OnEarth: In ancient times, according to Hindu legend, there was a place called Anandavana, the Forest of Bliss, which spread out along the Ganges to the south of the sacred city of Kashi, which is known today as Benares, Banaras, or Varanasi. Its shady groves offered an idyllic setting for temples, ashrams, and places of meditation.
The Forest of Bliss, like most of Indias forests, is long gone. There are many reasons for this, but one important one is hinted at in a song by the sixteenth-century poet-saint...