An important principle that our ancestors learnt from nature and incorporated in their scriptures is that, without an exception, every privilege must be reconciled with a corresponding responsibility or a restriction.

Nature has sustained life on the earth by reconciling the strengths of the predator animals with restrictions on their using those strengths. In nature, no animal kills its prey beyond the limits of hunger and that too, in most cases, only for one meal at a time. In a South African film, Beautiful People, in a shot taken at midday on the Serengeti planes, an entire family of lions is shown resting near a waterhole and a long line of zebras, within an easy reach of a lion’s paw, drinking water fearlessly. Zebra is a delicacy for the lions. Even then, many zebras drink water, within an easy reach of any lion, only because as the commentator puts, They are sure that this is not the lunchtime of His Majesty! Please note that the only villain in world who hunts for pleasure, is the human being.

Second, out of ten times that a predator animal attacks its prey in its grazing ground, hardly one on average, becomes successful. Cheetah is the fastest animal on the surface of the earth and it can reach a sped of 120 kilometers per hour, within the first ten seconds. However, a cheetah lacks the stamina to continuously run and goes out of breath much sooner than the deer. Hence, only if he catches his prey within the first twenty seconds, will he have his meal.

Third, the birth-rate, as well as the survival rate of predator animals in nature is always much lower than that of the animals of prey.

Fourth, lioness kills the cubs of Cheetah and does not eat them. This checks the growth of the Cheetah population.

Fifth, out of say four or five cubs born to a tigress, hardly two reach adulthood.

Thus, a lion has to run faster than the slowest of the deer for survival, while a deer has to run faster than the fastest of the lions for survival. As a result, only the weakest of the deer get eliminated by their predators and the fittest survive and procreate.

A noteworthy feature of the principle of natural selection is that it is etched into the instincts. It thus becomes an inseparable part of their mind-set. All non-human beings (animals and plants) are perfectly programmed bio-robots, who behave strictly within the rules given to them by nature.

Unlike them, the human beings are endowed with the intelligence developed through an acquired information. As we developed and managed various organisations, we derived the benefits of the division of labour and specialisation at a much larger scale than the other species. To that extent, the force of instincts on our thinking and actions is weaker than that on the animals and justifiably so.

It is at this juncture that the traditional wisdom of our country becomes very crucial.

In the process of development, fostered by the division of labour and specialisation, the human society acquired greater and greater freedom from dependence on nature’s bounty for survival. From the earliest stage of depending totally on the bounty of nature we domesticated some animals, who could be used for drudgerous and and risky tasks, as well as a captive source of food. Later we, (actually the womenfolk from the prehistoric time) invented the art of cultivating land for growing grains, which, unlike meat, could last for a couple of years, without getting decayed. Thus, for the first time, there was a surplus of a durable variety of food. This permitted letting a section of the population free from the routine chore of earning/growing food and concentrate on developmental activities like observation, experimenting, documenting the findings and most importantly, teaching the young generations. This led to the exponential growth of knowledge and ultimately, its explosion.

As the acquired content of knowledge went on increasing, the instinctive (or natural) wisdom reduced in its relative importance as a basis of our decisions, With the Industrial Revolution of 1750, the mechanisation of production and transport reduced our dependence on nature further. That fostered the mindset of owning the natural resources and therefore, the reckless exploitation.

Similarly, urbanisation reduced the dependence of the individual on the society, compared to that which every individual in a small village community has. So the concern about the `responsibility to the society’ weakened, if not disappeared.

As stated repeatedly in this series, nature is both the life giver and the life sustainer for every form of life on the earth. Similarly, society, not only spared the fragile bodied human species from the cruel principle of natural selection, but also gave the human beings the capacity to prevail over all other animals.

Thus, in order that nature and society function smoothly, the human beings have to willingly put some restrictions on their own thinking and behaviour.

The first lesson from nature that we ought to learn is that everything in this world is related to every other, directly or indirectly. Nature functions through cycles of interdependence. There are food chains that begin with plants. Plants obtain sunlight and convert it into a solid matter through photosynthesis. This solid matter in the form of fruits, leaves, stems and roots is consumed by the herbivorous animals. The carnivorous animals hunt and eat the herbivores. The carnivores may be hunted by some other carnivores or their dead bodies are consumed by the scavenger animals. The faeces of all animals are either consumed by other (scavenger) animals or by insects, whose dead bodies as well as faecel matter goes back to the earth, wherefrom plants draw their nutrition.

Traditional wisdom of our country is replete with examples of the cyclical interdependence. Atharvaveda, which is the fourth Veda, contains a full ode to nature (Bhoomisookta). An ancient pharmacologist, offers prayers to the mother earth before digging into her body for obtaining medicinal roots.

Whatever I dig from you, may that grow again quickly. Never shall I hit your vitals or your heart, oh the best purifier!

Apart from the humble approach towards the earth, this ancient pharmacologist shows a deep understanding of the cyclical mechanisms of the earth. Whatever waste we dump on earth, it processes it and makes it available for use again. Hence, he calls her The most efficient cleaning agent (Wimrugwari).

Nature is our mother. Never in our tradition has it been called or referred to as our property. It begets us, nurtures us, cures us when we suffer, typically like a mother. Nature tolerates our pranks that inflict pain on it, like a loving mother.

Sage Atharva, the composer of the Bhoomisookta, articulates this relationship in very clear words.

Oh mother earth whatever energies emerge from you and from the sky, let them be bestowed on us, purify us by them. Earth is my mother and I am a son of the earth.

We, the earth’s children naturally owe a debt to the mother. Today, our mother is suffering from our atrocity towards her. It is time we realise our debt to her and repay the loan by realising our responsibility corresponding to the benefits we draw from our mother.