of the soul, mind, senses and body would be incomplete.