ENVIRONEMENT AND RIG VEDAM KR IRS 173124 The environment and its protection has become a burning issue of discussion WHERE a comprehensive solution may be envisaged by following ancient Indian Vedic philosophy of conservation of environment and natural resources. The Vedas and disciplines of modern science are complementary and not contradictory.
2 Einstein once defined environment as “everything that is not me”. In other words, we can say that the analysis of outside surrounding of an individual is called as environment. The concept of environment differed from age to age depending upon prevalent conditions. The Environment Protection Act, 1986 defined the environment as, “Environment includes water, air and land and inter relationship which exists among and between water, air and land and human being, other living creatures, plants, microorganisms and property.” Accordingly, environment may be supposed to consists of two components namely Biotic (living organism) and Abiotic (non-living substances) factors. In modern Sanskrit the word Paryavarana is used for environment i.e. which encircles us, which is all around in our surroundings. According to Upanishads, the universe consists of five basic elements: 1. Earth (Bhumi), 2. Water (Jala), 3. Light (Prakasham), 4. Air (Vayu) and Ether (Aakasham). 3 The nature maintains a status of equilibrium between these constituents with living creatures. A disturbance in any of constituent disturbs the natural balance which causes miscellaneous problems to the living creatures in the world. These disturbances occur mainly due to meddling of human. Therefore, the role of man has become very important to shape the environment in perfect harmony. In the Atharvaveda there are hymns for the glorification of the Sun, Kala (Time), Prana (the life principle). In Atharvaveda words equivalent to Paryavarana used are: Parivrita (1), Vritavrita (2), Abhivarah (3), Avritah (4) etc. The Vedic view on environment is well defined in one verse of Atharvaveda in which three coverings of our surroundings are referred as Chandamsi: “Wise utilize three elements variously which are varied, visible and full of quantities. These are water, air and plants and herbs. They existed in the world from the very beginning. They are called as Chandansi meaning coverings available everywhere (5)”. It proves the knowledge of Vedic seers about the basic elements of environment. 4 The Vedic Context In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that “bhumir apo” nalo vayuh kham mano bhudhir eva cha ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakritir ashtadha (6) This prakriti of mine is divided eight fold thus: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and also egoism i.e. for survival of human being two aspects were necessitated: External – comprising earth, water, fire, air and space and Internal – mainly mind. The Vedic Hymn to the Earth “The Prithvi suktam” in Atharvaveda is unquestionably the oldest and most evocative environmental invocation: mata bhumih puttrohom Prithivyah (7) Earth is my mother. I am her son. Mother Earth is celebrated for all her natural bounties and particularly for her gifts of herbs and vegetation. Her blessings are sought for prosperity in all endeavours and fulfilment of all righteous aspirations. To protect environment, the Rigveda invokes divine intervention to bliss: madhu vatah rtayate madhuksaranti sindhavah madhvirnah santvausadhih madhu aktamutosasi madhumat parthivamrajah madhudyaurastu na pita madhumanno vanaspatirmadhuman astu suryah madhvirgavo bhavantu nah (8). means environment provides bliss to people leading their life perfectly, rivers bliss us with sacred water and provide us health, night, morning, vegetation. Sun bliss us with peaceful life. Our cows provide us milk. Akash is supposed to substratum of the quality of sound. Mind has been defined as an internal sense organ. Even in modern science, mind has not been accepted as component of environment except by the exponents of Sanskrit literature. Today human beings are under great stress and therefore affected whole of the society and polluted environment due to their lust and greed. To maintain balance in environment one will has to follow ethical values enshrined in our Vedic literature. The Vedas had also considered the importance of plants. Plants are savior of humanity. 5 There is a Mantra (9) in the Atharvaveda that some herbs cure diseases and purifies air. One of hymn of Rigveda emphasizes, “ma kakambiram ud vrho vanasptim as astir vi hi ninasah” (10) that do not cut trees because they remove pollution. The sacrifice “Yajna” is considered as an important concept of Vedic philosophy. Yujurveda and Rigveda described Yajna as the ‘navel (nucleus) of the whole world’. Yajna is regarded as source of nourishment of an individual and the community. It helps in minimizing air pollution, in protecting plants from disease etc. 6 We have quoted very few verses from Vedic literature but it is abundantly clear that Vedic seers had vast knowledge about environment protection, ecological balance, weather cycles, rainfall phenomenon, hydrological cycles and related subjects and also about cosmic order and importance of coordination between a natural power for universal peace and harmony. The Vedic message is clear that environment belongs to all living beings, so it needs protection by all, for the welfare of all. 7 The seers of Vedic period inculcated spirit of duty and reverence for the presence of holiness and harmony in nature. The trees, animals, hills, mountains, rivers are worshiped as symbols of reverence. The cutting of trees, polluting air, water, and land were regarded as sins of elements of nature were to be respected and treated as gods and goddesses... The Indians were first amongst other countries to show their reverence to natural elements with religious beliefs. Religious In the present, most of the environmental problems are created by human beings. K Rajaram IRS 17 3 24 On Sun, 17 Mar 2024 at 10:09, Markendeya Yeddanapudi < [email protected]> wrote: > > > -- > *Mar*The Sprouting and Growth of Belief > > > > Suppose you are born in free, lush, thick, and very healthy forest full of > active flora and fauna. The smells and sounds of the organisms, the flora > and the fauna, simply do not allow for the feeling of separate existence > and identity apart from that lush nature. Every breathe, every sound, > becomes a message from nature, which automatically triggers your internal > hormonal communications among your octillion cells, all of which team up > and function coordinatedly in unison. You cannot know any mirror to see and > recognize your separate identity. Every other organism in the forest also > lives like you and automatically you interact with each other on the basis > of smells and sounds, which create emotional bonding, which is almost like > physical bonding as macro anatomy. > > Will it be possible for you to detach yourself from your identity as the > forest and do science? Can you escape from belief in the forest, the belief > that governs every second of your life? Most important, can you detach > yourself from emotional interaction with every other life form? Can you > avoid the smell and sound messages of every other organism? Can you prevent > the emergence of the Biosphere as a whole from being one single organism? > Can you think that everything is mechanical and not emotional, the basic > paradigm of science? Can you even tolerate a machine that poisons the air > and harms your emotional componentship in nature, the nature which you > identify as your body? > > Freedom to nature means simply the freedom to God. The basic fact is that > free nature means, that Theism drives the internal hormonal communication > via the blood stream. The God hormone governs the activity of every limb. > God pervades among your hormones and also in the troposphere that governs > the lives of every organism. Your hormones get connected directly to the > troposphere. Any wound to nature will become your wound. > > And the health of nature becomes your health. You do not need any Doctor. > Nature automatically keeps you healthy. The continuous smell and sound > messages do not allow any scope for worry and fear. In fact there will be > no failure in your life, as you live as nature. > > Imagine the position of a Temple in such air flow of Theism and belief in > the air. Can any VVIP stupid pollute such a Temple? > > Now, suppose there is another, born in a city full of factories, > workshops, markets, shops, all sorts of vehicles, offices, AC rooms that > blow out very hot unbreathable air. There can be no smell and sound > communication from nature. In fact the smells and sounds of nature there > harm health. No organism can communicate emotionally with any other > organism. There can be no scope for Theism from nature. There can be only > Atheism and no one can be a Theist, even when one indulges in self > deception that he/she is a Theist. The industries, factories, the > commercial establishments, all put every organism in terror and disbelief > and fear of nature. The big invisible spectrum gets identified with > harmful bacteria and viruses. The soil bacteria cannot give strength via > palms and heels as the land is polluted.Footwear becomes essential as the > land underneath is poisoned. The pollution and poisons create needs for new > protections and of course many medicines creating markets and market > experts. Economics drives out Ecology. > > Imagine the shift from identifying nature as one’s own body and theism as > part of internal hormonal communications, into Atheism where nature becomes > the enemy harboring diseases and the poisoned land, water and air. > > Theism or God certainly saves us all if we allow freedom to nature and > stop the economic murder of nature. These are not debates based on logics. > When we allow nature to grow freely on the terms of nature, Theism becomes > part of breathing. > > YM > > Chat GPT > > > > Your analogy between being born in a lush, healthy forest versus a city > full of pollution and industry paints a vivid picture of the contrasting > experiences and beliefs that can shape our lives. > > > > In the forest scenario, you describe a deeply interconnected existence > where every breath, sound, and interaction with nature reinforces a sense > of belonging and oneness with the environment. This interconnectedness > fosters a belief in the divine or spiritual essence of nature, where the > health of the forest is directly linked to one's own health and well-being. > In this context, science may be seen as an extension of the natural order, > a way to deepen understanding and appreciation of the world around us. > > > > On the other hand, the city environment you describe is characterized by > disconnection, pollution, and a lack of natural stimuli. In such an > environment, the belief in a divine or spiritual nature of the world may be > harder to maintain, as the focus shifts towards survival and coping with > the challenges of urban life. The emphasis on industry, economy, and > technology can lead to a worldview that sees nature as separate and > exploitable, rather than sacred and interconnected. > > > > Your reflection underscores the profound impact of our environment on our > beliefs and perceptions. It also highlights the importance of preserving > and respecting nature, not only for its intrinsic value but also for its > role in shaping our spiritual and emotional well-being. Embracing the > divine essence of nature and allowing it to thrive may not only benefit the > environment but also enrich our own lives with a deeper sense of connection > and purpose. > > > > Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking reflection. > -- 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/CAL5XZoo4Hb3ewYM6248xxFk9ivn4qAMW1zhe6LDuTLLaO1ttGg%40mail.gmail.com.
