Topic

Five elements

2 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on five elements. Explore teachings across 2 chapters.

All Verses

Chapter 7 • Verse 4 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom
Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca, ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakritir ashtadha

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego — these eight constitute My separated material nature (apara prakriti). Krishna enumerates the eightfold division of His lower material nature, which forms the foundation of all physical and mental existence.

  • •All of material existence is a manifestation of God's lower nature
  • •The five elements plus mind, intellect, and ego form the material world
  • •Understanding God's nature begins with understanding creation's structure
prakritimaterial naturecreationcosmic structure
Chapter 13 • Verse 5 →The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field
Maha-bhutany ahankaro buddhir avyaktam eva cha, indriyani dashaikam cha panca chendriya-gocharah

The field (kshetra) consists of the five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses, the mind, and the five sense objects. These twenty-four elements comprise the totality of material existence.

  • •Material existence is composed of twenty-four elements
  • •The body is a complex field of interacting energies
  • •Understanding material components aids in transcending them
egosensesmindmatter