According to the ancient wisdom and shastras, Lord Krishna symbolizing the force of creation personified is known as the creator of the universe. He established this world from nothingness, and universal sound called the “naad” and or the earth, and proceeded to make living and non-living beings out of it, such as the Pancha Bhoothas which broadly classifies everything observable.. These five elements of nature are earth, water, fire, metal and air. The earth is the home of all the animals and all forms of vegetation; its water supplies life to all living beings and the air is the source of all sound.
We live on the earth, because it has created us. Everything that we are is a result of the earth’s action on the external environment. When we die, we return to the earth to re-discover our existence. Since earth is the central focus of all life, it is often called the “great outer organism”.
A living thing is not composed of matter alone but also of soul, mind, body and spirit. Matter cannot be separated from these components and is therefore a necessary part of them. Hence we find living creatures existing in the water, air, earth, fire and other combinations. Each combination possesses a separate life span and thus plays an important role in the continuity of the world. The earth supports all the living things and thereby determines the existence and quality of each.
Nature’s five elements of nature thus form the basic constituents of the entire universe. The earth creates the basis for all physical reality while the air is the vehicle that takes us to other worlds and the water transmits our spirit to the next level. The fire ignites the earth while the metal creates bodies and the water transmits our emotions to the next level. There are beings who rule over the different combinations of the elements and transform their forms according to their surroundings. The earth thus serves as the womb for the different creations of the cosmos, while the air forms the atmosphere, the earth the living planet and the water the rivers and streams.
The human being is the most dominant among the combinations of five elements of nature as he is the keeper of the equilibrium of the forces. If one of the forces grows greater than the other, he will die and another will succeed him in ruling over the remaining forces. Human beings thus represent the combination of the forces. The various combinations which result form the different kinds of beings are thus represented on the earth through the various species.
The five elements of nature are thus present in the universe and are thus responsible for the existence of all living things. Man is the greatest observable creator and hence represents creation. The earth produces food for the human race and that is why man exists. The food is obtained through the plants and animals but with civilization the human being has become the dominant animal. Man rules over all the other creatures through the law of logic, which is the ultimate power.
The other five elements of nature are air, fire, water, wood and earth. Air is the supreme element which exists in the atmosphere. It is the source of light and it helps in the navigation of the earth while fire is the element of heat which rules over the burning of rocks and wood.
Water is the vital force which causes rain and its influence is felt everywhere. Fire is the fuel that lights up the earth while wood is the means of life which makes the growth of plants and trees possible. Metal and earth together make up the soil and when combined they create a living world. Wood is used in order to give shape to the physical world.