One of the fundamental concepts in the ancient wisdom is that the universe is comprised of five basic forms or elements of matter — earth, water, fire, air and space. Of these, fire, water and air are active forms of matter, while earth and space are passive forms. All these forms of matter require space in order to exist. The earth provides the base or area for the active forms of matter to act and interact, while space provides the arena within which they coexist. Fire can be taken to represent heat and water its opposite or cold. Air represents wind and is the connecting link between all five forms.
It can easily be appreciated that natural forces are extremely powerful and can become devastating if they violate certain boundaries. Heat is essential for life but, out of control, it pours forth as a devastating volcano or uncontrolled forest fires. Air can create havoc as a tornado or hurricane, and water can cause floods, tidal waves or, in its absence, severe drought. Yet, by and large, these forces of nature remain in balance. It is important to realise that the manifestation of pairs of opposites and their balance occurs not only in the external environment but also inside the human body.
The earth and the human body have both come into existence and will remain for specified periods of time. As long as the overall ecological balance is maintained, the natural forces will continue to operate in harmony and will help the world be a safe place for all life. Also maintenance of an inner ecological balance is essential for the body to live out its maximum span of life in a proper and healthy manner. This inner ecological balance is called Svastha. However, in many cases, due to irregular or inappropriate diet and mental activities, this balance is disturbed.
The crossing of natural boundaries results in destruction of the normal cycles of nature; these, in turn, reflect the turbulence within individual human beings. The ultimate goal, therefore, is to find an integrated means for maintaining the proper inner ecological balance (Svastha) necessary to support good health, as well as to support the integrity of the external world and its natural cycles.
If you take a good look at nature around you, you will notice that plants and animals seem to exercise some sort of instinctive control over their lives, an internal regulator of habits like patterns of growth and development and the timing of events like eating, drinking, sleeping and mating. Thus, natural life urges are satisfied without trespassing on other individuals, without overwhelming other subsystems, and without ignoring or frustrating other needs.
Ill health and disasters
Yet there seems to be something peculiar about human beings. We seem to have no such controls, and no boundaries are truly respected. As a result, we invite ill health and disturbances or disasters, whether personal, societal or ecological.
No animal ever dies of self-inflicted or self-created health problems. Nor are there any physicians among animals. Yet they seem to know when something is not right, and they also know how to restore the balance. They may suffer from diseases brought about by forces over which they have no control and, almost invariably, the changes that happen in their external environment cause a decline in their health. But for humankind, the most important aspect that distinguishes them is the mind, which plays an important role in our general health and well being.
There is an old story that illustrates how man with his intellect can either promote or destroy himself. God created insects and soon the earth was filled with them. The insects began to feel that they were the masters of this earth. So the angels went to God and complained, and God created frogs to balance the insects. Then God brought in the snakes, and then eagles to prey over the snakes. And so Creation continued, with one species being created to balance another.
Then God created human beings. Seeing that humans were superior to all other forms of being, the angels went to God again and asked how He was going to balance this. God replied “Don’t worry. I have created human beings with a built-in balance: the intellect. Using this, if he follows his Dharma and stays within the boundaries, he will lead a proper life and prosper along with all other forms of existence. If not, he will cause his own destruction and perish.” Thus, it all depends on how we use our mind.
A.G. Mohan and Dr. Ganesh Mohan are yoga practitioners and authors of several books
