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Earth, water, fire, air, and space are the five elements. They are pervasive in the world, hence the term "great elements" is used. This refutes the view of those who deny the existence of elements.
Earth is characterized by solidity, water by fluidity, fire by heat, air by movement, and space by emptiness. These are well-known and can be perceived directly. Therefore, no one can deny their existence.
Other schools of thought, such as the Samkhya, also accept the five elements. The Samkhya school states that the Mahat principle arises from the primordial nature, which is composed of the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas. Mahat means intellect. From intellect arises ego, which is the feeling of "I am." From ego arises a group of sixteen elements: five sense organs (touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing), five organs of action (speech, hands, feet, anus, and genitals), mind, and five subtle elements. The subtle elements are: smell, taste, form, touch, and sound. Earth arises from the subtle element of smell, and possesses the four qualities of smell, form, taste, and touch. Water arises from the subtle element of taste, and possesses the three qualities of taste, form, and touch. Fire arises from the subtle element of form, and possesses the two qualities of form and touch. Air arises from the subtle element of touch, and possesses the quality of touch. Space arises from the subtle element of sound, and is devoid of smell, taste, form, and touch.
Those who follow the Vaisheshika school also describe these elements. According to them, earth arises from the quality of earthiness. It is of two types: eternal and non-eternal. It is eternal in its atomic form, and non-eternal in its composite forms, such as molecules. It possesses fourteen qualities: form, taste, smell, touch, number, quantity, separateness, conjunction, disjunction, being, non-being, gravity, fluidity, and velocity. Water arises from the quality of wateriness. It possesses the qualities of form, taste, touch, number, quantity, separateness, conjunction, disjunction, being, non-being, gravity, and velocity.