Environment in Vedas

[Guest guest]

Members,

 

During my recent trip to India, I met a family friend of ours who is in a

very senior position with the Govt of India. During my conversation, he

expressed interest in knowing what our scriptures say about environment. I

explained to him briefly about the importance given to elements in the

scriptures with some mantras from Sandhyavandanam.

 

Does anyone know if there is any publication that has comprehesively dealt

with the topic ie., culled verses from Vedas etc and cogently presented a

way of how we should relate ourselves to our environment.

 

It might be helpful to feed such people with authority with some

information. He is willing to study and implement a few if he is convinced.

 

May be something good might come out of it.

 

Regards.

S. V. Subrahmanian.

_______________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

[Guest guest]

May be something good might come out of these links.

 

 

http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/Research/Hinduism/home.html

http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/82/singhvi.html

http://www.vizaginfo.com/books/bookvema.htm

http://www.summit.net/home/agnihotra/

http://www.pankajakasthuri.com/profile.html

http://www.agnihotraindia.com/studyfind.asp

 

 

S. V. Subrahmanian <svsubrahmanian

advaitin <advaitin>

Monday, February 26, 2001 8:09 AM

Environment in Vedas

 

>Members,

>

>During my recent trip to India, I met a family friend of ours who is in a

>very senior position with the Govt of India. During my conversation, he

>expressed interest in knowing what our scriptures say about environment. I

>explained to him briefly about the importance given to elements in the

>scriptures with some mantras from Sandhyavandanam.

>

>Does anyone know if there is any publication that has comprehesively dealt

>with the topic ie., culled verses from Vedas etc and cogently presented a

>way of how we should relate ourselves to our environment.

>

>It might be helpful to feed such people with authority with some

>information. He is willing to study and implement a few if he is convinced.

>

>May be something good might come out of it.

>

>Regards.

>S. V. Subrahmanian.

>_______________

>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

>

>

>

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Atman and Brahman.

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[Guest guest]

On Sun, 25 Feb 2001, S. V. Subrahmanian wrote:

> Members,

>

> [...]

> Does anyone know if there is any publication that has comprehesively dealt

> with the topic ie., culled verses from Vedas etc and cogently presented a

> way of how we should relate ourselves to our environment.

>

> [...]

> Regards.

> S. V. Subrahmanian.

>

 

namaste.

 

The book "Secular, social and ethical values in the upanishads" by

Ramanand Tiwari [Agam kala prakashan publications, Delhi, 1985]

has touched on this and many other social and ethical values

with references to various upanishad statements.

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

---

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Here is one of the outstanding articles on the subject:

 

http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/82/singhvi.html

 

The East is green

 

LAXMI MALL SINGHVI

 

outlines the cultural foundation for environmentally friendlyvalues

laid down over many centuries in India

 

Long before ecology became the refrain of the global song at

Stockholm and Rio, the ancient Indic heritage had already provided a

spacious spiritual home for the environmental ethos. In the West, the

term 'ecology' was coined only in the latter half of the 19th century

from the Greek word Oikos, meaning 'home'. But India has, throughout

trackless centuries, provided an ample expanse of friendly space for

an open and ongoing discourse of ideas. The Jain, Vedic and Buddhist

traditions established the principles of ecological harmony centuries

ago - not because the world was perceived as heading for an imminent

environmental disaster or destruction, nor because of any immediate

utilitarian exigency, but through its quest for spiritual and

physical symbiosis, synthesized in a system of ethical awareness and

moral responsibility.

 

The ancient sacred literature of the Vedas enshrines a holistic and

poetic cosmic vision. They represent the oldest, the most carefully

nurtured, the most elaborately systematized and the most lovingly

preserved oral tradition in the annals of the world. Unique in their

perspective of time and space, their evocative poetry is a joyous and

spontaneous affirmation of life and nature.

 

The Vedic Hymn to the Earth, the Prithvi Sukta in Atharva Veda, is

unquestionably the oldest and the most evocative environmental

invocation. In it, the Vedic seer solemnly declares the enduring

filial allegiance of humankind to Mother Earth: 'Mata Bhumih Putroham

Prithivyah: 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. A covenant is made that humankind shall secure the Earth

against all environmental trespass and shall never let her be

oppressed. A soul-stirring prayer is sung in one of the hymns for the

preservation and conservation of hills, snow-clad mountains, and all

brown, black and red earth, unhurt, unsmitten, unwounded, unbroken

and well defended by Indra.

 

The Hymn says, in prayerful thanksgiving and homage:

 

 

Earth in which lie the sea, the river and other waters,

in which food and cornfields have come to be,

in which lives all that breathes and that moves,

May she confer on us the finest of her yield.

Earth, in which the waters, common to all,

moving on all sides, flow unfailingly, day and night,

may she pour on us milk in many streams,

and endow us with lustre.

May those born of thee, O Earth,

be for our welfare, free from sickness and waste.

Wakeful through a long life, we shall become

bearers of tribute to thee.

Earth, my mother, set me securely with bliss

in full accord with heaven,

O wise one,

uphold me in grace and splendour.

 

The Vedic seers regarded the Earth as 'sacred space' for the

consecrated endeavours and aspirations of humankind and for the

practice of restraint and responsibility. This affirmative view of

the inviolable sacred space in human consciousness is integral to the

Vedas and the Upanishads. On it rests the Vedic vision of a world

filled with the purity of the spiritual environment and the sanctity

of environmental spirituality and morality. Such a world can only be

sustained by 'Satyam Brhat Rtam Ugram', the severely exacting

discipline of truth, harmony and rectitude, based on a conception of

cosmic and comprehensive peace as envisioned in the famous Vedic Hymn

of Peace:

 

 

We invoke and imbibe Aum, the primordial sound of

cosmic Harmony and pray for:

Peace and Harmony in Heaven;

Peace and Harmony in the Sky and on the Earth;

Peace and Harmony in the Waters;

Peace and Harmony in the Herbs, the Vegetation and the Forests;

Peace and Harmony among the

Peoples and the Rulers of the World;

Peace and Harmony in Spiritual Quest and Realization;

Peace and Harmony for one and all;

Peace and Harmony Everywhere and in Every Thing;

Peace, True and Real Peace,

Let that Peace repose in my inner space,

Peace of Peace, Everlasting Peace,

We pray for Peace.

 

The ecological philosophy of Jainism, flowing from its spiritual

quest, has always been central to its ethics, aesthetics, art,

literature, economics and statecraft. It is virtually synonymous with

the principle of Ahimsa (Non-violence) which runs through the Jain

tradition like a golden thread. Lord Mahavira said: 'There is nothing

so small and subtle as the atom, nor any element so vast as space.

Similarly, there is no quality of soul more subtle than non-violence

and no virtue of spirit greater than reverence for life.'

 

Compassion and reverence for life are the sheet-anchor of the Jain

quest for peace, harmony and rectitude, based on spiritual and

physical symbiosis and a sense of responsibility and restraint. The

term Ahimsa is stated in the negative (a = non, himsa = violence),

but it is rooted in a host of positive aims and actions which have

great relevance to contemporary environmental concerns. It is a

principle of compassion and responsibility, which should be practised

not only towards human beings, but towards all animals and nature.

The Jain scriptures tell us: 'The Arhats (Venerable ones) of the

past, present and future discourse, counsel, proclaim, propound and

prescribe thus in unison: Do not injure, abuse or press, enslave,

insult, torment, torture and kill any creature or any living being.'

 

Compassion and non-violence are the basis of the ancient Jain

scriptural aphorism Parasparopagraho Jivanam (all life is bound

together by the mutual support of interdependence). Lord Mahavira

proclaimed a profound ecological truth: 'One who neglects or

disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation

disregards his own existence which is entwined with them.'

 

Humanity's ethical responsibility

 

In Jain evolutionary theory all souls are equal but are bound by

varying amounts of asravas (karmic particles), reflected in the type

of body they inhabit. The lowest form of physical bodies, like those

of trees and vegetation, have only the sense of touch, yet are able

to experience pleasure and pain, and have souls. Mahavira thought

that only the one who understood the grave demerit and detriment

caused by the destruction of plants and trees could also understand

the meaning and merit of reverence for nature. (Even metals and

stones might have life in them and should not be dealt with

recklessly.) Above these forms of life are micro-organisms and small

animals with two, three or four senses. The highest grade of animals,

and human beings, also possess rationality and intuition. As a highly

evolved form of life, human beings have a great moral responsibility

in their mutual dealings and in their relationship with the rest of

the universe. It is this conception of life and its eternal

coherence, in which humans have an inescapable ethical

responsibility, that made the Jain tradition a cradle for the creed

of environmental protection and harmony.

 

The Jain code of conduct is profoundly ecological. Transgressions

against the vow of non-violence include all forms of cruelty to

animals and human beings. Many centuries ago, Jains condemned as evil

the common practice of animal sacrifices to the gods. It is generally

forbidden to keep animals in captivity, to whip, mutilate or overload

them or to deprive them of adequate food and drink. Domestic animals

may be roped, or even whipped occasionally, but always mercifully,

with due consideration and without anger. Except for allowing

themselves the judicious use of one-sensed life in the form of

vegetables, Jains would not consciously take any life for food or

sport. They are strict vegetarians, consuming neither meat, nor fish,

nor eggs.

 

By taking the basic vows, the Jain laity endeavour to live a life of

moderation and restraint and to practice a measure of abstinence and

austerity. They must not procreate indiscriminately lest they

overburden the universe and its resources. Regular periods of fasting

for self-purification are encouraged. In their use of the Earth's

resources, Jains take their cue from 'the bee that sucks honey in the

blossoms of a tree without hurting the blossom and strengthening

itself'. Wants should be reduced, desires curbed and consumption

levels kept within reasonable limits. Using any resource beyond one's

needs or the misuse of any part of nature, is considered a form of

theft. Indeed, the Jain faith declares unequivocally that waste and

creating pollution are acts of violence. Accumulation of possessions

and enjoyment for personal ends should be minimized. Wealth creation

must have a philanthropic goal. Giving charitable donations and time

generously for community projects is an obligation. It is this sense

of social obligation that has led the Jains to found and maintain

innumerable schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, lodging houses,

hostels, orphanages and relief and rehabilitation camps for the

handicapped, old, sick and disadvantaged, as well as hospitals for

ailing birds and animals. Wealthy individuals are advised to

recognize that beyond a certain point their wealth is superfluous to

their needs and that they should manage the surplus as trustees for

social benefit.

 

In The Buddhist Declaration on Nature, The Venerable Lungrig Namgyal

Rinpoche, Abbot of Gyuto Tantrik University, quotes Lord Buddha

Himself: 'Because the cause was there, the consequences followed;

because the cause is there, effects will follow.' He concludes that

these few words show that happiness and suffering do not simply come

about by chance. A human undertaking motivated by a healthy positive

attitude constitutes one of the most important causes of happiness;

it is, in the final analysis, rooted in genuine unselfish compassion

and loving kindness, seeking to bring about light and happiness for

all sentient beings.

 

The interdependence of nature

 

Lord Buddha's vision and speech made him unexcelled as a sage and a

teacher and as the Enlightened Being who saw the interdependence of

nature and taught it to the world through his religion of love,

understanding and compassion and his commitment to the ideal of non-

violence. Buddhism and Jainism, perhaps as much if not more than any

other traditions, rejected the notion of humankind as the exclusive

centre of life and existence and repudiated the selfish

anthropomorphic calculus of utility to human beings for the evolution

of other forms of life. As the Venerable Abbot puts it, we should be

wary of justifying the right of any species to survive solely on the

basis of its usefulness to human beings.

 

He explains his view of the Buddhist philosophical system as one

which propagates the theory of rebirth and life after birth, and

shows that in the continuous birth and rebirth of sentient beings

(not only on this planet but in the universe as a whole) each being

is related to us, just as our own parents are related to us in this

life. He points out that for all their limitations, our ancestors

were aware of the need for harmony between human beings and nature;

they loved their environment and revered it as a source of life and

well-being. He quotes His Holiness The Dalai Lama in The Buddhist

Declaration on Nature, in words which breathe and pulsate with the

Lord Buddha's ethical and ecological vision and have compelling

relevance for our own time:

 

'Destruction of the environment and the life depending upon it is a

result of ignorance, greed and disregard for the richness of all

living things. This disregard is gaining great influence. If peace

does not become a reality in the world, and if the destruction of the

environment continues as it does today, there is no doubt that future

generations will inherit a dead world.

 

'Various crises face the international community. The mass starvation

of human beings and the extinction of species may not have

overshadowed the great achievements in science and technology, but

they have assumed equal proportions. Side by side with the

exploration of outer space, there is the continuing pollution of

lakes, rivers and vast parts of the oceans, out of human ignorance

and misunderstanding. There is a great danger that future generations

will not know the natural habitat of animals; they may not know the

forests and the animals which we of this generation know to be in

danger of extinction.

 

'We are the generation with the awareness of a great danger. We are

the ones with the responsibility and the ability to take steps of

concrete action, before it is too late.'

 

The spiritual, ethical, individual and collective dimensions of human

life constitute a continuum, encompassing the whole of the Indic

heritage and transcending all segments and fragments. The Vedic,

Upanishadic, Jain and Buddhist traditions perceived this and together

built an enduring spiritual, intellectual and cultural foundation for

an environment-friendly value system and a balanced lifestyle.

 

A living legacy

 

The value system reflected in the life and message of Mahatma Gandhi

and the provisions of the republican Constitution of India of 1950

derived their spiritual and moral inspiration from the composite

Indic culture. It was shared by different faith traditions and

communities in India through the ages and often emulated and

assimilated across the boundaries of religious affiliations. It is

not only reflected in the Vedic, Upanishadic, Jain and Buddhist

scriptural texts and other literature, but is part of the social

ethos of these traditions and of other communities which trace their

roots to them. The wide variety of sects and denominations which rose

in India during the last two millennia have consistently dug and

quarried from those Indic roots. The Sikh, Vaishnava and Bishnoi

traditions and numerous other Bhakti denominations in mediaeval

India - which give spiritual joy, comfort and guidance to millions of

people in India and abroad - are fine examples.

 

The Indic environmental ethos declares that all aspects and phenomena

of nature belong together and are bound in a physical as well as

metaphysical relationship, and views life as a gift of togetherness

and of mutual accommodation and assistance in a universe teeming with

interdependent constituents. Agenda 21 has to be implemented with

this sense of spirituality, morality and universality if religion is

to play a significant role in creating and sustaining a momentum for

ecological conservation in the hearts and minds of men, women and

children.

 

The Indic approach to the environment is even today a part of the

living legacy of India. That legacy often seems to be embattled and

imperilled all around, and yet it is endowed with an uncanny and time-

tested resilience. In that resilience, there is hope and promise for

India and the rest of the world.

 

 

H. E. Laxmi Mall Singhvi is President of the World Congress on Human

Rights, Indian High Commissioner to the Court of St James (London)

and President Emeritus of the Authors' Guild of India. He has been

awarded the Interfaith Gold Medallion Award by the International

Council of Christians and Jews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

advaitin, Gummuluru Murthy <gmurthy@m...> wrote:

>

> On Sun, 25 Feb 2001, S. V. Subrahmanian wrote:

>

> > Members,

> >

> > [...]

>

> > Does anyone know if there is any publication that has

comprehesively dealt

> > with the topic ie., culled verses from Vedas etc and cogently

presented a

> > way of how we should relate ourselves to our environment.