The Spiritual Ecology of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in Praxis: The Govardhan Eco-Village (GEV): Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

Gaudiya (Chaitanya) Vaishnavism is both an Earth-honoring faith and a tradition that deeply struggles to live up to the ecological integrity prescribed in its fundamental teachings and praxis. At the core of this ecological understanding is the living concept of sanatana-dharma, which literally means “eternal duty,” but which Gaudiya Vaishnava scholar/practitioner Ranchor Prime extends as follows. He says it means, “the eternal essence of life. This essence is not limited only to humans. It is the essential quality that unites
all beings—human, animal, or plant—with the universe that surrounds them and ultimately with the original source of their existence, the Godhead.”1 The theological and pragmatic foundations of Gaudiya Vaishnava culture, which emanate from the ground of sanatana-dharma, requires a lifestyle that does not damage, pollute, and exploit Earth