Religion is a Bond between Man and Nature
Times of India
March 2001
Mata Amritanandamayi says
It is religion that helps a person to maintain the awareness that
he or she is separate from nature. Without religion mankind loses
awareness. Religion teaches us to love nature. In truth, the progress
and prosperity of mankind depends solely on the good which man does
for nature. Religion helps to maintain a harmonious relationship
between human beings, between the individual and society, and between
man and nature.
The relation between man and nature is like the relationship between
Pindala (the microcosm) and Bramanda (the macrocosm.) Our great
ancestors understood this. That is why they gave so much importance
to nature worship in religious practices. The idea behind all religion
acharam (practices) was to closely associate human beings with nature.
By establishing a loving relationship between man and nature, they
ensured both the balance of nature and the progress of the human
race.
Look at a tree. It gives shade even to the person who cuts it down.
It gives its sweet delicious fruits to the person who harms it.
But our attitude is completely different. When we plant a tree,
or raise an animal, we are only concerned about the profit we will
make from it. If the animal ceases to make a profit, we will have
it destroyed without a thought. As soon as the cow stops producing
milk, we will sell it to the butcher to make money. If a tree stops
yielding fruit we will cut it down and make furniture or something
else from it.
Selfishness reins supreme. Selfless love cannot be found anywhere.
But our ancestors were not like this. They new that trees, plants,
and animals were absolutely necessary for the benefit and good of
humans. They foresaw that man in his selfish moments, would forget
nature and would cease to have any concern for her. They also knew
that future generations would suffer, due to man's dissociation
from nature. They therefore linked each religious rite with nature.
Thus, through religious principles, they could succeed in developing
an emotional bond between man and nature. The ancients loved and
worshiped trees and plants - the Banyan and Bilva trees, and the
Tulsi plant - not because the trees bore fruits and helped them
to make a profit, but because the ancients knew that they themselves
in truth were one with all of nature.
More than knowledge of modern science it is the deeper understanding
that religion provides, of the truth of the oneness of all creation,
which teaches humans to love nature and to develop a sense of reverence
and devotion to all. The love that religion teaches is not the kind
of love, which a gross intellect can understand. It is that of the
heart. It can only be imbibed by a person who's endowed with a subtle
intellect born out of faith.
Everything is pervaded by consciousness. It is consciousness that
pervades the world and all creatures in it. To worship everything,
seeing God in all, is what religion advises. Such an attitude teaches
us to love nature. None of us would consciously injure our own body
because we know it would be painful. Similarly we will feel the
pain of other people to be our own when the realization dawns within
us that everything is pervaded by the one and same consciousness.
Compassion will arise and we will sincerely wish to help and protect
all. In that state we won't feel like even plucking a leaf unnecessarily.
We will pick a flower only on the last day of its existence, before
it falls from the stem. We will consider it as harmful to the plant
and to nature if the flower is picked on its very first day due
to our greediness.
Whatever is provided by Nature, the source of flowers and plants,
should be lovingly returned to it. This is the symbolism behind
the offering of flowers to god. It also helps to enhance our devotion
to god. Worship performed with one-pointedness helps to diminish
thoughts and this in turn will cleanse and purify the mind.
Looking at nature and observing its selfless way of giving we can
become aware of our own limitations. This will help us to develop
devotion and self-surrender to God. Thus nature helps us to become
closer to God and teaches us to truly worship him. In reality nature
is nothing but God's visible form which we can experience through
our senses. Indeed by loving and serving nature we are worshipping
God himself. Just as nature creates favorable circumstances for
a coconut to become a coconut tree and for a seed to transform itself
into a huge fruit, nature creates the necessary circumstances through
which the individual soul can reach the Supreme Being and merge
in eternal union with Him.
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