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Environmi!

nt Conservalion
and Elhics UNIT INDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND
ENVIRONMENT

Structure
_
Objectives
Introduction
A Concept of Nature
Environment in Oral Traditions
Environment in Philosophical Treatises
Environment and Classical Arts
Philosophy and Cu1ture:Environmental Adaptation
Let Us Sum Up
Keywords
Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

7.0 OBJECTIVES
The concern for environment is not something which has come to us from the west as
projected very often. This concern has been inherent in the Indian way of life since ages.

By the time you complete reading this Unit you would be able to know about:

a the concept of environment as analysed in Indian philosophy,


a nature's association in the Indian way of living,
a the significance of classical arts in promoting environment friendly attitude, and
the ways of developing a dialogue with environment in our day-to-day living.

7.1 INTRODUCTION
In this Unit our aim is to provide you with an insight into Indian philosophy with regard to its
sensitivity and richness on issues concerning the environment. Since ancient past Indian
philosophy has argued for environment oriented living. It emphasises that humans live a
participatory life with environment. They are created by the elements of environment and
they finally dissolve in the environment.

7.2 A CONCEPT OF NATURE c

-
Environment in Indian thought is not conceived as a physical, lifeless entity it is a very'
living mechanism where humans are one of the many living creatures. Here one can read a
continuous attempt at understanding and relating to the greater 'whole' of the nature. There
is also a great emphasis on adaptation as one of the guid@g principles for an interaction
between human and non-human world.
, .. .
It has been argued by ancient Indian philosophers that man being an intelligent creature
should have the protection of environment as one of the fundamental duties. The fragility of
the environment has also Geen carefully stressed in such discourses.
This primal cosmic-vision is fully integrated in two different but related traditions - the oral
and textual. While the reflections of the oral tradition are more focused on practice, the,.
1
textual tradition offers a complete and systematic analysis of the universe.
I ,

The Indian textual tradition assumes that, like the rest of the material world, man is made u p
of elements which at death distintegrate and dissolve into nature. At the most general levels
there are nine tatvas or elements; Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sky, Time, Directions, Mind and
Soil. Indian mythology explains that elemcnts originate in phases. Water, Earth and sky Indian Philosophy and
Environment
come first; aquatic animals and birds second; land third; air or wind fourth and finally fire.

Indian thought explains Environment as a given entity which is transcendental in nature. It The Quran often calls
perceives that there is life in all kinds of things, it might be biotic or non-biotic material. Nature a book which is the
Thcre is greater emphasis on mutual depcndence where living in isolation was not possible. micro-cosmic counterpart
Environment has been perceived as a friendly abode. of the Quran itself. The
8th century Sufi master
Aziz al-Nasafi compares
It was considered very good to live in forest where one can experience environment in it's Nature to the Quran in
purest form. Living in urban centres, which is unnatural - manmade living, was given such a way that each
secondary position. It was perceived that nature can satisfy everybody's need if one maintains genus in Nature
harmony with the given Environment. correspondence to a
Surah, each species to a
Verse, and each particular
It is clear from the above description that nature in Indian philosophical thought is a set of being to a Letter.
very complex interaction of numerous living and non-living entities. {S.H.Nasr,An
Introduction to Islamic
Cosmological Doctrines.
Thames & Hudson. 19781
7.3 ENVIRONMENT IN ORAL TRADITIONS
Oral traditions form the basic method by which we come to know about the knowledge which
has not been codified. Thcy also help us to understand those societies for which we have
very limited textual information. Day-do-day human convcrsation carries the glimpses of
ancient past.

In oral tradition in India, Environment has been perceived as a living being which breathes,
feels, protects, etc. Environment is a friendly entity. Various components of Environment
have been given special position, which means a kind consideration was kept in mind for
Environmental forces. At times these special considerations were ritualized.

The animals and forms are one of the basic component of tales the oral tradition in India had
created. Various attributes of animals were identified and were used as if they are natural
I characteristics. Plant life provided the base of different stories. It was' always kept in mind
that human survival was possible only with the conservation of entire flora and fauna. It is
also reflected in the religious practices as different animals and plants were worshipped at
different times so as to ensure their survival.

In the oral tradition the ecological man looks upon nature as a reality of which he is an
inseparable part at all levels. The oral myths do not give man a unique position in so far as
his origin is concerned. He is also not in the possession of knowledge automatically. The
knowledge, it is generally believed in the oral tradition,,came to him from birds and animals.
The priests of all creatures were born ahcad of human beings. Man is not the creator of
knowledge. Cosmic intelligence is the self existent source of all knowledge.

, In the oral perception of the ancient Indians the world was divided into two halves. The sky
and the earth. There also existed a world beyond the sky and another below the earth. The
If Heaven will it,
Thou shalt know that Nature,
Alike in everything,
five elements overlap in the formation and so also that of the matter with the other world. Is the same in every place.
This explains how biological and socia1,both aspects of human life were placed in an integral {AFabre d'Olivet, The
Ir
vision of environment in the ancient Indian oral tradition. Golden Verses of Pythagoras,
N.Y.1917)

7.4 ENVIRONMENT IN PHILOSOPHICAL TREATISES


The Indian textual tradition conceives Envirofiment as a system with life which has On environment the central
synchronized the complex internationship of numerous living and non-living entities. Even position in Western religions
the abiotic world has been perceived as a living creature with a soul. It was a very significant and ethical traditions has
concept as it placed man as equal to every other element of our Environment. The Indian largely been despotic and
anthropocentric. Thus it
thought greatly emphasizes upon very cordial relationship among all the elements of our views everything that exists in
world. To highlight the importance of various components of our Environment, various nature as being created for
rituals have been institutionalized. These rituals ensured that we treated even the non-living the sake of humankind. No
moral constraints on the
world with great care and maintain a harmony.
dealings of humankind with
non-human nature exist.
For example fire is conceived as messenger of God. Earth has been considered as mother
goddess. Sky is worshipped as father. Earth worship manifested itself even in stone worship.
Environment ConservaUon The non-human living world has also been given a very kind attention in Indian philosophic
and Ethics
thought. There is a whole tradition of anthropomorphism, where various kinds of plant and
animal life have been ascribed special position. The ancient tradition of worship of
Anthropomorphism --+ Pashupati Mahadev is one such example.
attribution of human form
or personality to God, The tales of Panchtantra also highlight the special position which is given to living world.
animals, vegetation ek.
Animals are given human characteristicof not only language but also faculty of feelings and
rationality. It tries to give lessons to mankind by highlighting the problems through animal
world's characteristics. Different attributes of animals have been identified and are very
beautifullyutilized in these tales. Cow is worshipped. Trees are worshipped. Various animals
are allotted to different Gods & Goddesses as their mode of transportation to highlight their
utility and to enhance their position.
There is a minority Western Indian philosophical thought also highlights the numerous species of flora and fauna and
tradillon called the
stewadship tradition It
their special position vis-a-vis environment and a Master living creature. This totalistic view
suggeste that humanity is a is a great achievement of the Indian philosophy.
steward responsibie to God
for (he c m of the earth.

nCheck Your Progress-1

1) How oral traditions percieve the relationship between Man & Nature?
.................................................
...................................................
.................................................

2) What is the philosophical explanation of Nature?


.................................................

7.5 ENVIRONMENT AND CLASSICAL ARTS


The Indian tradition looks at 'Art' as imbibing three composite aspects, each involved in the
other and each orienting the other. The order of priority goes like this;

the first place is for pratibha or inspired vision,


the second is for vyutpatta or studious equipment of the poet, and
the last being abhayasa or assiduous practicing of the technique or craft under the
guidance of a master of the art concerneck

It is while explaining the details of the second that the theoreticians find an occasion to take
environment into their consideration. The term they use for it is loka which means the world
in all its infinite variety of living and non-living beings.
In Indian philosophy it is generally believed that each creative act comes from direct contact Indian Philosophy and
with Prakriti (nature). The language of the artistic manifestation evolves through the visual Environment
and audio perceptions of the objects in nature. Even the smallest sprout in nature becomes
the artist's greatest joy. In celebrating nature nothing is considered as useless. The art form
becomes a living entity, a part of the self, family, village and that way, the whole environment.

The dance of Shiva is a perfect iconographical statement of ecology. His emblems are Agni
and deer. His locks are the forests. He hides within himself Ganga (water). His hair adorns
the sun and the moon. His garlands are the snakes. He wears the tiger skin. He brings to
this world the cosmic rhythm of his damara in this incessant process of cyclic creation,
degeneration and regeneration and finally of enlightenment. His energy is Sakti. Without
she' he is incomplete. She herself," the daughter of the Himalayas, must undergo penance
and austerities. The emphasis here is on discipline and austerity, with greater integration of
environment.

7.6 PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE: ENVIRONMENTAL


ADAPTATION
Cutting across historical, philosophical debates, the one principle which underlies and
provides mity in Indian philosophy as also continuity of vision and perception is the assertion
that Man is only one among all living matter. Man's life depends upon and is conditioned
by all that surrounds him and sustains him, namely, inanimate, mineral and animate, aquatic,
vegetative, and gaseous life. It is therefore, Man's duty to constantly remind himself of the
enxironment and the ecology.
In the Indian world view, as also of other ancient civilizations and cultures, life on earth
emerges from the eternal waters that hold the potency of fires. Perhaps we have not
pondered over the significanceof the myth. While on surface myth has a dreamlike structure,
it's meaning and value lies in it's pointing at the natural phenomenon. Indian science and
philosophy and thus culture develop on the postulate of the perpetual movement of creation,
degeneration, and regeneration of the cosmos.

All traditional societies are structured on a four fold control system that order human life, its
subsistence and desires. Life is ordered into four successive stages (ashramas) from learning
and performing to gradual indifference and final withdrawal. Although seemingly opposed
in character, these primal desires stand in an organic and interactive relationship to one
another. This fourfold ordering of life is called purusartha, that is, the making of a cultural
person (purusha). At a higher level of consciousness,the cultural person is transformed into
a cosmic person (Puma).

rCheck Your Progress3

1) Explain the relationship between Environment and Creativity.


Environment Conservation 2) Explain traditional Indiari way of life?
and Ethics

7.7 LET US SUM UP


We now know that resources exist within lndian philbsophical traditions for the elaboration
of an ethic suited to environmental problems,

To sum up we can say that man is related to nature, the elements and animals and plant life.
The environment in which he lives is not an alien environment. He always considers it his
own, where he is like all other breathing, but endowed with special faculty of self-reflection
and speech. Indeed man is constaritly seen as an embodiment of the elements and forces of
nature and in relationship to animal and plant life. This gives the world a different character
from what is implied in the modern idea of progressive evolution.

7.8 KEYWORDS

Cosmos : ' The universe as an ordered whole

Cosmocentric : Regarding cosmos as central fact of Universe

Homocentric : Regarding Man & ecology having the same as Central fact of life.

7.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS EXERCISES

rCheck Your Progress-1

1) Oral tradtion emphasises that Man is a part of Nature. He participates with his
environment. He is creator of his environment and after death dissolves m the
environment.

2) The Philosophical explanation considers nature as composition of five basic elements.


It pfoposes that Man and Nature as homocentric i.e. having the samething as sources of
their creation. It also highlights that Nature is basically transedence.

r Check Your Progress3

1) Environment and creativity are very closely related to each other. creativity means
redefining the composition of avy given thing. See Sec. 7.5.

2) The traditional Indian way of life emphasises co-elris'tence of Man and Nature. We i s
just a part of whole Nature with thinking capabilities.
I
b
Indian Philosophy and
SOME USEFUL BOOKS FOR THIS BLOCK Environment

R.Carson The Sea Around Us, OUP, New York, 1951.


R.Carson Silent Spring, Houghton Mifflin,
New York, 1062.
' R.Mash The Rights of Nature, University of isc cons in
Press, Madison, 1989.
Madhav Gadgil and This Fissured Land; An ecological
Ram Chandra Guha history of India, OUP,
Delhi, 1992.
VidyaNiwasMishra(ed) : , Creativity and Environment, Sahitya Akademi;
New Delhi, 1992.
Wernes Wolfgang (ed.) Aspects of Ecological Problems and
Environmental Awareness in South Asia,
New Delhi, 1993.

ACTIVITIES FOR THIS BLOCK I

0Activity 1

Visit local libraries or meet the elders of your locality and collect folk songs which invoke
nature. Write a paragraph each explaining the meaning of these songs.

In the same manner as in Activity - 1above, make a collection of folk tales pertaining to nature
or local environment and translate any two in HindifEnglish.

0Activity 3

Make an inventory of local Custorns/ritualswhich relate to nature and animal worship in your
locality.
P

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