ORIGIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE FROM VEDAS
CONCEPT OF WATER ‘APAH’
Water is essential to all forms of life. According to Rig-veda the water as a part of human environment occurs in five forms:
1. Rain water (Divyah)
2. Natural spring (Sravanti)
3. Wells and canals (Khanitrimah)
4. Lakes (Svayamjah)
5. Rivers (Samudrarthah)
There are some other classifications also in the Taittiriya Aranyaka,30 Yajurveda31 and Atharvaveda32 as drinking water, medicinal water, stable water etc. Chandogya Upanishad describes about qualities of water³‘The water is the source of joy and for living a healthy life. It is the immediate cause of all organic beings such as vegetations, insects, worms, birds, animals, men etc. Even the mountains, the earth, the atmosphere and heavenly bodies are water concretized.33The cycle of water is described. From ocean waters reach to sky and from sky come back to earth.34 Rainwaters are glorified. The rain-cloud is depicted as Parjanya god. The fight between Indra and Vritra is a celebrated story from the Rig-veda. It is explained in many ways.
According to one view it is a fight for waters. Indra is called Apsu-jit or conquering the waters, while Vritra is encompassing them. Vritra holds the rain and covers waters and thus being faulty is killed by Indra through his weapon called Vajra i.e., thunderbolt. The Indra-Vritra fight represents natural phenomenon going on in the aerial space. By the efforts of Indra all the seven rivers flow. The flow of water should not be stopped and that is desired by humanity. The significance of water for life was wellknown to Vedic seers. They mention -Waters are nectars.35 Waters are source of all plants and giver of good health.36 Waters destroy diseases of all sorts.37 Waters are for purification.38 It seems that later developed cultural tradition of pilgrimage on the river-banks is based on the theory of purification from water.
The ancient Indians knowing water as a vital element for life, were very particular to maintain it pure and free from any kind of pollution. The Manusmriti stresses on many instances to keep water clean.39 The Padma Purana condemns water pollution forcefully saying, ‘the person who pollutes waters of ponds, wells or lakes goes to hell.
Shashi Tiwari
CONCEPT OF WATER ‘APAH’
Water is essential to all forms of life. According to Rig-veda the water as a part of human environment occurs in five forms:
1. Rain water (Divyah)
2. Natural spring (Sravanti)
3. Wells and canals (Khanitrimah)
4. Lakes (Svayamjah)
5. Rivers (Samudrarthah)
There are some other classifications also in the Taittiriya Aranyaka,30 Yajurveda31 and Atharvaveda32 as drinking water, medicinal water, stable water etc. Chandogya Upanishad describes about qualities of water³‘The water is the source of joy and for living a healthy life. It is the immediate cause of all organic beings such as vegetations, insects, worms, birds, animals, men etc. Even the mountains, the earth, the atmosphere and heavenly bodies are water concretized.33The cycle of water is described. From ocean waters reach to sky and from sky come back to earth.34 Rainwaters are glorified. The rain-cloud is depicted as Parjanya god. The fight between Indra and Vritra is a celebrated story from the Rig-veda. It is explained in many ways.
According to one view it is a fight for waters. Indra is called Apsu-jit or conquering the waters, while Vritra is encompassing them. Vritra holds the rain and covers waters and thus being faulty is killed by Indra through his weapon called Vajra i.e., thunderbolt. The Indra-Vritra fight represents natural phenomenon going on in the aerial space. By the efforts of Indra all the seven rivers flow. The flow of water should not be stopped and that is desired by humanity. The significance of water for life was wellknown to Vedic seers. They mention -Waters are nectars.35 Waters are source of all plants and giver of good health.36 Waters destroy diseases of all sorts.37 Waters are for purification.38 It seems that later developed cultural tradition of pilgrimage on the river-banks is based on the theory of purification from water.
The ancient Indians knowing water as a vital element for life, were very particular to maintain it pure and free from any kind of pollution. The Manusmriti stresses on many instances to keep water clean.39 The Padma Purana condemns water pollution forcefully saying, ‘the person who pollutes waters of ponds, wells or lakes goes to hell.
Shashi Tiwari
No comments:
Post a Comment