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It is therefore, the duty or Dharma of every individual to obey these provisions in letter and spirit in thought, word and deed which will foster the feeling of fraternity and ensure the dignity of individuals.

It is therefore, the duty or Dharma of every individual to obey these provisions in letter and spirit in thought, word and deed which will foster the feeling of fraternity and ensure the dignity of individuals.

== GRATITUDE (Kritajnata) ==

=== GRATITUDE (Krtajnata) ===

To have a feeling of gratitude towards persons and other living beings who/which have been helpful to us, is another value of our national life. It is this feeling which is the basis ~ custom of worshipping animals, and plants as also Ayudha Pooja, i.e., worshipping one day in year all the implements or instruments through which we earn our lively hood. It is the same feeling which had led to the prohibition of slaughter of cows, calves, oxen, bullocks -as the cows give milk which sustains us, from childhood till death. We worship the cow as 'Gomata' (Mother Cow). Kautilya in his Artha Sastra made a specific provision banning cow slaughter. It reads:

To have a feeling of gratitude towards persons and other living beings who/which have been helpful to us, is another value of our national life. It is this feeling which is the basis ~ custom of worshipping animals, and plants as also Ayudha Pooja, i.e., worshipping one day in year all the implements or instruments through which we earn our lively hood. It is the same feeling which had led to the prohibition of slaughter of cows, calves, oxen, bullocks -as the cows give milk which sustains us, from childhood till death. We worship the cow as 'Gomata' (Mother Cow). Kautilya in his Artha Sastra made a specific provision banning cow slaughter. It reads:<blockquote>वत्सो वृषो धेनुश्चैषामवध्याः | ''vatso vr̥ṣo dhenuścaiṣāmavadhyāḥ |''</blockquote>Meaning: Cattle such as calves, bulls or cows, shall not be slaughtered.

'''oRlks o`"kks /ksuqÜpS"kkeo/;k%A'''

Yajnavalkya Smriti (VI 234) also declared Govadha (Killing of a cow) as an offence. <blockquote>गोवधो व्रात्यता स्तेयं ऋणानां चानपाक्रिया । अनाहिताग्नितापण्य विक्रयः परिदेवनम् । । ३.२३४ । ।<ref>Yajnavalkya Smrti, Prayashchitta Adhyaya, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9E%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%83/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D Prayashchitta Prakarana.]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''govadho vrātyatā steyaṁ r̥ṇānāṁ cānapākriyā । anāhitāgnitāpaṇya vikrayaḥ paridevanam । । 3.234 । ।''</blockquote>It is this value which has found its way into article 48 of the Constitution of Bharat, which makes it obligatory for the state to make a law prohibiting cow slaughter.

Cattle such as calves, bulls or cows, shall not be slaughtered.

Yajnavalkya Smriti (VI 234) also declared Govadha (Killing of a cow) as an offence. It is this value which has found its way into article 48 of the Constitution of Bharat, which makes it obligatory for the state to make a law prohibiting cow slaughter.

To have compassion towards all living beings, including human beings was considered as the root of 'Dharma' .Every one was asked to look towards other living beings as his ownself (Atmavat Sarvabhutanam). The Smritis declared that cruelty to animals was a punishable offence. There is also a custom to give a weekly holiday to bullocks. In the Mahabharatha, Raja Rantideva, declares:<blockquote>कामये दुःखतप्तानां प्रानिनामार्तिनाशनम् | ''kāmaye duḥkhataptānāṁ prānināmārtināśanam |''</blockquote>Meaning: My desire (as the) highest Dharma is to wipe out the tears from the eyes of living beings in distress.

Basaveshwara, the great 12th Century Reformer declared "Compassion is the root of Dharma; bereft of compassion, there is no Dharma".

Basaveshwara, the great 12th Century Reformer declared "Compassion is the root of Dharma; bereft of compassion, there is no Dharma".

== Aparigriha- Simple living & sparing use of Natural resources  ==

=== Aparigrha- Simple living & sparing use of Natural resources  ===

It is the desire of all human beings to enjoy life, and to secure happiness. The question however examined by the ancient Bharatiya thinkers has been how to secure it. Is it by increasing the wants or limiting the wants1 They opted for the latter and incorporated it in the first verse of Ishavasyopanishad. It reads:

It is the desire of all human beings to enjoy life, and to secure happiness. The question however examined by the ancient Bharatiya thinkers has been how to secure it. Is it by increasing the wants or limiting the wants. They opted for the latter and incorporated it in the first verse of Ishavasyopanishad. It reads:<blockquote>ॐ ईशावास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्। तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्॥१॥<ref>[https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%88%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E2%80%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D Ishavasyopanishad].</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''oṁ īśāvāsyamidam̐ sarvaṁ yatkiñca jagatyāṁ jagat। tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ mā gr̥dhaḥ kasyasviddhanam॥1॥''</blockquote>Meaning: All we find in this ephermeral world are created by God. Let us use them only to the minimum extent and let us not snatch the wealth belonging to another.

<blockquote>'''"bZ'kkokL;fen¡ lo± ;fRdŒp txR;ka txrà rsu R;Drsu HkqŒthFkk% ek x`/k% dL; fLon ?kueÃA'''

 

All we find in this ephermeral world are created by God. Let us use them only to the minimum extent and let us not snatch the wealth belonging to another.

Swami Vivekananda who rejuvinated and propagated the greatness of Dharma, said thus:

Swami Vivekananda who rejuvinated and propagated the greatness of Dharma, said thus:<blockquote>''Race after race has taken the challenge up, and tried their utmost to solve the world-riddle on the plane of desires. They have all failed in the past; the old ones have become extinct under the weight of wickedness and misery, which lust for power and gold brings in its train, and the new ones are tottering to their fall. (India and Her problems p.12)''</blockquote>He declared that only 'Sacrifice' brings harmony and real happiness.

The life of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest personality of this century, has been the manifestation of the above principle. He said:<blockquote>''Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone promotes real happiness and contentment.''</blockquote><blockquote>''A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one's physical needs must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated.''</blockquote>The Supreme Court of India, in its celebrated judgment in Sachidananda Pandey V s. State of West Bengal ( 1987 (2) S.C.C. 295) dealing with the importance of environment quoting a German Philosopher, said thus:<blockquote>''Let us not, however, flatter ourselves overmuch on account of our human victories over nature. For each such victory nature takes its revenge on us. Each victory, it is true, in the first place brings about the results we expected, but in the second and third places it has quite different, unforeseen effects which only too often cancel the first.''</blockquote><blockquote>''Ecologists are of the opinion that the most ecological and social problem is the widespread disappearance allover the world of certain species of living organisms. Biologists forecast the extinction of animals and plant species on a scale that is incomparably greater than their extinction over the course of millions of years. It is said that over half the species which became extinct over the last 2000 years did so after 1900. The International Association for the Protection of Nature and Natural Resources calculates that now, on average, one species or sub-species is lost every year. It is said that approximately 1000 bird and animal species are facing extinction at present. So it is that the environmental question has become urgent and it has to be properly understood and squarely met by man.''</blockquote>The world is awakening now, having seen the disastrous consequences of over exploiting of natural resources and there is a great movement for preserving and protecting natural resources. We have to fall back on the directive in the Ishavasyopanishad in order to ensure justice to posterity.

The life of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest personality of this century, has been the manifestation of the above principle. He said:

Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone promotes real happiness and contentment.

A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one's physical needs must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated.

The Supreme Court of India, in its celebrated judgment in Sachidananda Pandey V s. State of West Bengal ( 1987 (2) S.C.C. 295) dealing with the importance of environment quoting a German Philosopher, said thus:

Let us not, however, flatter ourselves overmuch on account of our human victories over nature. For each such victory nature takes its revenge on us. Each victory, it is true, in the first place brings about the results we expected, but in the second and third places it has quite different, unforeseen effects which only too often cancel the first.

Ecologists are of the opinion that the most ecological and social problem is the widespread disappearance allover the world of certain species of living organisms. Biologists forecast the extinction of animals and plant species on a scale that is incomparably greater than their extinction over the course of millions of years. It is said that over half the species which became extinct over the last 2000 years did so after 1900. The International Association for the Protection of Nature and Natural Resources calculates that now, on average, one species or sub-species is lost every year. It is said that approximately 1000 bird and animal species are facing extinction at present. So it is that the environmental question has become urgent and it has to be properly understood and squarely met by man.

The world is awakening now, having seen the disastrous consequences of overexploiting of natural resources and there is a great movement for preserving and protecting natural resources. We have to fall back on the directive in the [[Ishavasyopanishad]] in order to ensure justice to posterity.

== Service or Paropakara ==

== Service or Paropakara ==