one of the four (or five) cosmic elements and a symbol of purity as well as fruitfulness and also of the mental process; See Āpas and Bath, and cf. Churning the...

Many ancient philosophies used a set of archetypal classical "elements" to explain patterns in nature. The word "element" in this context either refers to a state of matter (e.g. solid/earth, liquid/water, gas/air, plasma/fire) or a type of energy or...