Nature, with all its beauty and grandness is God’s greatest gift to mankind. And over the years, humans have treated nature with God-like fervour and devotion. The care and affection with which nature has provided for human prosperity and richness is the main reason for nature to be regarded with so much respect and adoration.
The peace and tranquillity experienced, when one is in nature’s loving arms, is priceless. In today’s fast paced world, the soothing effect that nature can bring to a stressed out mind is beyond words. The majestic aura of the snow-capped mountains, the splendour of the sea, or a cool breeze...all these natural wonders have the same captivating charm to hold us spell-bound. Yet, once we are past the beauty, then the mind is free to relax and think in depth and furrow into the greater truths about the cosmos. And the beauty of this is that these thoughts come effortlessly and powerfully when one is amidst nature. The mind is attuned to contemplate on greater truths because nature itself reflects a replica of Heaven or Paradise of the divine.
Since time immemorial, nature has occupied an important role in religion. Natural substances like flowers, beads, herbs etc are used in religious practices and rituals in many parts of the world. And it is this very respect associated with nature that has made it indispensable in our traditions and values. Indians have always regarded nature as Prithvi, the Goddess of Earth. Prithvi is regarded as the Hindu earth and also as mother goddess. According to Indian tradition, she is the very embodiment of the Earth, the planet that creates, sustains and nurtures life. To a human being, Prithvi is its mother; being Prithvi tatva, the element earth, out of the five constituent elements in Indian tradition (i.e. Air, Water, Wind, Fire, Earth). Prithvi is also referred to as Dhara, Dharti, and Dhrithri (meaning that which holds everything).In Indian mythology; she is honoured as Prithvi Devi, one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is another form of Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Another name for Prithvi is Bhumi or Bhudevi. Bhumi is the divine wife of Varaha, an incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu. It is believed, according to Hindu mythology, the divine saint Andal is a form of her. Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of Lakshmi. The other is Sridevi, who remains with Narayana. Bhudevi is the Goddess of Earth, and the fertility form of Lakshmi. Thus, Indians have long honoured Nature by associating her with prosperity, growth and richness.
Various plants have been used in many Indian households for religious rituals and many plants are embedded deep in Indian mythology. The plant Tulsi has deep roots in Indian traditions and folklore. Many Hindus have Tulsi plants growing in front of or near their home, often in special Tulsi pots. These pots are given the most important place of respect and religious worship in the house. Tulsi, which is Sanskrit for "the incomparable one", is worshiped throughout India, and is often regarded as a consort of Lord Vishnu in the form of Mahalakshmi. There are two types of Tulsi worshiped by Hindus—Rama Tulsi having light green leaves and larger in size; Krishna Tulsi having dark green leaves and is important for the worship of Vishnu. In Varanasi, it is also frequently grown next to Vishnu temples. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening during the month of Kartika includes the worship of the Tulsi plant, which is considered auspicious for the home. In the ceremony of Tulsi Vivaha, Tulsi is ceremonially married to Vishnu annually on the twelfth of the month of Kartika. This day is considered inauspicious for weddings and other rituals, and so the day inaugurates the annual marriage season in India. Devotees of Lord Vishnu especially follow the daily worship of Tulsi during Kartika and traditionally use japmalas made from Tulsi stems or roots, which are an important symbol of initiation (since they considered as auspicious for the wearer and believed to put them under the protection of Vishnu or Krishna).
The ancient tribal community of the Todas in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu in India has followed for years the simple principle of living in harmony with nature with sincere reverence. They worship their dairy-buffaloes and also various trees. Despite being situated in remote and heavily depended on forests for food and livelihood; it is surprising to observe that the members of this community are vegetarians and do not eat meat, eggs which can hatch ( fertilised eggs) and fish but some villages eat fish.
Certain flowers are used especially for religious worship. Seeds of the lotus are used in the worship of Goddess Lakshmi .Goddess Saraswati is seen standing on a lily in her divine form. Many Gods and Goddesses in Hindu mythology have animals as their means of transport (for example-mouse for Lord Ganesha, Garuda for Lord Vishnu etc.). Indian myths, traditions and religious rituals are full of examples of utmost devotion and worship of nature. This can be found from the carvings and engraving on temples and historical monuments across the country.
The era that we live in, treats nature with so much tyranny that the pain and agony of the earth seeps through the soil into our very souls. Humans no longer regard nature as a divine being and instead, believe in total conquest of her gifts and resources. The cry of nature cannot and will not evade anyone and mankind, beware! The fury of someone as pure and divine need not be told...It will come and when it does...death and destruction will follow. So let us bestow respect and glory to nature and dwell in the aura and tranquillity which she always gave us...
- Riya, student intern, Parihara.com
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