A woman of substance
Reeta Sharma

I HAVE often shared with you that in terms of gender equality, Haryana is in the bullock-cart era. Hayanavi men, as well as the male-dominated political leadership, still treat their women in the most orthodox manner. Even now, education of the girl-child is not a prime concern for them. Her very existence, too, is alarmingly threatened; a fact that is vividly reflected in the falling sex ratio.

Defying these mind-sets and feudal attitudes, there have been few women who continue to carve a path for the rest to follow. One such person is Dr Aruna Goel. She was born and brought up in semi-urban Narwana, where there was no electricity till she reached Class VII. She was a topper in her area, and was later sent to Delhi for higher studies. But her education was sacrificed within a year when her mother fell sick. The sickness was also the reason for marrying her off hurriedly.

However, she not only completed her graduation and postgraduation with outstanding results, but also reared two of her sons along with her husband’s three brothers and sisters. Her husband, S. L. Goel, of course, was a one-in-a-million Haryanavi who fully supported her in fulfilling her childhood dream of acquiring higher education.

An unassuming person, Aruna Goel completed her Ph.D. in Sanskrit literature. She also began writing books. When her books, Indian Philosophy and Modern Science and Education Policy and Administration hit the stands, the academic world had to take note of her. Today, she is an author of at least half-a-dozen books. I must share with the readers here that even though she had the full support of her husband, the financial constraints during the initial 10 to 15 years of her married life forced her to do household chores all by herself.

She is at present the Head of the Department of Sanskrit at Punjab University. Besides, she is also a Member of the University Grants Commission and the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies at Shimla. She was nominated Chairperson of the UGC Committee on All-India Women Study Centres recently.

Last week, it was a treat to watch Vice-President of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat release three of her books at his residence in Delhi. These books were: Good Governance and Ancient Sanskrit Literature, Human Resource Development and Ancient Sanskrit Literature and Environment and Ancient Sanskrit Literature. The one-hour function witnessed a battery of academicians, scholars of Sanskrit and the Vice-President showering accolades on her for her unique achievements in her field of study.

The Vice-President had apparently scanned the three books because he talked at length about the relevance of the subjects vis-`E0-vis India and the West. He said, "India is lacking in good governance as there is erosion of accountability. Hence, we must remember that asantosh (dissatisfaction) and kranti (revolution) are always born out of bad governance. Similarly, we, the human beings, have declared a war on nature (environment), while our Sanskrit literature, as highlighted by Aruna Goel, had always stressed worshipping nature and living in harmony with it. Violence against trees, the earth and animals is violence against our very existence."

Published by Deep and Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd., the books are not only unique but also extremely fascinating. The book, Environment and Ancient Sanskrit Literature, contains specific chapters like ‘Mind and Environment’, ‘Health and Environment’, ‘Environmental Pollution’, ‘Conservation of Bio-diversity’ and ‘Bhagwad Gita and Environment.’ Each of these chapters is a gripping study of environment as contained in Sanskrit literature. There are profound references to nature in abundance in all the ancient texts, including the Vedas and the Upanishads.

Interestingly, as against the narrow definitions of nature and environment that have been promoted by the West in the modern era, Sanskrit literature has dealt with them very categorically in the universal sense. To quote from Aruna’s book, where she refers to the Bhagvadgita, "Cosmology is governed by law of nature. Human beings and environment are not mere clusters but a total biological life landscape with perfect rhythm and harmony." Similarly, in the sub-chapter, ‘Environment and the Vedas,’ she quotes that the men were prohibited from disturbing the bio-diversity and the eco-system. The Atharva Veda has meticulously dealt with various aspects of environment and showed concern for ecology. The Aryans of the Vedic period religiously followed the instructions contained in the Vedas in matters of ecology.

Similarly, Kautaliya in his Arthshastra, which in many ways is ‘Earthshastra,’ has vociferously advocated the preservation of forests, reservoirs etc. and a prohibition on the killing of birds and animals.

Interestingly, when former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt had proposed a League of Nations with the slogan, "Poverty anywhere on the universe is a threat to the environment," in the American Senate (which was rejected ), he, in all probability, was not aware that Sanskrit literature had warned about the same ages ago. Here are a few quotes from various Vedic sources, as contained in Aruna’s book:

According to Isho Upanishad, "A human being should not have absolute power over nature. Let no one species encroach over the rights and privileges of other species." As per Sanskrit literature, environment is common to all the countries, as polluted environment moves freely through diffusion. To quote from a Sanskrit verse:

Or

Aruna Goel’s book on good governance has been divided into nine chapters. It is a comparative study of Sanskrit literature with the modern knowledge highlighting the relevance of ancient wisdom. Her third book on human resource development has most interesting facts from Sanskrit sources, wherein HRD is referred to as "man-making." The ancient texts aimed to achieve near-perfect human species on earth, unlike the Western countries, which have created robot-like humans programmed to revel in gross materialism.