Vayu-tattva

Vayu-tattva

वायु-तत्त्व, vāyu-tattva

Vayu-tattva – air, one of the five primary elements of the Mahabhutas.

At the level of bhuta-pinda (individual body), air can exist in different states, such as:

• dhavana (action)
• bhramana (wandering)
• prasarana (spreading)
• akunchana (contraction)
• nirodhana (limitation)

Vayu-tattva is mentioned in the "Siddha-siddhanta paddhati" as Mahavayu, the great air, the five qualities of which are movement, motion, touch, drying, and smoky color:

- Sanchara (movement) – unlike space, which is static, air has an active nature of movement;
- Sanchalana (motion) – differs from sancharana in a way it implies the movement of a certain object or a certain limited environment, and sanchalana is the movement itself as such;
- Sparshana (touch) – the action of touching, a property that depends on air, since air is perceived through touch;
- Shoshana (drying) – the ability to dry, manifested by air in relation to objects consisting of elements denser than air itself;
- Dhumravarnatva (smoky color), probably because the air is coarser than akasha and has a certain mass in space, it depends on the attraction to certain environments of limited space. Air is like smoke that moves through space.

Commentary by Shri Yogi Matsyendranath Maharaj on "Siddha-siddhanta paddhati"