Dear Editor
IN todayís world situation mankind faces an ecological crisis of the worst nature. Goaded by the industrial revolution and the developments in the field of science and technology, pressurised by mounting population and poverty, and governed by the materialistic tendency, man has converted the biosphere into a nosophere (diseased world), ignoring other units of creation. By indiscriminately cutting down forests; by converting grasslands into areas of habitation; by leveling and tunneling mountains; by changing landscapes, destroying ecosystems, generating chemical and radioactive pollution, producing non-biodegradable matter, endangering plant and animal species, the dumping in lakes, rivers and oceans of sewage and industrial wastes, man has disturbed the balance of nature and created conditions which, if not altered for the better, can prove to be disastrous for humanity. Marching on the development path, man goes on pillaging and plundering the natural resources without caring in the least whether these are renewable, as quickly as they are being depleted.

The fact that life in all its varied forms and manifestations is interdependent and interrelated was emphasised by ancient sages, centuries before ecological problems became a matter of serious concern. Sages and seers who lived in close proximity with nature were aware that any disturbance in the biological equilibrium between different organisms and their environment,would surely affect the quality of life, or may even destroy it. They sensed the rhythmic flow of energy in every object of nature ñ in heavenly bodies, rivers, oceans, plants, animals, insects and birds ñ and stressed the need for the preservation of life in its various moulds. From the fundamental premise of the oneness of existence ensued a reverential attitude towards the object of nature and a holistic view of life and progress.

The 12th century Saint Francis of Assisi acclaimed the planet and its entities as brother and sister. ìPraise be to you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Brother Sun, who is beautiful in splendor, Sister Moon and the stars, Brother Wind, Sister Water, which is useful and humble and chaste, Brother Fire, from which we get lightî
Hindu Scripture speaks of the Cosmic Order (Rta) which is rooted in the changeless reality. At its bidding the wheel of time moves, celestial bodies march on their determined course, wind blows, water flows, days and nights follow each other in an unending cycle. The sages were so enraptured by the grandeur of the physical phenomena that they crystallised nature-images into human forms and invested them with divine attributes, thereby bringing nature closer to man.

Pope Francis has also warned the world about our abuse of Mother Nature: ìThis sister of ours cries out to us because we have inflicted harm on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will.î†
The Rig Veda says that the earth is conducive to the welfare of man if he adheres to Cosmic Laws. The judicious use of oceans, forests and atmosphere, the key components of the earth’s environment, is the sine qua non for preserving its ecosystem and saving life.

In the Hymn to the Earth (Bhumi Sukta) the sages pray:
“Whatever I dig up of you, O Earth, may you of that have quick replenishment!
O Purifying One! May my thrust never reach right into your vital points, your heart.
May your dwellings, O Earth, free from sickness and wasting, flourish for us!
Through a long life watchful, may we always offer you our tribute.”

The Earth, the bearer of treasures, the source of food, the abode of man; of rivers and forests, plants and animals, is the mother of all finite beings. Squandering the earth’s resources, destroying plant and animal life, or pilfering with environmental conditions is, therefore, ignoble and contemptible. We pray for peace and harmony, not only between man and man, but also between all other forms of life upon earth and other elements of the Cosmos. Peace, being the key to progress and development and the essential requisite of a happy life, the Shanti Mantra (peace incantation) is recited at the beginning and end of all Hindu rites and ceremonies to establish a force-field of peaceful energy in the environment.
†ëMay the peace and tranquility from the celestial and upper region, from mid region, from the earth, from plants, from natureís storehouse, from divine knowledge, from every source may that peace and only peace come unto me.í†
To the Hindus, the Earth is not an object for exploitation, but a mother for adoration. The tradition of worshipping it (Bhoomi Poojaa) before using it in any manner continues to this day. The Sun being the principal source of light and energy for all forms of life on the Earth is also adored in many ways.

Man, the key figure in the ecological cycle, has the insentient mind of inanimate beings, the vitalic mind of the plant kingdom, the conscious mind of the animal kingdom, besides having his own self-conscious identity which yearns for progress and development. He is a microscopic manifestation of the universe having in him all the five elements which constitute the latter. The earth provides his body with strength, steadiness and heaviness; water with odour, softness and smoothness; fire with heat, glow and vision; air with dryness, transparency and tactility; and, ether with agility and olfaction. The eye has the elementary principle of fire; ear that of ether; nose that of the earth; tongue that of water; and, skin that of air. Like the earth’s surface, the human body consists mostly of water and is affected by tides, moon and other cosmic bodies, seasons and other processes of nature. It contains nearly every mineral and chemical which exists upon the earth.

Mankind will have to return to nature’s bosom and partake of its bounties in the manner of a child who lovingly and gracefully gets the best of the Mother. Development is just not a matter of the fulfillment of economic goals, but the total growth of all aspects of human life in their organic unity. Ecology and development can blend if man realises that he is a part of nature’s mechanism, and that his destiny lies not in degrading its resources, but in making a judicious use of them.

Regards
Pt. R. Balbadar††††††