In Praise of Mother Earth: The Prthivi Sukta of the Atharva Veda

The P thiv S kta of the Atharva Veda describes the beauty of the earth as poetic, mystical, and very real. Its hymns give praise to medicinal plants, to inter-human relationships, and to Mother Earth. When meditating upon this text, and the striking photographs from around the world that accompany each verse, we witness the Hindu tradition of reverence for nature and all forms of life. This book represents a powerful tradition that needs to be remembered, nurtured, and activated in our contemporary context. The book beautifully combines a new interpretation of the environmentally themed Sanskrit Veda by the celebrated scholars, O.P. Dwivedi and Christopher Key Chapple with stunning photographs by Robert Radin, Todd Mansoor and Shailendra Dwivedi that highlight the environmental message. The Earth Veda articulates the Indian reverence for nature and all forms of life, a tradition that needs to be cultivated in our contemporary context. In this new translation, the authors carefully selected photographs from around the globe to enhance each verse of their translation. The earth is in trouble. The scientific community agrees that Earth s ecosystems can no longer support the modern, industrial lifestyle and concerned citizens seek an alternative. In Praise of Mother Earth offers the solution in the ancient wisdom of the Earth Verses that implore the reader to live in harmony with Mother Earth. The book holds the ethical position that material prosperity is not an end in itself. The text inspires both global stewardship and an appreciation of our natural inter-relatedness to each other through the sacredness of the Earth. This coffee table book is an ideal gift to anyone. Each page includes the original Sanskrit text along with the translation. The photographs and the simple layout make the book easy to read while the profundity of the translation makes it an important text for any library.