Energizing ecocentric culture through Shivyog practice-
An ecocentric Indian experience
.
Abstract - Indian civilization as such
is one of the most ancient and sustainable civilization of the world. Different
religion, communities, ethnic groups and sets of India have their own unique
eco centric approach. In this paper, my area of discussion is about Shivyog and
how it can heal the earth that has already been damaged by various kinds of
pollution. For my observation and conclusion I depend on my understanding of
Avdhot Baba Shivananandji’s teachings from various Shibirs that I have
attended, talks with other Shivyogi’s as they share their experience and videos
of Babaji and Ishanji. Babaji tells all shadaks and healers to give lots of
unconditional love to all living beings on this earth. We are aware about the
fact that for the last many years, humans have been exploring as well as
exploiting nature in various ways. We have given many unwanted , unasked and
unquestioned blows to mother nature, but now it’s high time that we join the
healing powers and process and try to rectify it by positive work. Good karam, sadhan, nishkam seva and jap (mantra recitations) are the four
ways of doing good deeds and also the way to repay mother nature and create a
ecocentric culture.
Key words - # ecocentric Indian experience, # Shivyog, #Avdhot Baba Shivananandji.
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3Ecocentrism is defined as a
philosophy or perspective that places intrusive value on all living organism
and their natural environment, regardless of their perceived usefulness or
importance to human beings. Equivalent to it Shivyog – the most ancient way of
life in Hinduism also strives for balance between humans, plants and animals on
this planet and aims at a balanced way of existence. It also gives us guidance
on ecological ethice.
According to# Stan Rowe
(Ecocentrism: the chord that Harmonizes Humans and Earth) –
The
ecocentric argument is grounded in the belief that, compared to the undoubted
importance of the human part, the whole ecosphere is even more significant and
consequential : more inclusive, more complex, more integrated, more creative,
more beautiful, more mysterious, and older than time. The "environment" that anthropocentrism misperceives as
materials designed to be used exclusively by humans, to serve the needs of
humanity, is in the profoundest sense humanity's source and support: its
ingenious, inventive life-giving matrix. Ecocentrism goes beyond biocentrism
with its fixation on organisms, for in the ecocentric view people
are inseparable from the inorganic/organic nature that encapsulates them. They are particles and waves, body and
spirit, in the context of Earth's ambient energy.
Therefore it is thus our
duty as well as our responsibility to sustain the balance of our earth.
Consequently comes Ecological ethics - guidelines for human behavior here on
Earth. Accordingly, we can say that Ecocentrism places the needs of animals and
the environment into the foreground, while anthropocentrism places the needs of
humans above those of animals and the environment.
Indian civilization as such
is one of the most ancient and sustainable civilization of the world. Different
religions, community, ethnic groups and sects of India have their own unique
ecocentric approach. Indian civilization in spite of diversity in cultures,
customs, languages and religions has always advocated an environment balance in
its own unique way. Chandan Kumar Gautam and Anand Prem Rajan in their paper
entitled Ecocentrism in India: An Incredible Model of Peaceful Relation with
Nature in ‘Universal Journal of Environmental Research and Technology’
Publication 2014 ,ISSN 2249 0256 ,2014 Volume 4, Issue 2, states that that India has rich and diverse ecosystems
(Sridharan and Pachauri, 2003). India ranks among the top ten biological
diversities on the earth and shows a high degree of endemism (MoEF, 2009). The
rich natural resources that people enjoy today are the result of wise resource
management and allocation strategies followed by their ancestors. Environment
protection and sanitation were attributes of the Vedic culture (Thakur, 2007).
Indian traditional medical system, Ayurveda is not only a system of herbal
medicines but it also inculcates religion and philosophy as well (Lad,
1984).Indians have developed several social, religious and cultural norms to
preserve their natural heritage.
#Abdhood baba Shivanan swami (Babaji) a master of ancient #Vedic practices of #Shivyog and a master
healer who has been sharing the sacred wisdom of ancient siddhas, says that Shivyog is a science beyond science
– it is holistic in its approach. Shiv means infinite and Yog means union, thus
Shivyog means emerging with infinite. Babaji says that this science is
discussed in Yajurveda.. The cosmic wisdom of Shivyog has originated
directly from the divine powers which was realized during higher contemplation
by holy seers and sages. These Sages compiled the wisdom of Yajurveda and gave birth to Shivyog.
Only those Sages who have reached a certain level are capable of decoding the
coded words into useful energy processes and this is Shivyog. A practitioner of
Shivyog receives this grace of unraveling infinity from his Guru. He then
connects his body, mind and soul to the cosmic energy and a powerful healing
takes place, The same practitioner, when connects his farm, his corps, his seed
and his cattle with the life giving energy of the cosmos, finds an enhancement
of 5-6 times in his crop output. All this is subtle science. (Shiv Yog Holistic Agriculture project Published on 28 Aug
2014 www.shivyog.com )
Shivyog is a life style and
is based on the principle of blessing. The blessings or diksha of the Guru enables a sadhak
to get rid of the karmas of several lives through sadhana. Shivyog is knowingness. It is respecting and
accepting every person and loving every person the way they are. Moreover, it
is visualization of divinity flowing from the higher dimensions. A
Shivyog sadhak has the power of
infinite dimensions within him. The sadhak
has an advantage that despite his karmic layers (if any), the divinity still
flows. This is possible due to the blessings of the Siddha Guru (Ascended
Master). No doubt Shivyog regards all living creatures as sacred – mammals,
fishes, birds, trees and more. Thus it has an ecocentric view of the cosmos.
Shivyog is a way to
ascension. Shivyog is the wisdom to awaken the vast inner healing potential in
every human being to cure every possible disease. Babaji believes that only
healthy person can create a healthy society. The ancient wisdom of Vedas says
that life of a human is complete only when he is able to keep the cycle of
creation moving healthily. The cycle is that of human, plants and animal health.
Through Shivyog we can make our food free of chemicals, pesticides and increase
the crop output 4-5 times and also normalize the ill effects of genetic
tampering of the seed. Secondly, Babaji says that through Shivyog we can
increase the milk output from the cattle. The Shivyog healing says Babaji will
develop and enhance the inherent potential of the animal to lactate through
cosmic energy. Thirdly, Babaji says that there are infinite healing powers
latent in a human being. If we activate these dormant powers through diligent
adherence to Shivyog principles, no disease will remain incurable. Therefore,
the need of the hour is to welcome Shivyog practices in our lives, to help
crops and agriculture through them, to heal humanity through them and to expand
the wealth of fauna.
As such, no authentic
written document is available on Shivyog , but the Shibirs that are conducted
by the Great Guru and also by Ishanji are readily available on Shivyog website
as well as YouTube. The paper does not
discuss pollution, as it is a common fact that pollution can broadly classify
into four major types, namely air, land, noise and water pollution. Several
industries in India are marked as highly polluting like Aluminum smelter
industries, Cement, Chlorine, Copper smelter, Distillery industries,
Fertilizer, Iron and Steel, Oil refinery, Petrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Pulp
and Paper, Thermal power plants and Zinc smelter industries etc. In the paper,
my area of discussion is thus is about Shivyog and how it can heal the earth
that has already been damaged by various types of pollution agents. Therefore
for my observations and conclusion, I bank on my understanding of Babaji’s
teaching from various Shibirs that I have attended, talks with other Shivyog sadhaks as they share their experiences
and videos of Babaji & Inshanji.
We all are well acquainted
with the disturbances and problems that our planet faces today and we search
for a solution. Shivyog has the solution. In the research paper on Power of Meditation: Materialization
of Energy/Intentions Pradeep B.
Deshpande*1, Mahendra Sunkara2 & Bhaskar D. Kulkarni3 very emphatically
states that that emotions can travel
long distances instantaneously. Through their experiment, they observed that -
we
believe that when an individual who has
achieved such a high level of internal excellence delves deep into meditation,
energy drawn from the five basic elements (Punch Mahabhoot in Sanskrit) or
forces is created that flows through the body and emanates as a bioenergy field
(an aura around an individual) which gradually dissolves and becomes a part of
the cosmic energy that exists round and around.
The above paper shows other
aspects of meditation as well. However, as such it empathetically states that
meditation, here Shivyog meditation can be and is being used by various shadhaks all round the world for healing
themselves as well the world round them.
Shivyog believes that we
humans have created each and every problem or situation in our life by our
thoughts and actions of past lives. However, due to ignorance we always blame
others for our misery. Nevertheless, as such we take things too seriously and
personal and reject to accept our own mistakes or even consider such a thing
could have possibly been created by our own mistake. Thus, when people have lot
of such deep negative impressions and resentment towards others, it is manifest
in the form of various diseases, fights, situations that are beyond control. Of
course, we need someone to act as a medium to administer the pain and suffering
we have created and we blame this or that person for those problems. This
starts a chain reaction as we plagiarize on creation of one bad situation after
another, more blames follow and which are followed amid more suffering. Here
Babaji’s favorite quote for such situation is Mein hi apna beri Muaa (I am the enemy of myself).
Here # Sanjeevani Shakti comes to our
rescue. Sanjeevani Shakti does not
just work on physical level but also on all five bodies- Anandamaya, Gyanmaya,
Manomaya, Pranmaya
and Annmaya Kosh. It helps to
clear those negative energy debris, from our higher bodies. Through
unconditioned love and forgiveness, we
will be amazed how soon the problem vanishes and some sort of peaceful
settlement is arrived at. Failure to forgive and forget hurts no one except
self . So Babaji always says to forgive even your enemy as he , the so-called
enemy is just a medium and he has in
fact come to release you from that Karma by enabling you to undergo it thereby
releasing it because you failed to forgive and bestow unconditional love in the
first place. Babaji tells all Sadhaks
and Healers to give lots of unconditional love to all living beings.
For the last many years, we
have been exploiting nature. We have given it many blows, not it is high time
that we join the healing process and try to rectify by some positive work. Good
Karmas, Sadhana, NishKam Seva, Mantra Recitation and doing good deeds are the
ways of repay.
For leading an Eco friendly
life Babaji advises us no to use lenses for eyesight problems. Lenses reduce
the capability of the human eye to get back to normal. He tells us to take Trifala powder regularly. Not to use
plastic. Not to not use electric water purifiers. Electricity kills the prana in water and food. The food and
water processed through electricity
becomes dead. As an alternative he advocates the use of brass, copper,
iron and steel vessels. Copper is an enemy of cancer. He advises us not to
use microwave ovens. He tells us to destroy them and throw them away. Do not
give them away to others. By giving them away to others, you are not doing any
good. He likewise advises us never to eat food without offering your
gratitude. We should always say thank you to all who have contributed in
bringing the food in that form to you. Thanking nature and human alike will
create an ecocentric culture that Shivyog teaches us.
Babaji regards Cow as the
most pious animal. In Anvar Rajasthan
Babaji has established a GauShala. A
place where cow can live in freedom. Babaji says the cow emits very powerful
radiation and energy and it emits God’s vibrations. Hence, anybody who comes in
the aura of the cow feels this vibrations and his negativity is eliminated. If
you rub your hand on the Cow, it pulls out all the toxic from the body.
Whatever is stored in the pranamayakhosh
the Cow pulls it out. That is why in Hindu religion Cow is called mother; it
nourishes as well as nurtures us. (ShivYog Gau Seva Published on 13 Aug 2015). Babaji
further advises us to use cow milk, cow ghee and butter , cow mutra, cow dung for various purposes.
Cow urine emits positive energy and no bacteria or virus can multiply in
it. He advises us to drink one spoon
full of cow urine every day. This leads to detoxification. Even Vastudosha is removed with cow’s urine
or burning of cow dung. Cow Dung can be used as fertilizer in farms and is
environmental friendly. It is a good substitute for pesticides and is
economical and least harmful. Therefore only Shivyog can help us and
the world to move from The Devil In the
Milk to Sanjivani in the Milk.
Babaji also advises the
farmers to constantly send Sanjivani
to their domestic animals and farms. This would inculcate positive vibrations
and in turn, the earth would become more fertile and yield positive results.
Similarly Sanjivani Shakti to a cattle would also result in
more milk that is filled with Shivshiva’s own energy. I have frequently given Sanjivani to my small garden and the
results are very phenomenal. Likewise giving Sanjivani to all animals round our home also has a very positive
effect. With the flow of Sanjivani
all nature becomes in harmony with each other, and that is what we want.
Conservation of the
elements of biodiversity through various sacred uses of nature such as
maintenance of sacred groves, tree and animal worship, and observing taboos on
harvesting and hunting of plants and animals is characteristic of many
indigenous communities in India (Gadgil and Vartak, 1981; Ramakrishnan et al.,
1998; Syngai, 1999; Guha et al., 1999; Deb and Malhotra, 2001).
Nevertheless, from an ethical perspective, we are not merely interested in the
use of religion in preservation, but in the motive behind preservation, and in
the values recognized in nature and its various living and even non-living
mechanism. An anthropocentric basis for conservation can at best make man a
good warden of nature and ensure its sustainable utilization. In contrast, only
an ecocentric ethic can elevate man to the state of a partner of nature or a
participant in nature's own goal of attaining perfect harmony not only among
all living things, but also between living and non-living. This is no doubt the
aim of Shivyog to create a pure, clean and balanced world for the generations
to come. Babaji feels that to leave a sustainable world for the future
generation we should care for nature, protect nature, land and water.
India is an agricultural
country. Babaji says that our spinal cord is our corps and we know how
important it is for us. He further says that Kisan is the dharti putra as he is producing Mata Annpuneshwari
from this earth. Modern day farming, the use of insecticides and pesticides has
barren the lands and turned it into wasteland. They have imparted negative
effects of farmers as well as consumers. Various studies have show how exposure
of pesticide leads towards cancer, leukemia, etc. With the aim to improve this
condition of Indian farmers, Babaji is organizing various Shibirs and giving Sanjivani
beej Mantra to farmers. Thus, Shivyog aims for Holistic agriculture to
facilitate better health of man, animal and plants and a balanced ecological
system. By practicing Shivyog we can attain and
aim for an ecocentric culture.
Reference -
1.
Ecocentrism: the Chord that Harmonizes Humans and Earth by Stan Rowe in TheTrumpeter 11:2 Spring 1994, 106-107.
2. Ecocentrism
in India: An Incredible Model of Peaceful Relation with Nature by
Chandan Kumar Gautam and Anand Prem Rajan in Universal Journal of
Environmental Research and Technology Publication 2014 ,ISSN 2249 0256
,2014 Volume 4, Issue 2.
4.
You tube
Published in – Vidhyanae -An International Multidisciplinary Refereed
e-Journal ISSN
2454-8596www.vidhyayanaejournal.org
www.vidhyayanaejournal.org
