JOY OF GIVING BACK TO MOTHER EARTH AND NATURE
Dr. D. N. Mohanty. A veterinarian & member of Indian Red Cross Society
Traditionally Indians are known for their compassion and love for nature and also fellow beings. We loved nature and worshiped trees and various species of animals aligning them to various gods and goddesses. This hallmark tradition continues till today. That is Hindu culture at its best which one would not find any other religion. It has been part of our daily hunt for life. We are indebted to Mother Earth for all worldly goodness. There is a Hindu concept of repaying debt during life so that soul rests in peace after death. This has been inherent to Indian culture and Hindu philosophy. Worshiping nature on certain occasions as rituals in a year has been a routine in many regions of our country particularly in tribal communities whom we name as ‘Amrit Santan’. Other than this no one ever celebrated ‘Joy of Giving Festival’ until recently.
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The concept is good but have we ever considered repaying our debt to our mothers, meaning parents and nature, as due in the present scenario – perhaps not. The scenario has undergone a sea change and become somewhat alarming. Therefore, repaying debt would be considered as an expression of ‘joy of giving back’ to them in gratitude. Modern ‘joy of giving’ celebrations provide an opportunity to showcase our social commitments in a constructive and enjoyable way and also actively participating to bring a change in the lives of less privileged. We may call it as good deeds (punya) and the reverse of it as bad deeds (papa).This is not enough. Each one of us can contribute by small acts of giving to change the texture of our mind and way of life and save Earth. Having said this should we forget our obligation/commitment to Mother Earth and Nature, the promoter of life and wellbeing, which is constantly on prowl by the human beast?
Mother, the female form of divinity, is associated with creation of all life on our planet. Therefore, ‘Mother’s Love’ is a natural phenomenon. As a child all of us are indebted towards mothers for her lifelong sacrifice. This analogy can be extended to Mother Earth and Nature. In Indian context we name Mother Earth as ‘Mahimata’, ‘Mahi’ or ‘Prithvi’ as the symbol of female power. Arun Chaubey writes quoting from the immortal Shanti Mantra which is as follows “I pray for peace to pervade to all the worlds; I pray for peace in the Sky and Earth; peace in waters; peace in herbs, vegetation and forests; peace among all people and rulers of the world, peace in entire universe; peace for everyone everywhere. Peace, real peace. I pray for that very peace.” This was the essence of Hymn of Peace found in Yajur Veda. This message of peace is sent out from India very often to the entire world to live in harmony with the Nature and every other living object.
Presently several World Days and National Days are celebrated worldwide almost every day. When talking about Earth Day it is better to reminisce what Prithivi Sukta talks about human dependence on nature – “Mata bhummih, putro aham, prithivyaha”. I quote the beautiful lines from an article ‘Mother Earth! Will we be able to repay your debt?’ by Arun Chaubey which is as follows – “Further, according to Prithvi Sukta, Mother Earth Earth is adorned with heights, slopes, plains, hills, mountains, forests, plants, herbs and treasurers; She takes care of every creature that breathes and stirs. May She give us joy, wealth, prosperity, good fortune and glory.” Nature and Mother Earth are two sides of the same coin. What a beautiful thing MOTHER- NATURE is. She has given us so much but in return we have plundered and de-robed her for our selfish ends. Reciprocation is lacking. Now pause and ponder my dear friends for the future. It is already late and there is no time to delay. Celebration of World Days won’t cut any ice unless we to act collectively. Remember, to preach is easy but to practice difficult.
When we are born, our cradle is Mother Earth and when we die we go back to her again to rest in peace. She gives us freedom to live. She teaches us to live in harmony and peace. Through her forests she gives us oxygen to breathe. Through her ocean and open sky we travel far and wide. Through her wilderness we find wildlife and many other creatures fighting for survival. We find immense treasure beneath her which we exploit for our benefit and to support life activity. On her surface we grow food to eat. We find flowers in spring which brings joy and teaches us to love the Nature. She has given us so much without asking what we can do for her. The odyssey is just like our mother who has given us birth. Mother Earth stands with us through thick and thin as our parents do. Mother Earth teaches us how to navigate life amidst adverse situation as parents do when we were toddlers beginning to learn first steps. We have spurned her benediction. Instead driven by selfishness, lust for power and supremacy we as human beings have poisoned her with fumes, industrial effluents, destroyed forests, unbridled mining activity, hate between nations, races and religions. Nature never taught us to be divisive. She took us to her arms from time immemorial. That is why we are alive today. In short Nature is God’s gift. Mother Earth is dying a rapid death due to climate change, global warming, pollution of air and water (essential elements of life), variations in monsoon and cyclone patterns, puncture in ozone layer, green house effect, irradiation leading to extinction of flora and fauna of several species. All these need to be reversed for the future generation.
Worried over the fall out of climate change and global warming world leaders signed historical Paris Accord to avoid devastating future crisis through restoration of forests, shifting to sustainable agriculture, building climate ready infrastructure and reducing carbon emission etc. The debt we owe cannot be calculated in terms of money. It is much more than this. It has accrued only due to the divide between the rich and poor nations and unequal relation between North and South, the former having exploited the latter for obvious reasons. Otherwise President Donald Trump’s administration would not have withdrawn midway from the Paris accord with a policy of ‘American First’, clearly with an undertone of capitalism. We must go GREEN instead of pushing Mother Earth to go RED. Therefore, countries have begun to redefine strategies to achieve “Agrarian and Environmental justice”. Unfortunately some rich nations still blame the developing countries like India for carbon emission instead of looking at their own house. Historically speaking, the responsibility of repaying debt to Mother Earth lies with richer nations rather than with the poor and developing countries. The dream of ‘JOY OF GIVING’ back to MOTHER EARTH AND NATURE, as our benefactor, could be realized only through joint and concerted effort at damage control by countries irrespective of rich and poor. If you are a believer, God will be on your side always to protect and preserve the Nature and save HUMANITY from humiliation.
Email Id. dnmohanty2018@gmail.com Mobile No.9437113581
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