Ayurvedic Five Elements | Earth Water Fire Air Space Everything in this universe is the product of different combinations of the five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Ayurvedic microcosm macrocosm The basic premise of Ayurveda is that the entire cosmos or universe is part of one singular absolute. Everything that exists in the vast external universe (macrocosm) also appears in the internal cosmos of the human body (microcosm). In other words, all human beings are a living microcosm of the universe and the universe is a living macrocosm of the human beings.