Silent Covenants of Nature — Unspoken Pacts Between Species and Nature

We can never be wise enough to know everything, nor should we be so insensitive as to overlook the generosity of nature.

We will never truly know how many hands have lifted us in ways both seen and unseen, for many generous hearts prefer to hide their kindness. Whenever we can help someone, we must see it as our only way of saying thank you—not merely to them, but to the spirit of all those who have once helped us.

This gratitude need not be confined to the people we meet in this lifetime. As vedantic wisdom (Bhaagvad Geeta, chaper-2, verse-27: "जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च" )and  Jean-Paul Sartre reminds us, death is the extension of life beyond our body-selves. We cannot truly know how many souls—across species, across lifetimes—have shaped our journey. Even now, we remain largely unaware of the countless ways in which other living beings quietly support our survival.

The attainment of the pinnacle of species development may be a blessing or a coincidence—bestowed by God, by nature, or by the slow unfolding of evolution. Yet such a position carries with it a responsibility: the responsibility of compassion towards other beings standing on the lower steps of this ladder.

At the root of such compassion may lie an awareness—and even a quiet guilt—that the benefits of our advancement have been claimed by humankind, while the cost has often been borne by other species. This realisation is deeply personal, even unshakable. Agreement with it is not essential; yet it is reasonable to expect from humanity at least a tolerant acceptance of this perspective.

Our survival—and whatever we proudly call “excellence” over other species—is intricately intertwined with them. Yet we often fail to recognise their indispensable role in our existence. Whatever they take from us is, in truth, nothing more than a minimal repayment of the immeasurable debt we already owe them.

History is relevant only if we learn from it's course. In the late 1950s, China sought to “ Great leap forward” by exterminating all sparrows, estimating that each bird consumed four kilograms of grain annually. The result was catastrophic: the greatest famine in recorded history, claiming nearly 45 million human lives. Similarly, in 1860, Paris undertook the mass extermination of dogs and cats. The outcome was not prosperity, but plague—and heavy loss of human life.

I do not claim authority to comment on the Supreme Court’s recent order regarding dogs in the Delhi NCR. The dignitaries of the Court are experts in human law, but not necessarily in the laws of nature. Dogs have been friends to humans since a time when man himself had not yet discovered language—and perhaps until the time when we might communicate wordlessly again. They have survived for millennia under nature’s laws for a reason; that probably we, with our limited cognition, may not fully grasp.

We have devised the most advanced communication devices, yet we have grown deaf and lost the timeless art of communication we once shared with other species. I hope these voiceless friends are treated with care, for we may soon need them not for companionship alone, but for our very survival—and I stress, mere survival.

I am not worried for the dogs; even in death, their journey towards moksha will continue.  As Vedanta and bhagwad Geeta rermiids us -

Bhaagvad Geeta, chaper-2, verse-27

"जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च, तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि"-

For one who has taken birth, death is certain; and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore, in this inevitable situation, you should not lament."

My concern lies with the people of Delhi, and the suffering they may unknowingly invite upon themselves in the years ahead.

Nature’s laws are older, stricter, and far more unforgiving than any law written by man. In our gratitude, let us remember: our survival depends not only on ourselves, but on the vast, delicate, and unseen web of life that sustains us.

Last but not least, with deep empathy for those who have suffered from dog attacks, protecting nature’s balance and respecting all species is important ; yet the safety of our children must remain non-negotiable. No parent should have to live in fear of letting their child play outside. The real challenge lies in finding solutions that safeguard life while creating a fair balance between the natural rights of humans and animals.