World Nature Conservation Day

I stumbled upon the fact that today is World Nature Conservation Day because the first article I read in the morning was about how India’s tiger census has entered the Guinness Book of World Records !!!

Do read the article posted in the Tribune on July 12th – India’s largest tiger census sets Guinness record.

An excerpt from the article –

“India’s tiger census of 2018 has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest ever camera-trap wildlife survey conducted anywhere in the world.

According to the survey, the country was home to an estimated 2,967 tigers, nearly 75 per cent of the global population. Of all the big cats, 2,461 (around 83 per cent) have been photo-captured.”

Then my ex-colleague and dear friend Sriwant sent this poster made by his company, IVORY, that specialises in brand building and digital marketing.

The quote is so apt … we are indeed not owners but care-takers of the Earth. The Corona Virus has once again proven the fact that we cannot control Nature, we can only learn to live according to her rules.

The Bhagavad Gita has several shlokas (verses) that describe the connection we have to Mother Earth and Nature. Here is one –

अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भव: |
यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञ: कर्मसमुद्भव: || 14||

annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

annāt—from food; bhavanti—subsist; bhūtāni—living beings; parjanyāt—from rains; anna—of food grains; sambhavaḥ—production; yajñāt—from the performance of sacrifice; bhavati—becomes possible; parjanyaḥ—rain; yajñaḥ—performance of sacrifice; karma—prescribed duties; samudbhavaḥ—born of

Translation – All living beings subsist on food, and food is produced by rains. Rains come from the performance of Yagya (sacrifice, or offering), and sacrifice is produced by the performance of prescribed duties.

The link to the above shloka is – Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 3, verse 14.

Yagya has several meanings – offering, sacrifice, worship, devotion. In the above verse Bhagwan Krishna is explaining the cycle of nature. “Yagya” is work performed without any selfish motives or personal gain, in the service and interest of others. If Yagya is performed as service to the environment (conservation), then it completes the cycle of nature and shows how living beings are interdependent.

Animals and human beings live on food which requires rains, and rains will be sufficient only if human beings conserve nature and behave responsibly with the Earth.

Osho, the Master of Masters also said this – “To be with trees and plants is beautiful because they go on growing, they become an impetus, an inspiration, and the whole energy is flowing upwards with the growth. You cannot remain low, you have to go high. If you are alert, then farming can turn you on as no drug can ever do. Just the smell of the wet earth, the smell of the growing plants, the joy of the birds and the sun – all that becomes a milieu for spiritual growth. To be close to nature is to be close to god.”  (Link to the website – Care for Earth)

And in conclusion …

What more can be said ? ! Make everyday World Nature Conservation Day :):).

#WorldNatureConservationDay