Green mantras

Green mantras

By sharing mantras from the shastras,  HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji  shows that environmental management is a  time-honoured Indian tradition 

There are so many beautiful  mantras in Hinduism,  

Traditionally known as  Sanatana Dharma or the  ‘Eternal Law’, that give us  precious keys to live our  lives. I particularly prefer the  following two core tenets and  teachings, which I think are  critical to shifting the state of  our global challenges to global  opportunities that allow us  to connect, unite, and live in  peace and harmon with  all beings.  

Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (The world is a family): 

One beautiful mantra  

says,“Ayam nijah paroveti  ganana laghuchetasam,  udaracharitanantu  

vasudhaiva kutumbakam.” Tragically, today we are  treating our whole world as  a marketplace, but this core  tenet explains that the world  is not a bazaar; the world  is a parivar. We are all one  family that lives together, loves  together, shares together,  and serves together. In the  bazaar where we exploit, grab,  and hoard, it’s every man for  himself. But in the parivar, we  share, sacrifice, and are there  for others. Let us shift our  mindset and live for each other  with the idea that the world is  one big family. 

Ishavaasyam idam sarvam: Worshiping the Creator means  protecting and preserving all  of creation. The first line of the  Isha Upanishad, ”Ishavaasyam  idam sarvam,” reminds us  that God pervades everything  on earth. All of creation is,  therefore, Divine. Our tradition  asks us to protect all of life that  God has created. In so doing,  we ensure that generations to  come will benefit from bountiful  natural resources that give us  clean water and air. 

Our ancient sages personified the earth as  mother earth and worshipped  her as a Goddess (Devi). In  the Atharva Veda, it says:  “Mata bhumi putro aham  prithivyaha,” meaning, “The  earth is my mother, I am the  earth’s son.” 

We worship trees as Vriksha  Devatas (tree gods), forests  as Vana Devatas, mountains  as Giri Devatas, rivers as  Goddesses, and cow and cattle  for their agrarian utility. The  Vedas state, “Vriksho rakshati  rakshitaha,” meaning,“Protect  trees, trees will protect you.”  We believe water is a purifier;  thus, we offer a daily prayer to  the deity of water: “The waters  in the sky, the waters of rivers,  

and water in the well whose  source is the ocean, may all  these sacred waters protect  me.” (Rig-Veda 7.49.2). 

Protection of Nature is  paramount in Hinduism.  Nature is seen as a guru,  the very pure essence of  the divine and not as a  commodity at our disposal.  Mother Nature teaches us  how to give endlessly without  hesitation, expectation, and  discrimination. 

Hinduism offers many green  mantras and reminds us to  be aware of our actions and  the impact they have on our  communities, our environment,  and our planet. Therefore, we  have to live more mindfully and  use its resources sparingly,  while serving tirelessly to  replenish that which we have  taken from it. By doing so, we  can perform true puja every  moment of our lives, honouring  all of creation and conserving  it for our future generations. 

Swami Chidanand  Saraswati is the president  and spiritual head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram,  a spiritual institution based  in Rishikesh, India.