simple love

simple love

यस्य त्वया व्रणविरोद्पणमिङ्गुदीनां

तैलं न्यषिच्यत मुखे कुशसूचिविद्दे।

श्यामाकमुष्ठिपरिवर्द्धितको जहाति

सोऽयम् न पुत्रकृतकः पदवीं मृगस्ते।

कालिदासमहाकवेः शाकुन्तले चतुर्थात् अङ्गात्

yasya tvayā vraṇavirodpaṇamiṅgudīnāṁ

tailaṁ nyaṣicyata mukhe kuśasūcividde|

śyāmākamuṣṭhiparivarddhitako jahāti

so'yam na putrakṛtakaḥ padavīṁ mṛgaste|

kālidāsamahākaveḥ śākuntale caturthāt aṅgāt

This is from a scene in abhijnaanashaakuntalam of Kalidasa..

Shakuntala and the hermitage of Kanva are preparing themselves for the inevitable departure of the pregnant Shakuntala to the palace of her husband Dushyanta..

The sage Kanva, the recluse foster father of the young girl could not help shedding tears of separations..

All inmates also silently bid her a tearful farewell..

Even the animals and plants of the hermitage could not brook the idea of this lovely girl leaving them..

A young deer, just stands before her blocking her way..

Kanva says

"Look at  this young deer who is refusing to move away from your path and let you depart..

When this young one got its lips injured through sharp darbha grasses while grazing, you would tend the injuries by smearing oil of ingudi with your soothing hands over the injuries.. Throughout this young one’s life, you would always feed him with green tender ears of Shyamak grass, and he has grown up eating that alone.. He was just like a son to you. How can he let you go?”

Kalidasas poignant depiction of love among all beings.. and especially those who live in the company of pristince nature in all innocence.. should send a great message.

We hardly love anyone to day…

We hardly care for plants and animals..

We can see the plants and animals only as source of food, nothing more..

This is the reason why there is only one Shakuntala, and there is only one Kalidasa

love for nature

One of the four slokas in the fourth Act of Abhijnaanashaakuntalam--
all the four  slokas constitute the quartet of the most sublime creation in Sanskrit Kavyaas...

kaavyeshu naatakam ramyam tatra shankuntalam matham shaakuntale chaturthongaH tatra sloka chatushtayam... 

which touched the vitals of my softest feeling is this

पातुं न प्रथमं व्यवस्यति जलं युष्मास्वपीतेषु या
नादत्ते प्रियमण्डनापि भवताव् स्नेहेन या पल्लवं।
आद्ये वः कुसुमप्रसूतिसमये यस्याः भवत्युत्सवः
सेयं याति शकुन्तळा पतिगृहं सर्वैरनुज्ञायतां॥
कालिदासमहाकविकृते अभिज्ञान्शाकुन्तळे चतुर्त्थे अङ्के
paatuM na prathamaM vyavasyati jalaM yuSmaaswapiiteSu yaa
naadatte priyamaNDanaapi bhavataav snehena yaa pallavaM.
aadye vaH kusumaprasuutisamaye yasyaaH bhavatyutsavaH
seyaM yaati shakuntaLaa patigR^ihaM sarvairanuj~naayataaM..
kaalidaasamahaakavikR^ite abhij~naanshaakuntaLe chaturtthe a~Nke

Shakuntala is scheduled to leave for the abode of Dushyanta, her husband. Her foster father Kanva is utterly desolate.. even the hermit as he is, he is not able to endure the pangs of separation.. he wanders around the plants and trees which Shakuntala had tendered with affection for all her life.. He addressed them and say,
"You the plants and trees of this hermitage, give permission and blessings to Shakuntala who is leaving for her husband's house.. You know, she never ventured to drink water before your roots were all watered and your thirst was quenched. For a young girl growing up in the hermitage the natural adornments could be only your tender leaves. But out of very deep love for you, she never could bring herself to pluck even a tender leaves of yours although her natural desire to adorn herself attractively was immense. When any one of you sprouted a new and fresh flower, she was so happy that it was like a joyous festival for her. That Shakuntala is leaving you for ever today."

A lover of plants and trees and mother nature can utterly realize the affectionate bond between that beautiful young child Shakuntala, who herself looked like a bright wild creeper and the plants of the hermitage which were to her like her own siblings, or children.
I feel a greater lover of nature than Kalidasa was never born.. There are so many examples, but to me this is the best.

--

nature's worst enemy

nature's worst enemy

वापीकूपतटाकानां आरामसुरवेश्मनाम्।
उच्छेदने निराशङ्क स विप्रो म्लेच्छ उच्यते॥ 
चाणक्य नीति

chanakya neeti

vāpīkūpataṭākānām ārāmasuaveśmanām

ucchedane nirāśaṅka sa vipro mleccha ucyathe

If a learned person who is indifferent to nature and 

is indulging in without any hesitation in the destruction 

of 

ponds, 

wells, 

lakes,

gardens 

and 

abodes of God (temples), 

he is to be treated as a lowborn foreign enemy 

who must be shunned by all means

വാപീകൂപതടാകാനാം ആരാമസുരവേശ്മനാം।
ഉച്ഛേദനേ നിരാശങ്ക സ വിപ്രോ മ്ലേച്ഛ ഉച്യതേ॥ 

ചാണക്യ നീതി

ചാണക്യന്‍റെ ഏറ്റവും ശ്രദ്ധേയമായ ഒരു വചനം

കുളങ്ങള്‍, കിണറുകള്‍, തടാകങ്ങള്‍,  പൂന്തോട്ടങ്ങള്‍, ദേവാലയങ്ങള്‍ എന്നിവയെ പൊളിച്ചു നീക്കുന്നതിലും ഇല്ലാതാക്കുന്നതിലും ഒരു മനസ്സാക്ഷിക്കുത്തും ഇല്ലാത്ത ഒരാള്‍  അയാള്‍ ഏറെ പഠിച്ചവനും അഭിജാതനും ആണെങ്കില്‍പ്പോലും  അയാളെ അത്യന്തം നികൃഷ്ടനായി മാത്രമേ കരുതാനാവൂ.