Cultural Ecology and Sacred Landscapes in Bibek Debroy’s

Abstract

This paper has discussed the Ramayana as a formative literary work by Valmiki, in which he asserts an ecological vision with a cultural foundation by depicting the sacred spaces and the human-nature interactions. Based on ecocritical and cultural positions, the paper claims that the epic not only shows ecology as a peripheral issue but also as a systemic part of ethical life, spiritual practice, and culture. Trees, streams, flora, fauna, and forces of nature are represented as dynamic narrative actors that influence ethical behaviors and communal arrangements. With the help of the analysis, this paper concludes that ecological awareness in the Ramayana has been ingrained in the narrative action, the formation of characters, and a sacred geography, and not theorized in abstract terms. The paper examines the role of the forest as a place of moral discipline and sustainability, and rivers and water bodies as places of purity, perpetuity, and harmonious coexistence of the ecosystem. Here, special focus is made on the illustration of vegetation, biodiversity, and interspecific ethics with the most importance on the concept of reciprocity, restraint, and care about non-human life in the epic. The epic creates a moral vision that is both inclusive and ethical responsibility through other characters and creatures, such as forest sages, Sita, and Vulture Jatayu. By situating ecological awareness within sacred landscapes, the Ramayana’s developmental model of sustainability incorporates local values in place of exploitation. The paper concludes that the epic provides timeless values to modern ecological thinking and contributes to the Hindu literary discourse by revealing the extent to which environmental ethics is ingrained in the artistic traditions of the past.