Panchamahabhutas -- The Five Elements Theory

• Earth, and everything on it, is the product of different combinations of the five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. It should be noted that the names of these elements are actually representative categories. Everything found on Earth can be classified into one of these five categories, based on their innate characteristics.
  

• We use our senses of hearing, taste, touch, sight and smell to identify the surrounding elements and their qualities. The panchamahabhutas theory may sound simplistic, but it is actually a very sophisticated method of classifying not only all of the objects found on Earth but also the natural cycles experienced on it like days, seasons and life itself. This is because the elements dominate at particular times, depending on the conditions experienced and observed.

• For example, the human life cycle is divided into childhood, where physical growth takes place (water and earth), adulthood where activity and change occur (fire), and old age where mobility becomes impaired and the body begins to weaken (space and air). The year is divided into four seasons – winter when it is cold and rainy (water, earth); spring when new growth occurs and it becomes warmer (water, fire); summer when it is hot and dry (fire, air); and autumn when it is windy and cool (air and space).

• The elements (mahabhutas) have certain qualities, attributes and impacts on the body and mind. All objects and substances are a mixture of the five elements, but they have one dominant element that allows them to be identified and classified. Examples of food and herbs are used to illustrate the elemental groups.

Characteristics of Elements

Space (Akash)
Qualities - soft, light, subtle and abundant.
Action - provides room, looseness, openness
Facilitates - sound and non-resistance
Substance - anything that is light, profuse, and ethereal
Example - hollow and light foods – popcorn, wafers
Intake - increases softness and lightness in the body

 

Air ( Vayu)
Qualities - weightless, mobile, cool, dry, porous and subtle
Action - motion or movement, evaporation, dryness
Facilitates - touch and vibration.
Substance - anything dry and airy, or that creates gas
Example - toast, cookies, cabbage, beans
Intake - increases coolness, dryness, movement and circulation

 

Fire (Agni or Tejas)
Qualities - hot, sharp, dry, subtle, weightless and rough
Action - radiation of heat and light
Facilitates - form, color and temperature
Substance - anything combustible and spicy
Example - chilies, ginger, pepper, clove, cumin
Intake - increases digestion, metabolism (fire and heat), glow and color of skin

 

 

Water (Jala or Apa)
Qualities - oily (unctuous), moist, cool, soft, and sticky
Attribute - cohesion, lubrication
Facilitates - fluidity and taste (via saliva)
Substance - anything liquid, fluid or watery
Example - drinks, soups, melons, cucumber
Intake - increases smoothness, coolness, softness and
flow of fluids

 

 

Earth (Prithvi)
Qualities - heavy, rough, solid, stable, slow
Attribute - resistance, density
Facilitates - fragrance, odor and shape
Substance - anything solid and heavy
Example - fried foods, cheese, cakes, banana
Intake - increases heaviness, stability, obesity and solidity in the body

• Using the characteristics described above, every object around you can be considered and classified. This should be done with the basic understanding that everything is a mixture of different proportions of the elements, some of which may be manifested under different conditions.

•  For example, even the compound of water itself cannot be considered to have a single fixed elemental nature. When solid and heavy (ice, snow, hail) it is a representation of earth/prithvi. It melts due to the exposure of light and heat - fire/agni. So it returns to water/jala, then evaporates and creates steam due to contact with air/vayu and disappears into space/akasha. Or taking another of the basic elements listed above, fire/agni initially requires wood (earth/prithvi), paper or dry grass and wind (air/vayu). Generated together they create friction and heat, which combusts to create fire/agni. As the wood or paper is burnt (prithvi engulfed by agni) the heat gradually diminishes and only ash (vayu and akash) remains.

History of Naturopathy

• Nature cure is a constructive method of treatment which aims at removing the basic cause of disease through the rational use of the elements freely available in nature. It is not only a system of healing, but also a way of life, in tune with the internal vital forces or natural elements comprising the human body. It is a complete revolution in the art and science of living.

• Although the term ‘Naturopathy’ is of relatively recent origin, the philosophical basis and several of the methods of nature cure treatments are ancient. It was practiced in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Hippocrates, the father of medicine (460-357 B.C.) strongly advocated it. India, it appears, was much further advanced in older days in natural healing system than other countries of the world. There are references in India’s ancient sacred books about the extensive use of nature’s excellent healing agents such as air, earth, water and sun. The Great Baths of the Indus Valley civilization as discovered at Mohenjo-Daro in old Sind testifies to the use of water for curative purposes in ancient India.

• The modern methods of nature cure originated in Germany in 1822, when Vincent Priessnitz established the first hydropathic establishment there. With his great success in water cure, the idea of drugless healing spread throughout the civilized world and many medical practitioners throughout the civilized world and many medical practitioners from America and other countries became his enthusiastic students and disciples. These students subsequently enlarged and developed the various methods of natural healing in their own way. The whole mass of knowledge was later collected under one name, Naturopathy. The credit for the name Naturopathy goes to Dr. Benedict Lust (1872 - 1945), and hence he is called the Father of Naturopathy.

• Nature cure is based on the realization that man is born healthy and strong and that he can stay as such as living in accordance with the laws of nature. Even if born with some inherited affliction, the individual can eliminate it by putting to the best use the natural agents of healing, Fresh air, sunshine, a proper diet, exercise, scientific relaxation, constructive thinking and the right mental attitude, along with prayer and meditation all play their part in keeping a sound mind in a sound body.

• Nature cure believes that disease is an abnormal condition of the body resulting from the violation of the natural laws. Every such violation has repercussions on the human system in the shape of lowered vitality, irregularities of the blood and lymph and the accumulation of waste matter and toxins. Thus, through a faulty diet it is not the digestive system alone which is adversely affected. When toxins accumulate, other organs such as the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs are overworked and cannot get rid of these harmful substances as quickly as they are produced.

• Besides this, mental and emotional disturbances cause imbalances of the vital electric field within which cell metabolism takes place, producing toxins. When the soil of this electric filed is undisturbed, disease-causing germs can live in it without multiplying or producing toxins. It is only when it is disturbed or when the blood is polluted with toxic waste that the germs multiply and become harmful.

Information of Ragi (Nagali, Finger Millet)

Common name: Finger Millet, African Millet, Coracan, Natcheny, Ragi • Assamese: মৰুবা ধান maruba dhan • Bengali: marwa • Gujarati: બાવટો bavato, નાચણી nachni, નાગલી nagali • Hindi: मंडुआ mandua, मंडवा mandwa, मड़ुआ marua, मड़ुवा maruwa, रागी ragi • Kannada: ರಾಗಿ ragi • Konkani: नांचणी nanchani • Malayalam: രാഗി ragi • Marathi: नाचणी nachani, नागली nagali • Punjabi: ਮੰਦਲ mandal, ਮੰਢੁਲ mandhul, ਮੁੰਡਲ mundal • Rajasthani: रागी ragi • Nepali: मड़ुवा maruwa • Oriya: mandia • Sanskrit: मधुलिका madhulika, मट्टकम् mattakam, नृत्यकुण्डलक nrutyakundala • Tamil: ஆரியம் aariyam, இராகி iraki, கேழ்வரகு kel-varaku, கேப்பை keppai • Telugu: రాగి ragi, తమిదలు tamidalu • Urdu: منڐوا mandwa, مڙوا maruwa, راگی ragi 

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

 

• Botanical Name: Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn

• Family: Poaceae (Grass Family)

• Subfamily: Chloridoideae

• Finger millet is originally native to the Ethiopian highlands and was introduced into India approximately 4000 years ago. It is highly adaptable to higher elevations and is grown in the Himalayas up to an altitude of 2300 m.
• It is the most important small millet in the tropics (12% of global millet area) and is cultivated in more than 25 countries in Africa (eastern and southern) and Asia (from Near East to Far East), predominantly as a staple food grain. The major producers are Uganda, India, Nepal, and China. Finger millet has high yield potential (>10 t/ha under optimum irrigated conditions) and grain stores very well.
• In India, it is cultivated on 1.8 million ha, with average yields of 1.3 t/ha; The major finger millet growing states are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
• On the basis of inflorescence morphology the species E. coracana is classified into two subspecies (africana and coracana). The subspecies africana classified into races: Africana, and Spontanea, and subspecies coracana classified into races: Elongata, Plana, Compacta, and Vulgaris. The race Elongata is divided into subraces: Laxa, Reclusa, Sparsa, race Plana is divided into subraces: Seriata, Confundere, Grandigluma, race Compacta has no subraces and race Vulgaris is divided into subraces: Liliacea, Stellata, Incurvata and Digitata. 

Nutrition

• Ragi is Gluten-Free. Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava, plantain, polished rice, or maize meal. Finger millet can be ground and cooked into cakes, puddings or porridge. The grain is made into a fermented drink (or beer) in Nepal and in many parts of Africa. The straw from finger millet is used as animal fodder. It is also used for a flavored drink in festivals.

• Nutritional value of finger millet per 100g

Protein 7.6g

Fat 1.5g

Carbohydrate 88g

Calcium 370mg

Vitamins - A: 0.48mg

Thiamine (B1): 0.33mg

Riboflavin (B2): 0.11mg

Niacin: (B3) 1.2mg

            Fiber 3g