Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the Vedas

About the Book Dr. Kansara has divided his monograph into preceded by introduction. two parts scholarly a select bibliography has been added at the end of the book. By citing appropriate texts from the Vedic literature, Dr. Kansara has provided extensive information on various subjects connected with agriculture and animal husbandry. He has highlighted the theme of organic farming. He has also presented some of the modern problems of agriculture and animal husbandry and suggested ways and means of solving them in the light of some of the insights of the Veda.

The substance of the monograph is rich and mature. Dr. Kansara has dealt with a number of subjects like land, water resources, irrigation, seasonal variations, implements, and even trades and crafts relevant or allied to agriculture and animal husbandry.

There have been some the past or chew and animal husband attempt of the present best deal with modern problems relevant fields is refreshing and insightful.

About the Author Dr. N.M. Kansara is a sound Sanskrit scholar who has contributed a great deal to research in Vedic literature over a long period of three decades. He has 30 books to his credit and he has published 57 research articles in various journals. He has taught Sanskrit at the university level, and at the time of retirement, he was Director of the Maharishi Academy of Vedic Science, Ahmadabad.

Dr. Kansara has made special study of all the four Vedic Samhitas with a view to find out the status of agriculture and animal husbandry. He is

Introduction Agriculture and animal husbandry in India began from the beginning of the Vedic period, and during the subsequent centuries in the pre-historic and historic period developed to a degree of skill rarely known in other parts of the world. The ancient Vedic Rishis invented such beautiful sciences like those of agriculture and cattle breeding, both interdependent on one another, and both rooted in the practical spiritual outlook of the one God residing in all beings and becomings, in everything from the galaxies to the nucleus of the sub-sub-atom, animate and inanimate.

Agriculture, animal husbandry, hand-spun cloth, pancampta and pañcagavya were there most perfect scientific inventions in tune with unified field of life, of man in relation to its environment both sentient and insentient. Tree planting and preservation was one of the fundamental articles of Hindu religion, for the Indian culture from its inception grew under the shades of trees in the hermitages of the sages. Even in the medieval period under the Hindu rulers, we find ample contemporary evidence for testifying to the expert skill in raising crops and in rearing of fruits. And the farmers only paid about 8% to 16% of their agriculture products to the state by way of general tax. Things, however, changed with the establishment of the Turkish rule, since exploitation of farmer was deemed necessary for stability of their empire, and the State used to collect half of the earnings of the farmers. Naturally, the status of the farmer suffered and his skill came to be restricted to traditional methods.

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