Research About Our Glorious Acarya Baladeva Vidyabhusana

by Demian Martins

The Baladeva Vidyabhusana Project has the following primary objectives:

1. Search for lost manuscripts. (Such as the commentaries on the ten Upanisads, six Sandarbhas, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc.)
2. Digitally preserve manuscripts currently existing in different libraries.
3. Digitally preserve all editions of Vidyabhusana’s books.
4. Digitally preserve articles written about Vidyabhusana.
5. Type all the original texts in digital unicode system, which can be converted into Devanagari, Bengali and Oriyan characters.
6. Prepare a critical edition for each work.
7. Translate all the works into English.
8. Publish all translations with the original Devanagari text.
9. Investigate and verify existent biographical data of Vidyabhusana, including historical evidences of the alleged conflict between the Gaudiyas and the Ramanandis in Rajasthan.
10. Publish a comprehensive biographical work.

Attainments

Despite innumerable difficulties and little support, in five years since the Vidyabhusana Project was launched, we were rewarded with the following successes:

1) Discovery of several unpublished manuscripts, such as Tattva-dipika, Brahma-sutra-karika-bhasya, Sabda-sudha, Laghu-siddhanta-kaustubha, and Pada-kaustubha. Besides these, many unpublished works of other acaryas have also been found and copied, such as Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Gaura-gana-svarupa-tattva-candrika, Prabodhananda Sarasvati’s Viveka-shatakam, and Rupa Gosvami’s Hari-namamrta-vyakarana.

2) Acquisition of digital copies of more than 30,000 pages in manuscripts.

3) Publication of three critical editions with English translation: Tattva-dipika, Chandah-kaustubha and Siddhanta-darpana. Publication of Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Gaura-gana-svarupa-tattva-candrika with English translation and comparative tables.

4) Digitization of all printed editions of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana’s works and all known articles ever written about him.

Reviews of the Vidyabhusana Project

“You are indeed doing a wonderful work by preserving this heritage of knowledge of thousands of years through digitizing, editing, translating and introducing these texts to the world. We are going through an era in which little attention is paid to this most valuable treasure and there are very few who could appreciate it and are capable of doing it. I wish and hope you will continue to do this great service to knowledge and humanity.”
Dr. Akhlaq Ahmad (Professor of Persian and Arabic studies, JN University, Delhi)

“This is, as Srila Prabhupada would say, “solid work.” It is a lasting contribution to Vaisnavism. The very fact that these Gosvami works are being published in English will inspire Indian devotees to read them in their own languages. Personally I get more inspiration from news of the publication of such important works as these than I do from news of temple openings. May the acaryas continue to bless you in your substantial contributions to their legacy.” (6th July, 2015)

“Thank you for the update and for your continuing dedication in this service. May Srila Prabhupada and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu bless you always in your endeavors. If there is anything in which I can help, just let me know.” (21st March, 2015)
Bhakti Vikasa Swami (ISKCON guru)

“The BV research project is very valuable since it is making an effort to find and preserve valuable scriptures which will soon be lost forever. Already so much has been destroyed in the last hundred years. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. We must preserve the Gaudiya heritage to the best of our ability. All devotees should take a keen interest in this project.” (27th April, 2015)
Bhanu Swami (ISKCON GBC)

“I just wanted to congratulate you on undertaking the Vidyabhusana project. This is a most valuable contribution. May Krishna always bless you!” (4th November, 2011)
Hridayananda das Goswami (Dr. Howard Resnick, ISKCON guru)

“Thank you so much for this wonderful service.” (24th March, 2015)
Bhakti Dhira Damodara Swami (ISKCON GBC and guru)

“This is a great project and will go down in history. Thank you for taking this initiative. It is most unfortunate that the Gaudiyas in the past took very little interest in preserving the works of our acharyas.” (5th October, 2011)
Dr. Satya Narayana dasa (Director of the JIVA Institute and Mahanta of Vrindavan)

“I would like to congratulate you on the Baladeva project, which could be a significant contribution in better understanding the Gaudiya siddhanta.” (09th November, 2011)
Pradyumna dasa (Dr. Paul Sherbow, Srila Prabhupada’s senior disciple and professor in the USA)

Sudama: She wants to know actually that should they just have the chanting without reading your books or without instruction or following the program.

Prabhupada: But that chanting must be pure. Your guru is writing books. If you think, “There is no necessity of reading books,” that is guror avajna. Do you means to say I am writing these books whole night for selling and making money? What, do you think like that?

Bhagavad-gita Lecture 17.1-3 — Honolulu, July 4, 1974

http://vidyabhusanaproject.blogspot.de