Aparigraha the Humane Solution

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 59

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION-RISK TO HUMAN SURVIVAL 51
The place of nature in classical Sanskrit literature: (Co-operation and Co-ordination of man and nature)
To take up the task of discussing the place of ‘nature' in ancient Indian literature is stupendous, covering volumes. The aim at present is just to take a few examples from ancient literature where nature is greatly revered by man and where man shows himself as a being who knows he will not survive without nature's help. Although for his survival man has always approached nature and got his needs fulfilled by its help, but never with a feeling that he was the master and could exploit nature whichever way he wanted. His approach to nature had always been that of a worshipper to the worshipped. It can be argued that when a person is absolutely ignorant and knows nothing about the depth and profundity of something, one would naturally behave with similar reverence or respect as man did in those times. But to say that man knows a lot about nature today is one of the grossest mistakes that one can commit. So man as the master and nature as the servant is a kind of relationship which is the cause of concern.
The term ‘rta 'in the Rgveda in its brevity suggests meaningfully the order or divine law, harmony in nature. It is a sin to disturb this harmony. Nature in ancient literature like Vedas and later texts means the entire living and non-living world, the world of animals and the world of plants, trees, water, rivers, etc. “Animals play a considerable role in mythological and religious conceptions of the Vedas. Horse is conspicuous as driving the cars of the gods and in particular as representing the sun under various names. In the vedic rituals horse is symbolic of sun and fire..... the cow, however is an animal which figures greatly in the Rgveda. This is undoubtedly due to its prominent position resulting from the pre-eminent utility occupied by the animal in the remotest period of Indian life. The beams of dawn and the clouds are cows .....the earth itself is often spoken of by the poets of Rgveda as a cow."!
This animal possesses a sacred character, no sight gladdened the eye of the Vedic Indian more than the sight of a cow licking her calf. 1. History of Sanskrit Literature - A.A. Macdonell p.119.