‘’ All living beings subsist on Food and Food is produced from Rains . Rains are produced by performance of Yajna . Yajna is produced by performance of prescribed duties’’
From Bhagavad Gita chapter 3.14
It seems that the Rain God -Indra is Angry . The Rain bearing clouds are not bringing down rain . Satellite imagery shows that Indian Rain deficit has jumped to 45 percent this year making it the third driest year since 2009. The headlines of Free Press Journal on 30th June states that , ‘’Mumbai will run dry by August 20th . with just 6.93 percent of usable water left in the seven lakes supplying water to the city Mumbai is facing its worst water crisis . Its not just Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra , in Uttar Pradesh – Lucknow, Aligarh , Kanpur are experiencing on overall deficit of 56 percent . In North India in Himachal Pradesh 11 out of 12 districts are suffering from deficit rainfall up to 33 percent less than the normal rainfall which is effecting cities like Shimla and Dharamshala .
Pujas and yagnas are being performed dedicated to Vedic chanting by offering ghee and grains with sacred fires to appease the rain Gods . According to S.Sivasubramanian Secretary of the Sri Shankara Mattam in Mumbai a five day ritual called the Ishti is being performed with 10 Vedic Pandits arriving from Satara to perform the ritual . In Kodagu district Karnataka Varuna Japais is being performed in temples and special pujas are being offered to Lord Agastheshwara . In Telangana state the farmers in districts like Khammam have organized special pujas to Goddessess like Mutyalamma seeking for rainfall.
This prolonged lack of rain is causing a heat wave which is affecting public health with day time temperatures soaring between 38’’ to 45 C ‘’. People are flocking to Doctors clinics .Dr. Shrirang Bakhle is a family physician and counselor with three decades of experience . He has authored the book , ‘’Interesting Insights into the Mind’’. On any given day there would be 30 to 40 patients In Dr . Bakhle clinic just in the morning with heat related ailments of fever, dehydration , respiratory problems , the number increases in the evening .
The Vedas mention that when humanity loses righteousness and disconnects with the Divine , rains stop falling . rivers stop flowing .Trees are sacred . It is a sin to cut down trees. When we cut trees we are destroying birds nests leaving birds homeless without protection from predators . There this saying that when trees are cut the axe will forget but not the tree. Nature will not forget its wanton destruction by Humanity . Nature will unleash severe consequences for destroying mangroves and cutting down trees . Cutting down of trees disrupts the water cycle . when there are less trees less water vapor is released in the air causing lower humidity and drier air which diminish cloud formation resulting in low rainfall. Trees hold ground water .The Atharva Veda views the earth as sacred life embodiment . The earth is Bhumi Mata – the Mother as she provides for all humans and yet when we continue to dig intensely to extract ground water we are abusing and hurting her . Human acts account for over 75 percent of the decline in ground water . In the name of Urban development metros and highways are built we should also plant more trees .
Actually, शुभं यातामनु रथा अवृत्सत may be more closely and meaningfully translated as “(to our) prosperity (शुभं), the marching ( याताम) driving vectors (रथा i.e. chariots) roll along (अवृत्सत)”, I think.
Let us analyse the oldest reference to the cycle of rain in earliest parts of Rig Veda, it occurs in Rig Veda — Mandala 5, Sukta 55, Mantra 5.
उदीरयथा मरुतः समुद्रतो यूयं वृष्टिं वर्षयथा पुरीषिणः ।
न वो दस्रा उप दस्यन्ति धेनवः शुभं यातामनु रथा अवृत्सत ॥
The storm/wind vectors (मरुतः i.e. Maruts as wind dieties) lift the water upward from the ocean, and being full of moisture, you rain it down. The non-exhausting deeds of rain-yielding nourishers (धेनवः i.e. clouds) never fail; your glorious marching (शुभं याताम) driving vectors (रथा i.e. chariots) roll along (अवृत्सत) (toward us) .
While one may get distracted by the heavily anthromorphic language of Vedas, it unequivocally demonstrates the factual occurrence of the phenomenon of rain as science not magic.
Without resorting to “psychological interpretation”, that takes too much liberty with meaning, and without resorting to motivated translation to convert Vedas to some deranged “monotheism” – that selectively quotes and deforms the terms, and without resorting to deem scriptures as coming from heaven, we can actually see our glorious heritage of knowledge and logic in all it’s honesty. Some scholars may try to deny Hindu heritage out of way and exaggerate greek heritage with different standards, but that may be counterproductive. For instance, to strictly translate धेनवः as cows or मरुतः as literal god super organism where it is clear like in this verse that they are not describing literal human like acts, is trying to unnecessarily deny the strict wisdom this verse is preserving to its progeny. I hope, I am not wrong in my understanding.