Four orders of nature

Four Orders of Nature – All the physical objects that are in solid, liquid, or gas state, either living or non-living, are collectively termed as nature.

In other words, the aggregate of all the mutually interacting units – big or small, sentient or insentient together can be called nature.

These units are infinite in number, and we could easily observe that there exists a dynamic balance and self-regulation among all these units.

There are four orders of nature

1. Material order
2. Plant order
3. Animal order
4. Human order

Material order

The big land mass of the continents, gigantic water bodies like oceans and seas, mountains and rivers, the atmosphere above, the heaps of metals and minerals below, and the dense gases and fossil fuels deep below the surface of the earth – all fall into the material order.

In fact, if we look around beyond the Earth, the material order is visible even in the form of stars, planets, moons, and several astronomical bodies.

Plant (Pranic) order

Our land mass is covered with grass and small shrubs, and they form the lining of the entire soil. Shrubs, plants, and trees form a huge forest along with the flora in the ocean.

All of this is the plant/bio order or prana avastha, and it is the next big order on our planet. (The material order is far greater in quantity compared to the plant/bio order.

Animal order

Animals and birds form the third largest order, and we call them the animal order or jiva avastha. Here again, we see that the plant/bio order is far greater in quantity than the animal order.

Human order

Humans are the smallest order, and they are referred to as the human order or Gyana avastha. Animals are far greater in quantity as compared to the human order.

Related tutorial – Harmony in Nature and Existence