The Forest As A Classroom
JISHNU DEV VARMA
February 24, 2025
Nowadays it is popular to view forests as life support system, purely from the ecological and environmental perspective. Forests are essentially our Natural Heritage, ecology and environment are undoubtedly of prime importance across the world. In India the significance of the forest however goes much beyond. It has always been the inspiration behind the unique Indian worldview. For us to call someone a “junglee” to denote, that the person is uncivilised (often the white Sahibs did and now brown Sahibs follow) would be to undermine our own civilisation, that perceived the jungle or forest as a place of meditation and learning.
The saying, “Vashudhaiva Kutumbakam” —the world is one family puts stress on the word “family” because it is the smallest social unit. In this also there is so much diversity of age, habits and tastes - none is identical to the other, yet all belong to a social unit called a family. Loyalty and duty towards the family, is brought about, through a sense of belonging. The concept of global family, does not in anyway deny the diversity that exists in nature or in humanity. Unity does not mean “homogeneity” or “sameness“, it rather celebrates diversity and seeks to protect that diversity through a unified effort of all.
In the dharmic or sanatan tradition, the best symbol of unity and diversity is the forest. The forest has always been a place of meditation and learning in the Indian tradition. This is because it offers the concept of “unity in diversity” or in our own terms “Ekam Sat Bipraha Bahuda Badanti”—“the truth is one but interpreted by the learned in many forms”. It is for this reason that our Rishis set up their ashrams in the forest, where thousands of species of animal, birds, plants, micro-organisms thrive. The bio-mass of the forest is in constant change and in process of evolution.
The diversity of the forest and its life structure provided the root for the dharmic thought. The forest was thus regarded, as the living classroom, where pupils learned through sounds, sights and experience. All this led to the ‘Ekam Sat’ - the Ultimate truth.As the various processes of the forest exists , likewise there are endless ways of the soul to the ultimate Brahma-the infinite.
The forest symbolises all that this tradition upheld —plurality, adaptation, interdependence and evolution. There are no doors that can keep the forest under lockout or lockdown. It welcomes all and makes them natives of the forest without distinction, as to who came earlier or later. New forms grow without disturbing or destroying old ones. Birds come into the forest and build their own nests, they do not take over the dwellings of others, who were there prior to their arrival. There is no turmoil in its growth. It grows organically taking everyone along. There is also no finality in its growth but is ever evolving. One of the earliest books of the dharmic tradition is the “Aranyakas” which literally means forests.
The most vivid symbol of Indian thought is the banyan tree. The branches of the banyan tree come out , eventually stooping to the ground to develop roots. In this way the branches also become a tree with their own roots, yet they give nourishment to the tree as a whole. They also provide stability to the whole structure. Therefore, the banyan tree is a living example of a poly-centric framework, where there is no centre but is constituted with many centres, all giving support to the main structure.
The idea of the world as one family therefore came from the forest where diversity thrives in unity. There maybe different terrains, different climatic conditions, different traditions and so on but all come together to make up what we call the earth, which only forms a part of the whole universe. This can be best understood, by putting the forest in a larger context and by viewing it from a much broader perspective.
It would be wrong or a misconception to look for a centre in the Indian thought or life. From the religious angle also, the monotheistic religions rely on one god, one statute and therefore these religions rotate around one centre. While polytheism talks about many gods, many ways of worship and many centres round which their belief systems rotate. But in the end it’s all about the same one truth, the creation and sustenance of this universe and its well-being.
The Rishis of India clearly announced, “one in many and many in one”. This the foundation of polytheism and of our Indian polycentric approach to life, inspired by the diversity of the forest and its ever evolving state, with no finality or dead end. Even after one birth we speak of rebirth or of an after life even after death.
(Based on this article Address to students from all over the country at the National Youth Bio Diversity Conference, Hyderabad)
(Tripurainfo)