Religion: A Savior for Environment with Emphasis on Hinduism

RELIGION : A SAVIOUR FOR ENVIRONMENT WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON HINDUISM

Author : Mrs. Nandita Verma Head, Faculty of Management Studies Institute Of Technology & Management, NH. No. 79, Bhilwara Chittor By-Pass Chittor Road, Bhilwara Rajasthan , India Phone No. 09460987602 Email [e-mail]

RELIGION: A SAVIOUR FOR ENVIRONMENT WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON HINDUISM Abstract The concern for environmental issues is among the most topical issues in academic, business and political debates in both the developed and the developing countries. This paper examines some of the beliefs and practices underlying traditional Hindu religions’ attitude towards nature and its strategic extension as a tool for Environmental conservation. The paper also looks at the evolving concern of the spiritually satiated individual towards environmental conservation exhibited globally. Environmental protection and development are often projected as two regimes that cannot operate without conflict. Rapid development is desirable only if it sustains good environment, and reduces economic disparities. Apart from being an essential prerequisite for maximizing growth rate, strategic planning is required for a balance between development and environmental conservation. The human mind made a fateful decision during the course of the Scientific Revolution; that of ignoring the perennial wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions. Scientific research and development seemed to bring to the world technological superiority over nature. Lacking in the austere self discipline of knowledge and impelled by greed, man has tried to become a presiding deity of modern civilization. His emphasis has been on rights over obligations, particularly in the context of natural environment, leading to discernable dysfunctions in the form of environmental degradation which raises serious questions regarding the long term viability of modern society. Ecological experts have lamented the decline of “nature

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