Aparigraha the Humane Solution

Author(s): Kamla Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 61

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION-RISK TO HUMAN SURVIVAL 53
spiritual and ethical development and also to develop their sensitivities not only towards one another but also towards nature. Śakuntalā is called
vanalată' by the poet; she is called the daughter of prakrti who without any artificial grooming grows with absolute freshness and fragrance. She is shown by the poet as an example of classic love for nature of which she herself is a part; she does not drink water till she waters the trees in the āśrama; though she is so fond of decorating herself, yet does not pluck a flower to decorate herself. Tapovanas are the sanctuaries for the inhabitants, and these sanctuaries were strongly protected and preserved by the kings. Nobody could disturb life in these tapovanas. King Duşyanta takes the security of the aśrama in his own hands, so that demons do not disturb or destroy them, as the āśramas are considered the foundations of ethics and culture. They epitomise the peaceful, sāttvikaenvironment of ancient India and were promoters of the fragrance of its culture. Nature and man and its unique friendship and the immortal love for each other has been amazingly depicted by Kālidāsa. Nature participates and actively involves itself and shares its experiences of soldarity with man. The laws of nature are laws of man and laws of man are laws of nature; nature takes full care of the interests of man and man never thinks of himself as the master but only a devotee of nature.
Kālidāsa's other works such as Kumārasambhava and RituSamhāra also show his love and environmental consciousness. Kālidāsa is truly an environmental philosopher and poet. Man and Nature in Sāmkhya System of Indian Philosophy
Sāņkhya philosophy is dualistic realism. It believes in two ultimate realities of prakti and puruşa. There is no better equivalent of praksti in English than ‘nature'. It is also translated as matter sometimes, but matter does not convey the meanings of realities like 'ego', 'intellect' and the 'senses', which prakȚti contains, and later produces them from itself. Moreover, there are some other products of prakrti which clearly convey the meaning of material substances that matter does, these are the five gross elements. the 'pañca mahabhūtas' - ether, air, water, fire, and earth. Thus, if prakrti includes evolutes like 'intellect', 'ego', and