By Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) has launched a digital platform providing online access to the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidhan, the comprehensive four-volume encyclopedia compiled by Sri Haridasa Dasa Babaji (1898-1957). The initiative, undertaken in collaboration with Haribol Kuthir, addresses the growing need for accessible digital archives of traditional Vaishnava literature and was commemorated at a special program held on July 6, 2025, at Haribola Kuthir and Nabadwip Puratattva Parishad.
Born Harendrakumara Cakravarti in Madhugrām, Noakhali, Haridasa Dasa Babaji (1898–1957) was a great scholar and ascetic within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition. Following his Sanskrit studies at the University of Calcutta, he received spiritual initiation in the Gadadhara Pandita lineage before embracing the renunciant life of babaji-vesa under Giridharī Dasa Babajī.
Under the guidance of Manohara Dāsa Babaji, he devoted himself entirely to grantha-seva—the sacred work of retrieving, editing, and publishing precious Gauḍīya Vaishnava manuscripts. From his humble residence at Haribola Kuthir in Navadvipa, he undertook extensive walking journeys throughout Bengal, laboring tirelessly in challenging circumstances. Despite maintaining a life of scholarly solitude without formal disciples or public discourses, his literary contributions exceeded sixty-five publications, encompassing crucial textual restorations and six original scholarly works.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/brc-launches-gaudiya-vaishnava-abhidhan-research-website/
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