The gross body is made up of five ‘Great elements’ known as Aakash (ether), Vayu (air), Agni (fire), Jal (water) and Prithvi (earth). Tridosha in the body occurs due to an imbalance of these five elements. Tridosha (three doshas) means diseases arising from Vata, Pitta and Kapha. According to the Charaka Samhita, there are eighty types of diseases in the human body due to vata dosha, forty are attributed to pitta dosha and twenty to kapha dosha. The imbalance of the ether and air elements causes vata diseases, the imbalance of fire element causes pitta diseases and the imbalance of water and earth elements causes Kapha diseases. The five elements of the gross body are closely related to the subtle chakras located in the Brahmanadi. Earth element is related to the Muladhara Chakra, Water element is related to the Swadhisthana Chakra, Fire element is related to the Manipur Chakra, Air element is related to the Anahata Chakra and Aakash (ether) element is related to the Vishuddhi Chakra. The five elements like earth, water, fire etc. have their own definite tatva and colour. Therefore the chakras related to these elements have been assigned that particular colour. Normally each chakra has various varnas (colours) but the predominant varna (colour) of the element is considered to be the varna of the chakra. Describing the colours of the five elements, Lord Shiva says to Goddess Parvati-
“Aapah Shwetah Kshitih Peeta Raktavarno Hutashanah, Maruto nilajimuta aakashah sarvavarrnakah.”
This means “water is white, earth is yellow, fire is red, air is blue and the ether is all colours mixed together (smoke colour).” (Shiva-Swarodaya: 155)
Since the element of Muladhara Chakra is Earth, hence the colour of this Chakra is yellow, the element of Swadisthana Chakra is water, so its colour is white, the element of Manipur Chakra is fire, hence its colour is red, the element of Anahata Chakra is air, hence its colour is blue. And the element of Vishuddhi Chakra is akasha or ether, so it is smoky coloured.
~ Acharyasri