Industrial development has posed a great challenge to the sensitiveness of nature. Consequently, ignoring the laws of nature man has destroyed its balance both knowingly and unknowingly. Were it not so both man and nature would have been balanced and the original form of nature would not have been destroyed.
From the various source of Indian culture it is quite evident that from the very dawn of human civilization, the various aspects of nature have been seen with a divine vision. In other words, sparks of divinity have been attributed to the various aspects of nature.
Perhaps the main reason of this type of thinking was that our ancestors were able to understand the importance and purity of nature. They believed that preservation and protection of nature would ensure the throbbing of the entire creation on this earth.
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Therefore in our religious scripture sun, air, water, fire etc. have been glorified with divine virtues. Earth has been called a mother, similarly, Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari, Mahanadi, Sindh, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Brahmaputra etc. have been worshipped as mothers.
The Ganga was considered so pure that Lord Shiva accepted it in his matted hairs (JATA). The trees like pipal, BARGAD, Mango, Neem, Aanwala and Chandan have been regarded as divine and worthy of worship, Banana, Tulsi leaves, rice and flowers are considered as necessary items for completing a worship of God or some deity.
So much purity was attributed to Cow that Lord Krishna became GO.PAL (i.e. a keeper of cows), Rat is the carrier (VAHAN) of Lord GANESH and bullock is that of Lord SHIVA. An elephant is worshipped in the form of GANESH.
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Peacock is regarded as a carrier of greatest commander of armies Lord KARTIKEYA. Mountains have been considered so pure that HIMALAYA is believed to be an abode or lord SHIVA. People have been forbidden to kill such low types of birds as crows, kites and vultures because they voluntarily remove away and dirty things present in an environment.
Parrots, pigeons, starling and sparrows protect us in a peculiar way by running away from human abodes when some epidemics approach near human inhabitance.
Thus their running away is regarded as a sure- indication of some fatal epidemics. So our ancestors have forbidden us to kill these birds needless to add that these birds affect a balance in the natural surroundings in their own unique ways.
Our ancestors have accorded a divine status to forests as well, and the term BANA DEVATA has been used for them. Our ancient seers and sages had made forests their abodes. They established seats of learning there and it was there that they succeeded in penetrating into basic elements of great religious doctrines and developed various schools of philosophies.
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Needless to observe that the main intention of our ancestors in treating natural things and living creatures as divine has been to establish and protect the sanctity of various types of natural environments in order to make human life healthier and happier.
But it is a matter of regret that the position to-day has become topsy-turvy. Now the purity of the Ganga has been vitiated by pollution from industrial areas and also through our bad and dirty ways of living when we happen to throw away filths and waste materials in it Forestay and hills are being removed for constructing roads and building big houses.
Trees are cut down for use in houses and for fuel purposes. Wild beasts and birds are being shot dead. As a result, our fertile fields are being converted into baron areas. Thus we are busy in destroying the balance in nature and we are reaping the fatal consequences of the same.
That is why in the entire world, each country to-day is paying special attention towards preservation of natural environment as a matter of human necessity.
Nature has enriched us with innumerable resources such as—air, land, water and various kinds of minerals. But excessive exploitation of these resources, industrialization, population explosion and implementation of several plans of development has resulted into utter neglect of the preservation of the natural environment.
It is necessary to let the common people know about this feature; otherwise their cooperation cannot be enlisted in the preservation of environment hence there is a need of environmental education.