Urge for Ecological Sensitivity in Ancient India: Two Case Studies In Texts, Praxis And Performance

Abstract

After USEPA’s 2014 report declaring the United States, the European Union, the Russian Federation, China, Japan and India among the top carbon emitters of the world, global concerns over ecological sensitivity have increased. CO2 levels across the world, usually at a scale of average 280 ppm, have crossed an unprecedentedly crossed the mark of 420 ppm in recent year. One significant question at this crucial stage is – does mankind have any lessons from its past to equip itself for the problems of contemporary times?  The ancient Indian Vedic seers placed great importance on the relationship between man and nature, which is established through sacred incantations and expressed through rituals. This paper is premised on the central argument that folk-rituals across the races and peoples of diverse cultures in South-Asia reflect this ancient ecological sensitivity rooted in the collective consciousness of indigenous cultures.

To present its case, the paper takes up two case studies from India where ecological concerns are rooted in not only in ancient Indian texts (i.e. Vedas); they have also become a part of household rituals and performances. BhūmiSūktam (The Earth Hymn), a part of the Atharva Veda, is a collection of sixty-three verses, establishes a captivating portrayal of Mother Earth as the foundation of man’s existence and a representation of the entire environment. The second case consists of the kōlam household rice-flour drawings in South India as an offering to the earth goddess, Bhūdevi, not just as a prayer but also a metaphor for coexistence with nature. Thus, the paper concludes how these texts and the rituals related to them serve as a constant reminder of the necessity to maintain and promote the ecological equilibrium of nature