Importance of Feeding the Five
Hello Steemians! Hope you are doing good. Just for a change, I have been writing articles on diversified topics. Today some random topic came to my mind and I thought of sharing it with you all in steemit. Few days before, when I was returning from my office with my friend we got a chance to discuss various topics. When the conversation was going interesting, he stopped the bike in front of a shop to get some biscuits and fruits. He was also buying lots of bananas and it did not look like he was buying all these for himself. I asked him why he was buying lots of bananas and biscuit packets. He explained me about his habit of feeding street dogs and cows. I was really impressed by his explanation. I will share few fragments from the discussion that we had.
First of all, he told me that feeding other being is an important thing in our culture. I completely agree with that fact as we have seen many traditional and cultural events where we give importance to other living beings and feed them. He mentioned that it is the responsibility of every human being to feed 5 important living beings. Read further to know more details.
Birds
Birds are an important contributor to the vegetation of our ecosystem. Their contributions are in different ways. If we get an opportunity to feed birds, we have to make it a practice and do it regularly. Feeding crows is a day to day activity defined in the Hindu tradition. People following Hindu religion will not have their daily food without offering to crows. It has been a practice for ages. Though there are several explanations given for this activity, the most convincing thing we see is that crows and other small living being get their food every day. Feeding birds have been a practice in many places around the world. There was a video that went viral few years back. A person popularly called as bird man feeds nearly 4,000 parakeets a day. This is really amazing. You can see a short documentary video about this person below:
Insects
Ants are the most auspicious insects responsible for various things. Ants and bees are the most mysterious insects. We still don't have answers to the questions we have about their work culture, colonies, their residential structures, their help to the ecosystem etc. Bees work their ass off during peak summer season to collect pollen and nectar from flowers. They even work 18 hours per day during peak summer. They do all these things just to keep human beings and the ecosystem healthy.
It is the duty of every individual to feel these little insects. Though we will not be able to feed bees and ants directly, we can help them in indirect ways. Indirect ways include increasing the number of flowering plants in our locality for the bees and other insects to get enough nectar. They are responsible for pollination and they help us get tasty fruits. There is a tradition in Hindu culture to draw patterns in front of the house using Rice flour. These patterns are called Kolams or Rangoli. The main reason why Rice flour is used for drawing such structures is to feed ants and small insects.
Cows
In Hindu, tradition Cows are given great importance. We do all the hospitality to cows during several occasions. When we build a new house and do house warming function, the first person to enter the house officially will be the cows. We give that much importance to cows and bulls. We consider cows and bulls as one of the members of the family. So coming to the topic, it is the duty of every individual to feed this important animal every day. It is a way of reciprocating the help rendered by cows and bulls to our day to day activities.
Dogs
Dogs are the protectors and a good companion for both individuals and for the house. In most of the villages, almost every house in the village will have a pet dog. The family members feed them regularly. Dogs are not the only pet animals but they will also be having cows and goats. Dogs not only protect the house from threats but it will also protect other living beings of the house from snakes and other harmful beings. If you feed a dog just once, the dog will remember you throughout the lifetime and will be a good companion for you.
Plants
Plants are the most fundamental beings. Ayurveda says that a person should be living in a locality with enough trees and there are also some specific trees which should mandatorily be in the living ecosystem. As part of the culture, an individual should also do their offering to plants as well. The contribution can either be in the form of nurturing the plants or by pouring water to them regularly. Plants and trees are the major contributors for us to breathe good air. They not only help in providing food in the form of fruits and other products, but they also help in calling the clouds to pour us some rain. They also help us fight the Sun during hot summer.
Feeding the above 5 living beings are also interrelated. For example, if you grow enough flowering plants, you are obviously helping bees gather nectar from those plants. If the insect numbers are good, it becomes a food for the birds when they need. For birds to breed and grow trees are required. Trees again produce fruits that are actually an outcome of the pollination done by the insects. So, all the above mentioned 5 living being are dependent on each other with additional help from humans as well.
Hope you had an interesting read. Please share your views in the comments section.
That's a lovely philosophy. I wholeheartedly agree about growing flowering plants. I think the trend for concreting over gardens in some cities, to provide private car parking space, contributes to the lack of bees and birds in those places. Luckily more people are realising the importance of garden flowers and shrubs these days. I actually had a wild beehive in my lawn for a while!
Yes, it is so true @natubat. I'm seeing how my place is transforming into concrete structures for the past two decades. They construct multi-storeyed apartments with zero garden space. It is very sad to see the green cover declining. But at least the trend of terrace gardening is emerging. People are understanding the value and have started to grow some plants on their balcony and terrace. Thanks for the comment.
Sometimes us humans forget that we are part of an ecosystem.
Namaste, JaiChai
Namasthe @jaichai. I think we have to be always aware of the fact that we are part of the ecosystem. Sometimes we forget that and disturb the natural balance so much. Thanks for the comments.
So many lovely blogs I've read tonight. Yours is right up there. You write with such regard for life, all life. Yes, feed five things--it's nice to have a system. Get in the habit, it'll feel so good, you'll feed 6, 7...
Thanks for sharing the values of your culture.
I'm so glad that you liked my writing @agmoore. Thanks for your lovely comments. 🙏
A great post with awesome sentiments. I like to feed the creatures around me too - it creates a like between us and creation.
Thanks for sharing!
Nice words @viking-ventures. Yes, indeed it is a connection between us and the creation. If we go deep in understanding this, it can even connect us to the creator as well. Thanks for the comments. 😀
Hehehe! I had to chuckle at the feeding ants part because it is something I often do here at home (I sometimes leave a sweet tidbit of something on the veranda wall for them) and my wife is never impressed! ;P
She also gets quite exasperated when I refuse to kill a spider or random bug that flies into the apartment and instead catch it in a container and set it free outside.
The only three things I do not mind killing are mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches.
Thanks for the interesting read =)
He he he. You are absolutely right. I will also not mind killing those three. They are completely annoying. But most of the times I even think of setting them free as well.
If we having these species near our living area and if they are health it means we live in a good ecosystem. Sometimes they can be a little bit disturbing but their presence is very important.
Thanks for your comments.
Great article bala... My analysis is that planting flowering trees and fruit bearing trees alone will take care of feeding ants, insects and birds around. Feeding a cow is a difficult thing these days as there are hardly any cows in the cities. You have to travel distances just to feed cows... I have started planting saplings around my house... feels great....
Nice work @rajivv203. 👍 And yes you are right if we take initiatives and plant fruit-bearing trees and flowering plants, that will be more than enough to protect the vegetation and preserve the food chain.
This is really a great informative post to be precise. In this mechanized world in where the size of the family is getting shorter and shorter comparing with few decades back and as a result the human mind too tending to shrink inwards many might purposefully ignoring such noble things.
It is heartening to read such inspiring stories which makes as feel good.
Thank you and Stay blessed.
Thank you so much @angelro for your nice words. I'm happy that you found the article inspiring. Thanks for the comments.
you are welcome...That was a wonderful article...I used to keep a dish of water in the balcony during the summer season while i was in Delhi
Which means you have prevented some birds from quenching their thirst. I have heard it somewhere that most of the birds starve to death due to lack of water than lack of food.
I will plant more flowering plants after reading this and I am all for helping nature along the natural path, thanks for writing such an awesome post.
I'm glad that I was able to inspire you with my post @insideoutlet. Thanks for your comments. You are doing a great work supporting good contents. 😀
Thank you @bala41288, I do love flowers but not so much the bees but I think if its for the good of the world than I am in :)
Bees are amazing @insideoutlet. You should check out some of my articles on bees and Honey. There are amazing mysterious creatures in the world. 😀
@bala41288 we were just talking to a lady here in Thailand about honey and the great qualities it holds. I don't think the world would survive without bees so they are pretty key.
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