Vedas and Upanishads - Dr. Sheela Daga - Protection of the environment in Vedas
Protection of the environment in the Vedas
As mentioned above, in the Vedas, mainly the natural elements, water, air, earth, space, fire, sun moon, rain, etc., have been praised by believing them to be divine powers of the same one ultimate power. The prayers are offered to achieve better living. When someone is praised, then the nature of that element and its use for humans in this world is also described. The Vedic sages left a message to pray to all of them for a happy and comfortable life. Just as we pray to the water God that there should not be a scarcity of water; that water should keep flowing in any form and should be available to us and for our welfare.
Śaṃ no devīrabhiṣṭaya āpo bhavantu pītaye. Śaṃ yorabhisravantu naḥ||
O, Thee (water) God, please continue to be beneficial to us by continually flowing to meet our needs.
Similarly, a sage praises fire
O fire god, just as a father always receives son without hindrance, be available to us. Stay close to us for our welfare.
Yasta āditya śikṣati vratena nainaṃ aṃho aśnotyantito na dūrāt.
The Sun teaches everyone to follow the rules. By keeping fasts, sins can harm you neither from near nor far. This statement inspires everyone to live with self-restraint.
The message has been given that if we want fuel like water and fire, then we also have to take measures to conserve them.
Śuddhāḥ naḥ āpaḥ tanve kṣarantu
Keep pure water flowing for us.
Yatte bhūmi vikhanāmi kṣipraṃ tadapi rohatu |
mā te marma vimṛgvarī mā te hṛdayamarpipam || (Atha. Pṛthvī sūkta)
O Earth, whatever we receive from you should quickly grow. O motherland, let us not strike your heart, let us not hurt you. In the Vedas, many more examples of this type can be found.
It is said in the Vedas to perform a yajna ceremony. The material used in the yajna is prepared from herbs and purifies the air. It also eliminates germs. Yagya teaches us to exchange, give and take. Through the fire of yajna, people give offerings to the gods of Earth, Space, Sun, Air, Water, etc. and pray that they, in return, keep fulfilling our needs and protect our welfare. When we dedicate something to someone, we learn about sacrifice, and our greed is controlled. Human desire has caused the most harm to our environment.
The yogi and revolutionary thinker, Sri Aurobindo, has convincingly proved in his writings that the Vedas are excellent poetry of Indian thought. If the subjects of Vedas and Upanishads are read without prejudice and by understanding the Vedic language, then there are many ways to live a better life. A person can live mentally and physically healthy by following these rules. May he keep nature friendly to himself. That is why their importance has been sung so much in ancient Indian literature. The well-known Western scholar of the Vedas, Max Müller, has said about the Rigveda –
Yāvatsthāsyanti girayaḥ saritaśca mahītale| Tavadṛgvedamahimā lokeṣu pracariṣyati||