Ayurveda believes that everything in this universe is made up of five basic elements. These five elements are earth (Prithvi), water (Jala), fire (Agni/Tej), air (vayu) and ether or space (Akash) and collectively they are termed as Panchamahabhuta.
According to “Vyapadeshastu Bhuyasa” every matter contains all of these five elements. Panchamahabhuta plays important role in Garbha Utapatti. Depending upon the predominance of the content the matter is classified as Parthiva, Apya, Taijasa, Vayaviya & Akashiya. The permutation and combination of these elements its quality in a given matter determines its properties.