成人快手

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Good morning.

In 1730 a small group of women took on the forces of the Maharaja of Marwar. It was a most improbable conflict, but one that eventually lead to the death of 363 people. It is now known as the Khejarli massacre, and it鈥檚 marked with monuments, memorials, and annual remembrance. We could imagine people fighting over land, but this was about trees - Khejri trees.

The Maharaja鈥檚 men were sent to cut down a forest. What they didn鈥檛 anticipate was the response of the first locals they met, Amrita Devi Bishnoi and her daughters. When the women heard that the soldiers wanted to cut down the trees, they rushed to hug them in protection. For the Bishnoi people the trees were sacred. All life was sacred, and they couldn鈥檛 bear the idea of losing their connection with their trees. And so, the women were killed by the soldiers. Was this extreme environmentalism? Not for the Bishnoi. For them it was perfectly normal to protect living beings, and especially their sacred trees. Not so for the soldiers.

Bishnoi people rushed from villages all around and hundreds were killed before the soldiers realised that they were making a terrible mistake. They couldn鈥檛 understand what the fuss was about the trees, but the people鈥檚 sacrifice woke them up, and when word got back to the Maharaja he was mortified, and did his best to make restitution.

The Bishnoi women represented an early form of environmental advocacy, and highlighted a facet of Indian heritage that broadens our idea of environmental protection.

When we think of the environment, we often think that we are the masters of nature. The Bishnoi thought themselves servants of nature. Lord, thank you for trees, who give shade, shelter, food, medicine, and joy. They never complain, no matter how much we take. Let us learn from their tolerance, and learn to take little.

Hare Krishna.