(H.V.) Unit 4.1

Q.1. Explain How Harmony with nature can teach you  to live a balanced life.
Ans.    Living in dynamic harmony with nature allows one to find ancient and new age wisdom. 
This is the wisdom of all love and all power. The way of all love revolves around total acceptance for all. This includes self acceptance and the acceptance of others. When one has acquired total acceptance it will be easy to know inner peace. With inner peace there will be more happiness, even in times of change.
Most people will not even try to grasp the wisdom of living in harmony with nature, or, of total acceptance and inner peace.
This attitude has thus set the occasion for many people to explore unique models for living in a new age. These new age models must take into account human nature. To understand human nature we need to understand the dynamic harmony between love and power. A successful new age system will need to take into account both of these all inclusive forces. 
We will never change human nature
This would indicate that most people will never follow the way of acceptance and inner peace. This fact in it self requires acceptance. Do we accept those who do not see the truth? It also presents an obstacle and an opportunity for change. What needs to be done is to create a competing social - economic system that is not threatening to those who hold power. Can a new age solution be found that works in the real world with highly competitive social and economic pressures.
In order to create an environmentally sound, and sustainable new age community one must create a community that can compete. First it must compete locally, then nationally,then regionally and finally it must be able to compete globally.
Earth changing new age wisdom or wisdom for all ages?
I have finally realize my insight should be considered earth changing new age. For years I thought I followed ancient ways. Recently it was pointed out to me that the way I follow (my “art of living”) is heavily influenced by my western upbringing. And, in that I follow ways that help support life as the earth changes, free from organized religions and the dogmas they create. 

Q.2.          Explain the main four order of nature.
Ans. Four Orders Of Nature: -
There are four orders of nature comprising of material order,prANic order, animal order and human order. These prove that co-existence is the natural order.
Each order is composed of a number of ‘things’. Each one of these ‘things’ is also called a ‘unit’.
Material Order: -
It is clear to us that the material order is the most abundant in nature aid exists in the form of all the soil mixtures, metal and compounds, various gases, water aid other liquids etc.
Plant/Bio Order: - 
Pranic order exists as the smallest seeds to the plentiful grass, the various plants and trees and all the vegetation in the ocean. When we consider humans aid animals, we can understand that they are as a coexistence of the Self (‘I’) and the Body. If we look at the body, we find that in its fundamental unit, there is a cell. The cell belongs the pranic order. Thus, the body of both animals and humans is essentially made up of cells and this belongs to the pranic order.
Animal Order: - 
The Animal order is made of various kinds of animals and birds. These entities display both a body (physico-chemical activity) as well as a conscious activity (Self ‘I’). The Animal Order thus is the coexistence of the Animal Body (Pranic Order) and the Self (or ‘I’ = consciousness).
Human (Knowledge) Order: - 
The Human order is constituted of all the human beings. Each human being is co-existence of the Self and the Body (Pranic Order).
The four orders as above should not be viewed in isolation. All these are part and parcel of nature and existence. These are really mutually complementary and. supplementary. They are not independent but are mutually interdependent. Each one nurtures and nourishes the others. This is the core truth of the natural order. The rich bio-diversity has to be preserved and protected. Conservation of natural resources is of paramount importance. Human beings have the onerous responsibility of understanding this and acting in a responsible manner.

Q.3    There are four orders in nature. How does each order participate in the harmony in the nature? Give few examples.                                                                              (2010 - 11)
Related Questions -
Q.  What do you mean by harmony among four orders in nature. Explain?    (2009 - 10)
Q.    How can human order co-exist with the other three orders in Nature? Suggest any three measures that can be taken at societal level to ensure this.       (2012 - 13)
Ans. There are four order in nature. Each order is connected to each other order. And the relationship between these orders is in such a way that they all fulfill each other and coexist with each other.
Material Order and Plant/Bio-Order: -
The Material Order provides the nutrients to the Plant/Bio-Order in the form of soil, minerals, etc while the Plant Order decays and forms more nutrient, thus enriching the soil. The Plant/Bio-Order also decays to substances like oil and coal, which are stored deep within the earth as protection against the heat from the molten core inside the earth as well as the heat from the sun (today, this is the material we are removing and using as fuel. Plants help move the nutrients through the various layers of the soil. The roots of the plants hold the soil together and prevent the soil from erosion. Plants produce oxygen! carbon dioxide and thus help in the movement of the Material Order. Thus Pranic order and Material Order, naturally exist in a relationship of mutual fulfilment with each other. They also co-exist, they don’t deny the other. There is a mutual interdependency and co-existence.
Material Order, Plant/Bio Order and Animal Order: -
The Material Order provides the basis for movement of all animals, birds and fishes. Water, Oxygen and other gases are necessities for both plants and animals. At the same time, the Animal Order helps enrich the soil with its excreta and this excreta helps the plants with nutrients. The Plant!Bio Order provides food for animals, birds and fishes. The Animal Order helps in pollination of the flowers of the Pranic order. The relationship across all three orders is — naturally one of mutual fulfilment.
Material Order, Pranic Order, Animal Order and Human Order: -


It is clear that the above mentioned three orders are fulfilling to each other. ‘When we look at the connectedness with human beings, we find that each of these orders is fulfilling to the human order. This we can verify looking at the multiple uses we are drawing out of these entities. We humans also have a natural acceptance to be mutually fulfilling to these three orders. However, we are not able to ensure this mutual fulfilment. We are dependent on the material order for soil and minerals and metals, but only end up polluting the soil and depleting the fossil fuels; we are dependent on plants for our food and holding together the larger ecosystem, but we have destroyed forests and destroyed multiple species of plants and herbs; we are dependent on animal carry out our production and transportation activities. but have made many species of animals extinct, and are today known for our cruelty towards animals. 

Q.4.       What are the similarities and dissimilarities among the four orders of nature. Explain with examples.                                                                         (2009 - 10)
Ans. If we look around, everything that we see can be put into one of the following four ‘orders’.
a. Material Order (padartha avastha) — e.g. soil, water, air, etc.
b. Plant/Bio Order (prana avastha) — e.g. grass, plants, trees, flowers, fruits, etc.
c. Animal Order (jiva avastha) — e.g. Animals and Birds.
d. Human (Knowledge) Order (‘gyana avastha) — Human Beings.
The big land mass of the continents, gigantic water bodies like ocean and seas, mountains and rivers, the atmosphere above, the heaps of metals and mineral below, the dense gases & fossil fuels deep below the surface of the earth — all fall into the Material Order or paddrtha avastha. In fact, if we look around beyond the earth, the material order is visible even in the form of stars, planets moons and several astronomical bodies.
Our land mass is covered with grass and small shrubs and they form the lining on the entire soil. Shrubs, plants, and trees form huge forests along with the flora in the ocean. All of this is the plant/bio order or prana avastha and it is the next big order on our planet. (The material order is far greater in quantity compared to the plant/bio order).
Animals and birds form the third largest order and we call them the Animal Order or jiva avastha. Here again, we see that the plant/bio-order is far greater in quantity than the animal order.
Humans are the smallest order and they are referred to as Human Order or gyana avastha. Animals are far greater in quantity as compared to the human order.

Q.5        Explain the differences and similarities between animal order and human order. What is the relation between the two orders ?                                                               (2009-10)
Ans. Differences between animal order and human order

There are some similarities between animal order and human order -
1. Both order is composed of a number of ‘things’. Each one of these ‘things’ is called a ‘unit’.
2. Each unit in both order can be understood as an ‘activity’ (or kriya).
3. Each unit in existence exhibits an innateness, an intrinsic quality that can not be seperated from it. We call it ‘Innateness’ or ‘Dharama’ of that unit.
4. Both order has its Natural characteristic or Svabhava.
5. Each unit ‘conforms’ through the principle of conformance or anu-sangita.
The relationship between the two orders is interconnectedness and mutually fulfilling. At the connectedness with human beings, animal order is fulfilling to the human order. We humans also have a natural acceptance to be mutually fulfilling to the animal order. However, we are not able to ensure this mutual fulfilment. We are dependent on animals to carry out our production and transportation activities, but have made many species of animals extinct and are today known for our cruelty towards animals.

Q.6. Differentiate between the animal order and human order in terms of innateness and natural characteristics.                                                              (2013 - 14) 
Ans. Innateness of the Animal Order: -
The animal body is a development of the pranic order and therefore this order inherits the innateness of the previous order namely ‘existence’ and ‘growth’. This is at the level of the body, which is physico-chemical in nature.
in addition, all units in this order have the ‘will to live’ in ‘I’. Indeed no unit in this order can be separated from this ‘will to live’. It is intrinsic to every unit in this order. For example, you cannot separate this will to live from a dog. This “will to live” in the dog is in ‘I’ (consciousness) and not in the Body. Thus, on the one hand, the fundamental particles the body is made up of cannot cease to exist (existence) and the ‘live body’ cannot stop pulsating (growth); on the other hand, the will to live cannot be separate from ‘I’. Thus the animal order imbibes ‘existence’ & ‘growth’ in the body and a ‘will to live’ in ‘I’ as its innateness. The will to live is also called as ‘jine ki asa’.
Innateness of the Human Order: -
When we look at the human being, we find that ‘existence’ and ‘growth’ are fundamentally present in the body, just as in the animal body. At the level of ‘I’ however, in addition to the will to live, a human being’s innateness is the ‘will to live with happiness’. We call all see this and verify this for ourselves. We can varify in ourselves and we can varify this in others. As long as it is a human being you cannot separate him/her from the will to live and the need for happiness. Each one of us not only wants to live but also wants to ‘live with happiness’ This is the innateness of the human order and it characterises the human order. We also say ‘manav sukha dharmi hai’, i.e. the will to live happily can not be removed from a human being.
Natural characteristics of animal order: -
In animal order, the body of the animal belongs to the plant/bio or pranic order, and hence has the same ‘usefulness’ or ‘value’ as the pranic order. Thus ‘nurture/worsen’ is the svabhava of the animal body.
The svabhava of the Self (‘I’) of the animal order is non cruelty (akrurata) and cruelty (krurarta). We can understand these values with the following definitions.
Cruelty (krurata) - The feeling that it can fulfil its needs through violence and forcefulness.
We can observe the above in animals and may find more-or-less predominance of one of the above in certain kinds of animals. For example, cows may largely be living with a feeling of non-cruelty (akrurata); while animals like tigers and lions may exhibits cruelty (krurata).
Natural characteristics of human order: -
The human body belongs to the plant/bio order and hence has the same Svabhava or value/natural chracteristic as the pranic order. It either nurtures or worsens other pranic units. When I digest the vegetable, I absorb the plant and it worsens, while my body is nutured.
The svabhavav value of the Self (‘I’) in human being is ‘Perseverance (dhirata), Bravery (Virata) and Generosity (Udarata)’.
Perseverance (dhirata): -
Being assured that the all encompassing solution is to understand and live in harmony at all levels of existence, living with this commitment without any perturbation.
Bravery (virata): -
Being assured that the all-encompassing solution is to understand and live in harmony at all levels and I am ready to help the other to have the right understanding. This is the commitment to help the other have the right understanding of the harmony and living at all levels of existence.
Generosity (udarata): -
Being  assured that the all-encompassing solution is to understand and live in harmony at all the four levels and I am ready to invest my self, my body and wealth to help the other have the right understanding.

Q.7.    Explain the recyclability and self regulation in nature.                          (2009 - 10)
Related Questions -
Q.   Explain the recyclability in nature with any two examples.                      (2009-10)
Q.  Explain the recyclability of any two units in nature with examples.         (2010 - 11)
Ans. There are several cyclical processes that we can see in nature. For example the cycle of water, evaporating, condensing and precipitating back to water giving the weather phenomena. The quantity of water on the surface of earth remains conserved by itself, no need for human intervention. You have studied cycles of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen in nature in your school. The cycles keep these materials self-regulated on the earth. Breeds of plants and animals are similarly self-regulated in their environment. In a forest, the growth of trees takes place in a way so that the amount of soil, plants and animals remains conserved. It never happens that the number of trees shoots up and there is lack of soil for the trees! The appropriateness of conditions for growth of both plants and animals are self-regulated in nature keeping the population proportions naturally maintained. You will find that the population of grass, deers and tigers remains such that all can continue. This phenomenon is termed as self-regulation. You will appreciate that in a single breed of animals, the number of males and females generated through procreation is such that the continuity of species is ensured by itself. This happens with humans too, but inhuman practices have led to disproportionate numbers of men and women. Nature exhibits self-regulation in various ways across the plant/bio, animal and human orders, but we humans have disturbed it due to lack of understanding. We seldom see a problem of over-population of a species in nature (some of what we see is man created”), nor do we see any instance of some by-product from pature not being absorbed and becoming a source for pollution (ex: nature does not produce plastic and foam).
These two characteristics namely, cyclical nature and self-regulation provide us with some clues of the harmony that is in nature. These are visible signs we can see with our eyes, and understand. But, there is also more to nature than meets the ‘eye’.

Q.8. Define activity in each order.
Related Questions -
Q. Explain the activities in the four orders of nature. How are the activities in the human order qualitatively different from those of other three orders?          (2012 - 13)
Q. What do you understand by ‘activity’? Written down the activity of the four order in nature.                                                                                  (2011 - 12) 
Ans. Each unit in the order can be understood as an ‘activity’ (or kriya). 
An activity means something that ‘has motion’ and/or ‘has a result’. The material order is active in multiple ways, and the same with the plant order or animal order or human order. 
Activity in the Material Order: -
All material things (i.e. units in the material order) can be understood as an activity of ‘units’ coming together to form a bigger unit. We call this ‘Composition’. For example, the chair is made of smaller pieces of wood. Bigger units can also separate from each other to form smaller units and we call this ‘Decomposition’. Like a wooden chair can decay after a few years. Thus any unit in the material order can be understood as an ‘activity of Composition/Decomposition’,
Activity in the Plant/Bio Order: -
The plant order is basically structurally made up of the material order. However, an additional activity of ‘respiration’ is exhibited by the plant order. For example: we all know that plants ‘breathe’. Plants are made up of smaller cells that also ‘breathe’ or ‘pulsate’. So, when we look at all the units that make up the plant/bio order we will find that they can be understood in terms of Composition/Decomposition and Respiration. Not only do plants compose (forming new plants) and decompose (decaying), they are also breathing, or pulsating, which we call Respiration.
Activity in the Animal Order: -
When we explore the Animal Order, we find two fundamentally different set of activities. One set of activities is the ‘physico-chemical’ or activity of the body and the other is the conscious’ activity of the Self.
Body in animals— Physico-chemical activities
The body displays the same activities that we see in the plant. The body displays respiration, breathing, or pulsating, as we call it. We can verify this ourselves quite easily and we can see that the body indeed breathes and also decays. The body is also formed at one point in time and keeps building cells as well, i.e. there is composition in the body. Hence, the activities in body are the same as that in the plant/bio order, which are: composition/decomposition and respiration. Hence, we say that the body belongs to the plant/bio order.
‘I’ in animals — conscious activities
The activities in ‘I’ are fundamentally different from those in the Body. We have already seen for ourselves that ‘I’ is a unit that has the ability or capacity of assuming. Animals make assumptions. If you have a dog, and some stranger comes into the house, the dog may start barking at him. If this person stays at your house for a few months, then the dog stops barking at him, but will continue to bark at other strangers. What has happened here is that the dog’s ‘assumption’ about this person has changed, due to which, the way in which it responds to the person has changed. We call this assuming. Only conscious entities or only ‘consciousness’ has this faculty of assuming. Plants and stones do not have it. This ability to assume is not present in the plant/bio and material orders.
It is important to note that this consciousness or faculty of assuming is not in the Body. The Body belongs to the plant/bio order, and is physico-chemical in nature. It just responds to physico-chemical inputs. The Body does not ‘assume’ things. The faculty of assuming exists in distinct entity we have been referring to as ‘I’ and we also call this ‘consciousness’. In animals, we can predominantly see the activity of selection/taste. If a cow is given fodder to eat, it is enough for the cow. The cow does not question how the fodder is grown, and why it grows that way only? If a dog is given food from time to time, it does not bother how the house owner earns? So, we can see that in animals, only the activity of Selection/Taste is predominant. There is hardly any thinking and desiring in animals. Also, animals do not have this need to know,(natural acceptance) as we humans.
Activity in the Human Order: -
Human beings are co-existence of a physico-chemical body and a conscious Self, or ‘I’. The activities in the human body are similar to that in the animal body; and this is composition/decomposition and respiration.
When it comes to consciousness or ‘I’, however, the human displays more than just an ability to ‘select’ or make choices as animals do. As humans, each one of us also has desire that we pursue, an ability to think and the ability to make choices. In this Desire, Thought and Selection, we exhibit more activities than any unit in the animal order. As a result, humans are in a separate order than animals. We make assumptions, but also have a need to know, or a will to know. Animals just assume, humans can also ‘know’ or have the need to know.
Thus, in human beings, ‘I’ has the activities of Desiring, Thinking, and Selecting Tasting, with a possibility or need for Understanding and Realization. Only humans have this need to now and that is why it is called Gyana Avastha - the Knowledge Order.
Thus, underlying every entity/unit, there are activities like physical activity, chemical activity or conscious activity (‘I’) and all units/entities can be understood as one of these activities or co-existence of these activities.

Q.9. What is the difference between animal and human consciousness? Explain with the help of diagram.                                                                                     (2010 - 11)
Related Questions -
Q. With the help of a diagram, explain the meaning of transformation from animal consciousness to human consciousness.                                            (2013 - 14)
Ans. Difference Between Animal And Human Consciousness: -
To live solely on the basis of Physical facilities can also be called as living in animal consciousness. We say this because, animals are anyway doing this. If we observe a cow or a goat, they are continuously occupied in getting some physical input from the environment. If we see ourselves today, we are also more or less doing the same thing! The only difference is, we do it with  more sophistication, i.e. we end up packaging our food, or make fancy gadgets but at the end of the day, physical facilities are all that we are working for.


However, we are not satisfied merely by living at this level and hence we need to work towards having the right understanding. Living with all three: [1] Right understanding, [2] Relationship and [3] Physical facilities is called human consciousness.
To develop from animal consciousness to human consciousness is the transformation. It is a qualitative improvement in consciousness. Value education is about enabling this transformation in the human being.