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Introduction > Page1
Hindu religion's reverence for the sea, soil, forests, rivers, moun-tains, plants, birds, and animals stems from its broader view of divinity. Unlike many other religions, Hindus believe that all things and beings in the world are various manifestations of the Ultimate Reality (Brahman), and nothing exists apart from It. The whole emphasis of Hindu scriptures is that human beings cannot separate themselves from nature.
Thousands of years ago, Hindu sages realized that preservation of the environment and ecological balance were necessary for the survival of mankind. To create an awareness among the common people for preservation of the environment, the rishis taught that earth has the same relationship with man as a mother with her child. In the Vedic literature, the earth is addressed as Mother Earth and personi-fied as the goddess Bhumi, or Prithvi. Five thousand years later the world experts addressed earth as Mother Earth for the first time at the Global Conference in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro.
There are numerous direct and indirect messages contained in Hindu scriptures for the protection of our environment and the maintenance of ecological balance. The following are a few examples of some of these timeless teachings: 19
Author : Shri Bansi Pandit
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