Ayurvedic Herbalism: Indian Cosmology

♦ Home

Part I: Ayurveda

♦ Introduction & History

♦ Indian Cosmology

♦ The Human Body

♦ Health & Sickness

Part II: Ayurvedic Herbalism

♦ Humans & Plants

♦ Food Energies

♦ Plant Classification

♦ Herbal Preparations

♦ Herbal Usage

♦ Common Herbs

Part III: Future of Ayurveda

♦ Limits to Ayurveda

♦ Ayurveda-Western Medicine Comparison

♦ Ayurveda as CAM

♦ Conclusion

Indian Cosmology

Creation

The rishis, seers, of ancient India wrote down in the holy Vedas the nature of existence and described how everything that we are familiar with in the universe came into being. According to these ancient seers, before the universe was created, there existed a state of pure consciousness. This consciousness, or spirit, was called purusha. Purusha has no form, shape, or substance. From purusha arises its counterpart, prakriti, also known as nature. Prakriti may also be roughly translated into “matter.” The seers explained that prakriti, being of material and energetic form, is a result of purusha’s need to experience itself more than in abstract form (1). Whereas purusha has no form, prakriti is energy and matter that have qualities.

From the union of purusha and prakriti, spirit and matter, all creation is conceived. The universe and all of its entities are formed from this holy union. Most importantly, it gives rise to ankara, or Cosmic Intelligence. Cosmic intelligence is the force behind all laws of nature and forms of life. Cosmic Intelligence is what dictates the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology. The most important concept in Indian cosmology and Hinduism is ankara because it has many meanings but at the same time only one meaning.

The Self

Ankara is commonly understood by Westerners as the “ego” but it is more than that. Ankara is the collective, universal consciousness that pervades all life forms, but it is also, at the same time, the expressed “self” in each and every individual. The rishis explained that it is our material body and limited human mind that causes us to perceive ourselves as separate selves. In this sense, ankara is an illusion, a division, that causes us to forget our unity with the rest of life (2). While every life form has its own individual consciousness, only spiritual awakening of the mind can help us remember that we are actually part of the universal consciousness and that each of us connected to all other living beings through a collective consciousness.

The goal of Ayurveda is to help the person break free from the illusion of “individual-ness” and bring him or her back into harmony with ankara. Ayurveda aims to do this by directing people to eat foods and take actions that are spiritually enlightening and physically invigorating.

The Five Elements

From the union of purusha and prakriti also come the elements of the universe. There are five elements in Indian cosmology and they are the physical foundations of the universe: earth, air, fire, water, and space. These elements mix with each other in creative ways to create all the things that exist in the universe.

Earth (not exclusive to this planet) represents the solid aspect of creation. It symbolizes mass, cohesiveness, stability, dullness, and inflexibility. Earth is the fertility of life, the potential for life, and also physical support of all other elements.

Air represents the gaseous aspect of creation. It symbolizes movement, spontaneity, creativity, and roughness. Air is the power of thought, creativity, and speech. Similar to the Chinese concept of chi, air is prana, the life force that breathes into all life.

Fire represents the energetic power to transform. Fire represents energy, light, passion, and physical vigor. It is the power to burn, to recycle, and to renew. Fire is the metabolic process by which all life stays living.

Water represents the liquid aspect of creation. It symbolizes change, emotion, intuition, and inner wisdom. It is the power to cleanse, transport, and regulate. Water is a necessary component of all forms of life.

Space is the medium in which creation occurs. Creation occurs within space and is separated by space. Space represents the vibrational aspect of the universe. It is the only immaterial element and encompasses all the other elements.

All five of these elements are associated with many observable things in the universe. Below is a chart of common associations with the elements. Associations are made by comparing the qualities of elements with the qualities of the object being associated (3).

Element	Energy	Plant Part	Human Body Part	Sense	Season	Colors
Earth	Support	Roots	Nose, anus	Touch	Winter	Green, brown
Air	Fulfill	Leaves	Skin, hands	Smell	Fall	Blue, yellow
Fire	Transform	Leaves	Eyes, feet	Sight	Summer	Red, orange
Water	Transport	Stem	Tongue, genitals	Taste	Spring	Blue
Space	Support, separate	Space	Ears, vocal chords	Audition	All	White, gray, black

References:

1. AllAyurveda.com. “Discover Ayurveda”. http://www.allayurveda.com/discover.htm. Date Unknown. (Accessed: November 20, 2006).
2. Watts, Alan. The Book. Random House, Inc. New York. 1989. Pg. 86-88
3. AllAyurveda.com. “Discover Ayurveda”. http://www.allayurveda.com/discover.htm. Date Unknown. (Accessed: November 20, 2006).