Pṛthivī Sūkta: A critical study in the wake of ever increasing natural calamities

Abstract

Current world living in awe of day by day multiplying natural calamities; be it cloudburst, deluge, long hauls of drought, avalanches, or to say in brief, all kind of extreme weather conditions, is in dire need of a way of life that ensures harmony with nature. I would prefer not to say that people are living in fear of these catastrophic events as in case it were true, we would be following the Vedic way of life that remains a torchbearer to establishing harmony with nature by revering all her entities. This study discusses a few takeaways from the Pṛthivī sūkta of Atharvaveda in this regard that can well pave way to a sustainable future, and also provide beautiful insights into how to minimize the occurrence of natural calamities by adopting a holistic approach with nature. This paper aims at a reinterpretation of existing knowledge so as to come up with a viable approach to put a check on natural catastrophic events.