🌿 Ayurveda: The Science of Life

• Ayurveda (from Ayus = life, Veda = knowledge) unites science, philosophy, and religion — knowledge, experience, and truth in daily living.

• It aims to create harmony between body, mind, and spirit, viewing health as balance and disease as imbalance.

• Both a theoretical system (understanding life’s principles) and a practical art (daily living, healing, and prevention).

🌌 The Universe and Human Connection

• All existence arises from Cosmic Consciousness, expressed as two eternal principles:

  • Purusha — Pure, passive awareness (male energy).

  • Prakruti — Active, creative consciousness (female energy).

• Creation results from the union of Purusha (the silent witness) and Prakruti (the Divine Mother).

• Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm — everything in the universe exists within us.

🧠 Stages of Manifestation

From Prakruti, creation unfolds through:

1. Mahad (Mahat) — Cosmic intelligence (Buddhi in humans).

2. Ahamkar — Ego or sense of self, from which arise three Gunas (qualities):

   • Sattva: Purity, clarity, truth, stability.

   • Rajas: Activity, passion, motion, desire.

   • Tamas: Inertia, darkness, heaviness, ignorance.

• Sattva → gives rise to mind, sensory organs, and motor organs.

• Rajas → drives movement and activity.

• Tamas → creates matter and the five elements.

🌍 The Five Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas)

These are the building blocks of nature and the human body:

Element	Sanskrit Name	Qualities	Associated Sense	Examples in the Body / Mind
Space (Ether)	Akasha	Light, subtle, all-pervading	Sound / Hearing	Mouth, respiratory tract, mental freedom, peace, or isolation
Air	Vayu	Movement, dryness, mobility	Touch	Breathing, circulation, nervous system
Fire	Agni / Tejas	Heat, transformation, energy	Sight	Digestion, metabolism, intelligence
Water	Jala / Apas	Fluidity, cohesion, coolness	Taste	Saliva, plasma, emotions, compassion
Earth	Prithvi	Solidity, stability, heaviness	Smell	Bones, muscles, groundedness

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🕊️ Psychological Aspect

Each element also reflects inner emotional or spiritual qualities:

• Space — openness, freedom, creativity, but also isolation.

• Air — flexibility, inspiration, but also restlessness.

• Fire — passion, courage, but also anger.

• Water — love, compassion, but also attachment.

• Earth — stability, support, but also stubbornness.