Ecological Perspective
Markendeya Yeddanapudi
Nature: The Fountain of Hope and Solutions
By YM Sarma (Revised with Ecological Perspective)
Imagine entering a dense forest. The air is cool, filtered through leaves. The scent of soil and vegetation surrounds you. Gradually, your mind quiets. You feel not like a visitor, but like a participant in a larger living system.
Modern ecology confirms what this experience suggests: we are not separate from nature—we are embedded within it. The concept of ecosystems, first formalized by Arthur Tansley, describes living organisms and their physical environment as one interconnected system. In such systems, no organism exists in isolation. Energy flows, nutrients cycle, and life sustains life through complex interdependence.
Your breath, for example, is part of the global carbon cycle. The oxygen you inhale is largely produced by photosynthetic organisms—forests, grasses, and even microscopic phytoplankton in the oceans. Through photosynthesis, described scientifically since the work of Jan Ingenhousz, plants convert sunlight into chemical energy and release oxygen. Your exhaled carbon dioxide becomes their nourishment. This is not metaphor—it is biochemical partnership.
When you walk in a forest, you are immersed in a communication network. Trees release volatile organic compounds into the air—chemical signals that can warn neighboring plants of pests. Underground, fungal networks connect roots in what scientists informally call the “wood wide web.” Research popularized by forest ecologist Suzanne Simard shows that trees exchange nutrients and signals through mycorrhizal fungi. Cooperation, not merely competition, shapes survival.
Your emotional sense of calm in nature also has scientific grounding. The hypothesis of biophilia, proposed by Edward O. Wilson, suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to connect with life and natural processes. Studies in environmental psychology show that time spent in natural environments reduces cortisol levels, lowers blood pressure, improves immune function, and enhances cognitive restoration. The Japanese practice of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) has measurable physiological benefits.
Thus, when you feel strengthened in nature, it is not illusion. It reflects evolutionary biology. For hundreds of thousands of years, human physiology developed within forests, grasslands, rivers, and coasts—not in sealed technological environments. Our nervous systems are calibrated to natural rhythms: daylight cycles, seasonal variation, fresh air, microbial exposure.
However, modern technological society has altered our relationship with ecosystems. Since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen sharply due to fossil fuel combustion. Climate science—supported by institutions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—demonstrates that large-scale technological activity is destabilizing planetary systems.
Yet science itself does not demand separation from nature. On the contrary, ecology reveals our embeddedness. Systems theory, resilience science, and Earth system science increasingly describe the planet as a dynamic, self-regulating system—sometimes compared metaphorically to the Gaia hypothesis proposed by James Lovelock. While not mystical in scientific framing, this perspective emphasizes feedback loops that maintain planetary balance—until stressed beyond limits.
Technology, therefore, is not inherently opposed to nature. It is an expression of human ingenuity—another natural phenomenon. Renewable energy systems, conservation biology, ecological restoration, and sustainable agriculture demonstrate how science can work with natural processes rather than against them.
The real danger is not science, but alienation—the illusion that humans stand outside ecological systems. When we treat nature merely as an external object to exploit, we disrupt nutrient cycles, biodiversity networks, and climate stability. Biodiversity loss, habitat fragmentation, and pollution are not punishments from nature—they are predictable systemic consequences.
When we live as participants rather than detached observers, solutions emerge. Regenerative agriculture restores soil microbiomes. Rewilding reestablishes trophic cascades. Urban green spaces improve mental and physical health. In ecological terms, resilience increases when diversity and cooperation increase.
The essential fact remains: we are biological organisms within a biosphere. When we align our technologies and economies with ecological principles—interdependence, balance, cycling, and adaptation—we flourish. When we attempt to dominate or detach from those principles, instability follows.
Nature requires freedom—not from science, but from exploitation and imbalance. Human freedom, in turn, depends on ecological integrity.
Nature remains a fountain of hope and solutions—not because it is mystical alone, but because it is the very system that sustains life, including our own.
My Reflections on Your Core Idea
Your original insight—that humans suffer when they psychologically and practically separate themselves from nature—is strongly supported by:
Ecology (interdependence of systems)
Evolutionary biology (adaptation to natural environments)
Environmental psychology (restorative effects of nature)
Climate science (consequences of ecological imbalance)
Where I would refine your philosophy further:
Science is not the enemy of belonging; reductionism without reverence is the risk.
Technology is not unnatural; unsustainable technology is the issue.
Emotional unity and scientific understanding can strengthen each other.
Your essay, when supported by ecological science, becomes not just spiritual reflection—but ecological philosophy.
If you would like, I can next:
Turn this into a publishable journal-style article
Convert it into a keynote speech
Add references in academic citation format
Or sharpen it into a concise ecological manifesto
Tell me your intended audience.
Rajaram Krishnamurthy
Prakriti (प्रकृति), derived from Pra (primary) and Kriti (creation/action), represents the foundational, natural form, or primal substance of the universe in Sanskrit literature. It is not merely "nature" in the modern sense but encompasses all physical, psychological, and cosmic aspects of reality.
Foundation of Creation (Sāṃkhya Philosophy): Prakriti is the "primal motive force" or "material energy" from which the entire universe—including the five elements (pancha bhutas), mind, and intellect—manifests. It acts as the "creator" or "womb" of all forms.
The Three Gunas (Modes of Nature): Sanskrit texts emphasize that Prakriti operates through three innate qualities (guṇas):
Sattva: Goodness, harmony, and light.
Rajas: Passion, activity, and movement.
Tamas: Inertia, darkness, and chaos.
Duality with Puruṣa (Consciousness): Prakriti is consistently contrasted with Puruṣa (pure consciousness/soul). While Puruṣa is the passive observer, Prakriti is the active, changing, and tangible component.
Divine Energy (Bhagavad Gita): In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna refers to Prakriti as his "lower nature" (aparā-prakṛti), composed of eight elements, and also mentions a "higher nature" (parā-prakṛti) that constitutes the soul.
Ayurvedic Constitution (Svasthya): In Ayurvedic Sanskrit texts, Prakriti signifies an individual’s unique genetic and psychological constitution, determined by the balance of doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) at conception. Understanding one’s Prakriti is crucial for maintaining health and determining personalized treatment.
Symbolism of Divine Feminine: In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Prakriti is identified as the supreme creative energy, often personified by five goddesses (Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, Gayatri, and Radha).
Avyakta: The unmanifest, primeval state before creation.
Kshetra: The "field" of action (the body/nature).
Maya: Prakriti is often synonymous with cosmic illusion (māyā) in Vedantic texts.
2 ) Prakṛti (प्रकृति) refers to “cosmic nature” while Puruṣa refers to the “cosmic man or being”, as defined in the Śivapurāṇa 1.16. Accordingly, “[...] O foremost among sages, ordinary parents bestow hidden treasures to the son who renders special service. Hence a devotee shall worship the phallic emblem in the manner of mother and father (pitṛ-mātṛ) for the acquisition of the hidden great bliss. Bharga is Puruṣa (Cosmic man or Being) and Bhargā is Prakṛti (Cosmic Nature). Puruṣa is of hidden latent conception and Prakṛti is of manifest inner conception. Since it is the father who conceives first, the Puruṣa has the primordial conception. The unification of Puruṣa and Prakṛti is the first birth. Its manifestation in the Prakṛti is called the second birth. The creature, dead even as it is born, takes up its birth from the Puruṣa”.
2) Prakṛti (प्रकृति) is another name for Śakti (prime cause, created from the body of Īśvara), according to Śivapurāṇa 2.1.6, while explaining the time of great dissolution (mahāpralaya):—“[...] this Śakti is called by various names. Pradhāna, Prakṛti, Māyā, Guṇavatī, Parā. The mother of Buddhi Tattva (The cosmic Intelligence), Vikṛtivarjitā (without modification). That Śakti is Ambikā, Prakṛti and the goddess of all. She is the prime cause and the mother of the three deities. [...]”.
3 Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra)
1) Prakṛti (प्रकृति) represents the number 21 (twenty-one) in the “word-numeral system” (bhūtasaṃkhyā), which was used in Sanskrit texts dealing with astronomy, mathematics, metrics, as well as in the dates of inscriptions and manuscripts in ancient Indian literature.—A system of expressing numbers by means of words arranged as in the place-value notation was developed and perfected in India in the early centuries of the Christian era. In this system the numerals [e.g., 21—prakṛti] are expressed by names of things, beings or concepts, which, naturally or in accordance with the teaching of the Śāstras, connote numbers.
2) Prakṛti (प्रकृति) or “multiplier” refers to the “coefficient”, according to the principles of Bījagaṇita (“algebra” or ‘science of calculation’), according to Gaṇita-śāstra, ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy.—In Hindu algebra there is no systemmatic use of any special term for the coefficient. Ordinarily, the power of the unknown is mentioned when the reference is to the coefficient of that power. [...] However, occasional use of a technical term is also met with. Brahmagupta once calls the coefficient saṃkhyā (number) and on several other occasions guṇaka, or guṇakāra (multiplier). Pṛthūdakasvāmī (860) in his commentary on Brahmagupta’s Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta calls it aṅka (number) or prakṛti (multiplier). These terms reappear in the works of Siddhāntaśekhara by Śrīpati (1039) and the Bījagaṇita by Bhāskara II (1150). The former also used rūpa for the same purpose
3) prakṛti (प्रकृति) or “origin” refers to the “coefficient (of the square of the unknown)” in Vargaprakṛti (“square-nature”), according to the principles of Bījagaṇita.—The indeterminate quadratic equation [Nx2 ± c = y2], is called by the Hindus vargaprakṛti or kṛtiprakṛti, meaning the “square-nature”. [...] According to Kṛṣṇa (1580) in his commentary on the Bījagaṇita of Bhāskara II: “That in which the varga (square) is the prakṛti (nature) is called the vargaprakṛti; for the square of yāvat, etc., is the prakṛti (origin) of this (branch of) mathematics. because this (branch of) mathematics has originated from the number which is the prakṛti of the square of yāvat, etc., so it is called the vargaprakṛti. In this case the number which is the multiplier of the square yāvat, etc., is denoted by the term prakṛti. (In other words) it is the coefficient of the square of the unknown”.
4 Prakṛti (प्रकृति).—f.
1) The natural condition or state of anything, nature, natural form (opp. vikṛti which is a change or effect); तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया (taṃ taṃ niyamamāsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā) Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 7.2.
2) प्रकृत्या यद्वक्रम् (prakṛtyā yadvakram) Ś1.9; उष्णत्वमग्न्यातपसंप्रयोगात् शैत्यं हि यत् सा प्रकृतिर्जलस्य (uṣṇatvamagnyātapasaṃprayogāt śaityaṃ hi yat sā prakṛtirjalasya) R.5.54;
3) मरणं प्रकृतिः शरीरिणां विकृति- र्जीवितमुच्यते बुधैः (maraṇaṃ prakṛtiḥ śarīriṇāṃ vikṛti- rjīvitamucyate budhaiḥ) R.8.87;
4) Uttararāmacarita 7.19; अपेहि रे अत्रभवान् प्रकृतिमापन्नः (apehi re atrabhavān prakṛtimāpannaḥ) Ś.2. 'has resumed his wonted nature';
5) प्रकृतिम् आपद् (prakṛtim āpad) or प्रतिपद् (pratipad) or प्रकृतौ स्था (prakṛtau sthā) 'to come to one's senses', 'regain one's consciousness.'
2) Natural disposition, temper, temperament, nature, constitution; प्रकृतिः खलु सा महीयसः सहते नान्यसमुन्नतिं यया (prakṛtiḥ khalu sā mahīyasaḥ sahate nānyasamunnatiṃ yayā) Kirātārjunīya 2.21;
कथं गत एव आत्मनः प्रकृतिम् (kathaṃ gata eva ātmanaḥ prakṛtim) Ś.7. 'natural character';
अपश्यत् पाण्डवश्रेष्ठो हर्षेण प्रकृतिं गतः (apaśyat pāṇḍavaśreṣṭho harṣeṇa prakṛtiṃ gataḥ) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 39.66 (com. prakṛtiṃ svāsthyam); so प्रकृतिकृपण, प्रकृतिसिद्ध (prakṛtikṛpaṇa, prakṛtisiddha); see below.
3) Make, form, figure; महानुभावप्रकृतिः (mahānubhāvaprakṛtiḥ) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 1.
4) Extraction, descent; गोपालप्रकृतिरार्यकोऽस्मि (gopālaprakṛtirāryako'smi) Mṛcchakaṭika 7.
5) Origin, source, original or material cause, the material of which anything is made; नार्थानां प्रकृतिं वेत्सि (nārthānāṃ prakṛtiṃ vetsi) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 4.49.1; प्रकृतिश्चोपादानकारणं च ब्रह्माभ्युपगन्तव्यम् (prakṛtiścopādānakāraṇaṃ ca brahmābhyupagantavyam) Ś. B. (see the full discussion on Br. Sūt.1.4.23); यामाहुः सर्वभूतप्रकृतिरिति (yāmāhuḥ sarvabhūtaprakṛtiriti) Ś.1.1; Bhāgavata 4.28.24.
6) (In Sāṅ. phil.) Nature (as distinguished from puruṣa,) the original source of the material world, consisting of the three essential qualities सत्त्व, रजस् (sattva, rajas) and तमस् (tamas). It is also mentioned as one of the four contentments; प्रकृत्युपादानकालभागाख्याः (prakṛtyupādānakālabhāgākhyāḥ) Sāṃkhyakārikā 5.
5 Prakṛti in the Sāṃkhya philosophy
Chapter 3a - Puruṣa, Prakṛti and Guṇa in the Sāṃkhya philosophy
Prakṛti is considered as one of the most important topics discussed in the ancient Indian texts viz., the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, the Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the Gitā, Sāṃkhya, Yoga, Vedānta etc. In Sāṃkhya philosophy, the doctrine of Prakṛti plays the key role in creating the universe. The seed of Sāṃkhya is found in the Vedic literature. The Ṛgveda is the earliest work which possesses its germs. The term Prakṛti is not clearly mentioned in the Ṛgveda but the terms like tama[1] and aja[2] [3] are used in the sense of unmanifested Prakṛti. Sāyaṇa, the famous commentator of Veda, states Prakṛti as triguṇātmikā.[4] Hence, Prakṛti can be said to be in a seed form in the Vedic literature.
Besides, the concept of Prakṛti is found in the Upaniṣads where the term avidyā, māyā, pradhāna etc., are used to enlighten Prakṛti. Though the Upaniṣads regard non-dual Brahman as the ultimate reality, these treatises consider Prakṛti as the power of God, with the help of which God create the universe.
The Śvetāsvataropaniṣad, which belongs to Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda discusses about the concept of Prakṛti in detail. Prakṛti is also identified with māyā which is the power of God.[5] Māyā manifests itself as this world. This māyā or Prakṛti is hidden by its own guṇas[6] i.e., sattva, rajas and tamas. It is said that this world is nothing but a play of the three guṇas, a permutation and combination of these three guṇas. The Upaniṣads consider Prakṛti as unborn and is constituted of three colours of red, white and black. It produces many objects like itself for the enjoyment of the unborn self.[7] The three colours red, white and black can be related to the three guṇas of Prakṛti, viz., rajas, sattva and tamas respectively. Hence, the concept of uncaused Prakṛti, the cause of the world is consisted of three guṇas, which acts for the enjoyment of Puruṣa. Moreover, it is said in this Upaniṣad that Prakṛti is not an independent entity; it is ruled over by the Lord.
The Kaṭha Upaniṣad also bears the idea of unmanifest Prakṛti. The term avyakta which is a synonym of Prakṛti is mentioned in this Upaniṣad. Avyakta is the cause of mahat etc., subordinate to Puruṣa.[8] The evolutes of Prakṛti are also indicated in the verse, beyond the sense is the mind; beyond the mind is the intellect, higher than the intellect is mahat, higher than the mahat is the unmanifest.[9]
Like Vedas, Upaniṣads and Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata also contains a lot of references about Prakṛti. According to this epic, the root cause of the universe is Prakṛti which represents as a female productive power.[10] This Epic speaks of sattva, rajas and tamas as the three guṇas of Prakṛti[11] and all objects of this world are spoken of as the product of the three guṇas.[12] In the Śāntiparvan of the Mahābhārata, Prakṛti is described as avyakta or unmanifest, root cause of the whole universe.[13] Prakṛti is the cause of everything. At the time of dissolution, Prakṛti absorbs the world in her bossom.[14] But she doesn’t of her own accord, perform this wonderful function. Prakṛti is completely under the power exerted by one spiritual principle, who is her master. This is the Lord who makes Prakṛti play with his own creative powers and energy. Mahābhārata accepts Prakṛti as a dependent entity on God.
References of Prakṛti are also foundinthe Bhagabadgītā. Here Prakṛti is called Mahad-Brahma,[15] who creates the universe with the help of God only. Prakṛti is mainly treated in Sāṃkhya system, according to which the creation of the universe is explained by means of two realities viz., Prakṛti, (matter) and Puruṣa (spirit). Dr. Anima Sengupta opines that in the Gītā, the word Prakṛti is used in the sense of the inferior principle of the world. Therefore, it is synonymous with Avyakta.[16]
[1]:tama āsit tamasā guḷmagre apaketam/ Ṛgveda , 10.129.3
[2]:tamidgarbhaṃ prathamaṃ ajasya nābhāvadhyekamaritaṃ yasmin viśvāni bhūvanāni tasthu/ Ibid.,
[4]:sattvarajastamo guṇātmikā mūlaprakṛtirevābhimateti/ Sāyanabhāsya on Ibid. 10.129.2
[5]:māyāṃ tu prakrtiṃ vidyāṅmāyinaṃ ca maheśvaraṃ. tasyāvayavabhūtaisu vyāptaṃ sarvamidaṃ jagat/ SU., 4.10
[6]:svaguṇairniguḍhām, Ibid., 1.3
[7]:ajāmekāṃ lohitaśuklakṛṣṇāṃ, Ibid., 4.5
[9]:indriyebhyaḥ paraṃ mano manasaḥ sattvamuttvamam/
sattvādadhi mahānātmā mahato’ vyaktamuttamam//Ibid., 2.3.7
[10]:sāṃkhyaṃ prakurūte caiva prakṛtiṃ ca pracakṣate/ Mahābhārata , 12.294.41(a)
[12]:guṇasvabhāvastvavyakto guṇānevabhivartate / Ibid., 12.303.2(b)
[14]:prakṛtiḥ kurūte devī bhavaḥ pralayameva ca/
divasānte guṇānetānbhyetyaiko’vatiṣṭati// Ibid.,12.292.27;
[15]:mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmin garbhaṃ dadhāmyaha / Śrimad-bhagavadgītā , 14. 3.
Shlokas on prakriti
अङ्गसङ्गात् तथा जीवो भजते प्राकृतान् गुणान्।
अहंकाराभिभूतः सन् भिन्नस्तेभ्योऽपि सोऽव्ययः॥
Through association with the body, the soul partakes of the qualities of nature (prakṛti). Overwhelmed by ego, he thinks he is them, though he, the immutable one, is separate from them. A philosophical verse explaining the soul's entanglement. The pure soul (jīva), by identifying with the physical body, becomes subject to the modes of nature. Deluded by the ego (ahaṃkāra), it forgets its true, separate, and unchanging identity.
कार्यकारणकर्तृत्वे हेतुः प्रकृतिरुच्यते।
पुरुषः सुखदुःखानां भोक्तृत्वे हेतुरुच्यते॥
Nature (Prakriti) is the doer of actions and causes; the soul (Purusha) is the experiencer of pleasure and pain. It differentiates cosmic roles in Sankhya philosophy.
ऐश्वर्यमिन्दुमौलेरैकात्म्यप्रकृति काञ्चिमध्यगतम् ।
ऐन्दवकिशोरशेखरमैदम्पर्यं चकास्ति निगमानाम् ॥ ७॥
The Goddess of Kanchi is the very nature (prakriti) in oneness with the lord crowned with the moon (Shiva), embodying perfect unity of the divine masculine and feminine. She dwells in the heart of Kanchipuram, radiating like the youthful moon. Her beauty and presence shine as the crown-jewel of the scriptures (nigamas), representing the highest spiritual truth. In her, cosmic sovereignty and tender charm unite, making her the axis of both creation and liberation, revered equally by yogis, scholars, and devotees.
KR PRAKRITI IS [POWERFUL AND ALMIGHTY; AFTER ALL, CAN WE DESTROY IT? FOOD FOR THOUGHT. K RAJARAM IRS 26226
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