THE SEVEN PRIMORDIAL ELEMENTS
In ascending order, the seven primordial elements are earth, water, fire, air, space, ego, and intelligence. These terms are symbolic and cosmic in scope and are related to seven gradations of uncreated mind stuff inherent within the seven cosmic shells (as opposed to created forms of matter-energy).
These seven elements represent different classes of conscious and uncreated particles that abide within the seven shells. As conscious elements, they are capable of responding to conscious intention or visionary imagination. By virtue of the intentions of the Creator, they are roused into activity and united in various combinations and permutations. The end result of this process is the creation of the golden yolk of the cosmic egg. The Vedic texts state:
From the seven primordial elements, which are roused into activity and united [into combinations and permutations] by the [visionary] presence of the Creator, a golden egg arose.... This egg is called the manifestation of matter-energy. Its shells of [earth], water, fire, air, space, ego, and intelligence increase in thickness one after another. Each layer is ten times larger than the previous, and the final outside layer is covered by pradhana.1
This passage makes clear that the seers were talking about not only the seven shells, but also the imperishable layers that uphold the seven shells so that each shell and each type of primordial element has its imperishable basis in a given layer. These seven cosmic layers extend from the thirty-third to the thirty-ninth layer. The qualities associated with the seven elements—earth, water, fire, air, space, ego, and intelligence—can be viewed in either ascending or descending order. The outermost cosmic shell, which corresponds to the thirty-ninth layer, embodies the most abstract of the seven qualities—mahat, cosmic intelligence—and the innermost cosmic shell, which corresponds to the thirty-third layer, embodies the most concrete of the seven qualities—prithivi, cosmic earth.
When awareness descends through the seven shells—that is, from the thirty-ninth to the thirty-third layer—the qualities of the previous layer are added to the subsequent layer, so that the earth element consists of all seven qualities and the intelligence element consists of a single quality. This doctrine is made clear in these words: “Among them each succeeding [primordial element] acquires the quality of the preceding one, and whatever place [in the sequence] each of them occupies, even so many qualities is it declared to possess.”2
When awareness ascends through the seven shells, the reverse holds true. The qualities are stripped from awareness progressively so that, upon reaching the outermost shell, only a single quality remains: cosmic intelligence.
The primordial element upheld by the thirty-third layer is earth because it represents the most concrete of the seven elements and displays all seven qualities. This uncreated mind stuff may be compared to the primordial clay from which are created the actual physical elements. Although this earthen form of mind stuff is conscious, it is not as conscious as the higher gradations associated with the higher shells: water, fire, air, space, ego, and intelligence, which represent progressively more abstract and conscious forms of uncreated mind stuff and are less restricted by their qualitative manifestations.
The doctrine just quoted tells us that the final outside layer (or shell) is covered by pradhana, which denotes not a form of dark matter (tamas) or mind stuff (chitta), but represents the truly imperishable substance of pure consciousness (chit), which constitutes the immortal blood (amrita rasa) of the Supreme Being. The immortal substance pervading, transcending, and covering the seven shells can be cognized only when the awareness breaks through the outermost shell of the cosmic egg by ascending to the fortieth layer. Only then do we realize the truly imperishable basis of the seven shells and the seven primordial elements. That imperishable basis corresponds not to the finite field of cosmic intelligence (mahat), but to the infinite field of pure consciousness (chit).