Essay by Nalini Parasram Rajballie of the Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali (Category: 18 and over)
Swadeshe 2009
“The air is his breath, the trees are the hairs of his body,
The oceans his waist, the hills and mountains are his bones,
The rivers are the veins of the Cosmic Person,
His movements are the passing of ages.”
– Srimad Bhagavatam, 2.1.32-33
Reverence for nature. Harmony with all creation. Veneration of the environment. Throughout the ages, Hindus’ relationship with the environment has been intertwined inextricably with their relationship to God. Ancient Hindus felt the presence of the Divine in everything around them. This belief is given tangible form in our many rituals: our pujas revere Mother Earth and many plants, such as the tulsi, neem, bael and paan, enjoy a sacred status. To the Hindu, the issue is not merely one of protecting the environment for the use of future generations, but also a matter of acknowledging one’s intrinsic connectedness with nature and the recognition that humans are part of a greater whole – a principle that is eloquently described in the Atharva Ved: “The Earth is our mother and we are all her children.”
Unfortunately, in today’s society, an exploitative attitude towards nature has gained predominance, fuelled by consumerism and greed. The issues of long-term sustainability and conservation are too often sacrificed on the altar of development and industrialisation. All too frequently, deforestation, pollution and destruction of wildlife are easily rationalized as the necessary by-products of job creation and poverty reduction. Is it not possible, however, that with creativity and innovation, these latter goals may be attained without surrendering environmental sustainability? But, perhaps the real problem, as Mahatma Gandhi puts it, is that “The earth has resources to meet everybody’s need, but not anybody’s greed.”
In India, Hindus have stood up for their belief in environmental preservation. At the community level, the Bishnois of Rajasthan refused to cut any green tree and kill any animal or bird as part of their daily religious duty. Instead of sacrificing the environment in their own interest, members of this community sacrificed their own lives to protect the trees in what is known as the Khejrali Massacre (1730 AD). Similarly, Hindu principles motivated the twentienth century Chipko movement to preserve the Himalayas and the “Save the Narmada River” Movement in central India.
At the level of individual effort, many Hindus maintain a vegetarian diet – an eco-friendly lifestyle since growing and consuming plants take a lesser toll on the environment than animal rearing. In communal gatherings, food is often served on the sohari leaf – biodegradable, unlike its modern counterpart, the plastic plate. Hinduism also extols the virtues of vairaagya or detachment which, when practised, ensures that the excesses of materialism do not weigh down our lives or the environment. Even in the disposal of the dead, the Hindu practice of cremation is environmentally sensitive as it does not use up land space in the way that burial does.
In effect, environmental conservation is embedded in the Hindu consciousness: being a good Hindu means being a champion of the environment.
