Sir, Your mastery in so many fields is astounding.Can you trace some work which contains only the thoughts of some other organism,other than human?What are the paradigmatic bases of perception of some other organism,without human thought adulteration? YM
On Thu, Nov 24, 2022 at 10:12 AM Rajaram Krishnamurthy < [email protected]> wrote: > In the early periods of human history, the environment strongly determined > the lives and activities > of the people. They were very much close to forest and natural resources > as we find in historical > documents. Ancient Indian texts like Arthasastra, Sathapatha Bhramanas, > Vedas, Manusmrti, Brhat- > Samhita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Rajtarangini reflected the concepts of > forest ecology and > conservation in a sustainable manner. In the Indus valley civilization, > several characteristics of the > city planning and social structure showed environmental awareness. The > presence of leaves, wild > animals like peacocks and one-horned deer, tigers, elephants, bulls in the > seals and the mud pots can > indicate the pattern of biodiversity in those areas. Reduction of forests > in that area was due to the use of > huge amounts of timber-wood for burning bricks. So rainfall reduced and > soil erosion caused > deposition of silt in the Indus River which had choked off Mohenjodaro > from the sea, causing a rise in > the water table that must have been a prime factor in the destruction of > Mohenjodaro. The sacred > Groves (Tapovana) of India were rich in biodiversity and ecological > wealth, which was also > mentioned in many ancient Indian documents like Abhigyan Shakuntalam > written by Kalidasa. They > are small packets of forests dedicated to local deities. In the Bhagavad > Gita, Krishna compares the > world to a single banyan tree with unlimited branches in which all the > species of animals, humans and > demigods wander, which reflects the concept of community ecology. The > trees like Banyan and > Peepal were often referred in historical background (widely protected in > Asia and Africa) are > keystone resources. In modern age, there are many policies developing in > many countries for forest > and biodiversity conservation, but they are all directly or indirectly > influenced by the traditional > knowledge developed in ancient India. > 2 Kautilya, also known as Chanakya, was the minister of > Chandragupta Maurya (321-297 BC), India‟s first emperor. The book > Arthashastra written by him is a treatise on government and economics of > ancient India. The book informed that the people knew about the rainfall > regimes, > soil types and appropriate irrigation techniques in specific > micro-ecological contexts. Arthasastra had a number of sutras in > different chapters dealing with various > aspects of statecraft and administration, which shows environmental > awareness.1 In the book, importance was given on the protection and > management of forests, gardens, orchards as these all were considered as > sources of revenue, besides being of recreational spots. The Arthasastra > divided the country between the Himalayas and the > oceans into various kinds of regions - Forests (aranya), Village areas > (gramya), Mountains (parvata), Wet or humid areas (audaka), Drylands > (bhauma), Plains (sama) and Uneven lands (visawa). The average annual > rainfall in some of the famous places like Asmaka and Avanti was 13.5 and > 23 dronas (1 drona = 1.5 to 2 inches) respectively. Asmaka (upper Godavari > plains), Avanti (Malwa) and Aparanta (Konkan) together formed a continuous > territory.2 > Arthasastra demonstrates Kautilya’s perception and concern about the > living creatures - domestic and wild animals, plants and vegetations. > Penalties and punishments were specified for injuring living creatures. > Special positions were occupied by directors of forests, supervisor of > animal slaughter, superintendents of cattle, horses, elephants, and > pastures. These officials used to protect wildlife, ensured proper > rations for pet animals, regulated grazing, prevented poaching of wild > animals, ensured proper care of domestic animals etc. Individuals were > supposed to follow norms about their dealing with the domestic animals.3 > Non-agricultural > lands were sometimes used for animal parks where animals were given full > protection. > In these sanctuaries, capture or killing of animals were prohibited. List of > protected animals, fish, birds were found which executes the scientific > knowledge of biodiversity. Village head-man was made responsible for > preventing cruelty to animals in village communities. Details of care, > training, and treatment of horses, elephants and cows had been indicated.3 The > king is supposed to protect forests, elephant forests, irrigation works and > mines that were made in ancient times and also should start new ones. > Forests were considered as a > valuable resource, forest products should be used in a sustainable manner > and factories for goods made from forest products should be started as > Kautilya mentioned in Arthasastra. For cutting any part of a tree, fines > of variable amounts were imposed on the offender depending on the types of > injury. Emphasis was given particularly on those which bear fruits, flowers > or provide shades. Among material forests, one which was large, full of > resources, accessible and watered by a river was given more importance, > because it could be a shelter in time of trouble.4 The environmental > issues described in Arthasastra are very much relevant in modern society. > In 1972, the conference on human environment in Stockholm mentioned about > some principles which were very much similar to the edicts of > Arthasastra. Even in India, some of the environmental laws like Water > (prevention and control of pollution) Act 1974, The Forest Conservation > Act 1980 and The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 show amazing similarity with > forms and contents of Arthasastra. > 3 In the dicta for prevention of pollution in Manusmriti, we can > get the reflection of ecological awareness: > 1. Biodiversity means all living forms broadly ascribed as Chara (movable > living world) and Achara (immovable: plant kingdom). > 2. Pollution refers to spoilage of the five gross elements by unethical > activity. > 3. Contamination refers to any action against wholesomeness (Ssoucha). > 4. Storage organs of plants like tuberous roots and underground stems, > leafy vegetables, beautiful flowers, tasteful fruits, timber yielding > trees, crops etc. remained objects of allurement in that period. For > saving the plants and their parts from injury, Manusmruti describes > various punishments for the offenders. > 5. Importance was given for conserving and domesticating animals, > biodiversity protection, and vegetarian food habits. According to Manu, > agriculture caused injury to animals, specially the insects and germs in > the soil. > 6. For biodiversity protection, he mentioned that fishes of all types > should not be killed for food purpose; one hoofed animals, village pigs, > solitary moving animals and unknown beasts should be protected; > carnivorous birds, birds of village habitat, web footed birds, diving birds > feeding > on fishes, birds with striking beaks should not be killed for the purpose > of eating. He stated that killing of Khara (ass), asva (horse), ustra > (camel), mrga (deer), ibha (elephant), > aja (goat), ahi (snake), ahisa (buffalo) is a sin. > 4 CHARAKA SAMHITAI AND SUSHRUTA SAMHITA: > a. jangala, or the region of open spaces where a steady dry wind > blows. Thecommon plants of the region were khedira (Acacia catechu), > asana (Terminalia tomentosa) and badari (Zizyphus jujuba). > b. anupa, or the marshy tract bordered by seas, where cold wind and > networks of rivers prevailed. The common plants were vanjula (cane or > reed), hintala (kind of palm) and narikela (coconut), varieties of > lotuses and water lilies, variparni (Pistia sp.), musika-parni (Salvinia > sp.), jalanili (algae) and saivala (moss). > c. sadharana, or the intermediate regions which had some of the features > common to the other two regions. The common plants were mandara or > parijataka (coral tree) and santana (kalpa tree). Susruta classified > animals on the basis of their food habits and habitats. He also classified > edible fishes into freshwater and saltwater varieties. The behaviors, mode > of life and ecological distribution of many animal species can be > gathered from his writings > 5 The Vedas specified four types of living beings, namely > andaja (born of eggs), jivaja (born of womb), svedaja (born of moisture) > and udbhija ( born of earth ) and declared that these are impelled by > prajnaman ( consciousness ). The Vedas described the diversified range of > flora and fauna and urged human beings to protect, preserve, nurture and > nourish the environment and natural world. For the benefit of the humans > and other living organisms they > prescribed a pleasant environment consisting of sweet breeze, sweet > flowing rivers, beneficial herbs, sweet day and night, sweetness of earth > particles, sweet fruit bearing trees, beneficial sun and healthy cows. > Importance was given on the habitats which should be protected. For the > protection and development of forests, the concept of afforestation was > developed. Plants were compared with mother, friends and deities. The > voice of the trees was compared with > the sounds of drums, lutes and flutes. Water was considered as the symbol > of purity which should be free from pollution. With a social objective, > they emphasized that water is a common resource to be used by all. Rg > Veda contains many notes on irrigated agriculture, river courses, dykes, > water reservoirs, wells and water lifting structures.18 Water was > compared with living beings, creator, edible crops, truth, desires which > in totality signifies the ecological and environmental dimensions. Animals > were divided in terms of those of the air (vayavya), those of the jungle > (aranya) and those of the village (gramya). Prayers were offered for the > welfare of animals. Plants were > classified into trees, shrubs with spreading branches, herbs, spreading or > deliquescent plants, bushy plants, climbers, creepers, creepers spreading > on the ground. The Vedas hailed the trees, the roots, the panicles, the > corona, the branches, the leaves, the flowers and the fruits. Herbs were > considered to have remedial powers. Rg Veda mentioned that plants had > preceded animals, particularly man, in the process of evolution. In > Upanishad, the idea of evolution was expressed as „ From that very Atman ether > came to be; from ether air, from air fire, from fire water, from water the > earth, from the earth herbs, from herbs food and from food the person > came into existence‟. The oral tradition and the Veda would have to be > among the earliest record of ruminations on nature and environment in > India. In the Vedic literatures mother Earth was personified as the > goddess Bhumi, or Prithivi. Her beauty and profusion were vividly > portrayed in the Atharva Veda: “O mother, with your oceans, rivers and > other bodies of water, you give us land to grow grains, on which our > survival depends. Please give us as much milk, fruits, water and cereals > as we need to eat and drink.” The Chandogya, one of the principal > Upanishads pointed out: > “The rivers --------- all discharge their waters into the sea. They lead > from sea to sea, > the clouds raise them to the sky as vapor and release them in the form of > rain……” This is mprobably the oldest reference of the hydrological cycle. > In Ishopanishad, the concepts of sustainable development and conservation > were established: “All in this manifested world consisting of moving and > non-moving are covered by the lord. Use its resources with restraint. Do > not grab the property of others- distant and yet to come. ”. > The later Vedas, especially the Ayurveda section, demonstrate profound > knowledge of > biodiversity. The inter-relationship between living species and the > environment was > established. It described the need to maintain natural dynamism, the right > ways of handling plants and trees, native flora and fauna and the price > one should pay for going against the ecological principles. Medicinal > plants such as palash, arjun, yava, laksha, haridra, haritaki etc. > were widely used for treatment. Among post Vedic ancient texts, a classic > work was Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda, which executed knowledge of soil, > seed, manure, irrigation and > care for health and proper growth of plants. Vrikshayurveda means the > science of plant life, which is known to have existed in ancient India as > a special branch of knowledge. This traditional document mainly deals > with the practical aspects of plant science. The chapter “Bijotpatti > Kanda” describes the forest ecosystems. Forests were referred to by > different names like „atavi‟, „bipina‟, „gahana‟, „kanana‟, „bana‟, > „aranyani‟ etc. The books described forests > where trees, shrubs, creepers and grasses grow naturally. Classification > and characterization of woodlands were done according to their location > and natural surroundings.Banwari, the day-editor of Jansata, a Hindi daily > newspaper published in Delhi, has made a detailed study of the forest > culture of India. He wrote: “Hindu tradition describes > three basic categories of forests. One is shrivan, the forest which > provided prosperity. Tapovan where one could contemplate as the sages did > and seek after truth. The third is mahavana, the great natural forest > where all species of life find shelter.”. Once some of the original > forests were cleared, however, Vedic culture required that another kind > of forest be established in its place. Each village preserved sections of > forests (shrivan) for their own specific needs. These forests were > different from the mahavanas, the wild forest or jungle, because they > were open for exploitation and harvesting according to strict ecological > practices. These were the forests of wealth and the basis of community‟s > prosperity. In Vedic age, each village was responsible through its > panchayat, or committee of five elders, for maintaining the forests in > its own locality. No village was complete without its corresponding > woodlands in and around its houses. “The Hindu idea is that this whole > world is a forest. To keep this world as it is we have to keep the world > forest intact”. This gave rise to the concept of cultural landscapes such as > sacred > forests and groves, sacred corridors, and a variety of ethno-forestry > practices that reflect the ecosystem-like concepts in traditional > societies.23 In the post-Vedic period, this tradition continued; in > addition to considering a landscape as such valuable and sacred, > individual species and micro-units were also treated as sacred. Examples > include the temple forests, monastery forests, sanctified and consecrated > trees, the sacred forests, sacred groves, sacred trees etc. > 7 According to the Mahabharata, Hastinapur, the capital of > Kurus, was situated in a forested area. It also mentioned that the > kingdoms of Kurus and Panchalas – covering roughly the upper Gangetic > plains – were located in forested area. Devipurana (chapter 14) mentioned > nine sacred forests of which Kuru jungle, Nimisha and Utpalaranya covered > the upper Ganga plains. Pollen records from Hastinapur excavations show > the presence of Pinus, Dalbergia, Holorabera etc. When the Pandavas was > given half the kingdom, they had to build their capital, Indraprastha. > This required the clearing of the forests and in order to do this > effectively the god Agni burnt the forest. Krishna and Arjuna went to > Khandava forest which was situated on the bank of Yamuna, where Delhi > stands today. Agni,s appearance as a Brahman begging alms was > significant, because Brahmans played an important role in the process of > colonization. > In Ramayana, the prince of Ayodhya, was about to set out on his long exile > in the forests south of the Gangetic plains, his mother Kaushalya, > expressed fear about his safety: “May the huge elephants not harm you my > dear son, nor the lions, tigers, bears, boars or ferocious horned > buffalo. ”The forested lands were a source of pleasure for Sita. References > of lotus ponds, geese, ducks, honey-scented groves, herds of deer were > found. When building their home in the forest, they first sacrificed one > of the present day endangered species, the blackbuck. Lakshmana made sure > the animal was killed but left with its limbs intact to be cooked, > broiled and only then offered to god. The antelope, the krisnasara, had long > represented > the culture of the open spaces, of cereal- bearing dry land. Aryavartya, > the land of > the Aryans, was often co-terminus with the land of the black antelope. > These were areas to the north of the Vindhya mountain chain. Ramayana > described that Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Jupa Puspa or Karnikar > (Hibiscus mutabilis/Hibiscus rosasinensis) etc. were favourite trees of > Sita. The Asoka Garden of Ravana had Sala (Shorea robusta), Asoka (Saraca > indica), Champa (Michelia champaca) etc. In that period, the Chandan or > SandalWood trees (Santalum album) were very popular. The gradual clearing > of forests over the centuries has changed the ecology of certainregions. > The pace of change was not uniform. It was slower in earlier times and more > limited in its geographical area, but as the demand for land increased, > the clearing of the forestsbecome faster and the area so cleared , larger. > In the Abhigyan Shakuntalam, Dusyanta went on a hunt, accompanied by a > large number of warriors, and they indiscriminately killed the animals > (herds of deer, tigers and elephants). The people of the settlement were > demonstrating their power over nature. Also in the play, the closeness of > man to the forests through ashrama life was demonstrated. The forest was > executed as a place of peace and gentleness, where even the plants and the > deer > were very close to Shakuntala. Kalidasa romanticized the forest life to > make it more familiar. Sacred groves are small packets of forests > dedicated to local deities. They are a common phenomenon in many parts of > the country particularly in the north- eastern regions and the Western > Ghats. These dark evergreen forest patches are believed to be sacred to the > village > god or goddess, and have been preserved from time immemorial. Many of them > contain > climax level vegetation and harbour rare and little known species of > plants. Sacred groves not only protect the ecology of that region but > also provide dry fuel wood, dry leaves and many kinds of non-wood produce > for the village communities. Some previous studies reported the existence > of over 10,000 sacred groves in India. These forest patches harbor > huge trees and giant climbers and serve as repositories of rare, endemic > and endangered organisms. The ancient cities of Vaisali, Kushinaraand, > Champa, all maintained sacred groves. The groves may even have been > specially planted as they are often described as being of specific kinds > of trees, such as Banyan or the Sala. Vrajbhumi, the region around > Vrindavana, always had a very good environmental balance, following the > traditional pattern of Hindu India. Many ancient Indian texts highlighted > the concept of sacred groves through the ages. In the Bhagavad Gita, > Krishna compared the world to a single banyan tree with unlimited > branches in which all the species of animals, humans and demigods wander, > which reflects the concept of community ecology. The trees like Banyan > and Peepal were often > referred in historical background (widely protected in Asia and Africa) > are keystone resources. The worship of trees as a part of fertility cult > remained a constant feature of the religion of pastoralists, peasants and > those of lesser status among urbanites. Srivastava Goswami, a vaishnava > scholar considered the life of Krishna „the greatest chapter in > environmental history‟. He says that there were only two recorded occasions > when > Krishna performed formal religious worship, and on both these occasions he > worshipped > nature. Krishna said that all creatures are born, die, and get pleasure and > pain by International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences Vol. 30 41 the > force of karma; so there is no necessity to worship Indra (the lord of > water) as everyone could control its own destiny. He also said “your > environment is your concern, it is your duty.” Krishna taught that it was > better to worship the hills, forests and cows than to perform a ritual > for the demigods. Krishna defeated the serpent kalya and purified the > Yamuna River. > He swallowed the forest fire to protect the forest. He looked after the > cows. He spoke to the birds in their own language. He was always > protecting nature. Krishna praised the trees of Brindavan: “they have > dedicated their lives to the welfare of others. Individually they are > tolerating all kinds of natural disturbances…………. They supply various > kinds of facilities to human society, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, > shade, roots, bark, flavour extracts and fuels.” (Srimad Bhagavatam > 10.22.32-35).29 > Vrindavana was famous for its groves of sacred kadamba, papal, tamal, > amalaki and vata, but now is almost bare. The environment was also very > pleasant, as mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam : “ Krishna brought forward > the cows and played on his flute through the forest of Vrindavana, which > was full of flowers, vegetables and pasturing grass……….. full of bees, > flowers and fruits. There were chirping birds and clear water lakes………. > Sweet flavoured breezes blew always, refreshing the mind and body.” There > are many stories in the Vedic literature which showed the interactions > between worldly persons and sages in their forest ashramas. From this > profoundly natural setting emerged the Vedic teachings of the Upanishads > such as the Brihad- Aranyaka, which means „the teaching which began in > the forests‟. The beauty of natural creation was called in Sanskrit > vanavaibhava. It could be argued that the romanticization of the forest > began when it was thought that culture was suppressing nature. In the > period of Vanaprastha and Sanyasa, > for a man the forest was an avenue to the discarding of the mantle of > civilization and the > discovery of the self. > Some categories of literature are very aware of ecological differences and > their links to culture. Thus the Tinnai concept of Tamil Sangam texts, > composed around the start of the Christian era, is a fascinating example > of detailed and early perception of the significance of the eco-zones. > The landscape had been classified by five types of eco-zones which were > interrelated > with the cultural and social structure of society. The zones were listed as > the littoral, the wetlands, the pastoral tracts, the dry zones and the > hilly backwoods. Fishing and the making of salt was important in the > coastal areas, the cultivation of rice in the wetlands, the breeding of > livestock and practice of shifting cultivation in the pastoral tracts, > which were subject to cattle-lifting from those who lived in the > dry-zones, and hunting and gathering was associated with back wood life. > Wetlands were extremely limited as compared to the non cultivable > tracts, but over a period of time this changed. There were some > interactions through the exchange of paddy and salt for other products, > generally at the exchange centers. There have been some historical > studies attempting to trace the process by which these micro eco-zones > gradually evolved into macro-zones. > 8 With the advancement of civilization and development, the > environment has become affected to a considerable extent. Environmental > degradation has raised uncomfortable questions about the concept of > development itself. With environmental degradations, a large section of > people has become marginalized and their live and livelihood has faced > grave concerns. Development as expected has increased consumerism in a > small section of the society, but it has degraded and depleted natural > resources simultaneously. It is a need of the hour to secure the right to > save food, water, air and all other natural ingredients in particular and > environment in general. To get rid of the emerging environmental and > ecological problems of modern civilized societies, there is an increasing > trend of consciousness growing among us. There are many policies > developing in many countries for environmental protection, but they are > all directly or indirectly dependent on the traditional knowledge developed > in the ancient age which teaches us the concept of the value of a simple > life. We can follow the simple policies of our forefathers who probably > had much better understanding of the environment than we currently have. > Detailed studies are urgently needed to extract, analyze and implement > the ancient Indian environmental and ecological conservation policies in > modern societies, so that in the near future we can get a more stable, clean, > rich and healthy environment. { From the WB blogger from my researched > diaries} KR IRS 241122 > > On Thu, 24 Nov 2022 at 06:29, Markendeya Yeddanapudi < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> -- >> *Mar*Communicating and Interacting with Other Organisms >> >> >> >> You are not a single organism. There are 10,000 trillion bacteria,in you >> making you, you. When the ‘you’ inhales air, the smell message carrying air >> changes into hormones, travel via the blood stream, the hormones become the >> instructions of coordinated living to all the bacteria constituting you. >> The electromagnetic Brain, photon-synthesizes observations, while the >> Amygdala, gives the emotional feeds or the collective voice of the >> trillions of organisms in you. >> >> Breathing constitutes your living. You smell by breathing. You smell the >> smell messages of the other organisms. You interact with every other >> organism via smelling and sensing. The ‘you ‘or the 10,000 trillion >> bacteria, are communicating with each other as a result of your breathing. >> >> When 10,000 trillion bacteria can communicate with each other, ultimately >> via the air, will it not be possible to use the same air to communicate >> with the other organisms of the biosphere? You must first feel that you are >> part of the Biosphere, and that emotions bind you to the Biosphere via >> breathing. Then you must accept that the other organism is a being of >> emotions and feelings and that you can breathe, smell and feel the feelings >> of that organism. You have to practice breathing and smelling, and then >> gradually you learn to sort out the smells into smell messages. You learn >> to give smell responses. Gradually your mind also participates in this >> process. >> >> Start by sitting near a tree, and try to smell and sense the messages of >> the tree. >> >> In a big forest, when you adopt this method of communication with the >> other organisms, you swim in a wonderful ocean of approval. That feeling >> becomes your living. Once the human organism could sort out 50,000 >> different smells. >> >> Today we do not even bother to communicate with nature. We lost our very >> basic faculty of smelling and communicating. We do not even realize that we >> are part of the planet earth. This basic indifference is euphemized as >> scientific temperament. >> >> Just go into a forest, and try to breathe, smell and sense. You can >> experience the real world, the world of emotions and feelings. You begin >> reclaiming your macro personality. >> >> YM >> > -- *Mar* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCJGbs3SpuvCPTKpFuZL%3Dm-ih0yX4DqvCrcqoU0HV5tJBg%40mail.gmail.com.
