Sanctity of Life in Indian Tradition

r example, in the ancient past Hindus and Buddhists were careful to ob

oral teachings regarding the treatment of nature.
t only the common person but also rulers and kings followed those e
idelines and tried to create an example for others.
Buddhism the attitude towards the environment is well contained in their f
e five precepts
e first precept:
“Let us not harm, but respect all forms of life” certainly considers all
of life and not only man.
“Our world is rich in living things but many of them are dying out; let u
a way to let them have their lives ”
"Do not harm, but cherish all life"—that's
life" one way of rendering the
precept.
 ny Buddhists interpret the first precept as an injunction to vegetarianism.
if that precept is meant to discourage us from killing a single animal, then surely it
uld apply to the "killing" of entire species.
ay, humanity is violating that precept on a scale so vast that it defies our efforts to
sure it.
now in the twentieth century, the materialistic orientation of the West has e
ected the cultures of the East.
ia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan have witnessed wanton exploitation o
vironment by their own peoples, despite the strictures and injunctions inherent i
gions and cultures.
us no culture has remained immune from human irreverence towards nature.
w can we change the attitude of human beings towards nature?
religions the answer?
gion can evoke a kind of awareness in persons that is different from scient
hnological reasoning.
igion helps make human beings aware that there are limits to their control ov
mate and inanimate world and that their arrogance and manipulative power over
backfire.
igion instills the recognition that human life cannot be measured by material posse
d that the ends of life go beyond conspicuous consumption.
 nvironmental education will remain incomplete until it includes cultura
alues and religious imperatives.
or this we required an ecumenical approach.
1967 the historian Lynn White Jr wrote an article in Science on the
storical roots of the ecological crisis.
ccording to White, what people do to their environment depends on h
ey see themselves in relation to nature.
White asserted that the exploitative view that has generated much of th
nvironmental crisis, particularly in Europe and North America, is a resul
e teachings of late mediaeval Latin Christianity, which conceived huma
superior to the rest of God's creation and everything else as created fo
uman use and enjoyment.
e suggested that the only way to address the ecological crisis was to rej
e view that nature has no reason to exist except to serve humanity.
e principle of the sanctity of life is clearly ingrained in the Hindu religion
y God has absolute sovereignty over all creatures; thus human beings h
dominion over their own lives or non-human
non life.
nsequently, humanity cannot act as a viceroy of God over the planet no
ign degrees of relative worth to other species.
e idea of the Divine Being as the one underlying power of unity is
autifully expressed in the Yajurveda:
The loving sage beholds that Being,
hidden in mystery,
wherein the universe comes to have one home;
Therein unites and therefrom emanates the whole;
The Omnipresent One pervades souls and matter like warp
and weft in created beings (Yajurveda 2.8).
e sacredness of God's creation means no damage may be inflicted on o
cies without adequate justification.
erefore, all lives, human and non-human,
human, are of equal value and all hav
me right to existence.
cording to the Atharvaveda, the earth is not for human beings alone, but for other
atures as well:
Born of Thee, on Thee move mortal creatures;
Thou barest them - the biped and the quadruped;
Thine, O earth, are the five races of men, for whom Surya (Sun),
as he rises spreads with his rays the light that is immortal (Atharvaveda 12.1-15
12.1
Hindu concept of creation can be presented in four categories.
t the Vedic theory, which is followed by further elaboration in Vedanta and Sankhy
osophies;
second is Upanishadic theory;
third is known as Puranic theory;
d the fourth is enunciated in the great Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
ranic theory differs from the other three, a single thought flows between them.
s unifying theory is well stated in the Rigveda:
• The Vedas and the universal laws of nature
• which control the universe
• and govern the cycles of creation and dissolution were made manifest by the All knowing One
• By his great power were produced the clouds and the vapors.
• After the production of the vapors, there
 • intervened a period of darkness after which the Great Lord
• and Controller of the universe arranged the motions
• which produce days, nights and other durations of time.
• The Great One then produced the sun, the moon,
• the earth and all other regions
• as He did in previous cycles of creation (Rigveda 10: 190.1-3).
190.1
e Hindu scriptures attest to the belief that the creation, maintenance, and
hilation of the cosmos is completely dependent on the Supreme will.
e Gita, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna:
l that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I
its origin and dissolution' (Gita 7.6).
he Lord says: 'The whole cosmic order is under me. By my will it is manifeste
and again and by my will, it is annihilated at the end' (Gita 7.6).
, for ancient Hindus, both God and Prakriti (nature) was to be one and the sa
e the Prajapati (as mentioned in Regveda)
Regveda is the creator of sky, earth, oceans
her species, he is also their protector and eventual destroyer.
the only Lord of creation.
an beings have no special privilege or authority over other creatures;
he other hand, they have more obligations and duties.
 most important aspect of Hindu theology pertaining to the treatment
mal life is the belief that the Supreme Being was himself incarnated in t
m of various species.
• The Lord says This form is the source
• and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations
• within the universe,
• and from the particle and portion' of this form,
• different living entities, like demigods, animals,
• human beings and others, are created
• (Srimad-Bhagavata Book 1, Discourses III: 5).
ong the various incarnations of God He first incarnated Himself in the f
fish, then a tortoise, a boar, and dwarf.
fifth incarnation was as a man-lion.
lion.
Rama he was closely associated with monkeys, and as Krishna he was
ays surrounded by cows.
s, other species are accorded reverence:
 du belief in the cycle of birth and rebirth where a person may come ba
animal or a bird gives these species not only respect but also reverence
s provides a solid foundation for the doctrine of ahimsa - non-violence
inst animals and human beings alike.
dus have a deep faith in the doctrine of non-violence.
non
most all the Hindu scriptures place a strong emphasis on the notion that
d's grace can be received by not killing his creatures or harming his crea
od, Kesava,, is pleased with a person who does not harm or destroy othe
n-speaking creatures or animals' (Visnupurrana
Visnupurrana 3,8,15).
he end of the Vedic and Upanishadic periods, Buddhism and Jainism ca
o existence, and the protection of animals, birds, and vegetation was fu
ngthened by the various kings practicing these religions.
ese religions, which arose in part as a protest against the orthodoxy and
als of Hindu religion, continued their precepts for environmental
tection.
 e Buddhist emperor Ashoka (273-236 236 BCE), promoted through public
oclamations the planting and preservation of flora and fauna.
lar Edicts, located at various public places, expressed his concerns abou
e welfare of creatures, plants and trees and prescribed various
nishments for the killing of animals, including ants, squirrels and rats.
early as in the time of Regveda,, tree worship was quite popular and
iversal.
e tree symbolized the various attributes of God to the Rigvedic seers.
gveda regarded plants as having divine powers, with one entire hymn
voted to their praise, chiefly with reference to their healing properties.
egveda 10.97).
ring the epics and Puranas, the Indian people respect for flora
es were considered as being animate and feeling happiness and sorrow
ery tree has a Vriksa-devata, or 'tree deity', who is worshipped with pra
d offerings of water, flowers, sweets, and encircled by sacred threads.
nting of a tree is still a religious duty.
du ancestors considered it their duty to save trees:
and in order to do that they attached to every tree a religious sanctity.
e Bishnois are a small community in Rajasthan, India, who practise a
gion of environmental conservation.
ey believe that cutting a tree or killing an animal is a blasphemy.
duism, was founded by Guru Maharaj Jambaji, who was born in 1451 C
Marwar area.
 e Chipko movement is not only to be found in the ecological or economic backgrou
t in religious belief.
lagers have noted how industrial and commercial demands have denuded their fo
ow they cannot sustain their livelihood in a deforested area, and how floods contin
ay havoc with their small agricultural communities.
e religious basis of the movement is evident in the fact that it is inspired and guide
omen.
omen have not only seen how their men do not mind destroying nature in order to
oney while they had to walk for miles in search of firewood, fodder and other grazi
aterials, but, being more religious, they also are more sensitive to injunctions such
ahimsa.
he Chipko movement is a kind of feminist movement to protect nature from the gre
men.
s the woman who worries most about nature and its conservation in order that its
sources are available for her family's sustenance.
n the other hand, men go away to distant places in search of jobs, leaving women a
d people behind.
ese women also believe that each tree has a Vriksadevata (tree god) and that the
n Devi (the Goddess of forests) will protect their family welfare. They also believe t
ch green tree is an abode of the Almighty God Hari.
m these one may conclude that there exists an ethical consciousness tow
nvironment in Buddhism.
need for making a proper balance among human needs and the environ
guing the contemporary society especially the champions of environm
s
ust flora and fauna, but natural resources, as well, are held in gre
em by the Indian tradition.
t of the places of worship are located by the side of great rivers o
a.
ct, Indian civilization took its birth by the side of Indus river, which
evered for this.
ever, it is Ganga, which is considered the most sacred.

not just the Deity to be worshipped having its origin to be believe

head of Lord Shiva, but respected as a Mother, as well
erefore, there is tendency to conserve its sacred waters.
nga is not held sacred because of the benefits that it give
because it is considered the manifestation of divine on e
nd it is this aspect, that Indian mind considers worthy of respect
se might have their origin in Vedic India, but these are very much
viving and being practiced with equal devotion and steadfastness
n today.
at environmental ethics prescribes as one’s natural duty, Indian
ure offers as a spiritual endeavor.
main tenet of environment ethics is the conservation of life and
ure,
this is what has been preached and practiced by sages througho
se centuries.
act, India is perhaps the only country, where such conscious and
cal attitude towards one’s surrounding has been adopted by its
ple since times immemorial.
 Indic religions, as a family of religions, are distinct from the Abrahamic religi
aism, Christianity and Islam) in their environmental vision.
cially for deep ecology, these religious traditions were great inspirations.
e were also two views about the traditional Indian environmental philosoph
first focused on liberation (moksha,
moksha, nirvana)
nirvana and the other world, and so
pletely irrelevant to environmentalism.
second view states
ndians look at every mountain, rock, and tree with respect; they consider the whole of rea
nsouled.
ce, the Indian view, according to this understanding, is completely relevant t
newfound environmentalism.
c Indian environmental:
as an explicitly ethical.
cal virtues like truth, friendship, and calmness were universalized by the Vedi
ans for all that exists (all creation) without any discrimination as human and n
an.
 broad principle is the concept of rta (order, telos).
brings about harmony – and harmony has always been a cherished Indian id
whole of reality functions according to the law of rta.
ural forces are deified in the Vedas (Indra
Indra, Marut, Apas, Prithvi) as upholders
universal harmony of rta.
concept of dharma developed in the Atharva Veda as the law that governs a
gs.
h this, the idea of rta became explicitly moral.
rta that governs everything is not a physical law merely, but a moral law that
es every being towards its teleological end (good or truth or fulfillment).
not morally correct for the human agent to interfere with this teleological
ney of each thing according to its dharma.
dharma
values a human being should seek were four, and not only moksha, the othe
g artha (wealth), kama (pleasure and happiness) and dharma.
Sanskrit root of this term means ‘to uphold or support’, and hence,
umans have the responsibility to sustain the moral order pervading the whole universe th
heir practice of dharma. (stated in the Dharmasastras,
Dharmasastras Arthasastra and the Mahabharata)
 expectations are systematically laid out according to stages of life (ash
(
ma thus comes to mean right duties that one owes according to differen
of life, to other human beings and all creation.
is of utmost environmental significance here is the realization of the Ve
of the interconnectedness of the whole of reality.
thing is a part in the big unity. It was thought of as not morally alright to
ol or manipulate nature.
eal of existence was one of cooperation with nature and everything els
was no idea of human dominion over nature.
ea of the divine during the classical times was centered on the notion
ation.
incarnation makes the world sacred and respectable.
vine incarnation was not restricted to human forms.
ong the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, the first four are matsya (fish), koor
toise), varaha (boar), and narasimha (man-lion).
mportant dharma is that of non-injury
injury or ahimsa.
at is painful and pleasant to oneself should be seen as painful and plea
ther beings as well.
ce everyone who seeks moksha should consider ahimsa as the first virt
e existence is governed by the process of cause and effect (karma), eac
ng is duty bound to respect the other, and this respect and non-injury
non le
out of the cycle of time.
ording to Jainism, every entity in the world has the sentient principle o
inguished by its consciousness.
the degree of consciousness that varies throughout existence.
jivas are bound to matter by the quantity of karma they have accumul
arresting the principle of karma is the liberation from the cycle of birth
th.
 requires valiant discipline, renunciation and self-control.
self
ugh the lesser beings are not morally responsible, they still have moral value
ny scholars extol the Jaina worldview as the most sympathetic towards the w
system.
impetus for ethical attitude is freedom from desire, attachment and the karm
e,
it also raises the moral profile of the biotic community at large.
uddhism, the ethical code is similar to that of the Jainas.
the Buddhists begin their moral reasoning from certain facts, as the Buddha
example, that there is suffering.
al response is meant to minimize suffering and pain both by understanding t
se of suffering as desire, but also by alleviating the suffering of all forms of lif
ce, human behavior is to be regulated towards the world by the virtues of
passion, love, kindness, empathy, equanimity and joy in the happiness of ot
 ll creatures, great and small, should be the subject of our moral sensiti
Buddha’s teachings are full of stories of generosity towards all species.
tradition is often seen among the spiritually motivated environmental
ists of countries like Sri Lanka and Tibet.
ddhist communities, the virtues of compassion and loving kindness are
iced with diligence as these are thought to be the condition for moral
.
also have a pluralistic understanding of existence without any privilege
hed to particular species like humanity.
has led to a non-anthropocentric
anthropocentric respect for biodiversity.
normative moral expectations from monks, nuns and lay people unders
ncern for the environment.