Remembering Fakir Mohan Prabhu

We received the news of Fakir Mohan Prabhu's departure in November (2016) with heavy hearts. It seemed as though no time had passed since he had sat with us in our library. 

Fakir Mohan Prabhu was a foremost scholar on the life of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and he re-discovered the family Deities of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sri Sri Radha-Madhava. Read more about this here.


Fakir Mohan Prabhu was a not an exclusive member of a particular group or mission and never initiated any disciples. He was a naistaka (lifelong) brahmachari and intimate friend of many revered Vaisnavas from both ISKCON and Gaudiya Math. He was one out of only 4 initiates of Srila Bhakti Prasad Puri Goswami Maharaj, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura.


He was born in 1932 at midnight on Janmastami. His best friend from childhood was Srila Gour Govinda Swami, They once made a pact to run away from home and become a sadhus together. After Fakir Mohan Prabhu's parents sent the police after him, they locked him up in a room so he could not escape again. He later convinced his father to donate him to the nearby Gaudiya Math temple when he was aged 12. 


When the temple authorities ordered him to attend school, he was very disappointed because he was only interested in nam-bhajan. Everyone was astounded when he excelled in his studies far beyond the other students. This was the beginning of his life as a devotional scholar and sadhu professor, earning a PhD  in Sanskrit and subsequently taught at several universities in Orissa. He moved seamlessly between Vaisnava and academic circles. He independently published over 35 books, mostly in Oriya language, and traveled all over the world preaching
. 

It is truly a loss from this world to have him depart from our vision, but likely a great delight to those great souls welcoming him to their transcendental place.

Srila Gaur Govinda Swami Maharaj (left) and Fakir Mohan Prabhu (right) in Bhuvenesvar, 1991. (photo courtesy of www.gourgovindaswami.org.)

 Srila Gour Govinda Swami  appreciated Fakir Mohan Prabhu's scholarly research into Vaisnava topics a great deal. He once stated, "no one knows as much about Mahaprabhu as the respected Professor. "




Devotional Writer and Historian Thanks BRC for Assisting His Research

Author of the recently published Bengali book Kumat Kalal, Haripriya Prabhu, made a special visit to BRC Library recently to gather some research materials compiled for him by our staff.

Kumat Kalal describes the historical and philosophical aspects of the Gaudiya and Madhava sampradayas.

He was enthusiastic to share the evidence of his appreciation of our help and opened a copy of his book to a page in which his thanks to BRC staff appeared.

Scholar Who Completed Research at BRC Publishes Comprehensive Survey of Recent Gaudiya Literature

Lucian Wong, an Oxford University scholar who has utilized BRC library resources for his research, has recently completed a comprehensive survey of recent critical literature pertaining to the study of the Gaudiya tradition, "Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Studies: Mapping the Field". This article appeared in an academic journal Religions of South Asia.

A mandala depicting all the principle devotees of the first generation of the Gaudiya community. It is referenced in the article mentioned above.

Mr. Wong had made numerous trips to the BRC the course of his PhD, which I began in 2010. "The BRC has proved an absolutely indispensable facility for my research, which centers on the life and writings of Bhaktivinod Thakur. The BRC is in fact something of a Mecca for those doing research on Bhaktivinod Thakur, Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati, and Vaiṣṇavism in colonial Bengal more broadly," he said.

Negotiating History in Colonial Bengal: Bhaktivinod's Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā draws upon a number of sources  related to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura that he had access to while at the BRC.  

As an undergraduate, Wong studied Western philosophy in London. His interest in the critical study of the Gaudiya tradition was prompted by visits to the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. 

He is currently in pursuit of his DPhil in Theology from University of Oxford. Along with Dr. Ferdinando Sardella (Stockholm University), he is conducting research on a project related to Bengali Vaishnavism in the Modern Period, which aims to map, collect, translate, and investigate material pertaining to the tradition from the mid mid-eighteenth to the mid- twentieth century. 

"I cannot stress enough how accommodating and helpful the staff at the BRC have been during my visits there. I must mention in particular Hari Sauri Prabhu, Acyuta Prabhu, and Bharati Didi, who have each in their own way greatly facilitated my research, for which I am exceedingly grateful."

Lucian Wong, University of Oxford

Here are some comments made by other research scholars throughout the years: 


Prof. Ashlin Aronin, Wesleyan Uni., CT:
"The Bhaktivedanta Research Library was an invaluable asset for my research. I wish I had known about it sooner!"


Prof. Ruby Sain, Yadavpur University:

"It is impossible to collect such treasure within such a short span of time...  This collection is indeed marvelous for future generations of India and other countries. I must congratulate all those who are working so hard to make this library vibrant."