GREEN GANESH CHATURTHI Q: How do we address the environmental issues that arise from the Ganesh festival? A: We must all become aware of the nature of true bhakti. Devotion does not mean being ignorant of the impacts of our actions. After conducting a beautiful pooja at home if we are unconcerned about the state of the river in which we want to immerse our idols then how are we worshipping the Lord of Knowledge? What knowledge have we gained? We need to look for the right choices to make. Choosing an idol that is made of natural clay and demanding it will ensure that these are made available in the markets. Shouldn’t your devotion be so deep that you ensure that no living being or natural element is harmed by your actions? Rather, even if you didn’t bring a Ganpati idol home every year, he is not going to be upset with you. If one has expectations of earning merit one must ensure that we perform meritorious actions. Make choices that spread harmony amongst the human and natural world, you don’t need loudspeakers to communicate with the Lord. Activities that damage our own health and those of others do not connote devotion. Education involves reflection on our own actions and choices. Worship rituals should bring us joy, peace and freedom from anxiety. If you immerse your idol in your home, there is no question of conflict with any tradition. The idea of immersion is to ensure that what has come from the earth returns to the earth. You can ensure that the water you use for immersion is free from any waste and clean. Once the idol has dissolved this water can be offered to the plants in your own garden, and in this way Sri Ganesh will have returned to the Earth where he came from. The use of thermocol and plastic in decorations also needs to be avoided. We seem to have come further and further from natural materials in the way we live today. At least in matters of faith let us make an effort to return to Nature. Similarly, the nirmalya generated through the rituals could be converted into compost and fed as nutrition to the plants around you. We do this regularly ourselves in our Ved pathshala in Satara. This can only be beneficial to us and those around us.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:21:59 +0000
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