Sri Sri Ravishanker's talk on nature

Back to nature

Deccan Herald, 3rd May, 2010H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Ancient scriptures have it that human beings have five sheaths: the environment, the physical body, the mind, the intuitive sheath and the fifth sheath is purushartha, i.e., the blissful state. The environment is our first body and one of the most important sheaths. If our environment is clean and positive, it has a positive impact on all the other sheaths and they are in balance.Environment consciousness is inbuilt in the human system. Historically, nature has always been adored in India; mountains, rivers, trees, the sun, the moon, have always been honoured. It’s only when we started moving away from nature that we started polluting nature. We need to revive the ancient practice.Today man has become greedy, he wants to make quick profits and achieve quick results. This obstructs preservation of ecology. It not only pollutes the physical environment but also stimulates negative emotions in the subtle level. These negative emotions do not stay limited to that one person but rubs off onto all those who he comes in contact with. These negative vibrations once compounded are the root cause of all disasters and misery in the world.Most of the wars are triggered off by such feelings; which is always accompanied by waste and natural disasters that take ages to balance out. We need to attend to the human psyche which causes pollution, whether physical or emotional. If compassion and care are kindled within the self, they reflect in the environment.Just observe nature; the five elements of nature are opposed to each other. Water destroys fire, fire destroys air. Then there are so many species in nature - the birds, reptiles, mammals; all these different species are hostile towards each other and yet nature balances them out. We need to learn from nature.In ancient times, if a person cut one tree, he planted five in return. The ancient people did not wash clothes in holy rivers; only ashes of cremated bodies were to be submerged in the river so that everything gets digested back to nature.We need to balance our views with a free mind. We need to work out ways and means of protecting our beautiful planet earth. For this to happen, human consciousness must rise above greed and exploitation. We need to revive the ancient practice of honouring and conserving nature. Spirituality has been a time tested answer. It eliminates all the negative emotions; it elevates one’s consciousness and promotes a sense of caring and commitment for the whole planet.(H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the Art of Living)