काले वर्षतु पर्जन्यः पृथिवी सस्यशालिनी ।

देशोऽयं क्षोभरहितः सज्जनास्सन्तु निर्भयाः ॥

kaale varShathu parjanyah prThivee sasyashaalinee |

dhesho ayam kShoBharahithah sajjanaassanthu nirBhayaah ||

Meaning: 

Let there be timely rains and Mother Earth be covered with plants. Let this land be free of misery and the good citizens live without fear.

In this episode, Dr. N. Hema Malini, Madhavi Nadig and Chidu Nadig discuss what it takes for people to live contentedly, without fear.

• Chidu narrates a story from the Bhagavatha. When Indra was angry with the residents of Vrindhavana, he made it rain incessantly for 7 days. Krishna lifted the Govardhana mountain with the little finger of his left hand and sheltered the residents, until Indra was pacified.
• Dr. Hema Malini explains the cycle that leads to the formation of rains.
• Global warming has given rise to unnatural heat waves, floods and droughts.
• Reforestation and carbon sequestering techniques are being used to remove the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, reducing our individual carbon footprints and lowering our dependence on dairy farming are some ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we introduce into the atmosphere.
• For people to feel secure and live without fear, they need job opportunities. Currently, the US is suffering. Thousands of people have lost their jobs in this depression.
• The first gods workshipped in ancient civilizations were usually nature gods.
• In India, our ancestors worshipped Surya (sun), Agni (fire), Varuna (water), Vayu (wind), Prithvi (Mother Earth) and Indra (space/sky).
• The ancient Greeks worshipped Helios (sun), Hephaestus (fire), Poseidon (sea), Boreas (northern winds), Notus (southern winds), Gaia (the ancestral mother) and Uranus (space/sky).
• Similarly, the Egyptians worshipped Ra as the god of sun and fire, Tefnut (water), Amun (wind/air), Geb (Earth) and Shu was the supporter of the sky.
• Unseasonal and unnatural rains are currently causing flash floods and landslides in North India in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
• Heat in February made tomato crops wither. Heavy rains and flooding during in recent months have damaged more tomato crops this year.
• Tomato prices are at an all-time high due to severe shortage in suppl and are causing unusual incidents across India.
• In North India, a vendor is said to have hired bouncers to protect his tomatoes.
• In Bengaluru, a truck was waylaid and stolen because it carried 2,000 kg of tomatoes.
• Madhavi believes that Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Where the mind is without fear” perfectly captures the essence of this subhashitha.
• This subhashitha is a universal prayer that capture the timeless human aspirations of living freely, contentedly and without fear.

What does living freely mean to you? Let us know your thoughts.

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Music: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/calm-reveal-logo-154643/