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Dharma means not religion. Dharma means to fulfill our duty, our responsibility.

A discourse on environmental dharma and human responsibility.

"If you protect dharma, dharma will protect you. Here, dharma does not mean religion. Dharma means the inherent nature or duty of an element."

"Our dharma is to be a protector. Protect the environment, the oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains. Then, nature will protect us in return."

Swami Maheshwarananda, speaking from a retreat in Hungary, explains the principle of dharmo rakṣita rakṣitaḥ—that protection is a core human duty. He critiques large-scale dam construction as harmful technology that blocks nature's water distribution, comparing it to a blocked artery, and proposes small, frequent weirs as a better alternative to allow water to flow and nourish the land.

Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Weekend seminar

Good evening, dear brothers and sisters, practitioners of Yoga in Daily Life, and spiritual seekers around the world. This special blessing comes to you from the Republic of Hungary, VEIP, where we are holding a weekend retreat. To those celebrating a birthday today, I offer my good wishes for your health and a long, happy, and harmonious life. God bless you, and have a happy birthday. We shall continue our program on Nāḍī Yoga, Kuṇḍalinī, and Chakras: the purification of body, mind, and consciousness, the awakening of spiritual awareness, and the realization of the aim of human life. Much has been said about human life and human dharma. It is said: dharmo rakṣita rakṣitaḥ—if you protect dharma, dharma will protect you. If you cannot protect dharma, dharma will not protect you. Here, dharma does not mean religion. Dharma means the inherent nature or duty of an element. Our responsibility is our dharma. The dharma of fire is to give heat. The dharma of our eyes is to see; the dharma of our ears is to hear. If we fail to protect our eyes, our ears, or our environment, then they cannot help and protect us. Therefore, the primary human dharma is to be a protector. Protect everything as much as you can. Protect the environment, the oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains. Then, nature will protect us in return. Today, we know nature is abused by humans. Day by day, we cut into mountains and forests. Day by day, we pollute rivers. Day by day, we build dams to block water. I acknowledge the knowledge of engineers, but in this matter, I believe their intuition and imagination were mistaken, especially in countries with little rainfall. Where there is abundant water and rain, building dams can be beneficial. But globally, about 70% of countries receive little rain. When you look geographically from an airplane, flying over deserts or dry areas with little greenery, you see from the mountains many streams and creeks flowing down to form rivers. These rivers also have smaller tributaries flowing in various directions. The picture is clear. If you take an X-ray of a tree, the movement of its roots is exactly like the movement of rivers. Similarly, in the anatomy of any being, human or animal, the nerves and veins spread throughout the entire body. The heart pumps blood to support this circulation. If there is a blockage in the main arteries, we know what happens—we die. Why? Because it is blocked. Similarly, when we dam a river, it may be good to have a lot of water in one place, but the rest of the river runs dry. From a river, groundwater spreads in all directions to trees, vegetation, and fields, raising the water table. We see that Mother Nature, or Viśvakarmā, the divine architect, designed this planet so that water is supplied everywhere. Instead of doing good, we did not think of the greater good for all; we provided water only for a small area. Thus, in my opinion, building large dams is not good technology. However, we can do something else: every 10, 20, or 50 kilometers, we can construct a low, half-meter-high wall—a kind of small dam. Water will flow, collect, overflow, and continue onward. In this way, water will be distributed everywhere. So, dharmo rakṣita rakṣitaḥ. Our dharma is to protect the environment, protect our ecology, protect our planet, and protect our life. No trees, no life. No water, no life. Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Weekend seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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