Omkar Datttatray
The conservation and protection of wildlife, nature and environment had been accorded much importance and priority in Hinduism from times immemorial .Hindus worship various forms of nature like rivers ,trees mountains and other forms of nature. The various forms of nature have got much significance and Hindu scriptures ordain that the various forms of nature should be preserved ,conserved and protected not only for ourselves but also for the future generations .In Sanatan Dhrama environment and various forms of nature are revered ,loved and given due place and respect .Hindus from ancient times have been lovers of nature .Hindus are known to revere elements of nature since ancient times .Hinduism teaches and ordains us to revere and respect nature ,environment and wildlife. Thus Hindus are the worshippers of the various forms of nature .The Hindu approach to plants and environment requires that we first understand how Hinduism views the world of nature ,which is different in significant ways from other religions but also has commonalities with them .Each religion has a certain worldview which defines the way in which one finds meaning and significance in terms of how one sees the world and what one does in the world .In other words ,there is a close interrelationship between the worldview and ethos .Religion provides a certain worldview and in Hinduism ,this is detailed in the ancient scriptures which are considered to be more than 4000 years old .This Hindu worldview of nature is based upon the Vedas and the Upanishads ,the ancient scriptures which not only describe the eternal principles and the unified ontology of humans ,gods and nature ,but give prescriptions for living ,which then translate themselves in terms of the Hindu way of life ,and various devotional and ritualistic practices .The most fundamental principle of this view is that according to Hindu thought ,there is separation between the divine and the world of nature .These are two aspects of the same reality .One way to understand this is to see the cosmic reality as an ocean .Nature or the manifest world ,is like the waves on the surface of this ocean .Brahman ,the ultimate reality .or the un- manifest Absolute ,is like the deaths of the ocean .But just as the ocean and all its manifestations of waves ,ripples and foam ,is nothing but one substance-water ,there is an underlying oneness in all that is manifest .The Vedic vision of unity is the basis for an ecological approach in which the Hindus can honor the entire universe as part of their own higher self .It goes beyond the duality of God and creation .God does not create world out of nothing .The world ,God and the soul are inherent aspects of the same Eternal being .Thus there is need to protect the nature as one would any other creature and for the Hindu it is possible to honor nature as their own greater life and expression .Hinduism sees the divine manifest in every force ,every process ,everything ,and the Hindu cosmos is alive with deities expressing themselves through natural phenomena ,through the earth ,fire ,rain ,water and wind .Nature is thus deified and Hindu rituals ,prayers ,pilgrimage ,and texts honor and celebrate this diversity of manifestation and connecting humanity with it .It is seen the five great elements or Panchmahabhuta ,which are the building blocks of the manifested reality ,being formalized in rituals and daily worship and prayers entailing their awareness and serving as a reminder of their sacredness in the truthful and just earthly order .Thus there is not an object in the world or heaven ,which the Hindu is not prepared to worship ,sun ,moon ,stars ,trees ,shrubs ,and grasses ,seas ,rivers and lakes ,birds ,animals and insects mountains ,all are to be seen as manifestations of the divine .Rivers and trees are seen to be particularly sacred by Hindus .Rivers are sacred living organisms ,abode of deities and considered to be tangible manifest forms of goddesses .For example ,the Ganges or mother Ganga ,who is consort of God Shiva ,is said to be life giving ,nurturing and having a loving ,selfless character .The river is a moral purifier ,cleansing impurity and giving auspiciousness .It is the source of spiritual abilities with the power to transform human lives .Trees and plants are also very much revered ,forests are seen as abodes of deities and sages ,and the woods surrounding the villages are seen as sacred groves called Saran or areas of spiritual integrity .Sacred groves are considered to be the abodes of mother goddesses and abound with plants such as the tulsi ,a type of basil and the papal tree also known as bodhi tree because Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under it ,the tree that is the object of universal worship throughout India .Hindus are known to revere elements of nature since time immemorial .It is believed that the supreme divinity is present in each and every element of nature ,thus Hindus worship each of these elements with faith and one can find its traces in Vedas ,Upanishads ,Puranas ,Sutras ,and other Hindu sacred texts .Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers ,mountains ,trees ,animals ,and the earth .Also known as the five great elements ,Panchmahabutas create a web of life that is shown forth in the structure and interconnectedness of the cosmos and the human body. Hinduism teaches us that the five elements that is space ,air, fire ,water ,and earth constitute the environment and all derived from prakriti ,the primal energy .Each of these elements has its own life and form ,together the elements are interconnected and interdependent .The fact is that what the modern scientists and environmentalists say about the conservation of nature ,wildlife and environment had been said by the Hinduism and Hindu sages thousands of years ago .Thus it means the Hinduism regards and reveres the nature and environment from thousands of years and today as well Hindus worship various forms of nature and Hinduism ordains us to protect ,preserve and conserve environment for ecological balance as any imbalance results in harm to the humanity. Therefore we should love ,revere and conserve environment for our own welfare and for the good of the humanity .Not only for our ourselves ,but for our future generations we should conserve nature and environment .In Hinduism nature ,wildlife and environment is held in veneration and thus the Hindus worship various forms of nature and this in fact is because we have great love and reverence for environment .Other religions also teach us to preserve nature .let me conclude this write up in the words of Sheikh Noor-Ud -Din Noorani who said years ago ,Ann Posh,Teli Yeli Wan Posh meaning thereby food will last only till woods are protected.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
