Nature As A Teacher: What Ṛta Reveals About Living In Harmony With The World

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
Total Articles: 215
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Modern man often looks at nature and tries to think of ways by which he can master, conquer, or exploit the forces within the natural world. However, people living during the ancient Vedic era didn’t think of nature in the same way. They used to perceive the natural world as something that was a direct expression of the cosmic order, which they used to call Ṛta.

Ṛta was the force that governed the rhythm of the movements of the planets, the sun, and the moon, the passage of the seasons, and the unfolding of human existence itself. The Vedic seers saw nature as the ultimate teacher of this natural order. Hence, Vedic sages believed that by observing and studying nature closely, human beings could learn about the ways in which they could live in harmony with the surrounding world, be authentic, and also be responsible at the same time.

Nature expresses the spirit of Ṛta through its inherent and dependable rhythm. The patterns of nature function as living processes. They do not occur erratically and are not structurally rigid, but they seamlessly adapt to varying circumstances to maintain harmony. As days ...
... give way to the nights, seeds bloom in time, and rivers flow seamlessly in their destined direction without imposing their path, we humans learn how Ṛta is a natural force that governs all existence.

Vedic philosophy and insight suggest that human life also follows a very comparable pattern. Hence, when humans start to live their lives in accordance with such natural cycles, they play a dynamic role in preserving Ṛta instead of disrupting it. The finest ways to be in harmony with Ṛta were to eat seasonally, always speak honestly, rest properly, and respect one’s and others’ limits.

When we perceive nature, we can see that trees shed their leaves to renew themselves, wild animals hunt to survive, not to hoard, and rivers overflow when their balance is disrupted. Another valuable lesson that Ṛta teaches humanity is the importance of practicing restraint. As nature does not take more than it needs, so too man must exercise moderation and restraint in all aspects of life.

Such a principle also extends to an ethical understanding where greed, excess, and deception are regarded as serious violations of the cosmic order. One does not need to follow some external book of rules to live an ethical life, but simply learn from nature, its intelligence, and the principles of Ṛta expressed through it. It was also especially important to live by truthfulness, as falsehoods twisted social trust and the deeper harmony that exists between the human consciousness and the external world.

The perception of interdependence is another vital lesson one can learn from Ṛta. There is no element in nature that exists in isolation. Just like plants depend on the soil and rain is fuelled by evaporation, human beings also rely on plants and animals for their sustenance. Hence, the Vedic seers warned that harming any single aspect of nature eventually harms the entire world of nature.

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