As a child, my grandmother used to tell us anecdotes and stories from the scriptures. One that particularly stood out was of the time when little Nanak (devji), was asked by his parents to herd the family flock of buffaloes. As was his wont, the young boy, moved away from the occupation at hand, and drifted into deep thought. And as he was meditating, the sun climbed high, and beat down mercilessly. He was provided shade by the hood of the cobra. The boy was found, unaware of the cobra above him, and as the panicked villagers approached..the cobra slithered away, and Nanak (devji) awoke from his contemplation.
The young Nanak calmly said, “all creatures have God in them”

Respect for nature is intrinsic to the Sikh religion. On Gurpurub, recalling Guru Nanak Devji’s writing on nature:

“Air is our teacher, water, our father and the great sacred earth is our mother”.

“God is an all-pervasive being manifest through various elements of creation… Every creature in this world, every plant, every form is a manifestation of the Creator… Each is part of God and God is within each element of creation”