Global Sustainability from Vedas

Yunan Misr Roma sab mit gaye jahan se

Baki hai lekin ab bhi namo nishan hamara
Kuch baat hai ki hasti mitati nahin hamaari
Sadion raha hai dushman doure zaman hamara

युनान िमस रोमा सब िमट गये जहा से

बाकी है लेिकन अब भी नामो िनशा हमारा
कुछ बात है िक हसती िमटती नही हमारी
सिदयो रहा है दुशमन दौरे ज़मा हमारा

This observation was made nearly 100 years ago, by poet

Iqbal, and is equally relevant to day, when the entire
world is in search for a possible alternate model for
sustainability.

What is it that is different in the Indian ethos, which has

prevented the demise of Indian society in to the oblivion?
After millennia of repressive forces, the resurgent India is
again raring to go.
What is it that has sustained the Indian continuity, not
withstanding all the accompanying social evils, exploitation,
poverty and deprivation? What can we learn from the
'intrinsic strengths of India'? In what manner are our future
growth strategies required be different from the models
available from the 'developed' world?

Advances and innovation of science and technology have

enabled dazzling progress in the physical life style of the
developed world. This has also entailed unsustainable but
selfish and shortsighted exploitation of natural resources.
This very attractive western life style model instills a search
and propels an admiring pursuit for replicating it in the
developed world also.
On closer scrutiny it is noted that this enticing life style has
also simultaneously increased the social strife in the society.
The importance and need for cash money has gained
unnecessary importance. Home grown bounties of pastoral
lifestyle, that were available in the past without cash
expense, are being fast displaced by market economy and
big business forces.
The widening urban- rural divide is forcing the farmers to
penury and malnutrition, not only in India but all over the
world. The gap between the rich and the poor is ever
widening. On closer scrutiny it is found that the riches of the
'developed' are built upon not only brute 'exploitation' of
nature, but also on exploiting the poorer, less informed
sections of societies the ‘ lesser’ beings.

In a totally greed for money driven, business climate Big

business financial irregularities seem unstoppable. Crimes
against Society, Children, Women, and the neglect of elderly
people are ever growing. Widespread malnutrition affects
not only large sections of humans in rural societies but also
the live stock there. Host of newer diseases are keeping
pace with modern developments. World was just taking a
respite from Mad cow disease, when suddenly Bird flue hit
us. We are hardly past the menace of Bird Flue that a Swine
Flue has emerged. These evils are brought upon the society
by the big centralized food sector business. Where is the
justification for the entire society to pay for preventing and
fighting these evils? All Society of was not the beneficiary
like the business share holders in the bounties of the big
business profits.

Is this Poverty and Social strife the other end this form of
industrialism ? It is recognized that strategies of growth
through industrialism have come to us, via Christianity. It
can not be denied that in its wake it has created
simultaneous social and ecological instabilities and has also
contributed to a dehumanized life style.
"Greed especially for money is good" is the message of this
Industrialism. Its infectious preaching, notwithstanding the
fact is that greed is also at the root of all evils both social
and physical.
Greed is also one factor, which propels the systems to aim
for faster
and bigger rates of growth, arbitrarily measured as GDP.
Any mathematician will tell you that with ever increasing
rates of growth you have a divergent series on your hands.
Mathematically a divergent series leads to an unstable
system. One can already notice in a way, the signs of this
instability in the global meltdown.
The present system lacks sustainability, social, physical and
ecological. Pastoral life style is considered backward.
Progress is seen as an urban phenomenon. Lands of
agriculturists are being increasingly converted in to urban
estate.

On social plane Old people care problem, greater Disparities,

Poverty, Deprivation, Exploitation of women and children are
one end of this ‘developed society’.
On physical plane, ecological problems are the
manifestation of this form of Industrialism.
We have to redefine our objectives. To ensure sustainability
we have to plan for a different paradigm of Industrialism and
also find a sustainable rate of growth.
For Christianity (more in context of Pope's message for the
Roman
Christianity) poverty, deprivation, and consequential
maladies offer
opportunities to spread the word of Jesus for the salvation of
unfortunate non Christians. Their object is to earn the
conversion of grateful recipients of Christian charity.
It is Greed that gains new converts which propels growth
of Christianity. It is almost like a political party trying to
widen its vote bank. This is almost like first spreading a
disease and then pushing your sales of medicines as a cure.
They do not want to spread the wisdom and opportunities for
the poor and deprived to bring about a positive change in
their life style and in turn to be free from hunger and
disease.
A very similar parallel can be cited with labor union
movement in
India. Workers Unions in India only want to enhance the
greed of the workers for higher wages, without making any
attempt to enhance the skill base of the work force to
improve their productivity to
justify a larger share in their earnings. Similarly there is no
attempt to improve life skills and knowledge base in Indian
education system. All education is reduced to aim for getting
only a paper certificate.
It is also like the Indian governments giving continuous pay
commission awards to increase salaries of the baboos, with
an eye on the next election, with no simultaneous effort to
enhance the productivity, efficiency and public service
elements in the performance. The run away inflation in food
commodities does not appear to lend to any controls.
The ever widening gulf between poor and rich are
unavoidable in the present model of growth. Accompanying
higher rates of inflation, social strife, and urban white collar
crimes, are a manifestation of the instability inherent in the
system.

India had its own Vedic Strategy for development of

society

Rig Veda 10.47 are the hymns covering the subject of

strategies for attaining वैकुणठ (immutable) prosperity ;

The Rig Veda 10.47 has eight mantras with a common

refrain ending in असमभयं वृषणं रियं दाः ( may we be blessed with
wondrous prosperity) This hymn enumerates the entire
Vedic strategy for immutable sustainable wellbeing for all.
(असमभयं for ourselves दाः We seek to be able to earn and be
blessed with वृषणं heavy wind fall/rainfall of रियं immutable
prosperity, health , wellbeing of all as the desirable wealth ,
that remains constantly in service/ motion for wellbeing of
the entire universe.)
It is also interesting to note that mantras in RV 10.47 also
provide a sequence of priorities in social planning.

RV10.47.1 (On milk/ organic food security through Cows)

जगृमभा ते दिकणिमनद हसतं वसूवयो वसुपते वसूनाम् ।
िवदा िह तवा गोपितं शूर गोनाम् ।S समभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-1
(Inherent in cow promotion is the Vedic ideal of promoting
Vegetarianism. From environmental considerations
vegetarianism is considered the most important strategy to
prevent Global Warming.
In case of vegetarian diet the main source of Omega3, the
essential Fatty Acid that promotes formation of human brain
by DHA, is grass fed Cow’ Milk.)

िवदा -It is our knowledge

िह तवा -that You alone are
गोपितं गोनाम्- owner/husband/governor of all
गो stands for all physical cows that ensures energy,
enlightenment, Speech -communication faculties through
spoken words,
शूर most chivalrous,
असमभयं - for us all
दाः give us/enable to obtain,
वृषणं - like heavy rain fall
रियं -wealth that remains constantly in operation to render
service for welfare of all
वसुपते वसूनाम- (वसु- represent the material/physical means that
enable our sustenance/ existence in this world.) वसुपित is thus
that Almighty invisible entity which governs all these वसुनाम
-physical /material means.
RV 10.47.2 (On food security)
सवायुध ं सववसं सुनीथं चतुःसमुद ं धरणं रयीणाम् ।
चकृ रतयं शसयं भूिरवारमसमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ10-47-2
(Cow ensures Organic Agriculture that is the key to world
food security and food safety.)

सवायुध ं- self equipped with all the required means to win -all
agriculture implements
सववसम् - self protected
सुनीथम् - having excellent strategies
चतुः समुदम् - for all the four oceans -on land, under water,
above
ground, and in the outer space.
धरणम् - all encompassing, embracing / holding all
रयीणाम् - all the riches
चकृ रतयम् - engaging in cyclically creative actions such as
performing crop
rotations
शसयम् - like growing desirable praise worthy food crops
भूिरवारम् - repeatedly / in abundance

RV 10.47.3 (On enabling intellectual base)

सुबाहणं देववनतं बृहनतमुरं गभीरं पृथुबुधिमनद ।
शुतऋिषमुगमिभमाितषाहसमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-3
(Best human brains develop on Omega3 in diet.Grass Fed
Cow milk is the main source of Omega3, for vegetarians.)

सुबाहणम् - Equipped with excellent wide knowledge base

देववनतम् - Serving , protecting and promoting the
intellectual
community
बृहनतमुरम् - providers of great insights/enlightenments-
researchers
गभीरम् - Influential
पृथुबुधिमनदम् - intellectually highly disciplined achievers
शुतऋिष - building further on the earlier knowledge base
(like wisdom of Vedic Rishis)
उगम् - Intensely occupied
अिभमाितसाहम् - Able to resolve all the problems and obstacles

RV 10.47.4 (Transparent Competency)

सनदाजं िवपवीरं तरतं धनसपृतं शूशुवासं सुदकम् ।
दसयुहनं पूिभरदिमनद सतयमसमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-4
(Good intellects by mental developments in society ensure
this.)
सनदाज - well fed
िवपवीरं - skilled qualified operators
तरतं - achievers
शूशुवासं - financially sound
सुदकम् - well trained
दसयुहनम् - destroyers of wrong doers ( terrorists)
पूः िभदम् - by reaching the roots of such wrong behavior
सतयं - by transparent means

RV 10.47.5 (Full Infrastructural facilities- Transport)

अशावनतं रिथनं वीरवनतं सहिसणं शितनं वजिमनद ।
भदवरातं िवपवीरं सवषासमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-5
अशावनतं रिथनं - well engineered means of transport
वीरवनतम् - excellent workforce
सहिसणं शितनं - thousands of
वाजम् - backed by strength of
भदवातं- do-gooders
िवपवीरं - intelligent qualified work force
सवषा- service providers

RV 10.47.6 (Environmentally sustainable duties of people)

प सपतगुमृतधीितं सुमेधा बृहसपितं मितरचछा िजगाित ।
य आिङरसो नमसोपसदो।S समभयं िचतं वृ षणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-6
(Dharma sustained the Vedic Society by सपत मयादा seven
tenets. These are human values that sustain the society.
Vedic Dharma did not entail personal ritualistic procedures
of individuals in the society)
The seven tenets that form the Vedic Dharma are spelled out
as:
सपत मयादा: कवयसततकुसतासािमदेकमभयं S हुरो गात् !
आयोहरसकमभ उपमसय नीदे पथा िवसगे धरणेषु तसथौ !! अथवर 5/1/6
These seven trespasses are 1.Theiving. 2, Adulterous
behavior,3. Anti knowledge activities,4. Abortions, 5.
Drunken behavior,6. Habitual addiction to wickedness,7,
Giving false evidence
1. चोरी,2.अगमयागमन ,3. बहहतया,4. भूणहतया,5. मदपान,6.पुन: पुन: पाप कमर मे
पवृित,7. पाप करके झूट बोलना बोलनाये िनिषदाचरणा पिरतयाग रप सात िनयम बताए गए
है. इन मे से जो एक का भी उललंघन करता है वह पापी है. यही सात मयादाएं वैिदक दृिषत से
मानव धमर है. यही समाज को धारण कर के पलय तक िसथरता देती है.

पसपतगुमृतधीितं सुमेधा- सपत मयादा पालक उतम वृित युकत

बृहसपित- good articulate skills
मितरचछा िजगाित - invokes good common sense

RV 10.47.7 (Moral dedication in communication/media)

वनीवानो मम दतू ास इनदं सतोमाशरिनत सुमितिरयानाः
हृिदसपृशो मनसा वचयमाना असमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47-7
वनीवानः मम दत ू ासः सतोमा - interactions communicating friendly
concerns
सुमितः इयानाः इनदं चरिनत - well intentioned good guidance to act
हृिदसपशाः मनसा वचयमानाः- conceived with sincere motives

RV 10.47.8 (grandeur of the bounties)

यतवा यािम दिद तन इनद बृहनतं कयमसमं जनानाम्
अिभ तद् दावा पृिथवगृणीतामसमभयं िचतं वृषणं रियं दाः ।। ऋ 10-47- 8
तवा यत् यािम- that we seek
नः तत् दिद - provide for us
बृहनतं कयं जनाना असमम्- spacious dwellings and accommodations
very best for every body ( रोटी कपडा और मकान )
तत् दावापृिथवी अिभ गृणीताम्- available on ground and outer space