pañcamahābhūta: what the term means and how it is translated

Caraka SaṃhitāSūtrasthāna 26 (Ātreya-Bhadrakāpyīya):Kaviratna prints '21' after this aphorism; standard numbering 26.10 per the Sanskrit at carakasamhitaonline.com: सर्वं द्रव्यं पाञ्चभौतिकमस्मिन्नर्थे; तच्चेतनावदचेतनं च||10||. Both recorded; not converted by arithmetic. · checked against the source

All objects are the result of the combinations of five primal elements, (viz., Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Ether or Space). As regards Medical Science, objects are of two kinds, viz., those endued with animation and those that are inanimate.

Caraka's statement that every dravya is pāñcabhautika, divided into sentient and insentient. OCR double-spacing in the djvu text collapsed; wording unchanged.

Caraka SaṃhitāSūtrasthāna 26:Kaviratna prints '10' after this sentence; standard 26.8 per Sanskrit at carakasamhitaonline.com: पञ्च रसा इति कुमारशिरा भरद्वाजः, भौमौदकाग्नेयवायव्यान्तरिक्षाः||8|| · checked against the source

There are five tastes, said Kumarasiras-Bharadwaja. They appertain to Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Ether (or Space).

A rejected view within the rasa debate linking rasa count to the five bhūtas; shows the Sanskrit adjectival set bhauma/audaka/āgneya/vāyavya/āntarikṣa. Note this is an opinion Caraka records, not his conclusion.

Caraka SaṃhitāSūtrasthāna 1 (Dīrghañjīvitīya):Kaviratna prints '47' (OCR reads '4T') after this aphorism; standard 1.48 per Sanskrit at carakasamhitaonline.com: खादीन्यात्मा मनः कालो दिशश्च द्रव्यसङ्ग्रहः| सेन्द्रियं चेतनं द्रव्यं, निरिन्द्रियमचेतनम्||४८|| · checked against the source

Those having ether for the first (i.e., ether, air, fire, water, and earth), soul, mind, and the quarters, are constituent elements (of all things) United with the senses, elements are called animate; without the senses, they are called inanimate.

The nine kāraṇa-dravyas (khādi = the five bhūtas, ātmā, manas, kāla, diś). Kaviratna's rendering omits kāla (time), which the Sanskrit has; the parenthetical list of five is his gloss.

Caraka SaṃhitāŚārīrasthāna 4 (Mahatīgarbhāvakrānti):Kaviratna prints '5' (with footnote asterisk) after this unit; standard 4.6 per Sanskrit at carakasamhitaonline.com: गर्भस्तु खल्वन्तरिक्षवाय्वग्नितोयभूमिविकारश्चेतनाधिष्ठानभूतः| एवमनया युक्त्या पञ्चमहाभूतविकारसमुदायात्मको गर्भश्चेतनाधिष्ठानभूतः; स ह्यस्य षष्ठो धातुरुक्तः||६|| · checked against the source

Verily, the foetus is a modification of Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. Such modification becomes the seat (or abode) of the Chetana (or Self). Agreeably to this consideration, the foetus has for its essence an aggregate that consists of a modification of all the five great elements. That aggregate is the seat (or abode) of another element, viz., Chetana (or Self). This Chetana (or Self) is said to be the sixth element (of the foetus).

The garbha as a modification of the five mahābhūtas with cetanā as sixth dhātu; the Sanskrit uses the compound पञ्चमहाभूत here. OCR stray punctuation removed; words unchanged.

Caraka SaṃhitāŚārīrasthāna 5 (Puruṣavicaya):Sharirasthana 5.4-5. Kaviratna prints '4' after 'and the Inner Self is Brahma.' on his p. 765 (archive.org leaf n976). Standard (carakasamhitaonline Purusha_Vichaya_Sharira): ||4|| closes at 'eta eva cha shaddhatavah samuditah purusha iti shabdam labhante' (the six-dhatu enumeration prithivyapastejo vayurakasham brahma chavyaktam is in 4); the sentence 'tasya purushasya prithivi murtih, apah kledah, tejo'bhisantapah, vayuh pranah, viyat sushirani, brahma antaratma' is the first sentence of standard 5. So the first five sentences of the quote are 5.4 and the last sentence ('Of that Purusha, the form is Earth ... the Inner Self is Brahma') is 5.5. · checked against the source

The universe is made of six ingredients. This is what is generally heard. They are as follows: Earth, Water, Heat, Air, Ether (or Space), and Brahma which is unmanifest. Purusha is made up of six ingredients. This is what is generally heard. Of that Purusha, the form is Earth; the liquid secretions are Water; the animal heat is Heat; the life-breaths are Air; the hollow places are Ether (or Space); and the Inner Self is Brahma.

Loka-puruṣa sāmya: the five bhūtas plus avyakta Brahman as the six dhātus of both universe and person, with each bhūta's bodily correlate.

Suśruta SaṃhitāSūtrasthāna 41 (Dravyaviśeṣavijñānīya):Bhishagratna prints no verse numbers. Sanskrit verse 3 per siva.sh: तत्र पृथिव्यप्तेजोवाय्वाकाशानां समुदायाद्द्रव्याभिनिर्वृत्तिः, उत्कर्षस्त्वभिव्यञ्जको भवति- इदं पार्थिवमिदमाप्यमिदं तैजसमिदं वायव्यमिदमाकाशीयमिति ॥३॥ (https://www.siva.sh/sushruta-samhita/sutra-sthana/41/3) · checked against the source

The five fundamental principles such as the earth (Kshithi), water (Apa), fire (Teja), air (Marut) and Sky (Vyoma) enter into the composition of all substances in the world

Suśruta's statement that dravyas arise from the aggregate of the five bhūtas and are classified by the predominant one. Translator's footnote (NOT the text): 'These may be translated as Solid, Liquid, Gas, Ether, and Etherion in the parlance of modern science.'

Suśruta SaṃhitāŚārīrasthāna 1 (Sarvabhūtacintā):Bhishagratna section 6 (his own numbering). Sanskrit verse 4 per siva.sh: तेषां विशेषाः- शब्दस्पर्शरूपरसगन्धाः; तेभ्यो भूतानि- व्योमानिलानलजलोर्व्यः (https://www.siva.sh/sushruta-samhita/sharira-sthana/1/4) · checked against the source

From the combination of the aforesaid five Tanmatras (Bhutadi) taken one at a time, have successively emanated the five gross matters of space such as ether, air, heat, (fire,) fluid (water), and earth (solid).

Sāṃkhya-style derivation of the five mahābhūtas from the five tanmātras in Suśruta.