Human beings find expression, fulfillment and meaning of life, in relation to the environment in which they live. With the advent of modern civilization, development and industrial growth, man has developed a rivalry with nature. The oldest and simplest form of nature-worship and environmental awareness finds expression in Vedic texts. The Vedas are the oldest monumental scriptures and represent fountain of wisdom and knowledge. “The Vedas, in fact, is the oldest book in which we can study the first beginning of our language and of everything which is imbodied in all the languages under the sun.” These are four in number –Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. The other ancient scriptures include – Brahmans, Upanishads, Smritis, Samhitas, Aranyaks, Purans, etc. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 defines “Environment includes water air and land and the inter-relationship which exists among and between water, air and land and human being, other living creatures, plants, micro organisms and property.” Every living and non-living body is made up five basic, gross elements of Nature, called ‘Panchamahabhuta.’ The substance capacity in the five basic elements (Bhutas) manifests in the following order – Ether or Space or Firmament (Akash), Air (Vayu), Energy or Fire(Tej or Agni), Water (Aapah) and Earth (Prithivi). The nature has maintained a status of balance between and among these constituents or elements and living creatures. Any change or disturbance in the natural balance causes lots of problems to the living creatures in the universe. The Indian saints, sages and seers of ancient times were great visionaries who perceived the creation of universe in a scientific manner and revealed the mysteries of cosmic evolution with profound wisdom and theories which were, perhaps, too advanced at that time for the world to understand. The ancient scriptures present in great detail, inter alia, the evolution of earth, the science of rainfall, its measurement and forecast, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, water use and management, environmental protection and agricultural planning etc. It is interesting to know that the utmost reverences for the entities of nature were regarded as deities (Devata). All those forces that were facilitators of rains like Sun (also known as Aditya), wind, etc. were prayed as gods. A deity was also assigned to each of the main cosmic element. Indra is most powerful God who kills Vritra, the symbol of cloud to free water. Maruts are considered Gods of winds and Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna and Soma are the facilitators of water. Aditi is praised as Devamata, the mother of all natural energies and she symbolizes the nature. Fire (Agni) was also regarded as a God. Vedic cosmology: In Vedic cosmology, the earth (Prithivi) symbolises material base and the upper sky or heaven (Dyaus) symbolizes the unmanifested immortal source which together and between them, provide the environment (paryavaran). Heaven and Earth (Dyavaprithivi) are referred to as mother and father providing water and food to all living beings. The seer praises the Heaven and Earth (Dyavaprithivi) by saying “You are surrounded, Heaven and Earth, by water, you are the asylum for water; imbued with water, the augmenters of water, vast and manifold; you are the first propitiated in the sacrifice, the pious (people) pray to you for happiness, that the sacrifice (may be celebrated). May Heaven and Earth, the effusers of water, the milkers of water, dischargers of the functions of water, divinities, the promoters of sacrifice, the bestowers of wealth, of renown, of food, of male posterity, combine together”. Bhumisukta or Prithivisukta indicates the environmental consciousness of Vedic seers. She is called Vasudha, Hiranyavaksha, Jagato Neveshani and Visvambhara. “If atmosphere, earth, and sky and if father and mother we have injured, may this house-holder’s Fire lead us from that to the world of their perfectly restored state. May mother earth, Aditi our birthplace, brother atmosphere (save) us from imprecation; may our father heaven be weal to us from paternal (guilt); having gone to my relatives, let me not fall down from their world.” Water in the Vedic literature: Water has been highly respected and treated with great reverences in the Vedic literature and has been prayed to grant men procreative power. Water is a part of human environment which occurs in five forms: Rain water (Divyah), Natural spring (Sravanti) Wells and canals (Khanitrimah), Lakes (Svayamjah) and Rivers (Samudrarthah). There are some other classifications as Drinking water; medicinal water and stable water are also in Vedic literatures. It mentions- “All creatures are born from the waters.” Waters have been considered as mostly “motherless, and the producers of all that is stationary and all that moves”. They are also hailed as mothers of all beings. “It is the waters which pervade everything, big or small, the earth, the atmosphere, the heaven, the mountains, gods, men, animals, birds, grass, plants, dogs, worms, insects, ants. All these (worldly manifestations) are waters indeed.” “They are the foundations of all in the universe.” “They are a place of abode for all the gods.” Taittariya Upanishad says: “From the Self, verily, space arose, from space air, from air fire, from fire water, from water the earth, from the earth herbs, from herbs food, from food semen, from semen the person.” Importance Of Water To Living Being: The importance of water to living being was always understood and has been stated by the Vedic seers as: “Water is like a mother to this world. It is the sovereign of the world. It holds divine wealth, immorality, pious deeds in its possession for the welfare of the living beings.” “Water is the basis of all that is good in life. The most beautiful things happen to us because water provides us with vigor.” The same mantra is in Atharvaveda and is repeated in our rituals performed even today. “Water exercises maximum control over the living beings on earth.” The rivers, worshipped like goddesses, were considered to be holy and the waters in them were described as life sustaining, medicinal, as ambrosia, cleanser of sins and were regarded as divine, protectors and...
Read more