“In Hinduism, Shiva the Cosmic Dancer is perhaps the most perfect personification of the dynamic universe. Through his dance, Shiva sustains the manifold phenomena in the world, unifying all things by immersing them in his rhythm and making them participate in the dance – a magnificent image of the dynamic unity of the Universe“, Fritjof Capra (Austrian-American physicist).
What makes us humans different from other forms in existence is the spirit of enquiry. The human mind wants to learn about everything around it and is very inquisitive in nature. The knowledge of Elements or the ‘Tattva Gyan’ helps him in his curiosity to learn about the whole Creation!
Tattva / Element is the principle that is used to describe ‘what is’ in existence, its structure and constitution! What exists in Creation is the Absolute Reality (that is never changing, eternal, omnipresent also known as the Shiva Tattva), the soul (Jeevatma) and the Universe. The Samkhya and Shaivite philosophies of Hinduism list out 25 and 36 Tattvas respectively.
The first five in the list are the grossest and the 36th is the most subtle. The grossest five elements form the material world and these are the Panchabhutas viz., Earth, Water, Fire, Wind & Ether and the 36th tattva or the principle is Shiva. The panchabhutas form the Prakruti, the manifest energy and the pure, omnipresent most subtle energy that pervades the whole creation is Shiva! Everything begins from this tattva and dissolve into the same!
Modern Science mentions the existence of dark energy or dark matter as the invisible fabric of existence. Spiritual knowledge of our land mentions Shiva Tattva as the invisible principle of existence. Modern Science and Spiritual knowledge may appear to be two parallels that never meet but they do take us to the same point! When a jeevatma, an individual soul contemplates in silence and goes beyond sensory perceptions, he/she gets a glimpse or the experience of the Shiva principle! This is when he/ she is said to be in alignment with Nature! This state showers bliss on the jeevatma! Such a blissful state is the ultimate goal of all human endeavours, whether or not one is aware of it!
The grossest five elements or the panchabhutas constitute the manifest world, the material world. This is the area of play of the Shiva tattva which is also known as the “Shiva Leela”. This gross material world is the arena in which the souls play their karmic part and attain/experience their various levels of consciousness! Some even attain Mukti or liberation! The composition of their karmic baggage in each birth determines their quality of life and this is directly reflected in the levels of balance or imbalance in the five elements around him/her. Such a precise choice of environment is again part of the ‘Shiva Leela and a soul takes birth exactly at a certain time and is placed with a unique planetary placement in Space to attract the pre-destined path of life! Does that mean one has no freedom to will a change in destiny? Not really. There is a great chance of one improving one’s destiny with free will also, which is also a God-given faculty. Improving one’s destiny is by improving one’s reference to the expression of these five elements.
The Vedas provide us with all the necessary knowledge needed for the human population to learn about how the expression of five elements can be improved. Bringing harmony in the elements at body level is the subject of Ayurveda, bringing harmony in elements at mind level (inner spaces) is Yoga Shastra and bringing harmony in elements in the environment in the space we call homes is Vaastu Shastra.
The word Vaastu is derived from the Sanskrit word Vastu, which means matter. In the literal sense, Vaastu means a dwelling place. But at deeper levels, it means something that comprises ‘Chidvastu’, the five elements, indicating a balanced expression of elements. What this means is that, by simply being in such spaces that are aligned to Nature (for a prolonged time), one has a possibility of experiencing blissful existence! Blissful existence brings with it wellness (Saukhya) at body mind and spirit. A person having a healthy body, a clear mind and a cheerful disposition of spirit have a better chance of achieving everything he sets out to achieve than others who are surrounded by chaotic energy system in their homes.
Though the five elements are at the grossest end on the spectrum of Tattvas, they are very much the initial steps that need to be taken in the journey of a soul to experience Shiva tattva, the blissful abundant state and Vaastu Shastra with its time tested principles of balancing the elements in and around the place we call homes, where we spend half our life, contributes greatly to achieve blossoming of Shiva Tattva. This is something to ponder on, during this Maha Shivaratri.
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