Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami
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Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (; 9 December 1937 – 2 October 2006), also known as Dr. Thoudam Damodara Singh and by the honorific Sripada (), was a
Gaudiya Vaishnava Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal (present-day Malda dist ...
spiritual leader, chemist, writer about religion and science, and poet. In 1971 he received spiritual initiation from
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" ...
.A different show indeed
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
11 January 2008
A few years later he became one of the religious leaders of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...
(also known as the ''
Hare Krishna Movement The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...
''). For more than thirty years he was the international director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute which promotes the study of the
relationship between religion and science The relationship between religion and science involves discussions that interconnect the study of the natural world, history, philosophy, and theology. Even though the ancient and medieval worlds did not have conceptions resembling the modern ...
(
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...
). Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja was a pioneer in "advancing the dialogue on synthesis of science and spirituality throughout the world".Tirupati conference held in honour of Swami Damodara
The Imphal Free Press, 23 December 2007
He was a co-founder and regional director of
United Religions Initiative The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network. It has local and global initiatives through more than 1100 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as confli ...
,WAY OF THE PILGRIM: A Peace Pilgrim's Reflection of the URI Global Assembly
a member of
Metanexus Institute The Metanexus Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to explore scientific and philosophical questions. The institute has organized the exchange of ideas through conferences and published books. History With the help of Peter ...
,Biography of T. D. Singh
founding rector of University of Bhagavata Culture (2000) in the State of
Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
(India) and founding member of the
World Vaisnava Association __NOTOC__ The World Vaisnava Association, officially, World Vaisnava Association — Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha (WVA–VVRS), is an international Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization, which had been established in 1994 by some Gaudiya leaders ...
. He authored and edited several books and organised a number of significant conferences and world congresses around the world, where a number of prominent scientists and religious leaders including several
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
s participated.International Conference on the theme: "Goal and Meaning of Life:Scientific and Spiritual Points of View"
/ref> He was the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Bhaktivedanta Institute entitled, ''Savijnanam: Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm''.


Biography


Early life

Thoudam Damodar was born in
Toubul Toubul is a village in the Bishnupur district of Manipur, India, with a total population of around 4044 people as per the 2001 census. The village is surrounded by farmlands in the west, north, and south, and by Loktak Lake in the east. Farming ...
, part of the
Bishnupur district Bishnupur district ( Meitei pronunciation: /ˌbɪʃnʊˈpʊə/) or Bishenpur district, is a district of Manipur state in northeastern India. Etymology Its name is derived from a Vishnu temple located at Lamangdong. Geography Bishnupur tow ...
,
Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
, India, on 9 December 1937 to Sri Thoudam Yogendra Singh and Srimati Kanyahanbi Devi. During World War II on 10 May 1942, the Japanese began bombing
Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
, the Capital of
Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
. Yogendra Singh took his family to shelter in a barrack on the banks of the Yangoi river. In 1944, Yogendra died of
typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
. The war eventually came to end, his uncle Thoudam Ibomcha Singh struggled through tough times to support him and shortly thereafter Thoudam Damodar was separated from his mother and younger sister. His elder sister Srimati Ahanbi Devi began to look after him. As a young boy, he learned how to till the land left by his father to help maintain himself and his sister. In 1949, his sister got married and he was left alone. Not wanting to burden anyone, he used to cultivate paddy for his livelihood. Living through hardships, Thoudam Damodar planned to give up schooling. Seeing his adversity, Sri Thokchom Yadav Singh, his primary school teacher, approached his colleague Sri Thoudam Kerani Singh and requested to help Thoudam Damodar. Sri Thoudam Kerani Singh agreed, and Thoudam Damodar moved into Sri Kerani's home.


Education

Thoudam Damodar received his BSc with honours from
Gauhati University Gauhati University also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and is the oldest un ...
in 1961, his
Master of Technology A Master of Engineering (abbreviated MEng, ME, M.E. or M.Eng.) is a professional master's degree in the field of engineering. International variations Australia In Australia, the Master of Engineering degree is a research degree requiring com ...
degree with honours from the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
in 1964, his MSc in chemistry from
Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...
, New York in 1969, and in 1974 completed his PhD in
physical organic chemistry Physical organic chemistry, a term coined by Louis Hammett in 1940, refers to a discipline of organic chemistry that focuses on the relationship between chemical structures and chemical reaction, reactivity, in particular, applying experimental to ...
at the
University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...
. Since then he has been involved in dialogues with prominent scientists and religious leaders such as the
Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
in the quest for a scientific understanding of the world through the
vedantic ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox ( ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompasses the ideas that e ...
paradigm In science and philosophy, a paradigm ( ) is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. The word ''paradigm'' is Ancient ...
.


Spiritual service to ISKCON

Thoudam Damodar Singh, then as a student at the University of California, Irvine had a very good friend in Ray Ramananda Dasa, who became a student of
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (; ) (1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977) was a spiritual, philosophical, and religious teacher from India who spread the Hare Krishna mantra and the teachings of "Krishna consciousness" t ...
. Ray Ramananda Dasa inspired T D Singh to meet Swami Prabhupada. After coming into contact with Swami Prabhupada and students of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 in New York City by ...
, Thoudam Damodar received spiritual initiation from him at the ''Sri Radha Krishna Temple'' in Los Angeles, on 30 June 1971, and was given the name Svarupa Damodar Das (). He studied the philosophy and practice of
Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
for the following 8 years under the guidance of his spiritual master. Swami Prabhupada appointed Svarupa Damodar das as International Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in 1974 and a member of Governing Body Commission in March 1977. In September 1979 he took
sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...
from
Kirtanananda Swami Kirtanananda Swami (; September 6, 1937 – October 24, 2011), also known as Swami Bhaktipada, was a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava guru, the co-founder of New Vrindaban, a Hare Krishna movement, Hare Krishna community in Marshall Coun ...
at
New Vrindaban New Vrindaban is an unincorporated area and an ISKCON (Hare Krishna) intentional community located in Marshall County, West Virginia, United States, near Moundsville. The town consists of (0.1 km² of which is water), and several building co ...
during the dedication of Prabhupada's Palace of Gold. In 1982 he became an initiating spiritual master and began to accept disciples. During his life, he provided a spiritual guidance to over a thousand of his disciples around the world. He is well known as Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Goswami Maharaja (also known as Srila Sripad Maharaja and Dr. T.D. Singh).


Bhaktivedanta Institute – A Mission Transforming Material Science into Spiritual Science

On Srila Sripad Maharaja's 75th divine appearance day, one of his scientist disciple Bhakti Niskama Shanta Swami, Ph.D. wrote a summary of the services of Srila Sripad Maharaja under the banner of Bhaktivedanta Institute. In the honor of Srila Sripad Maharaja his scientist disciples are organizing an annual international conference series "Is Science Able to Explain the Scientist? (Science and Scientist)" under the guidance of Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja, Ph.D. (Serving Director, Bhakti Vedanta Institute, Princeton, NJ, USA).


Science and Vedanta

Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami has contributed many papers in the
Journal of the American Chemical Society The ''Journal of the American Chemical Society'' (also known as JACS) is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1879 by the American Chemical Society. The journal has absorbed two other publications in its history, the ...
and the
Journal of Organic Chemistry ''The Journal of Organic Chemistry'', colloquially known as ''JOC'', is a peer-reviewed scientific journal for original contributions of fundamental research in all branches of theory and practice in organic and bioorganic chemistry. It is publ ...
in the field of fast proton transfer kinetics in model biological systems using stopped-flow technique and NMR spectroscopy. He also worked on gas phase reaction mechanisms using Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ICR) spectroscopy. For more than thirty years he was the international director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute which promotes the study of the relationship between science and Vedanta. Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Goswami Maharaja was a pioneer in "advancing the dialogue on synthesis of science and spirituality throughout the world". He was a co-founder and regional director of
United Religions Initiative The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network. It has local and global initiatives through more than 1100 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as confli ...
, a member of
Metanexus Institute The Metanexus Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to explore scientific and philosophical questions. The institute has organized the exchange of ideas through conferences and published books. History With the help of Peter ...
and founding member of the
World Vaisnava Association __NOTOC__ The World Vaisnava Association, officially, World Vaisnava Association — Visva Vaisnava Raj Sabha (WVA–VVRS), is an international Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization, which had been established in 1994 by some Gaudiya leaders ...
. He authored and edited several books and organised several International conferences on science and religion, where a number of prominent scientists and religious leaders including several
Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
s participated: First and Second World Congress for the Synthesis of Science and Religion (1986 and 1997), First International Conference on the Study of Consciousness within Science (1990), and "Second International Congress on Life and its Origin: Exploration from Science and Various Spiritual and Religious Traditions" (2004, Rome, Italy). For these conferences a group of internationally acclaimed scholars from various disciplines were invited to talk about "the present status of science and religion, the history of discord between them, and the potential benefits of their reconciliation". From 1992 to 2006 he served as the President of Vedanta and Science Educational Research Foundation and worked to interface Science and Vedanta, the essence of
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
Religious traditions. He felt that the universal principles contained in the Vedanta can make a significant contribution in Science and Spirituality. He launched The Journal of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, "Savijnanam", aimed at "Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm" and was its Editor-in-Chief. In 2000, Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Goswami Maharaja's interest in science and spirituality has led him to set up the University of Bhagavata Culture in
Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
, Manipur). The purpose of the university is to "promote the universal scientific and philosophical relevance of the teachings of
Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
,
Srimad Bhagavatam The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one o ...
, Vedanta and other
Vedic literature FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
s within the framework of modern cultural and educational milieu for the welfare of humanity."


Cultural projects

Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Goswami Maharaja started a network of schools in Northeastern India where more than 4000 students receive education centred on
Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...
spiritual values. In 1989 he founded " Ranganiketan Manipuri Cultural Arts Troupe" which has approximately 600 performances at over 300 venues in over 15 countries.Ranganiketan reviews
/ref> Ranganiketan (literally "House of Colorful Arts") is a group of more than twenty dancers, musicians, singers,
martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
s, choreographers and craft artisans.Ranganiketan
/ref> Some of them are gurus in their own respective fields of art. Their performances both at home and abroad, received acclaim and awards. While at home in Manipur, they often perform at various religious and cultural functions. They are not paid a salary, but live from donations that are offered to them for their artistic contributions.


Works

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See also

*
Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Hindu denominations, Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region o ...
*
United Religions Initiative The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network. It has local and global initiatives through more than 1100 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as confli ...


References


Sources

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External links


T.D. Singh, Ph.D. (Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja)Bhaktivedanta Institute Kolkata
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami, Bhaktisvarupa Damodar 1937 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 21st-century Hindu philosophers and theologians 21st-century Indian theologians 20th-century Hindu religious leaders 21st-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Indian poets International Society for Krishna Consciousness religious figures Hindu writers Indian Hare Krishnas Indian Hindu monks Indian Hindu religious leaders Indian organic chemists 20th-century Indian theologians Indian Vaishnavites People in interfaith dialogue Writers about religion and science University of Calcutta alumni Canisius University alumni University of California, Irvine alumni Poets from Manipur Scholars from Manipur Meitei people People from Bishnupur, Manipur Hinduism and science