Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q14 (CAPF/2021) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Ancient Indian knowledge systems Answer Verified

According to early Indian philosophers, what are the basic elements described in Pancha Tattva?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

In early Indian philosophy, the 'Pancha Tattva' or 'Pancha Mahabhuta' refers to the five fundamental elements that constitute all living beings and the physical universe [1]. These elements are Air (Vayu), Earth (Prithvi), Fire (Agni), Sky or Ether (Akasha), and Water (Apas) [1]. Ancient texts like the Bhāgavata Purāᅇa describe these as organs of the supreme Lord's body [1]. Each element is associated with a specific sensory experience or 'tanmatra': Earth with smell, Water with taste, Fire with vision, Air with touch, and Sky with sound. While modern science defines elements chemically, Indian tradition views these as classical building blocks of creation, where Akasha (Sky/Space) provides the room for movement, Vayu (Air) enables motion, Agni (Fire) controls metabolism, Apas (Water) provides liquidity, and Prithvi (Earth) gives solid structure.

Sources

  1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 8: How the Land Becomes Sacred > How the Land Becomes Sacred > p. 167
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
63%
got it right
✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-II · 2015 · Q71 Relevance score: -0.49

Patanjali was

CDS-II · 2009 · Q2 Relevance score: -2.17

The Ashtadhyayi of Panini, the Mahabhasya of Patanjali and the Kashika Vritti of Jayaditya deal with

IAS · 2020 · Q66 Relevance score: -2.70

With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements : 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta - II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

CDS-II · 2023 · Q98 Relevance score: -4.41

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Bakshali Manuscript written in the Gatha language (a refined version of old Prakrit) using the Sharada script deals with topics such as fractions, square roots, arithmetic and geometric progressions. 2. In the field of geometry, Aryabhatta described the various properties of a circle giving a very accurate value for pi (π) correct to four decimal places as 3.1416. 3. Sharangadhara Samhita is an important text on political system of ancient India. Select the correct answer using the code given below : (a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 1 and 2 only (d) 2 only

IAS · 2012 · Q88 Relevance score: -5.20

Which one of the following sets of elements was primarily responsible for the origin of life on the Earth?