Dharti Maata – protect us, forgive us

Culture Matters

Dara E Healy

Maata bhoomi putro aham prithivya

Earth is mother and I am her child

– from the Atharva Veda, one of the earliest records of human literature

I WAS pleased to see the Divali Nagar honour Dharti Maata this year. Paying homage to Mother Earth is a gentle, yet powerful way to remind us that we owe our very existence to the earth.

As segments of our island quietly slip into the ocean, as flooding devastates urban centres and livelihoods, and as human activity threatens biodiversity, how can we create lasting benefits from focusing on Dharti Maata in our celebration of Divali?

It is a painful truth that annually, hundreds of species – animals, plants and creatures of the sea – are killed through some form of human activity. Humans have caused the extinction of entire species through over-hunting or excessive fishing. As Britannica put it, we ate them into extinction. The UN estimates that extinction rates are increasing, yet environmental decline continues.

So Mother Earth makes her "couyon mouth" at us (watch how they stupid) and sends earthquakes, tornados, torrential rain, extreme heat and more. Did we not expect consequences for our behaviour?

Despite the abundance of evidence about the damage being done to the earth, Ravi Ji, founder of the Hindu Prachar Kendra, explains that facts do not necessarily galvanise human behaviour. Rather, he says, change comes from how we live our lives. “As Hindus, our culture always keeps us in touch with the earth. So, in the morning when I get up, the first thing, my hand will go down to the floor to touch the earth, and we have a prayer we say. Then you touch your forehead, touch the chest and bow to the earth.

"Through that everyday activity, the earth becomes a divinity in your mind.”

Generations ago, this reverence for the earth was present across communities in TT. Before the advent of "urban gardens," my grandmother would grow corn and other items in old milk tins. Certain trees must be planted in the yard. As my mother says, “Fig! You must always have a few fig trees as well as mango, peas, zaboca, coconut…And the herbs, always the herbs.”

As a child, Uncle Ravi recalls the strong attitudes in his community towards land, wealth, family and manhood.

“It was considered a shame for a man to rent and put wife. You ent have no land? If you ent have land, you is not a man. And if you ent have land, you lazy.”

How does this relate to Divali? We tend to focus on Mother Lakshmi as the goddess of wealth and the fulfilment of aspirations. However, the importance of Lakshmi goes much deeper. As Ravi Ji points out, Divali is a celebration of Rama returning to his land, to his home, after rescuing Sita from the hands of Rawan. Sita is described as being of the earth. She is said to be the personification of Mother Lakshmi, who is also known as Giver of the Grains, or wealth from the earth.

Thus, for Divali, puja or prayer must include an element from the earth – mango leaf, coconut or the leaves of the peepal tree. It is also traditional to plant fig trees in the centre of the space with jhandis (flags) all around. The rituals involved are important for maintaining the connection with ancestors and the deities. And prayers are offered sitting on the ground, close to the earth.

As we focus on Dharti Maata this Divali, it is necessary to acknowledge the similarities across the spectrum of beliefs in our nation. Indigenous peoples pray from the lowest earth to the highest heaven. In the Ifa/Orisha belief system reverence is paid to Ma Ile, Mother Earth. Patois-speaking ancestors also honour Mama Latay.

There is now an urgent need to share this knowledge with younger generations, in practical, interesting ways. One simple solution would be to reintroduce school kitchen gardens more widely, as well as create a space for small animals in all schools. This will help the connection between humans and mother nature become more natural.

I leave you with this simple prayer: “My vedi, this altar, extends to the end of Dharti Maata – until the end of the earth. The act that I am doing here, my yajna or pujaa, these sacred offerings are the navel, the centre of the earth.”

Divali blessings to you and yours.

Dara E Healy is a performance artist and founder of the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN