The Panchabhuta doctrine accounts for the five elements that are the basis for all creation, including human experience. One of the basic tenets of Ayurveda is the connection between the body and the universe: what exists in one also exists in the other. As the revered Ayurvedic practitioner Charaka stated, “…the universe and the individual are a continuum. Whatever exists in the universe exists in the individual and reciprocally, whatever exists in the individual exists in the universe.”
Thus, while the Panchbhuta doctrine address the origin and the structure of these universal elements, it is from the Panchabhuta that the doshas derive, through different combinations of the five elements. The dosha theory is the cornerstone of Ayurveda and accounts for the overall health of the human body and relates to its maintenance and functions.
Why are doshas so important? The proper balance of the doshas support the functioning of the dhatu, which are the layers of the body associated with its tissues and actively support the body’s structure, and aids in both physical and psychological health. In Ayurveda, the dhatu can be supported through food, drink, and herbal formulations.
How is the dhatu formed? There are two bi-products from ingested food: that which builds the dhatu (ahara prasada), and waste (mala and kitta). Ahara prasada goes through several stages: food essence or food sap (rasa) to flesh, to tissue to bone to marrow to semen.
There are two types of waste product from this process. One, kitta, becomes urine, feces and sweat. The other, mala, is the waste from cells and tissues. But, when they exceed or fall short of normal levels, the mala becomes the doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Even as waste products, they are essential parts of the body, but their levels should be maintained in proportion to dhatu. They are of particular significance because their imbalances are the root of all disease and will upset the function the dhatu. Each body holds a certain amount of these doshas, and if they rise or fall below a certain level, each should be decreased or increased accordingly.
One way to manage dosha levels is through diet. If your dosha levels were below normal, consuming foods that have similar properties to the dhatu or mala, would appropriately increase these levels. Conversely, eating foods without those same properties would help decrease those levels, if you were experiencing above normal concentration of the doshas.
Maintaining balance among your doshas translates into a healthy dhatu, the mainframe for both your physical and psychological health.