God of All Things, Big and Small

[Guest guest]

God of All Things, Big and Small

 

All creatures, big and small, are beautiful creations of God . Very

often, however, we tend to either ignore the "small" or exploit them

for selfish reasons. This is where religion and spirituality can

help — to restore to us a holistic perspective so that all of God's

creations are given due respect.

 

Religious thought and spirituality serve a larger purpose only when

they find positive expression in action. Theory without

implementation is of no use. I fear that the concepts of religion

and spirituality are being hijacked by humans for their own selfish

purposes, leaving out all the other, equally if not more valid forms

of life.

 

When we say "all", it should include all forms of life. All animals

are created by God. But only one self-styled animal, the human

being, has arrogated to itself the right to pray to the Creator. Is

this true spirituality?

 

All animals enjoy the right to maintain a relation with their Maker,

for all life forms are created by the Almighty with the same five

principal ingredients, popularly referred to in Indian tradition as

the panchbhoot. Any kind of social ostracism towards animals is an

insult to the Creator. Yet, even places of worship are being tainted

with the blood of "lesser" life forms. In many instances, animals

are admitted into the inner precincts of a place of worship only in

order to be sacrificed at the altar. It is unfair for one animal to

sacrifice another to propitiate the gods, when all are God's

creations.

 

The Buddhist principle of ahimsa or non-violence which was an

integral part of our culture began to be forgotten with the decline

of the Pala dynasty of Bengal. Mahatma Gandhi's efforts to inculcate

in people respect for all forms of life did make a difference, but

only for some time.

 

Superstition encourages disrespect for animals — sacrifice, pelting

stones and other forms of violent treatment being meted out to them

are all justified in the name of ritualistic religion. The natural

rights of animals are being replaced by the `naturalised' right of

the human being who excludes other species from human made roads and

places of worship.

 

We make no qualms about pronouncing generalisations when it comes to

animal behaviour. If a few dogs are infected with rabies, all dogs

are viewed with suspicion. An encounter with one ferocious dog makes

us brand all dogs as being ferocious. But we don't do this to

humans, do we? If a few men commit murder, are all men branded as

murderers and punished?

 

True spirituality should inculcate love of all life forms in humans.

There are several tales in Hindu mythology which talk of the

combined effort of humans and other animals to attain a designated

goal. The Ramayana narrates the ceaseless effort of the monkey king

to restore peace. Most Hindu dei-ties are associ-ated with various

animals. The Indus Valley deity, pashupati, remains a historical

fact. In the verse, Ma Nishada, Valmiki curses the hunter who killed

one of a pair of love birds. All existence is complementary; we all

co-exist on the planet. All life forms share available resources. We

should not misuse the "survival of the fittest" theory to

marginalise and oppress other life forms. As human beings, we need

to be mindful of the welfare of other animals, too.

 

No religion would condone cruelty to animals. No spiritually evolved

person would encourage the killing of old, unproductive or infirm

animals. Indeed, we need to act in compassion and love when relating

with one another — but the same attitude should be extended to

animals as well.

 

(The writer is chairperson, Circle of Animal Lovers.Tel: 011-

6511569, website: info@ circleofanimallovers.org)

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/450280.cms