Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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as an essential ritual in many religions is infact reminiscent of practice of cleaning and burning of forests by Devas or Suras who were agriculturists to extend agriculture. In forest based symbiotic model air, water and soil do not get polluted at all and do not need any treatment. Since 'yagna' is being prescribed from very early times particularly from beginning of Vedic Era even when there was no such pollution of air requiring any treatment, the argument that 'yagna' was prescribed and practised to purify air, is not correct. The fact is that 'yagna' does not purify air at all. The burning of some aromatic substance fill up the air with pleasant odours for a very short time and then same pollution returns. After all it does not create an air-tight impregnable wall or shield that can prevent polluted air from surrounding areas to creep in again. Even aromatic substances burnt in ‘yagna' have many other constituents, Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulphur, Phosphates and even some metals in addition to little quantities of aromatic oils. The other constituents when burnt do produce toxic molecules of nitrates, sulphates, phosphates etc. Wood is a major component burnt in ‘yagna'. The proponents of ‘yanga' claim that they use only dry wood is a blatant lie. Dry wood produced naturally is hardly available in forests. All wood that is used is manufactured dry wood from green trees. In some major ‘yagnas' such artificial dry wood procured by cutting and drying green trees is used in very large quantities to the extent of 50 to 100 tonnes. The green trees cut for the purpose are several thousands in number. The aroma from ‘yagna' lasts hardly for 3-4 days whereas green trees if not destroyed for ‘yagna' will keep on absorbing obnoxious gases and simultaneously producing oxygen relentlessly for over 50 to 100 years. As prescribed if ‘yagna' is performed daily by every family then all the existing green trees will get destroyed within 5 to 10 years. There will be colosal increase in CO, which is already increasing the green house effect resulting in rise in temperatures, melting of ice caps and triggering harmful
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