On Earth Day we must resolve to recreate ancient doctrines of regenerative lifestyle to ensure our planet and its inhabitants remain healthy
The celebration of Earth Days or for that matter any day is the occasion for educating the public on issues of concern to humanity, discussing concerns having global relevance, mobilising public opinion, showcasing the achievements of humanity, and revisiting the civilizational discourses for drawing a road map for the future. Human civilization is at a cross-road due to the planetary climate crisis. Unquestionably, human indulgence and the plundering of natural resources is the prime reason for the mess we are in.
The Vedic culture is a set of doctrines for living in perfect harmony with nature. The verses in the Vedas manifest the sacred relationship between biotic and abiotic components. To the Vedic people, the Earth was an object of worship and its bountiful natural resources were utilised to meet the bare minimum needs for survival. A Hymn in Prithvi Sukta in Atharva Veda is the foremost inspirational ecological proclamation. Through this, we earnestly vouch for the ever-lasting allegiance to Mother Earth- 'Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah. Rig Veda (8.8.49.4) contemplates that ‘United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings, collected be your mind, in the same way as all the various aspects of the universe exist in interconnectedness, wholeness and oneness’.
Prithvi Sukta says ‘O Mother Earth! Be kind to us and bestow happiness upon us. May you be fertile, arable, and nourisher of all? May you continue supporting people of all races and nations?’ Through these, Mother Earth’s blessings are sought for the prosperity of all creatures and the fulfilment of righteous aspirations of man. We solemnise Mother Earth for all her natural bounties, especially for her gifts of water, herbs and vegetation, and we pray for the wellness of the sky, hills, mountains, rivers, clouds, seas and oceans and wish that all components of Earth remain healthy.
Through such principles, man secured the Earth from all environmental misadventures and ill-treatment. In Sanatan culture, we firmly believe that the earth and all its objects are not merely the creation of God but also possess his divine energy (‘Tat sristva ta devanu pravisat’: after creating the universe, He entered into every object created). Thus, we developed close interconnections and a co-existential mindset with nature. Contrastingly, to satisfy our greed and unlimited wants, we are now polluting the hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere and atmosphere- crucial components of Earth. Consequently, mother earth is wounded, its ecosystem polluted to the extent of becoming incapable of supporting.
Verse 12.1.35 in Bhumi Suktam warned us about the overexploitation of natural resources irreparably damaging the environment. In Atharv Veda, we prayed that What, O earth, I dig out of thee, quickly shall that grow again: may I not, O pure one, injure thy vitals or thy heart. Since we no longer celebrate the divine energy in Earth and its components, our indulgence with nature has become ‘Prakriti Virodhi’. Therefore, the question arises: What should be our Sanatan discourse on the irreversible planetary climate crisis? Contextually, the Sanatan worldview, scholarship, traditions, civilizational discourses and nature-centric indulgence can provide a spiritual roadmap to address the threat of climate change.
Pancha mahabhutas (Prithvi, Agni, Jal, Akash, and Vayu) originate from nature and depend upon each other for existence. Earth, the densest of all, is the ground upon which life originates and flourishes. For us, the Earth is an organic entity, metaphysically and metaphorically. We worship these elements for their sacredness and divine energy. We used to perform the prayer before any action that we thought might pollute these elements. Through yagnas and sacrificial fire, we used to purify the environment. Practices like daily greetings to mother earth before stepping onto it, praying to the sun at the first sight, greetings to food and offering it to God before eating, worshipping rivers, mountains, vegetation and various other lands- and life-forms, and thanking God before sleeping amply demonstrate the depth of our intimate relationship with nature. In Vishwamitra Smriti we pray Samundravasane devi parvatstanmandale? Vishnupatni namstubhyam padsparsh kshamaswame- Oh Mother Goddess, the one who is covered with oceans as her garments and mountains as her bosom, the consort of Lord Vishnu, please forgive us for touching You with our feet.
This does not mean that Hindus mindlessly worship the superiority of nature due to fear or superstition. Vedic culture taught us that human beings are not the supreme species and have no right to dominate or conquer other entities. Vedas advised us to live in a co-existential mindset. Ishavasya Upanishad verse-1 says that Isavasyamidam sarvam yatkinca jagatyam jagat; Tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya sviddhaman; meaning that ‘All natural resources belong to the God and our share is the bare minimum necessary for survival and earn without committing sins. So we should not covet others’ wealth. The irony is that the modern Hindus are en-route to forgetting their traditional sacred relationship with nature and their ecological vision is becoming blurred. Consequently, the life support system of the earth has been degraded and polluted and the earth is becoming unfit to nurture and support life. We need to restore our ancient ecological vision to reverse this trend. We ought to embrace our traditional lifestyle, world view and civilizational discourses of green living. The Vedic philosophy of oneness must be the guiding principle for our indulgence with nature where the universe is considered an integral part of our own higher self.
From scientific materialism and dualistic Western metaphysics, we learnt that man is independent of nature and God is independent of both, man and nature. This prompted us to consider mother earth a dead object and encouraged us to exploit nature that can be naturally regenerated whereas Atharva Veda taught us: ‘O Mother Earth, May whatever I dig from you grow back again quickly, and may we not injure you by our labour’. This is leading to the collapse of the earth’s ecosystem. The fact is Mother Earth does not discriminate against the creatures decorating her body and soul. To Her, all creatures are equally important. Thus, we arrive at the dictum ‘Sarva Bhuta Hita’.
We should not live in the illusion that man is special or different from other biotic and abiotic components and also from each other. We must restore and promote the deep-rooted benign interconnectedness that exists between man and nature. We need to interface our Sanatan worldview and modern science to experience and enrich inner harmony and peace, universal brotherhood and respect for mother earth.
We need to recreate ancient doctrines of regenerative lifestyle which can ensure the sustainability of nature. We must ensure that all life-sustaining components of mother earth remain healthier than ever before. On Earth Day, can we commit ourselves to restoring Earth’s life-sustaining ecosystem, re-establish the Sanatan connection with nature and natural resources, celebrate God’s creativity and divine energy, and relearn to live harmoniously with Nature? After all, ‘Wisdom comes to a man, who meditates, acts and lives according to the true eternal laws of Nature' (Rig Veda).
(The writer is Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda)
