Ecological Ethics and Indian Knowledge Systems in Da. Ra. Bendre’s Poetry

This study undertakes a systematic theoretical inquiry into the ecological ethics embedded in the poetry of Da. Ra. Bendre (Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, 1896–1981), one of the foremost poets of the Kannada literary tradition and a recipient of the Jnanpith Award (1974). Drawing upon Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), encompassing Vedic ecology, Ayurvedic philosophy of nature, Samkhya cosmology, Dharmic environmental ethics, and folk-ecological traditions, this study situates Bendre's poetic vision within a broader framework of indigenous ecological thought. The article argues that Bendre's engagement with rivers, forests, the earth, the monsoon, birds, and human-nature relationships is not merely aesthetic but constitutes a coherent and ethically grounded ecological philosophy rooted in the concepts of Ṛta (cosmic order), Ahimsa (non-violence toward all living beings), and Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam (the Earth as family). The analysis proceeds through close readings of select Kannada poems, including stanzas presented with Hindi translation and English rendering, demonstrating how Bendre anticipates contemporary ecocritical and environmental humanities discourse while remaining anchored in the epistemological traditions of the Indian subcontinent (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996; Nixon, 2011; Misra, 2007). The article contributes to the growing field of ecocriticism in regional Indian literatures and advocates for integrating IKS frameworks in literary-ecological scholarship.