Just as the Earth is maintained by the wind, sun and moon, the body is maintained by the tridosa in a similar way. The literal meaning of the word vata is 'that which moves'. V ata displays the qualities of air and space - it is dry, light, cold, subtle, rough and mobile. Anything which has similar qualities to vata will increase it, and things with the opposite qualities will decrease it. The literal meaning of pitta is 'that which heats or cooks'.
Pitta is responsible for all metabolic and chemical functions in the body.
It is also responsible for digestion, hunger, thirst, courage, eye-sight, body temperature, intellect and skin color. Pitta is hot, sharp, sour, pungent and moving. The literal meaning of kapha is 'that which binds'. It is responsible for lubrication and cohesion in the body. In qualities, kapha is oily, smooth, firm, dense, sticky, heavy, cold, viscous, dull and wet.