Dear Ones, we have a tribe in India called the Bishnois. They are a Hindu community of desert dwellers, who see no separation between themselves and nature. For them the tree is like a child, and they treat it with parental love. They live in mainly the Thar desert of western Rajasthan and the northern states of India.
They are an amazing tribe, with a story which has an eternal lesson. The legend dates back to the fifteenth century. Their narrative starts with a man named Jambhoji. There was a terrible drought, where he lived in western Rajasthan. Jambhoji taught them that one had to live in harmony with nature and not against nature. He taught them that a tree had to be treated with the same respect and love as one gave to one’s own child. They must therefore go to extreme lengths to protect a tree. They acknowledge the trees as giving them sustenance for generations.
Not led up
Then in the eighteenth century, there was a king by the name of Abhay Singh. He wanted to cut down the trees and the Bishnois refused to follow his orders. He had them beheaded and this ended in a massacre, where four hundred Bishnois were executed. It was as if the Bishnois would not let up. Finally, the king stopped this heinous activity and did not cut the trees.
The Bishnois do not back down from their beliefs. In the twentieth century they again staged a demonstration as a ring road was to be built. They refused to budge, and it started with five Bishnois coming and then their numbers kept increasing. It could have gone up to 10,000 for the protest. However, the Government relented the trees were protected and no Bishnoi died.
They follow the rules laid by Jambhoji, who is thought of as an incarnation of Vishnu. Their rule includes speaking pure words, being merciful, preserving the environment and not cutting down living, green trees.
The rules are based on environment preservation, communal harmony, personal hygiene, spiritual practices, non-violence, and vegetarianism.
A list of the most important tenets
- Environmental responsibility is no harm to tree and animals.
- Communal harmony is promoted and compassion for all living creatures.
- Personal hygiene to be observed and to be content and modest.
- Spiritual practices are followed. It means to worship twice a day, perform Aarti, Avans and Harigun (virtuous God) in the evenings.
- Non-violence is a way of life, and the practice included not stealing, lying or arguing.
- Vegetarianism and teetotalism is observed.
Some extraordinary acts by modern day Bishnois.
Ranaram Bishnoi has spent 60 years of his life planting and tending to trees. He is now 80 years old and is not a rich farmer. He has a small plot of land. In winter, he takes on work at building sites to earn enough to take care of his trees. In the summer he rents a camel to take water for his beloved trees. There is a young woman, named Puja Bishnoi. She has a shelter for hurt animals. It is open 24/7. Once they recover, she releases them again in the forest.
The Bishnois revere the black buck as they think it is an incarnation of their Guru, Jumbhoji. The black bucks live in harmony with them. The women will breastfeed an orphaned fawn. They provide water and food for them during droughts.
We can learn from the Bishnois and save Mother Earth.
Aim Hrim Klim