Plant trees, make the river flow again
What is the connection between spirituality and economics? Why is a mystic going to the World Economic Forum? I have been confronted by these questions far too often. My response is simple: Whatever the nature of one’s business, it is essentially about human well-being – and that is my business, too!
Today, as i endeavour to mobilise a peoples’ movement to rejuvenate the Cauvery river, the same question resurfaces. But the fact is, the connection between spirituality and the natural world is a profound one. A tree is not simply an aesthetic backdrop under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, or where gurus set up ashrams.
We inhabit a living cosmos. What the tree exhales, we inhale. That is how vital trees are, to our lives. Physics tells us that every particle in our bodies is in constant dialogue with the entire cosmos. This is not an abstract lesson in interdependence; it is a living reality. Being a yogi means simply this: Whatever science is trying to explain, you know by experience.
I have had a very special relationship with the Cauvery river since my childhood. I am not an environmentalist, scientist, or activist. It is just that school never drew me, but the river always did. It was not a utilitarian relationship. I never saw the river as a mere source of water. I saw it as a magnificent living force. I was a puny little thing before this phenomenal powerhouse, and it just accommodated me as part of its ecosystem.
In the past 25 years, i have seen this majestic river depleting rapidly. When a forest-fed perennial river becomes a seasonal stream, when 87% of tree cover has been removed, when over 47,000 farmers in the region have committed suicide in the last decade, it is difficult to defer action any longer.
To make the river flow again, we need to plant trees. Human well-being requires us to be both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. We do not have to choose between the two. By promoting agroforestry and planting 242 crore trees, we can improve soil health dramatically, revitalise water levels, enhance farmers’ incomes and transform the lives of 84 million people.
Many see rivers and forests as just geography. When i set up ashrams in Coimbatore and Tennessee, people asked, “Why give up everything for such a remote place?” I said, “You’re the ones giving up life to live in a concrete jungle! If you just sit here and close your eyes, you will see that forests are concentrated life. Life is happening here on a scale you cannot imagine! But if you think your concrete box is a home, and a television reality show is life, you will miss this completely.”
The indigenous people of this land saw the earth as their mother and paid attention to her, because of which they settled down, grew crops, evolved agricultural patterns, built homes, and produced a vibrant culture, rich in music, mathematics, art and spirituality.
For far too long, the world has been encouraged to look heavenward. It is time once again to heed the incredible intelligence beneath our feet. Cauvery is not a problem, a dispute, a depleting water source. It is time to see her again for what she has always been: an incredible deluge of life itself. Cauvery is calling. Do you have the heart to hear?
Today, as i endeavour to mobilise a peoples’ movement to rejuvenate the Cauvery river, the same question resurfaces. But the fact is, the connection between spirituality and the natural world is a profound one. A tree is not simply an aesthetic backdrop under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, or where gurus set up ashrams.
We inhabit a living cosmos. What the tree exhales, we inhale. That is how vital trees are, to our lives. Physics tells us that every particle in our bodies is in constant dialogue with the entire cosmos. This is not an abstract lesson in interdependence; it is a living reality. Being a yogi means simply this: Whatever science is trying to explain, you know by experience.
I have had a very special relationship with the Cauvery river since my childhood. I am not an environmentalist, scientist, or activist. It is just that school never drew me, but the river always did. It was not a utilitarian relationship. I never saw the river as a mere source of water. I saw it as a magnificent living force. I was a puny little thing before this phenomenal powerhouse, and it just accommodated me as part of its ecosystem.
In the past 25 years, i have seen this majestic river depleting rapidly. When a forest-fed perennial river becomes a seasonal stream, when 87% of tree cover has been removed, when over 47,000 farmers in the region have committed suicide in the last decade, it is difficult to defer action any longer.
To make the river flow again, we need to plant trees. Human well-being requires us to be both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. We do not have to choose between the two. By promoting agroforestry and planting 242 crore trees, we can improve soil health dramatically, revitalise water levels, enhance farmers’ incomes and transform the lives of 84 million people.
Many see rivers and forests as just geography. When i set up ashrams in Coimbatore and Tennessee, people asked, “Why give up everything for such a remote place?” I said, “You’re the ones giving up life to live in a concrete jungle! If you just sit here and close your eyes, you will see that forests are concentrated life. Life is happening here on a scale you cannot imagine! But if you think your concrete box is a home, and a television reality show is life, you will miss this completely.”
The indigenous people of this land saw the earth as their mother and paid attention to her, because of which they settled down, grew crops, evolved agricultural patterns, built homes, and produced a vibrant culture, rich in music, mathematics, art and spirituality.
For far too long, the world has been encouraged to look heavenward. It is time once again to heed the incredible intelligence beneath our feet. Cauvery is not a problem, a dispute, a depleting water source. It is time to see her again for what she has always been: an incredible deluge of life itself. Cauvery is calling. Do you have the heart to hear?
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