To build Harmony with Nature

The recent rains in Tamil Nadu, which spared no one – rich or poor, living in hamlets, flats or bungalows – from its velocity, would make the introspective person wonder why we are subject to such furies of nature. It is one thing to understand how helpless we are at the hands of nature whose kindness we need to live in peace and bliss, our needs properly fulfilled. And quite another to wonder if there is a way by which we can thrive on a win-win relationship understanding that nature has a mind of its own!

Let us turn to our ancient history and see if there are any accounts where man and nature lived in perfect harmony. The Srimad Bhagavatham (6.14.10) gives us this reference -

O King Parékñit, in the province of Çürasena there was a king named Citraketu, who ruled the entire earth. During his reign, the earth produced all the necessities for life.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport, “Here the most significant statement is that the earth completely produced all the necessities of life during the time of King Citraketu. As stated in the Éçopaniñad [Éço mantra 1]:
éçäväsyam idaà sarvaà
yat kiïca jagatyäà jagat
tena tyaktena bhuïjéthä
mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam
"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong."

Kåñëa, the supreme controller, has created the material world, which is completely perfect and free from scarcity. The Lord supplies the necessities of all living entities. These necessities come from the earth, and thus the earth is the source of supply. When there is a good ruler, that source produces the necessities of life abundantly. However, when there is not such a good ruler, there will be scarcity. This is the significance of the word kämadhuk. Elsewhere in Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.10.4) it is said, kämaà vavarña parjanyaù sarva-käma-dughä mahé: "During the reign of Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira, the clouds showered all the water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of men in profusion." We have experience that in some seasons the rains produce abundance and in other seasons there is scarcity. We have no control over the earth's productiveness, for it is naturally under the full control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By His order, the Lord can make the earth produce sufficiently or insufficiently. If a pious king rules the earth according to the çästric injunctions, there will naturally be regular rainfall and sufficient produce to provide for all men. There will be no question of exploitation, for everyone will have enough. Black-marketeering and other corrupt dealings will then automatically stop. Simply ruling the land cannot solve man's problems unless the leader has spiritual capabilities. He must be like Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira, Parékñit Mahäräja or Rämacandra. Then all the inhabitants of the land will be extremely happy.”

While we understand the ruler’s duties from the above statement, we cannot ignore the individual’s responsibility. What the ruler is expected to achieve from his population is God consciousness. This was the specialty of Ambarisha maharaja. “The citizens of the state of Mahäräja Ambaréña were accustomed to chanting and hearing about the glorious activities of the Personality of Godhead. Thus they never aspired to be elevated to the heavenly planets, which are extremely dear even to the demigods.” – SB 9.4.24

Srila Prabhupada, simply out of his compassion for the people of the world, took great strides in disseminating vedic knowledge by personally traveling all over the world and writing books to reach the English speaking populace. “The Kåñëa consciousness movement”, he writes in his purport to SB 4.12.48, “has been started especially to create qualified brähmaëas to broadcast spiritual knowledge all over the world, for thus people may become very happy”. And what is the simplest aspect of this knowledge?

“Those who are intelligent person, they can perform yajïa, saìkértana-yajïa.
This is recommended in this age… You sit down familywise, all the family members. If you perform saìkértana, Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, with the clapping of hands, that is saìkértana-yajïa, very easy to perform. But people will not do that. Instead of performing saìkértana-yajïa in the evening to become free from all fears of life, they will go to the restaurant, to the cinema and other places, talking unnecessarily in clubs, societies, waste their time. This is going on. This is modern education. This is modern civilization. They are not aware of the tévraà bhayam, the most fierceful situation of birth, death, old age, and disease. This is the opportunity, the human life, how to get out of it. The means are there. But we are so fools. We are so foolishly educated in the name of modern civilization that we neglect all these things and we place ourselves in the waves of the material nature.” (Srila Prabhupad lecture).