Even as Ayurveda, the science of life and health, reveals the cosmic equations, it views the human body as the stage set for the interaction between the human and the cosmic. 

In the human body, each of the five great elements known as Panchabhutas has a corresponding sense organ by which interaction with its cosmic counterpart takes place – the ear for Akasa, the medium of sound, the skin for Vayu, characterized by the sense of touch, the eyes for Agni, characterized by light, the tongue for Jala and the nostrils for Prithvi. 

Charaka defines the human being as composed of the five great elements and an additional sixth element called Chaitanya (the soul). Ayurveda views the human entity as a confluence of the five great elements, the Jnanendriyas (five cognitive senses), the Karmendriyas (five active senses), and the Atma (the thinking mind and the individual soul).