Relation Of Five Elements With Five Senses

In the previous article we have seen the direct relation of five elements to man's ability to perceive the external environment in which he lives.

In this article we will discuss the manifestation of the five elements in the functioning of the five senses of man, as well as in certain functions of his physiology.

The five elements are related to man through the senses also, to five actions expressing the functions of the sensory organs.

Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth - are related to hearing, touch, vision, taste and smell, respectively.

Ether is the medium through which sound is transmitted thus, the ethereal element is related to the hearing function. The ear, the organ of hearing, expresses action through the organ of speech, which creates meaningful human sound.

Air is related to the sense of touch, the sensory organ of touch is the skin. The organ of action for the sense of touch is the hand. The skin of the is especially sensitive and the hand is responsible for the actions of holding, giving and receiving.

Fire manifests light, heat and color, is related to vision. The eye is the organ of sight, governs the action of walking and is thus related to the feet. For example a blind man can walk, but that walking has no definite direction. Eyes give direction to the action of walking.

Water is related to the organ of taste, without water the tongue cannot taste. The tongue is closely related in function to the action of the genitals.

The Earth element is related to the sense of smell. The nose is the sensory organ of smell, is related in function to the action of the anus, excretion. This relationship is demonstrated by the person who has constipation or an unclean colon: he experiences bad breath and his sense of smell becomes dull.

The ancient rishis perceived that these elements sprang from pure Cosmic Consciousness. Ayurveda aims to enable each individual to bring his body into a perfect harmonious relationship with that Consciousness.