Nature protects her protectors
By Swami Chidananda
Upanishads, in their peace invocations, have the word shanti thrice – shāntih, shāntih, shāntih. One of them, known as ādhidaivika shānti, is for making peace with Nature.
The gods – Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Indra and Brihaspati etc. – represent, in fact, facets of Nature. They are the presiding deities of Nature’s phenomena such as rains, sunshine, winds and the seasons.
shan-no mitrah, sham varunah
shanno bhavatu – aryamā
shanna indro brihaspatih
shanno vishnur-urukramah
May there be peace between the gods (aspects of Nature) and us!
Taittiriya Upanishad, Peace invocation before Valli 1.