My Vedic Life

• Ether, the principle of the pervasiveness

The element of ether represents the space in which everything takes place. In the body, it relates to all hollow or empty places in the body, like channels and pores and the ears that perceive sound. Together with the air element ether forms the Vata Dosha.

Ether (Akash)

This element comes first because it is the subtlest of all five. Ether originates from "shabda", which is the "tanmatra" of sound. It is the primordial space from which a vibration emerges long before it takes the form of sound in the ear. Sound and ether are inseparable, so the ear is considered to be the sense organ of ether. The mouth is its organ of action.

Hearing loss and loss of voice are the results of a disturbance in the functions of the ether element. The ether element is present in the body as the empty space between cells. The hollowness of the empty intestines, bladder, blood vessels, and lungs are filled with ether.

An etheric person demonstrates qualities of imagination, expansion, subtleness, and dreaminess. They can also be elusive and passive at times.