Bhuta Yagna

BHUTA—Animals, Plants, Biodiversity, Carbon Footprint

Another critical gift from the Creator is the flora & fauna around & inside you. If they go extinct, you die too. Domesticated animals—like cattle & pets—nourish you physically & emotionally. Domesticated plants—like agriculture & gardens—sustain you with food & pleasure. Wildlife—from bacteria to blue whales—sustain the balance & health of nature. The digestive bacteria & yeast inside your body enables you to exist. Forests yield untold health & wealth benefits. Remember that animals are multi-sensory beings that can feel pleasure & pain. Scientists have discovered that plants can sense as much as 20 sensory inputs. All these living beings respond to external stimuli.

Read on to know the consequences of your actions against animals/ plants/ biodiversity & some remedies.

Bhuta Runam—The debt

You get the paralyzing Bhuta Runam when you consciously...

Ignore your own animals—failing to return their love & benefits for you, including starvation.
Ignore your own plants—failing to duly nurture them.
Ignore vulnerable strays & wild animals—failing to shelter/ preserve them or preventing others from preserving.
Ignore vulnerable public plants & forests—failing to preserve them or preventing others from preserving.

As consequences of Bhuta Runam, you will...

Be first denied some benefits of your own animals & then be reborn as an ignored pet/ cattle.
Be first denied some benefits of your own plants & then be reborn as an ignored garden plant.
Be first denied some benefits of wildlife & then be reborn as a vulnerable stray/ wild animal.
Be first denied some benefits of public plants & forests, and then be reborn as a vulnerable tree.

Instead of passively ignoring, if you actively harm, you get cursed. Read on...

Bhuta Dosham—The curse

You get the painful Bhuta Dosham when you consciously...

Harm your own animals—causing pain to them in any way & wasting their produce, including using harmful chemicals on them.
Harm your own plants—damaging/ destroying them & wasting their produce, including using harmful chemicals on them.
Harm vulnerable strays & wild animals—damaging/ destroying them, including hunting/ poaching/ culling & even chemical pest-control.
Harm vulnerable public plants & forests—damaging/ destroying them, including arson/ deforestation.

As consequences of Bhuta Dosham, you will...

Not own animals or repeatedly lose your existing animals (failed farmer), and then be reborn as an abused pet/ cattle, including being slaughtered.
Not own plants or repeatedly lose your existing plants (failed gardener/ farmer), and then be reborn as an abused/ infested plant.
Be denied all benefits of wildlife, constantly suffer pests & wildlife attacks, suffer vector-born & microbial/ worm/ fungal diseases, & then be reborn as an abused stray/ pest/ vector or hunted wild animal.
Be denied all benefits of public plants & forests (including medicines), suffer weeds & allergies, and then be reborn as a weed/ tree that will be cut or burnt alive.

If you have high Bhuta Runam/ Dosham, you will continue to accumulate more, until divine mercy intervenes & guides you to acquire blessings that break the vicious cycle. Read on...

Bhuta Bhagyam—The blessing

You get the blissful Bhuta Bhagyam when you...

Please your own animals—gratefully loving & nurturing them.
Protect your own plants—duly nurturing them.
Shelter vulnerable strays & preserve wild animals—healing/ supporting them as much as you can with respect for their natural balance.
Protect vulnerable public plants & preserve forests—supporting them as much as you can with care, including tree-planting & aforestation.

As consequences of Bhuta Bhagyam, you will...

Gain loving pets & highly profitable farm animals.
Gain highly valuable gardens & consistently high crop yields.
Not suffer pests or wildlife attacks (including insect bites) & their diseases.
Be able to make/ get potent medicines.

For specific actions to avoid these debts/ curses & gain blessings, read on...

Bhuta Yagnam—The Sacrifice

Following are some practical, remedial actions you can take to reduce/ eradicate your Bhuta Runam/ Dosham. These actions go beyond your call of duty (thus, the sacrifice), so do them according to your capacity... the more, the better.

Dos

Generally, try to reduce pain or give pleasure to animals, plants & biodiversity. Selflessly helping them is the long-term/ permanent pleasure you can gain for yourself.
Treat your pet animals with love & care. Before getting a pet, fully know its requirements & how to take care of it.
Tend to your garden plants with care. Before planting a garden, fully know the requirements of each plant & how to take care of them.
Plant perennial trees in your home surroundings. Plant some outside the compound of your house, with the overhead electricity line not passing above. Thousands of birds & animals will benefit for decades from this action.
Feed/ help stray animals around your home. Get the contact details of the local animal-welfare activists & shelters. Contribute & encourage contribution of time/ money to animal-welfare activities & organisations.
As a scientist/ researcher, think through the consequences of your research on animals & plants.
Preserve public plants & trees. Participate in tree-plantation campaigns in your locality. Get the contact details of the local tree-preservation activists. Contribute & encourage contribution of time/ money to tree-preservation activities & organisations.
Preserve wildlife & participate in wildlife-preservation campaigns. Contribute & encourage contribution of time/ money to wildlife-preservation activities & organisations.
Preserve forests & participate in aforestation campaigns. Contribute & encourage contribution of time/ money to aforestation activities & organisations.
Consume only non-violent foods that do not have animal adrenaline. Practice vegetarianism, preferably veganism.

Don’ts

Generally, try to not ignore or harm animals, plants & biodiversity. Being selfish/ hurtful towards them is a sure way to attract long-term suffering for yourself.
Don’t ignore or abuse your pet animals. These living beings are your captives & don’t have a choice.
Don’t ignore or abuse your garden plants. These living beings are your captives & don’t have a choice.
Don’t abuse stray animals in your locality.
Don’t hurt the wildlife in your locality. Often, humans are the encroachers in their territory.
Don’t damage public trees in your locality.
Don’t ignore/ participate in selfish tree-cutting & deforestation. These living beings take years to grow & centuries to live.
As much as possible, don’t use products derived from killing animals, such as animal flesh, honey, leather, furs, silk, pearls, etc.
Don’t play loud music or burst fire crackers. They cause noise pollution that terrorizes strays & wildlife.
Don’t sacrifice animals in religious festivals. Celebrating “god” by hurting other living beings is stupid!
As a scientist, don’t make experimental animals suffer. As much as possible, avoid experiments on animals altogether. Find an alternative!
Don’t ignore or prevent charity to animal welfare & forest preservation.
Some people justify their selfishness by finding faults with beneficiaries/ institutions of charity. Don’t indulge in such selfish bad-mouthing.

Caution

If the above words reached your mind & heart, that is a sign of divine grace to break the vicious cycle you are trapped in. If not, at least keep in mind that Creation constantly provides you with opportunities to save yourself... just don’t condemn yourself any further. God bless! 🙏

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