Ecology in ancient texts

The Atharvaveda (AV) contains a special status in Vedic literature, since it was considered to be the ‘Veda for the masses’, containing philosophical expressions which oscillate between the mundane to the higher planes of philosophy which deal with the central questions of ordinary man and his environment. Jena tries to highlight how Indians during the Vedic period perceived the environment or were conscious of the environment and hence through the enquiry focuses on a study more of human awareness and human behaviour through a study of the AV during that time.

In the verses pertaining to the Earth, it is clear that in ancient times the Earth was seen as the seat of creation as in most other civilizations. Particularly interesting however, is the kind of qualities that were attached to the Earth, ‘it was a provider of food, strength, desires, progeny and nourishment’. The earth was praised for its ‘firmness’ which in turn ensured firmness of the mountains, the heavens and the people. It is through the earth that oceans, rivers and waters, food and fields are born and come into existence. Hence she is a ‘treasure house’ , the reminder of the whole universe, the gods and forests that stand on it. It seems that our ancestors were far less conscious of national, regional, religious divisions on the earth then and freely called upon the gods of the world and the universe to protect and tread softly on the earth. In the verses on water, water was considered medicinal, the nectar, that which provides relief and cure from chronic diseases, the purifier and hence also that which had the ability to drive away sin. However it is Agni or Fire which is given far more immortal and universal power than the rest. This is probably an important fact given how fire has been crucial in the human civilisational role distinguishing mankind in terms of ability from the rest of nature. Reference to Air is made in the form of winds, considered the nourisher of birds and in the hymns or verses were prayers for auspicious days, and nights and good constellations and most of all prayers were made to reduce the vagaries of nature, balance on earth and skies and for gracious meteor strikes and prayers to seasons, to ensure their recurrent nature.In the verses on flora and fauna that Jena highlights to probe further into the kind of relationships built with flora and fauna we find a richness in herbal practices. The Munja grass has been praised as a great healing ointment, while other herbs and plants are mystical protectors of enemies, having mystical rather than medicinal properties. 

Though the overall environmental philosophic perspective may not be very rich, hence affecting what the writer has picked or left out of the AV, the book is a good initial attempt for a study of ecological awareness in the Atharvaveda, in the selected sections by the Sanskrit specialist.

Reference: Ecological Awareness reflected in the Atharvaveda, Niranjan Jena