Significance of Five Elements of Nature - Five Elements of Nature

Scholars since ancient time believe that the universe is made with the composition of five elements. All these five elements are present in the balanced state in this universe. For instance: if the level of water increases upto a certain limit, then the whole world will be filled with water resulting in floods. These five elements, water, air, fire, space and earth are together known as “Panchtatva”.

It is said that even human body is composed of these five elements. Technically speaking, these five elements are related to the five senses of a human body. These five elements are also called Panchmahabhoot. These five elements have been assigned their respective lords and planets. In this article, we will discuss about them in detail.

Space

Jupiter is the lord of the element, “Space”. Space is the only element which doesn't not have any limit. Prithvi or earth is the karak element of space. Hope and enthusiasm come under the jurisdiction of space.

In Vastu Shastra, sky has been considered the free space of the universe. “”Word” is the special feature of space and is related to the ears of a human. In various ancient scriptures and vedas, the word, syllable and noise has been considered to be different forms of Lord Brahma. When a person hears a word or a syllable then only he is able to grasp the meaning of it. This is the same concept of space and universe. When the activities in the space take place then only earth is able to receive light, heat, gravity, magnetic fields et. All these changes in the natural phenomenon affects human life as well. Thus, the significance of space or sky cannot be overlooked at all. Lord Shiva is considered to be the ruling deity of sky.

Air

Saturn is the lord of the element “Air”. Touch or feel is the karak element of Air. The action of Air comes under the purview of breath. The earth is surrounded by Air from all the corners and thus, without Air and it functions no living organism can survive. Air is composed of gases and elements that are essential for the survival of humankind. Absence of air means absence of life on earth or any other plant for that matter. Oxygen in the Air is essential for breathing and to light fire. If the brain of a human does not get sufficient Oxygen, then the body can also lose some of its essential senses that are necessary for a living life.

Scholars have categorized the qualities of Air in two parts - Word and Touch. The senses of touch is related to skin of a body and air is the base of it. lord Vishnu is the ruling deity of Air.

Fire

Mars and Sun are both fiery planets and considered to be the lord of the element Fire. The karak element of Fire is the face or appearance. The action of Fire comes under the purview of life. As a matter of fact, Sun is source of fire that gives light on earth. In the absence of Sun, there will be no light on earth. The shadow of darkness will cover the entire earth leading to destruction of life. The fire persisting from the Sun gives energy to other planets as well. The light that emits from the core pof Sun is one of the most important reason for the existence of life on this planet. Fire is the major source of all kind of energies on earth. Sun is considered to be the ruling deity of Fire.

Water

Moon and Venus both are considered to be a water element and thus govern water. It is the karaka of juice or nectar. Since water and blood both are in liquid form, this element come under the purview of blood.

Scholars have categorized water into four parts - word, touch, appearance and juice. Here the word “Juice”, signifies taste. All the things that are found in liquid form on earth are categorized under the heading of water. Water is another essential factor to survive. Water is also used to generate electricity on earth. Lord Indra and Lord brahma are considered to be the ruling deity of water element.

Earth

Mercury is the lord of earth. Fragrances or smell is the karak element of earth. The action of Fire comes under the purview of bones and skin. As per the scholars, earth is a huge magnetic land. The geographic North Pole is located at the southern tip of magnet. This is the reason that north pole of the magnet compass is always pointed to the north.

This magnetic quality of earth is vastly used in Vastu Shastra. It is used to create pressure on earth. In architecture, there is more emphasis on increasing the load on the south side. THis is the reason that sleeping on your head pointing towards south is considered to be good in terms of health. If we talk about religious point of view, then pointing your feet towards south is prohibited as it is believed that Lord Yamraj resides in the south direction.

It can be concluded, that all these five elements are essential for the existence of human life on earth. Life of human or any kind of living object cannot be imagined in the absence of even of these five elements. Water provides contentment in life, whereas Air moves in a body in the form of Oxygen. The space arouses ambition, and earth guide us to be tolerant in life. When the level of fire increases in a human body, the water subsides it to maintain a balance and same is the case with space and air.