Last

Environment means that which envelops us on all sides, the Nature all around us, the surroundings. Everything is included in it. While man influences environment, the latter, too, casts a wide and deep impact on him. Indeed, the story of man�s progress is the story of his smooth and organic adjustment with nature. Nature has made invaluable contribution in making human life rich and joyful by bestowing upon it innumerable gifts. At the root of this benevolence, there has been man�s love, goodwill and reverence for nature.

 In Indian culture, special sanctity has been accorded to environment � conservation. Here, human life, in tangible and intangible forms, has always been seen as existing in harmony with the earth, water, air, space, the sun, moon, rivers, trees, birds and animals. The Indian rishis (seers) had deeply understood the mutually inter-dependent relationship between man and nature. That is why the concept of environment-protection in Indian thought is as old as the human existence itself; although its nature and form have been different from today�s concept. In those times, there were no social or non-governmental organizations to work in the field of environment protection, nor was there any national policy as such. There was perhaps no need for this. This value was inculcated in public-psyche since childhood by the sages and seers, and the Brahmin-priests. For this reason, a strong sense of environment-protection suffused our whole existence and became a part and parcel of the routine activities of daily life.

 The very first lesson our rishis taught the people was that there exists a relationship of essential oneness between every sentient and so-called insentient entity in this creation; one Cosmic Spirit permeating them all. Here, the different organs of nature were never seen in isolation of man; nay, every entity was invested with divinity and this sanatan (eternal) tradition has had its own profound philosophic and spiritual basis. To perceive God�s existence as all - pervading and to experience this Immanent Being in every animate and inanimate object � this is the essence of Indian spirituality. On this philosophical underpinning, a healthy respect for nature has been blossoming, and glimpses of the Divine were perceived in its myriad manifestations.

 In this backdrop, the sages and seers of India, sitting in the sylvan surroundings of nature, discovered the mystery of atma and Parmatma (the individual self and the Cosmic Self). That is why, in ancient India, the scriptural texts were created in the forests, or on mountains and river banks, and our rishis remained ever conscious about awakening and emphasizing the bond of reverential faith (shraddha), regard and cooperation between man and nature in its full grandeur and radiance. For this reason, rivers, mountains, woods and lakes were regarded as the ideal centers for spiritual sadhana (enquiry). It was the height of shraddha that rivers were accorded the exalted status of mother, mountains were looked upon as divine, and trees were considered objects of worship. Deification of the elements of nature reflects this Sublime Height of the vedic thought.

Among the vedic literature, the Aranyakas occupy an important place. Bhaskaracharya, the commentator of Aitareya Aranyaka writes that the Aranyakas were called so because their teaching and studying were done in Aranyakas (forests). These are serious and thought-provoking works on Brahmavidya, the knowledge of Brahman. In them, God has been perceived as the all-pervading and immanent power in every atom of the creation. Such a perception naturally leads to the establishment of a cordial bond of kinship between man and nature. For this reason, the Indian rishi prays for peace � from the depths of his antah-karana (the internal sense) for every sentient and insentient constituent of the universe. At the same time, he also prays to the Almighty that he himself be an instrument of peace.

The Upanishadic rishi says: "Yo devoagnau yoapsu yo vishvam bhuvanamavivesha / Ya oshadhishu yo vansapatishu tasmai devaya namo namah" //

Meaning � "I bow to the God who indwells the fire and the water, by whom the entire world is permeated, who swells in the herbs and the flora". With this lofty vision, the Indian seers recognized Nature as a means to spiritual progress and self-development. There has always been a sense of reverence and respect towards Nature here. Lord Krishna proclaimed this very eternal truth when he called himself ritu1 personified, tree personified, river personified, and mountains personified in chapter X of the Bhagwadgita � Vibhuti Yoga. The Indian scheme of four-fold division of life, too, is based on the Indian rishi�s holistic vision of nature. Of the four ashramas2 (stages of life), three were spent wholly in the company of nature. The first stage of brahmacharya ashrama (as student), was spent in the teacher�s ashrama or retreat which used to be located in forest regions by river banks, where one always remained close to nature. The third stage of vanaprastha ashrama, too, makes clear its role by its nomenclature. In this stage of life, mainly devoted to study, sadhana and contemplation on the nature of self, the major part of the loka-sevi�s (public servant�s) time was spent in forest regions (vana). And the sanyasa ashrama stage was the path of single pointed sadhana for spiritual awakening which required a person to relinquish all worldly responsibilities and retire to the seclusion of mountain caves.

Thus the Indian culture is suffused with deep affinity with and unbounded reverence for nature. Glimpses of the Divine in diverse constituents of the earth is reflected in the utterance of the Upanishadic seer when he says: "O Lord, sands are your semi-digested food; rivers are your veins and arteries; mountains and hills are your heart-region; all the flora, trees and herbs are like your cutaneous hair. Be they all our Shiva. We respect and conserve the rivers and the trees etc. beholding these as your body organs". It is high time to wake up and be aware of this lofty and insightful life-vision of our rishis. The modern developmental model of the society and the world is diametrically opposed to the view propounded by the rishis. To call it a product of demonic culture will not be entirely wrong. Its ideal is reckless abuse of nature and maximum exploitation of its resources. In this model, nature is merely a resource to be utilized. It has no vision to regard nature even as its friendly companion and complementary power let alone having a healthy esteem for it. The present crisis of environment � degradation is the direct result of this merciless exploitation and ravishment of nature. As long as a sense of love and respect for nature is not developed all materialistic efforts at environment protection would remain superficial and futile. This is not possible without glimpsing the Immanent Presence of the Supreme Being in each atom of the creation. This, in the words of the Yugrishi, is the process of straightening up (ulte ko sulta karna) the inverted. There can be no solution to the environmental � crisis without bringing about a fundamental change in our outlook.

Notes: 1. Ritu = the cosmic order; cycle of seasons. 2. The four successive ashramas (lit. � �hermitages�) are � brahmacharya (as student), grihastha (as householder), vanaprastha (forest anchorite) and sanyas (ascetic or mendicant).

Last