People and Places – The Swami 3 – The Five Elements

People and Places – The Swami 3 – The Five Elements



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Mark: What are the five elements?
Swami: The first is earth.
Mark: Earth.
Swami: The most solid. Rough is the earth.
Mark: Matter.
Swami: Matter. Matter. Subtler than that is water.
Mark: Water.
Swami: Subtler than water is fire.
Mark: Earth, water, fire.
Swami: Subtler than fire and invisible is air.
Mark: Air.
Swami: And then the fifth one is …you cannot see …you cannot perceive and that is space.
Mark: Or ether.
Swami: Ether.
Mark: Yeah.
Swami: First ether is born from the supreme self; from the atman; the supreme self; the formless infinite, which is the highest truth. From that comes first the space; the concept of space. Let there be space. Ok. This entire millions of miles of …square miles of area. So let me speak on space.
Mark: Mm
Swami: There is space. There is nothing there in that. And from space slowly the wind starts blowing and that is considered as wind. Wind you cannot see.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Space you cannot even feel but wind you can feel because it touches you.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Space you can only hear. In space if there is a sound …ooouuu…some sound… some vibration only is visible. You can only perceive through the ear… space… and through space… in space …slowly the wind blows. The wind blows. You can see the…the vision of the wind.. .also the blowing…also you can hear. And also it can touch you. If there is a cool breeze we feel “Oh there is wind. Oh it is windy.” So you have two perceptions. You can hear and you can touch. Two. And from wind comes fire. Hydrogen is but a form of wind.
Mark: Fire?
Swami: Air. Wind. Air. A form of air. Wind is air and if that burns you can see form. The nitrogen..acetylene gases and this cooking gas. Cooking gas; it is only gas. It is only like a wind.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: It is also like a wind. But if it burns you can see the form also.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And when fire is burning, DRRRR you hear the sound.
Mark: Mm. Crackling.
Swami: And and and. The sound effects.
Mark: Mm
Swami: Hot air
Mark: The heat.
Swami: You have two senses and the third one is you can see the form.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: The glowing form. There is a form you can see. So your eyes have come into operation.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Your ears were in operation for space for ether to hear the sound. Your skin was in operation.
Mark: For the wind.
Swami: For the wind to feel the touch.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And now your eyes have come into operation and you can see the form.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Three.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And from fire comes water.
Mark: Water.
Swami: Water. When water flows, firstly you can see the streams are giving the sound. The first element is air and water; you can feel. Water; you feel wet if you put water on the body, you feel water. Two. And water you can see the form. Water is a liquid If you hold it in a … It can take the form of a river. It can take the form of an ocean. It can take the form of a small lake. It can take the form of your bowl in which you take it; in the form of a glass.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Whatever form in which you can contain, it is in that form flexible. So water has form. And water has taste. You can drink it. Fire you cannot drink. Wind; there is no taste. Space anyway you cannot taste so you have the fourth sense of perception and that is the perception of taste. Your tongue has come into operation.
(Hindi or Pahari?)
Swami: Four. You have four elements. Water. And from water has ensued the earth.
Mark: Taste. Taste. Taste.
Swami: The earth. Water is sense of taste. Ok. Water is the fourth element. The fifth element is the earth, solid earth, which is the support for human beings to exist. It is support for these mountains. It is support for this vegetation. It is support even for water.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: Oceans rest on the earth.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: That is the fifth element; the earth. And the earth has… the earth can sound because … when mountains… when the earth moves you can hear the sound…. The earth has the sense of sound of the first elements.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: And the earth also has the sense of touch because if a stone hits you…If a stone hits you, you can see. You can feel too. And the earth’s form is there. You can see the form. These are all the forms of the earth; mountains, vegetation; everything is earthly form. And the earth you can touch also. You can taste also. It can be tasted because when you are tasting vegetation, you are tasting a piece of the earth.
Mark: Mm:
Swami: When we eat this sabji, when we eat this daal, when we eat this roti, it is but the earth. It is a produce of the earth only.
Mark: Mm.
Swami: It can be tasted and you can…and you can smell; the sense of smell; it is the fifth sense. The earth is… so your nose has come into operation. So you have the five senses.
Mark: Mm.