NATURE AND HINDUISM

Nature and Ecology in Hinduism

It's a different World, one that could have been,

At times wild and brutal, at times so serene,

Where Life abounds in different tribes,

Where fishes swim and the eagle flies,

For Eons, it has cared for it's own,

And would continue, if left alone,

But Man destroys for his greed,

And uproots Nature like a weed,

Soon the birds and beasts of our shore,

May someday be considered just folklore..

How refreshing it is to walk bare-foot on fresh grass or lounge on the beach with waves lapping at your feet watching the sea-gulls return home.. What freshness the fragrance of a rose brings and the immense comfort one gets petting a dog in your lap is indescribable..

The flora and fauna existing today are a result of billions of years of Evolutionary process and are extremely valuable for the sustenance of our Ecology.

Our Planet, Our Home

Anyone, with a logical mind knows that Man alone can not survive on this planet - Trees and shrubs provide us valuable Oxygen and Food; Birds and Bees pollinate the flowers to form Fruits and later disperse their Seeds spreading the green cover; Terrestrial and Aquatic animals provide numerous products used by mankind since time immemorial.

Yet, in his greed for more and more resources, Man has managed to cut-down millions of hectares of forests and wipe out innumerable species off the face of this planet!!

Ancient Sages of Hinduism, recognized the importance of this diversity and with their immense fore-sight and ingenuity, included them in the popular Mythology. This, undoubtedly, helped pass on the message of INCLUSIVENESS and even today, you see Hindus worshiping the Holy-cow, the Shaligram and the Banyan tree without giving it a second thought!

Krishna and Radha tending to and worshipping cows like simple cowherds

In fact, growing up in an Indian household, you can't help but pick up certain concepts of this rich tradition and I am sharing some examples from my own childhood -

The Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) herb is anti-infective and sacred and should be worshiped every morning; the Cow (Gau-Mata) is compared to a Mother as it provides nourishment and its milk is an essential supplement to the vegan diet; plants should not be disturbed at night coz they are asleep (shows the knowledge of Nyctinasty!!); the Prasadam offered to God can not include articles obtained from killing animals etc..

The scriptures contain innumerable references to plants/animals/birds and marine life and consider each living being on this planet essential for a holistic growth and an Indian kid would generally imbibe and keep following these basic principles even after he grows up.

Even the oldest archaeological civilization of the Indian sub-continent, the Indus-Saraswati Culture had elements of animal worship as evidenced by the Zebu Bull, the Unicorn Seals and numerous mythical powerful animals depicted in their artwork.

The Zebu Bull from an Indus-Saraswati Seal

Sitting on the banks of the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, in the backyard of a Rama-Janaki Temple, I see elements of this tradition scattered throughout the Indian sub-continent.. Such remarkable ecological insight should definitely be explored and learnt from.

Ecology in Hinduism

1. The FIRST and the Most Important Concept in Hinduism, is the belief of being related to every living being on the planet.

Mythologically, it finds mention in the legend of Rishi Kashyap who is considered the Father of not only the Living beings on this planet, but ALL other life forms in our Universe!

All living-beings including the demigods are siblings!

This great Prajapati and progenitor of Life is supposed to have lived in the Kashmir Valley which, BTW derives its name from that of the Rishi. He was married to 14 daughters of Daksh Prajapati for the purpose of expanding creation.

They are the Great-Grand Maters of ALL Life today and it would perhaps be nice to at least know their names :o)

Daksha's Daughters Progeny
Aditi 12 Adityas or Demigods

Krodhavasha Pishachas or Vampires

Kala Asurs and Rakshasas

Diti Daityas or Demons

Danu Danavs or Giants

Ira All Vegetation

Tamra All Birds

Khasa Yakshas

Muni Apsaras

Arishta Gandharvs

Vinta Arun and Garud

Kadru Nagas or Serpents

Sursa Uragas or Dragons

Surbhi Kamdhenu and other cattle

The principle behind this thought is known as Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam. As a kid, I wasn't too sure what the words meant, but as I grew up, I realized how great and all-encompassing the nature of this thought is. It doesn't limit itself to describing one's community/religious clique/country or even Mankind as one's family but considers the ENTIRE world and ALL the species living in it as ONE BIG extended family!!

Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam - All World is my Family

The world can surely do with such a broad encompassing philosophy in current times :o)

******************************

2. The SECOND concept is sort of a corollary of the above but has a deeper ramification - It is the belief that God exists in EVERY living thing.

The Bhagvat Puraan declares Shri Kshirodak-shayi Vishnu to be present in each atom of the creation as 'Paramatma' or the Super-soul and various Upanishads agree that every living being has a spark of divinity within itself.

Since various plants and animals are revered in Hinduism to ensure the message of their divinity is not lost in our daily life. Some examples are: - the Sacred Basil or Tulsi mentioned earlier (Ocimum sanctum), the Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa), the Vat Vriksh or Banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis); Nandi, the Bull; Airavat, the Elephant; Garud, the Avian King and Ammonite fossils known as the Shaligram.

Worship of Banyan Tree on Vat-Savitri Purnima

Nandi, the Bull with a Shiva-lingam

Worship of Tulsi on Kartik Purnima

Since all living-beings are extensions of God Himself, it is imperative that we refrain from hurting an insect, animal, bird, reptile or even a plant. This is the first step in developing respect for each and every living-species on this planet and consequently, VEGETARIANISM which involves less blood-shed is given a preference over non-vegetarian food habits.

It is therefore no surprise that the first scientist to demonstrate consciousness and emotion in plants was an Indian -Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose.

Even the poisonous serpents or Nagas are recognized as divine species and worshiped in temples and some of them are given munificent properties - Shesha, the eldest of the Nagas spends his considerable lifetime entirely in the service of Lord Vishnu; Vasuki, the younger brother of Shesha helped churn the ocean to obtain the Nectar of Immortality but did not touch even a drop of it and is content adorning the neck of Lord Shiva.

Shesha always guards Lord Vishnu

Other serpents like Karkotak and Takshak play important roles in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythologies. The Naga king Muchilinda even protected Buddha from wind and rain for seven days while He was meditating.

Buddhist legends prevalent as far away as Japan and China, also mention Eight Dragon-kings derived from the Hindu Nagas - Vasuki, Takshak, Nanda, Upananda, Sagar, Balvan, Anavatapta and Utpal who attended Buddha's discourse on the Lotus Sutra. Clearly, seeing the silver-lining in even the most poisonous of creatures was an art the ancient Indians had mastered!

******************************

3. The THIRD concept is the association of different animals and birds with various Gods and Goddesses as their vehicles or Vahan.

I always wondered why divinities used animals and birds to travel around when they have access to Vimanas (space-crafts). For example, if we take the Holy Trinity, Lord Vishnu travels on the Golden-Eagle Garuda, Brahma travels on a humongous swan Hamsa, and the vehicle of Lord Shiva is the Divine Bull Nandi.

Lord Vishnu on Garuda

Lord Brahma riding a swan

Lord Shiva on Nandi, the Bull

But with time, I have realized that the ancient Rishis, in their immense wisdom, coupled the most important animal/bird species with the important divinities so that, in time, the masses would develop as much reverence for them as for the Gods!!

Thus, we find various gods/goddesses associated with different animals and birds that signify or enhance one or the other qualities that the Divinity represents for example:

• Lord Shiva's bull Nandi represents strength and virility;
• Ganesha, the God of Wisdom riding Mushak (Rat), the symbol of Ignorance;
• Kartikeya/Murugan, rides Parvani, the splendid peacock and reigns its vanity;
• Ganga, rides a Makar or Alligator signifying the most dominant species of its waters;
• Shani-deva represses the thieving tendencies symbolized by a Raven or Kak;
• Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune has an Owl Pecheka as her vehicle to remind people of using wealth wisely.

Indra on White Elephant, the sign of Royalty

Durga on a Lion, the symbol of Power and Bravery

Kartikeya and Ganesha enjoying a joyride on their Peacock



Similarly, Surya's chariot is pulled by Seven steeds, Chandra rides an antelope, Saraswati rides a swan, Kaushik Muni is associated with the Heron and Lord Dattatreya is always surrounded by cute little doggies :o)

******************************

4. The FOURTH concept is that of ascribing Direct Divinity to certain forms where the animal or hybrid form is worshiped as a god.

• The first and the most striking example of course is of the Elephant-headed god Ganesha and the Vanar god Hanuman. Both of them are a favorite all over the sub-continent with devotees right from Afghanistan to China.

Ganesha from a Mongolian painting

Both of them are a big hit with people from all age-groups and all sections of the society. Ganesha is the 'Lord-of-Auspicious-beginnings' and no new project starts without worshiping the cute cuddly Lord. Hanuman, on the other hand is the role model for devotional service and an example of how one can overcome his animal instincts and reach the highest pinnacle of devotion to the Supreme Lord.

Hanuman from a popular animation movie

• The second example is the phenomenon called Dashavatar which we have already encountered in two previous posts {Evolution in Dashavatar} and {Manu - The First Man}. It portrays the ascribing of Divinity to even lowest of life forms and elevating them to the level of Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself.

The 10 incarnations actually form a sub-set of the original 24 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Of these, three are animal forms generally considered too low in the hierarchy of life - a Fish (Matsya), Turtle (Kurma) and Wild-boar (Varah).

Matsya Avatar of Lord Vishnu

Kurma Avatar

Varah Avatar

Of the rest, two more are hybrids between a beast and a Man viz. the Half-man-Half-Lion Narsimha and the Matsya-Horse-Human hybrid Hayagreeva.

Lord Narsingh Deva with Prahlad on his lap

Hayagriva Avatar of Lord Vishnu blessing the demon Hayagriva before killing him

Image courtesy Vimanika Comics

{Dashavatar Volume 1}

This way, the ancient Hindu sages raised even the lowest of life forms up to a pedestal and made them worthy of reverence and therefore protection.

******************************

5. The FIFTH and Final concept, is the integration and acknowledgement of Animals into everyday life as shown by GOD HIMSELF by means of His incarnations that lived as Human beings amongst us.

Lord Rama developed a special symbiotic relationship with various animals and Humanoid species. The Vanars especially Hanuman and Sugriv became his close allies. Bear-men like Jambavant and birds like Jatayu and Sampaati were irreplaceable in his search for Sita.

Bears and Apes helped Lord Rama get Lady Sita back to Ayodhya

Lord Krishna too was a big-time animal lover! He was the favorite of cows and tended to them with great care. He grew up learning the traits of a cowherd and therefore exhibited deep affection to the animals around Him.

Nand baba and Yashoda maiya's Kanha with his cow

Krishna's all childhood pranks involved animals in one form or another. As a kid, He would steal butter from His mother's kitchen and distribute it amongst the monkeys around. This by the way, was my favorite Leela from Krishna's story during childhood :o)

Makhan-chor Krishna with his monkeys

When Indra opened up the heavens to submerge Vraja-mandal, Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan to keep all his friends and animals safe.He could easily be the poster boy for PETA today ;o)

His flute mesmerized not only human-beings but the entire flora and fauna of Vrindavan and Vraja area. The trees gave bigger fruits, crops yielded healthier crops, cows produced more milk, flowers blossomed everywhere and everyone was at peace with their environment.

Krishna's flute mesmerized every living-soul

Mahabharat states that even in the midst of fierce battle, Krishna told Arjun that He would stop their chariot to give the horses a breather! He asked Arjun to construct an enclosure with his arrows where Krishna could tend to the horses and refresh them before continuing with the battle!!

It is hard to imagine the biggest (and possibly Nuclear) War of ancient World being put on hold by Krishna because He wanted to take care of the poor bleeding horses! This is the LOVE and COMPASSION showed to us humans by Lord and this is what we have to emulate.

If we just follow the above mentioned concepts in practice, it can create a world so much MORE peaceful than the one we have today. I conclude this post with the beautiful verse of the Ishopanishad that succinctly and beautifully summarizes the equality of all species in the World and puts the Human species back in its place:

Ishaavasyam idam sarvam,

Yat kincha jagatyaam jagat,

Tein tyaktein bhunjitha,

Ma gridhah kasya svid dhanam.

Everything within the Universe,

Is owned by the Lord alone,

One should only accept things necessary,

And not lust after other's quota,

Knowing well to Whom they belong.

.
Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:
.

FIRE GOD.

On Wings of Fire

The fire in a Hearth, that cackles and burns,

Is a remnant of Life, of Ashes and Urns,

Stored in trees, by breaths of the Sun,

Life giving Life, the Wood bakes the Bun..

Fire, one of the FIVE essential elements or the Panch-Mahabhoot of Hinduism; the element that brings fold images of immense energy; the element that gave humanity the chance to survive; the element that would ultimately destroy everything at the end of Time.

Even though it may appear predominantly Destructive, Fire is a Constructive force which has quite literally ignited the development and growth of Human species. Almost single-handedly, the taming of this devastating force of Nature, led Humanity away from its dark origins and helped in the development of Culture and Civilization.

From Darkness to Light

In this post, I would take you through the origins of the use of Fire by early man and the role it played in the development of Civilization as we know it. We will also take a look at the role it plays in various World mythologies including our own.

The Life before Fire

A report published in 2010, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, shows that there was a very real risk of extinction for our ancestors.

The study declares that the effective population of humans living 1.2 million years ago was just about 18,500. This implies a really really tiny population size, especially if you compare with the population sizes of chimpanzees (21,000) and gorillas (25,000) during the same time period!!

Man was in fact quite vulnerable - he was poorly insulated because of no fur; had nails and teeth unsuitable for defense or hunting; and was completely ill-equipped to tolerate the fluctuating extremes of the Climate. Left on our own, we might have PERISHED like numerous other species in the history of our planet! What changed our fate was the 'Discovery of Fire'.

Early Man probably first encountered bush-fires in summers or lightening strikes that set fire to tall trees. It would have taken him some time to actually get control of it and even more time to actually PRODUCE fire on his own.

Forest Fire, probably the First form of Fire encountered by Early Man

Claims for the evidence of use of fire by various species of Hominids are made from almost 1.5 million years ago (mya) however, most historians believe that the controlled use of fire started with Homo erectus some 400,000 years ago.

You light my Fire!

Once tamed, Fire helped early man ward off the DARKNESS that tormented him at night. It provided him security and let him survive in the harshest WINTERS especially during the ICE-AGEs.

Fire provided PROTECTION from dangerous predators and kept them at bay. It facilitated the conversion of forests into FIELDS and helped bake UTENSILS and forge TOOLS. Fire let human-beings COOK food and make it more edible, a feat which most scholars agree led to various modifications including some in our anatomy.

As human diet became easier to chew and swallow, the tooth size decreased and the jaws became less prognathic or ape like. There was also the shift from eating-in-the wild to eating-in-the-kitchen which further strengthened the community bond and led to the appearance of the first rudimentary Hearths and Homes.

Communities evolved by eating together

Humans could now stop worrying about defense and safety and use their brains for development of new ideas. Both directly as well as indirectly, Fire initiated INDUSTRY and has led mankind to the EXPLORATION of Space, the Final Frontier.

Therefore, it is not surprising, that the Early Man developed deep reverence for this Primal force of Nature. In fact, some World Mythologies worship Fire as the Supreme God Himself. Let us explore some of these beliefs and understand the importance it held in the life of the ancients.

Worshipping the Fire-God

The Sanskrit word for Fire is Agni and this consequently, is the name of the Fire-god as well.

Most of you would be aware that fire-lamps forms an integral part of Hindu rituals. We see fire being offered to the deity at prayer time; oblations being put in the sacrificial fire of a Yagnya; the seven promises of a marriage ceremony being made circum-ambulating the witness fire; diyas being lit for Diwali and so on...

Rig-Veda, places Agni second only to Indra in importance and we find 1/5th of Rig Vedic Hymns dedicated to the Fire-god! In fact, the very 1st verse of the Rig-veda is dedicated to Agni:

अग्नि॒म् ई॑ळे पुरो॒हि॑तं यज्ञ॒स्य॑ देव॒म् ऋत्वि॒ज॑म्। होता॑रं रत्नधा॒त॑मम्॥

Agni I laud, the High-priest, Invoker, Minister of Sacrifice, Deva and Bestower of Wealth

Agni is represented with TWO faces, suggesting his destructive as well as beneficent qualities. He has THREE legs which represent the three worlds that it is present in and SEVEN arms that represent the seven directions that he covers.

He rides a ram, or a chariot pulled by goats which probably is a reference to the use of these animals for sacrifice. Interestingly, most forms of fire-worship in Graeco-Roman religions also involved burning the sacrificed animal on a fire-altar in front of the temple.

Agni, the First god worshiped in Rig Veda

Agni is described as the son of Dyaus Pita and Prithvi Mata and hence Indra's twin, both of them performing complimentary functions. While INDRA transmits energy to the Earth in the form of his thunderbolt, AGNI takes energy from the Earth to the Heavens in its swirling smoke.

Rigveda surprisingly, also mentions that 'Agni dwells in the waters' and may even be born from it! This may appear confounding till we think of fire arising from lightening-strikes, natural gas surfacing through water, or even the under-water volcanic eruptions! Because of the same reason, the Persians therefore referred to him as Apam-Napat.

Accordingly, there are said to be Ten different forms of Agni :

1. Regular Fire,
2. Sacrificial Fire produced by rubbing the fire-sticks (Arani or Idhma),
3. Initiation Fire at Upanayana ceremony of a child coming of age,
4. Fire kept in the house for Domestic rituals,
5. Fire spread by Lightening,
6. Fire in the Sun,
7. Southern Fire for ancestors,
8. Funeral Fire used for cremation,
9. Digestive Fire (Jatharagni), and the last but most potent of all,
10. Destructive Fire or Davagani that initiates the process of Maha-pralaya.

In Ayurveda, Agni is the first guardian of health and manifests through “Jatharagni”, the digestive fire. Each time we eat, we are in a sense making an offering to the digestive fire and these offerings are transformed into nutrition or Prana for the body.

Agni is also appointed as one of the Ashta-digpals and is the guardian of the South-East direction. His wife is Svaha and his sons are Pavak, Pavaman, and Shuchi, who according to the Vayu Puraan, stand for Electric fire, the fire produced by Friction, and the Solar fire respectively.

Svaha's name is mentioned each time an offering is poured into the sacrificial-fire. This suggests that the husband-wife duo is to be appeased together and reflects a rarely researched proximity between the two..

Agni and Svaha from a Mughal miniature painting

The legends talk about a messenger of Surya, Matarishwan (identified in the Upanishads as Vayu) who brought the secret of controlling Fire down from the Heavens and gave it to the ancient Bhrigus for safe-keeping. .

This reminds me of the Greek myth of Prometheus where fire was stolen from the King of Gods Zeus and given to Man. As a punishment, Zeus chained the Titan to a rock on the Caucasus mountains where the giant eagle Ethon would eat at his Liver everyday!

Prometheus being punished for bringing Fire to Man

It is in stark contrast to the Hindu legend where Gods themselves send Fire for the benefit of Humans, but probably highlights the gods' concern that Humans probably can not handle such immense power. I, for one, wouldn't blame them for such a thought ;o)

At this point, let us take a look at Fire-worship in the other World Mythologies as well.

Fire-worship in different mythologies

Did other civilizations also venerate Agni to the extent that the Vedas do? Indeed there appear to be numerous references linking fire to God in various world traditions.

In Native American traditions, Fire is the eldest family member and ancient dwelling of Spirit.

• Aztecs worshiped the turquoise-colored god Xiuhtecuhtli, as the 1st Lord of Creation and the god of Fire, Day and Heat.
• The Incas venerated a fire-god known as Manco Capac, who was created by the Sun-god Inti and was the first king of the Incas.

The Aztec Fire-God Xiuhtecuhtli

• In Norse mythology, there exists a World of Eternal Flame called Muspelheim, which is ruled by Surtr the fire-giant who is the personification of Fire.

• In Slavic mythology, the spirit of fire is known as Svarog.

Surtr, the Norse Fire-giant

• In Jewism the Supreme God Yahweh Himself manifested as a pillar of fire to guide the Israelites out of the Pharaoh's land (reminds me of the story where Shiva appeared as a pillar of Fire).

• Moses got the Ten commandments from a burning bush, Elijah ascended to the heavens in a chariot of fire and the Menorah or the seven-branched ancient lampstand made of gold has been the symbol of Judaism since ancient times.

Yahweh guides Moses and his people in the form of a pillar of Light

• In the Roman/Greek traditions, Fire had two separate forms: one of the 'Hearth' and the other of the 'Forge'.

• Hearth worship was dedicated to Goddess Vesta, protector of the home, who had an eternal sacred flame tended to by Vestal Virgins in the city of Rome.

Vesta, the Roman goddess of Hearth and Home

• Closer home, Atar is the Parsi concept of Holy fire. In Yasna 17.11, Atar is the Master of the house, and it is only with its assistance, the other six creations can begin their work (Bundahishn 3.7–8; and Zatspram 3.77–83).

Zoroastrians evidence of fire-worship exists from around 1500 BCE, together with the first evidence of cremation. The tradition is still followed in the Indo-Iranian branch of Hindus where Agni is considered an agent of purity.

The Greeks also used to cremate their dead like the Hindus instead of burying them in graves. Probably the Biblical statement 'Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust' also stems from the same tradition.

Agni, the First Priest

Agni, is called the First and Foremost of the Priests. He is a friend of the humans and always within reach.

In Hinduism, Fire-sacrifices hold a very important place. The Bhagavat Puraan declares Yagneshwara (Lord of yagya) to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and Dakshina (donation), the embodiment of Goddess Lakshmi as his consort. Thus, performing a Yagnya is equivalent to appeasing Lord Vishnu.

A Vedic Yagnya in progress

Agni is worshiped in Rig Vedic verse 5.3.1-2 as the embodiment of all gods. He is the priest who prays to other demigods on behalf of humans; he is the officating priest of a Yagnya; and lastly, he is the bestower of the gifts of gods to us humans.

Accordingly, the human priests are also classified into three categories based on the roles they play in a Yagnya - Hotri, Adhvaryu and Udgatri. The Sacrifices performed could be of various types depending on the intended beneficiary.

For example, a Brahma-yagnya is performed to please the Supreme Brahman, while a Dev-yagnya aims to appease the Devas. A Pitri-yagnya is performed for the benefit of the Ancestors, Manushya-yagnya for that of men and a Bhuta-yagnya for the benefit of all life forms.

A Deva-Yagnya being performed to appease the Devas

There are numerous instances of special Yagnyas being performed by the Kings and Emperors of yore in order to fulfill their desires. Some examples are the Putra-kameshthi Yagnya performed by Dashrath and Yuvanashva; the Ashwamedh Yagnya performed by Lord Rama and the Rajasuya Yagnya undertaken by the Pandavs.

Rishi Kashyap obtained Garuda, a son stronger-than-Indra through a Yagnya while Draupadi, the nemesis of the Kuru family, and her twin brother Dhristadyumna also emerged from the sacrificial fires of Drupad's Yagnya.

Agni is also chronicled as the bestower of advanced weaponry and he gifted Shri Krishna and Arjuna the Sudarshan Chakra and Gandiva bow respectively after they helped Agni get back his glory. Similarly, the demon-king Bali Maharaj obtained invincible armour and chariots by means of a Yagnya and was able to defeat Indra with their help.

Agni, the Celestial Witness

Shukla Yajur Veda 21.3 refers to Agni as the 'Master of all branches of Knowledge'. He is believed to be the symbol of righteousness and truth and hence appointed the witness and the priest for all Vedic ceremonies.

This position he attains by virtue of being present in all the Three Worlds at all times, in all the dwellings of the sentient beings. Because of this unique presence in all spheres of life, Agni is the ideal witness in case of disputes. Therefore, in ancient India, promises were made and agreements solemnized in front of a sacred fire. For the same reason, Agni is also the witness of a Hindu Marriage Ceremony.

Hindu marriage ceremony performed with Agni as the witness

{Image courtesy - Imagesbazaar}

Because of this omniscience, Agni was also made the arbitrator of disputes that couldn't be settled by human intellect. The most important example is that of the Agni-Pariksha of Lady Sita.

Many people today criticize the incident giving it a chauvinistic tinge, but the truth is that in ancient times, Agni was the Highest Judge (somewhat like the Chief-justice of our Supreme Court today!). Those were the times when Devas and Asurs freely intermingled with humans and it was not uncommon for a human of good standing to call upon Agni as his witness.

The process is more elaborately detailed in Zoroastrian texts which describe Fire as Atar and a medium through which judgement is passed. This ordeal-by-heat is known in Avesta as Garmo-varah.

An individual who has passed the fiery test, has attained physical and spiritual strength, wisdom, truth and love with serenity Yasna [30.7]. Atar is spoken of in the third person masculine singular: "He detects sinners by hand-grasping" Yasna [34.4] and altogether, there are said to have been 30 kinds of fiery tests in all!

Till now, we have seen the benign and beneficient properties of Agni, let us now take a look at the destructive aspect of his personality.

Fire as the Destructive Force

The most potent representation of the destructive poweres of Agni is seen in the Rudra manifestation of Shiva when the Third Eye of Shiva opens to release a laser beam of destrucion.

Legend has it that Parvati, the daughter of Himalayas fell in love with Shiva. She performed severe penance to obtain the Lord as her husband and was unknowingly supported by the demigods in this endeavor .

Kama, the god-of-love, and his consort Rati tried to draw Shiva into the charm of Parvati's beauty but Shiva was in no mood to be swayed from his penance and in His anger, he opened his Third Eye and incinerated Kama to ashes!

Kamadev is reduced to ashes by Shiva's glare

Fire released from Shiva's Third Eye

{Image courtesy - India Authentic}

Issue - Uma

Therefore, one of the epithets of Kamdev is Anang or bodiless. By destroying his body but letting his soul remain, Lord Shiva highlighted the supremacy of spiritual LOVE over physical LUST. (The story later had a Happy ending when Shiva was finally united with Parvati and Kama reborn as Krishna's son Pradyumna was re-united with Rati.)

Shiv Purana [2.3.20.14-19] states that the fall off of this energy fell like lightning from Shiva’s third eye and Brahma had to take it to the ocean and keep it safe there else it would have burnt the entire creation. This mare shaped sub-marine fire at the bottom of the ocean, is known as Vadava.

Normally, the fire is kept in check with the waters of the Global Ocean. But as Mahabharat verse 12.248.13-17 state, the end of the Day of Brahma is nigh that Rudra sparks off the fire again and this explosion of fire from the mare's mouth in the Southern Ocean will begin the process of Pralaya.

Could this sub-marine fire actually refer to underwater volcanoes that keep spewing out magma from the Earth's core. Maybe the end of our days will be initiated by an under-water volcanic eruption that sets a chain of events in motion leading to the annihilation of life as we know it!

Under-water volcano eruption

Interesting possibility and we shall dwell on it in a later post. For now, let us thank Agni, the catalyst of our development and conclude this post with a homage to him by Shri Chinmoy.

Agni, the Hindu-god of Fire

{Image courtesy Vimanika Comics}

O Light of the Supreme!
Kindle the flame of Liberation within me,
Pour down the ocean of Compassion,
Into my heart,
You are my Immortality,
Accept my Darkness, Bondage, Ignorance, Death;
And release me from this Mortal frame.

.

Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

PRALAYA !!!!!

Pralaya - The 'End of Days'

Some say the world will end in Fire; Some say in Ice,
From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor Fire.
But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate,
To say that for destruction, Ice is also great!

End of the World - How does the term sound?

For me it conjures up something abstract.. an inconclusive conclusion fashioned from the catastrophe-centric best-sellers churned out of Hollywood and the Doomsday predictions of a few ancient mythologies.

God decides to End our Days

Assuming that it happens within our lifetimes, how would the world end indeed? A lot of people believe, it would happen because of a Nuclear War.

A very plausible scenario a decade ago but currently the chances of that seem a little less. It may still come to pass as we have varying degrees of religious fanatics running around the globe with secret stashes of atomic-missiles obtained through illegitimate means.

A Nuclear Cloud obliterating Life

Others believe, the world would end because of a Meteor crash.

This again is a possibility as there are loads of meteors hurtling past Earth everyday in their journey around the Sun. From time to time, one or the other of these meteors keeps scaring the scientists with its proximity to Earth. It has happened in the past (when the Dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago) so the chance of that happening again can not be ruled out!

Armageddon Arrives

Others, believe in Global Warming or Earthquakes triggering a Great Deluge that would submerge the entire landmass and drown everything in its colossal Tsunamis.

This again is a decent possibility since we have been observing the melting of Antarctic Ice sheets and frequent Earthquakes in the sea-bed. The Tsunamis that hit south-east Asia few years back reminded us of how fragile our relationship with nature is!

Drowning of the Earth

All these, I must confess, are possible and extremely PROBABLE events that may happen anytime in our future.

Yet, as mentioned by Robert Frost in the beginning of this post, I believe its Ice that is destined to wipe out the entire civilizational progress of Humanity and that too in a not too distant future!! There is a reason why MY preferred Modus Operandi (if you can call it that) of Destruction is ICE and in the current post, I'll share with you descriptions from ancient scriptures to support the argument.

End of the World in Hindu Mythology

Strictly speaking, Hindu Mythology does not believe in a SINGLE event of destruction of the World, or even a SINGLE event of creation for that matter.

As discussed in the Page {Kalchakra} of this blog, Time in Hinduism, is not Linear i.e. it doesn't start and end at specific points, rather, it is Cyclical and never-ending. This eternal cycle of Life and Death; Birth and Re-birth; Formation and Dissolution is called the Kaal-chakra or the Wheel of Time.

The Cyclical Destruction of the World as we know it, occurs in events singularly known as a Pralaya that takes place at the end of a Chatur-Yuga. A cycle of Four Yugas is known as a Maha Yuga or a Chatur-Yuga and at the end of this cycle, our Earth experiences a cataclysmic event which has the capacity to wipe out all life from the face of the planet.

Ancient Puranas detail this concept further and describe different types of Pralayas:

• A Pralaya at the end of a Chatur-Yuga (every 4.32 Million Solar Years),
• Manvantar Pralaya at the end of the rule of each of the Manus (every 307 Million Solar Years),
• Naimittik Pralaya at the end of the Day of Brahma (4.32 Billion Solar Years) and lastly,
• Prakritik Maha Pralaya at the end of Brahma's Lifetime (311.4 Trillion Solar Years)!

Leaving the latter three for later, let us first see how the tiniest of these, the Pralaya looks as this seems the most likely candidate for the 2012 Doomsday predictions.

Description of Pralaya

In various Puranas, the description of Pralaya that happens at the end of a Chatur-yuga is extremely applicable to what is referred to as the Great Deluge in Biblical and Koranic references.

In these as well as the Hindu legends of Manu, entire Earth was inundated by Water which swallowed up the land and gobbled up most living as well as non-living things surviving on it. In all the three traditions, ONE Man was chosen by God to continue the legacy of Human race.

In Hinduism, this man is Vaivasvat Manu and in Biblical references he is called Noah. We have learnt more about him already in a previous post {Manu - The First Man}.

The belief in a Great Deluge is not limited to the three above mentioned religions alone.. it was widely believed by a lot of ancient mythologies as well viz:

• In Sumer and Babylonia Atrahasis, Ziusudra, Xisuthrus and Utnapishtim are the different heroes credited with the same feat as Manu. Each of these is credited hoarding with cattle, wild animals and birds on the boat to constitute “the seed of all living creatures” in the next Eon.

• According to Tibetan legends, Tibet was almost totally inundated, until the god Gya drew off the waters through Bengal, and sent teachers to civilize the people, who repopulated the land.

• In the Ifugaos of Philippines and the Kammu of Thailand, a brother and sister were the only survivors after the flood and they were responsible for populating the Earth with different races.

• For the Batak of Sumatra, the giant snake on whose head Earth rests, Naga-Padoha (Hindu Shesh-Naag?), grew tired of its burden and shook it off into the sea. But the god Batara-Guru caused a mountain to fall into the water to preserve his daughter and the human race is descended from her.

• In Egyptian mythology, Set sent forth the deluge to destroy the evil Sebau, the Sami, the Apap-dragon ( Hindu Vrtra) and the long-armed ones. There is another story, about Horus steering his ark across the cosmic ocean as six poles are capsized leaving only the seventh one as dry land, upon which he rested.

Egyptian god Horus in his ship

• In the Greek myths, Zeus sends a flood to destroy all of humanity but Prometheus warns his son, Deucalion, about the coming deluge, and advises him to build an ark.

• In Norse mythology, the flood occurred at the dawn of time before the world was formed. Ymir, the first giant, was killed by the god Odin and his brothers and his blood drowned almost the entire race of giants with the exception of the frost giant Bergelmir and his wife. They escaped in a ship and survived, becoming the progenitors of a new race of giants.

The Frost giant Bergelmir

• According to the Quechua Native Americans, a llama tells his human owner about an impending flood and saves him; for the Mayans, the gods used a flood to destroy the wooden people, an early imperfect version of humanity.

• Similar beliefs are echoed by the Shaur of Andes, the Caddo of Texas, and the Hopi.

• The Michoacan of Mexico have the same story as Manu and the hero here is a guy called Tezpi. The Tarahumara and the Toltecs of Mexico also have their own versions of the flood myth.

• The Nahua of central Mexico talk about a man known as Nata (“Our Father”) and his consort Nene who were protected by their God at the time of flood while the Mixtec of northern Oaxaca, Mexico believed that the earth was once well populated, when mankind committed a magical fault for which they were punished by a great deluge.

A Native American survivor of the flood

• In New Guinea legends, Lohero and his brother were angry with their neighbors, so they put a human bone into a small stream. Soon a great flood came forth, and the people had to retreat to the highest peaks until the sea receded.

• In Africa, the Kwaya residing around Lake Victoria believed that the ocean was once enclosed in a small pot kept by a man and his wife which was by mistake shattered by their daughter-in-law, and the resulting flood drowned everything.

• The Yoruba of southwest Nigeria talk about an adro-gynous god Olokun who in a fit of rage, destroyed nearly everybody in a great flood.

Olkun, the Orisha who flooded Earth

• For the Vogul after seven years of drought, the Great Man counseled the other giants to make boats from cut poplars, anchor them with ropes of willow roots 500 fathoms long, and provide them with seven days of food and with pots of melted butter to grease the ropes. Those who did not make all the preparations perished when the waters came.

• In North-central Siberia, Yenisey-Ostyak believe that during the seven day flood some people and animals were saved by climbing on floating logs and rafters. A strong north wind blew for seven days and scattered the people, which is why there are now different peoples speaking different languages.

• According to Tuvinian tails of Mongolia, the giant frog (or turtle) which supported the earth moved, which caused the cosmic ocean to begin flooding the earth. An old man who had guessed something like this would happen built an iron-reinforced raft, boarded it with his family, and was saved.

There are hundreds more from around the world, from various tribes and cultures, and so this is just a handful. What could have caused these Geographically separate civilizations to form such a common belief?

The answer according to me, rests in Ice, or more specifically, the Ice-Age. It is MORE than likely that all the above myths refer to the same phenomenon, one which we scientifically KNOW to have taken place - that of the Ice Age.

There have been at least five major ice ages in the Earth's past. The earliest well established ice age, called the Huronian, formed around 2.4 to 2.1 Billion years ago and the latest one started about 2.58 million years ago when the spread of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere began!

Since then, the world has seen cycles of glaciation with ice sheets advancing and retreating on 40,000 and 100,000 year time scales called Glacial periods, and Glacial retreats called the Interglacials. We are currently in an interglacial, and the last glacial period ended about 10,000 years ago.

We saw in the post {Heaven at the North Pole} that the Arctic region had a temperate climate, quite conducive to the growth of plant and animal life before the Ice-Age set in. In the same post, I also mentioned the possibility that at least some of the Vedic seers and magi had lived in the Arctic area in close proximity to their Gods who dwell on Mount Meru.

But everything changed 20,000 years ago when extensive ice sheets covered large swaths of Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Consequently, whatever civilizations were existing before, were forced to migrate to warmer places or perish.

North Pole during the last Ice Age

But that was not all, the real trouble would have begun when ALL this Ice began to MELT!

During Ice-Age, water was taken from the oceans to form the ice, thus Global Sea-levels must have dropped, forming bridges between land-masses for animals to migrate. However, during Deglaciation, or Meltdown, the ice-water returned to the oceans, causing the SEA-LEVEL to rise by as much as 110-120 meters!!

Pre-glacial US coastline

Pre-glacial coastlines in Australia

Pre-glacial India and S-E Asia

In fact, Tamil Sangams talk about a sunken land extending right from Kanyakumari to Madagascar in the West and Australia in the East that got sunk in the deluge!

Kumari-Kaandam

And what can be the result of such a meltdown?? Of course we get what is theologically labeled as The Great Deluge!!

Throughout our history, the busiest cities have been located either on the banks of mighty rivers or near busy coastlines. All the melted ice lead to a RISE in sea-levels, inundating huge chunks of land and ALTERING the shape of the planetary landmass.

Consequently, there would have been wide-spread displacement of people and populations leading to probably the BIGGEST catastrophe in the History of Human civilization. No wonder then, that mythologies from such different parts of the World narrate the same story!!

The existing hubs of civilization were inundated and the tracts of land connecting different continents too got submerged altering the course of our history. A case in point is the Bering Bridge which was the landmass connecting Russia to America. This small tract of land performed a vital function as numerous species of animals, as well as the ancient humans migrated to and populated the American continent through the same bridge!

The Bering Strait replaced the bridge of land connecting Russia to America

The Migration route of Homo sapiens into America

If the inundation of such a tiny piece of land could have such immense effect, imagine the condition when major civilizational hubs on the planet would have undergone submersion under the super-massive TSUNAMIS!!

As such a catastrophe would lead to major uprooting of people and populations all over the world, it can very well explain the presence of the SAME LEGEND in widely differing Geographical locations!

Water reclaiming Land during the recent Tsunami

The flood waters would wipe clear all evidence of civilization from the face of Earth leaving only a few stranded pockets at the highest altitudes of the Planet! One such place is Manali high in the Northern Himalayas where the Ark of Vaivasvat Manu is believed to have docked.

There are other explanations given by the scientific community for the Great floods, ranging from Meteor crashes to Volcanic eruptions.. However, it is the CYCLICAL nature of the Ice Ages along with their capacity to generate GLOBAL FLOODS that prompts me to co-relate them with the Pralaya myths from Hindu Mythology!

And as far as cyclicity goes, already, many scientists predict a coming of the next Ice Age as we may have reached the end of the current period of Interglacial interval. The predictions have created a lot of debate and not surprisingly, there have been major movies based on the same theme.

2012 Predictions in Hindu Mythology?

By ancient Hindu calculations, there are still close to 4 lakh 30 thousand years left in this Kaliyuga!! How does the Mayan prophecy of the 'End of Days' fit in with this long timeline?

By Aryabhatta's calculations, Kaliyuga began between 18th to 20th February 3102 BCE which would mean we have utilized about 5270 lunar years or 5113 Solar years from the time when the Kali Yuga started until 20 Dec 2012.

Interestingly, the Mayan calendar started close to this date in 3114 BCE. The only other connection I could find with this time period in Hindu mythology is an excerpt from the Brahma Vaivarta Puraan where Shri Krishna tells Goddess Ganga that she would be the source of cleaning mankind' sins in the first 5000 years of Kaliyug -

Shri-bhagvaan uvaach -

Kaleh pancasahasrani varshani tishtha bhutale,

Paapani paapino yani tubhyam dashyanti snanatah!

After that, it would be only the name of Hari and the association of His devotees that can purify impure souls and take them back to Godhead. In verse 59, the Lord also says,

Kaler dash-sahasraani

madbhaktaah samti bhu-tale

ekavarna bhavishyamti

madbhakteshu gateshu ca

For 10,000 years of Kali,

such devotees of Mine will fill the whole planet.

After the departure of My devotees there will be only one varna."

This would imply that the Kaliyug will last at least 5000 years more! Interestingly, many scholars also claim that the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 could reflect the Mayan's inability to calculate the calendar any further instead of a literal END of days. It could also mean that the Mayans probably got bored of this astronomy and were not interested in calculating calendars further ahead :o)

This would mean that 2012 does not mark the End-of-Time but the End-of-an-Age thereby signifying a phase of transition and nothing more or less than that.

The conversation from the Brahma Vaivarta Puraan mentioned above could indicate that river Ganges will cease to be the Purifying Agent it currently is, which BTW, is very believable since we have been dumping collective wastes amounting to tons into it every single day and there's only so much the river's Bacteriophages can take care of!

The Ganga may lose its sanctity because of our actions

BUT it could ALSO mean something more sinister! As our violent earthquake-prone history has proved, Ganges might go through some major tectonic change and disappear like Saraswati {Check the post - Finding River Saraswati for more details}. If that happens it would be catastrophic for millions of people living on the banks of the river!

Irrespective of whether that happens or not, we should realize the RELATIVITY of this concept. What does the 'End of the World' mean to a person killed in a terrorist attack? What does it mean for a mother who has lost her firstborn? What does it mean for a child kidnapped or sold into slavery and prostitution? When does the World end for a black-buck in the jaws of a leopard or a rat in the coils of a serpent?

Every grain of Time brings with it either Creation or Destruction. The eminent Austrian Physicist Fritjof Capra, in his monumental work {Tao of Physics}, calls it the Dance of Shiva. As each atom is created, another is destroyed and this continues forever in a cyclical manner.

Tandav - the Cosmic Dance of Shiva

Everything we amass in this life will all be taken away one day by the hands of Time. The same thought must have inspired Oppenheimer, Father of the Atomic Bomb to quote Lord Krishna, from the Bhagvad Gita - Time, I am, the Destroyer of All.

The sooner we realize the transient nature of all existence and start on the Path of Spirituality, the easier it would become to deal with that 'Final Moment' in the End. I conclude this post with the same sentiment expressed in the words of a 6th Century Sanskrit Poet Bhartrhari:

A Hundred Years complete our span,

And Half of that is passed in Night,

Childhood and Old-age devour the Half,

Of what belongs to Light.

The rest is torn with parting pangs,

Of ceaseless toil the Slave,

What profit is our Human Life,
Unstable as a Wave.

Our Bloom of Youth decays,
Our Joys are brief as lightning flash,
And in Summer's cloudy days,
Our riches fly away and crash.

Faith in the One Supreme,
Alone will bear us over the Chasm,
Of Existence's Stormy Stream,
And Maya's elaborate Phantasm.

.

Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti: