Bhaktivedanta Research Center

Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) is an ISO 9001 certified public library and academic research center for Indian Knowledge Systems. The center aims to collect, preserve, exhibit, research, publish and teach India's rich literary heritage and culture.
Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) is registered under NGO Darpan a platform that provides space for interface between VOs/NGOs and key Government Ministries / Departments / Government Bodies. BRC is affiliated to the University of Mumbai for Masters and PhD degree programs and to the Savitribai Phule Pune University for research. BRC also organizes seminars, lectures and conferences inviting renowned scholars from across the globe. BRC has branches in Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Puri and are conducting various research projects in partnership with several academic institutions in India and across the globe such as Oxford Center for Hindu Studies (UK) and National Philosophical Counselling Association (USA) to create awareness and foster cooperation on these studies internationally.
==History==
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center is a research institution located in Kolkata, India that specializes in preserving, digitizing and researching rare manuscripts related to the history, philosophy, literature, arts, and religion of Indian heritage and culture. The center was established in December 2009 after Ferdinando Sardella, a Ph.D. student at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, acquired the personal library collection of Shri Sundarananda Vidyavinode, Secretary and Editor of philosopher Shri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The collection consisted of 3,000 books, journals, and documents in Bengali, English, Sanskrit and Hindi that dated back to the 1850s-1940s. The collection was received as the result of a final cooperation with HH Bodhayan Swami.
The co-directors of the center, Dennis Harrison (Hari Sauri) and Dr. Ferdinando Sardella, Associate Professor, Stockholm University and Research Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, initiated the digitization of the books to preserve them for future generations. In cooperation with Kolkata Asiatic Society, rare journals were laminated. The center is located in Gita Bhavan, this building was donated by Sri Madan Chand Shamsukha in the memory of his wife. The Gita Bhavan houses the library with study spaces for visiting students and a conference room suitable for lectures and meetings. The center hired a professional librarian and several assistants, including a digital photographer and a manuscript librarian responsible for collecting old manuscripts from various places in India.
In 2016, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center created an online catalog of the library collection using the integrated library system "Koha," with 3,000 titles available online. Today, the entire collection is available online, and the center has attracted numerous national and international academic scholars who have received copies of significant texts for their studies.
In 2017, the center began researching On Indian Knowledge Systems and culture from the 16th century to the first half of the 20th century. These studies focused on diaries, biographies, documents, journals, manuscripts and other areas relevant to These studies.
Since January 2020, the center has regularly hosted lectures given by professors from India and around the world. The center also offers education for MA and Ph.D. courses in affiliation with University of Mumbai and Savitribai Phule Pune University, transforming the Bhaktivedanta Research Center into a comprehensive learning hub.
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center is committed to the Preservation, state of art digitization, restoration, digital library and research of rare manuscripts and books related to India and its culture. The center welcomes scholars and students who are interested in studying and researching The Indian Literary Heritage, art and culture.
==The Institute==
The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) is a nonprofit organization that is committed to the preservation and dissemination of the ancient Manuscripts and books of India. Founded in 2009, the BRC operates on Six pillars – collect, preserve, exhibit, research, publish and teach the shastras in ways that are relevant to contemporary society. Their Six pillars approach ensures that the Indian Knowledge System relevant and accessible to contemporary society. With its impressive collection of rare manuscripts, academic collaborations, and teaching initiatives, the BRC is making a significant contribution to the study of Indian Knowledge System.
===Activities of BRC===
The first pillar of BRC's mission is the Manuscript Mission, where teams are sent out to remote corners of India and Bangladesh to collect and digitize rare manuscripts. Over the past decade, BRC has conducted over 50 visits to remote villages, libraries, and temples across India and Bangladesh to digitize over 1,250 manuscripts, including the original handwriting of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
The mission of preserving Indian intellectual heritage at Bhaktivedanta Research Center is to help unearth and preserve the precious wisdom hidden in its ancient manuscripts and books spread across the remote corners of the country. This purpose is in line with that of the National Mission for Manuscripts which was established by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India.
India possesses an estimate of ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations. Only 3.3% of these manuscripts have been digitized and the rest are likely to become extinct unless a serious effort is made to conserve them. Hence, BRC see their effort as a logical, radical and urgent response to a very contemporary challenge - of reclaiming the inheritance contained in manuscripts, often in a poor state of preservation neglected for decades and in very poor physical state—insect ridden, fungus infected or brittle, fading and fragile.
The second pillar involves physically and digitally preserving the manuscripts and books through the creation of physical and digital libraries and museums. BRC is proud to host one of the most coveted Gaudiya Vaishnava libraries in the world, which includes the personal collections of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Over the past decade, BRC has also added and cataloged another 14,000 books and 3,000 academic journals from the early 19th century to the present day. The collection includes a large number of texts on the culture and Indian Heritage.
The third pillar of BRC consists the exhibits of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library collection which offers exhibitions for the community and beyond. This exhibition looks closely at the hand-written text in early modern Indian History. The exhibits go beyond the purely academic to embrace our role as a cultural center in a way more akin to a museum than a traditional library. We celebrate the collections through engaging exhibitions, lectures, and conferences.
The fourth pillar of BRC's work involves research conducted in collaboration with renowned universities and scholars from around the world. BRC is currently working on over 25 research projects in collaboration with national and international scholars and universities. BRC is committed to a world class standard of excellence in research and scholarship in the history, philosophy, aesthetics, sociology, religion and culture as found in ancient Indian literary heritage. With a vision to perpetuate this knowledge, BRC frequently holds conferences, workshops and lectures in these myriad disciplines in collaboration with other renowned academic institutions across the world. It provides a unique platform for interactions between students and professors of both national and international repute, thereby fostering networking and mutual learning. BRC has organized more than 30 conferences with over 103 speakers with 25 partner institutions across the globe.
The fifth pillar of BRC's work involves teaching the ancient wisdom at well-established academic institutes affiliated with globally reputed universities. The organization is also affiliated with the University of Mumbai and the Savitribai Phule University of Pune, where their PhD and Masters students study philosophy and religious studies. Bhaktivedanta Research Center is a constituent college of the University of Mumbai and Savitribai Phule Pune University Pune, which are widely regarded as one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in India. The research center admits both post graduate and Ph.D. program and awards degrees in philosophy under the purview of the University of Mumbai.
The sixth pillar of BRC involves publishing which offers a platform for the latest research on Indian Knowledge Systems in India and globally. The publication series welcomes historical, philosophical and ethical studies in various traditions of Indian Knowledge Systems with emphasis on important texts including annotated translations of primary sources. It also publishes new research work that explores the ways in which the studies contributes to social and cultural change or adaptation and how it lends meaning to individual and collective lives. 
BRC welcomes participation from individuals who are interested in helping to collect and preserve rare manuscripts, participate in research and publication, donate towards the project, or assist with administrative efforts.
==Conferences==
# International Seminar on Indic Healing Systems: A Holistic perspective on Mind, Body & Spiritual Culture – A three-day online seminar from 9th to 11th December 2022 on Indegenious healthcare and spiritual practices jointly organized by Bhaktivedanta Research Center, Assocaition of Health Psychologists, Department of Enthology, History of Religion and Gneder Studies, Stockholm University and Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati
# International Conference on Puranic and Siddhantic Cosmology within an Experiential Mathematical Framework – A three day conference on from 4th to 6th November 2022 
# International Conference on Bhakti in Vaishnava Traditions – A three-day international conference from 21st March 2022 to 23rd March 2022
# Inauguration of Bhaktivedanta Research Centre, Pune - SKCON temple premises at Katraj-Kondhwa Road, Pune on 9th September, 2021
# International Faculty Development Programme - A five-day international faculty development programme organised in November 2020 on “Research Methods in Social Sciences with focus on Cultural Studies” with St. Xavier’s College, Sri Jagannath Research Centre of St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College, Kolkata Society for Asian Studies and Stockholm University, Sweden
# Reinventing the India Experience - International Travel & Tourism Conference held on 29th, 30th and 31st October 2020
# International Webinar on ‘Spiritual Well-Being and Stress Management’: Religio-Psychological Perspectives - A three-day international online conference organised in September 2020 with the Kolkata Society for Asian Studies
# National Education Policy and Bhagavad Gita - A one-day conference organised in August 2020
# Psychological Wellbeing during Uncertain Times & Beyond: Introduction to Holistic Health & Living Life with a Positive Approach - A one-day national conference organised in August 2020
# Corona Pandemic Lockdown: A Blessing in Disguise for Restoration of Religious Sentiments of Ganga & Yamuna Rivers and Sustainability - A one-day National conference, held on 17th May 2020 with Mansi Bharat Gada Degree College of Commerce and Jalbiradari, Maharashtra Core Team
# Hermeneutics, A Way and Method in Religious Studies - A one-day international conference organised in December 2019 with the University of Mumbai
# Establishing the discipline of Comparative Religion Studies in India - A one-day international conference organised in December 2019
# Inaguration of the Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha Research Center (BVRC) - The inauguration of BVRC, ISKCON’s by Honourable Education Minister of Maharashtra Shri Vinod Tawde and His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj, Founder of the BVRC on 1st September 2018
# The Context of Chaitanya-Vaishnavism: Bhakti - two-day conference organised in February 2018 with the University of Calcutta
# Gaudiya Vaishnava Darshana Acharya - A two-day conference organised in February 2018 with Baghbazar Gaudiya Math
# Various Dimensions of Vaishnava Puranas - A two-day international conference organised in January 2018 with the University of Mumbai
# Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a sustainable future - A four-day international conference organised in December 2017 with Yale University
# Gaudiya Vaishnava Philosophy and Ecology - A one-day international conference organised in December 2017 with Ramnarain Ruia College
# Vaishnavism: Theory and Practice - A one-day international conference organised in December 2017 with Jadavpur University
# Relevance, Role and Resurgence of Vaishnavism in 21st Century - A two-day international conference organised in September 2017 with Shree Halari, Oswal College, affiliated to Mumbai University
===Workshops===
# The Various Aspects of Manuscriptology and Palaeography - A two-day virtual international workshop organized in July 2021 with the Asiatic Society
# National Workshop on Combating risk of Covid 19 pandemic on human psychological health and immune system by Yoga and Spiritual Counselling - A national workshop organised in May 2020 with the Dept. of Philosophy, University of Mumbai & Mansi Bharat Gada Degree College of Commerce, Bhiwandi
# Second National Workshop on Curriculum Development for De-novo Deemed University - A one-day conference organised in Nov 2019
# National Workshop on Curriculum Development for De-novo Deemed University - A one-day conference organised in Nov 2019
# Religious Studies and Vaishnavism - A one-day international workshop organized in July 2018 with Ramakrishna Mission, Stockholm University and Sri Chaitanya Study and Research Centre 5
===Lectures===
# The Bhagavad Gita: A Philosophical Deconstruction - A lecture organised on 28th January 2022 with Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, Mumbai
====Samvad Academic Lecture Series====
# Deciphering pilgrimage networks on the basis of Panda records - By Dr. Shekhar Bhowmick in 21st Dec 2021
# The Expansive Musical Aesthetics in Padavali Kirtan - By Dr. Eben Graves in March 2020
# Chaitanya’s Desire - By Acharya Srivatsa Goswami in Feb 2020
# Religious Diversity in a Spirit of Devotion: Universal Applications of Mantra and Puja - By Prof. Christopher Chapple in Sept 2019''
# Vaishnavism and Academia - By Dr. Gopal Gupta in Aug 2019
==Collections==
Sundarananda Vidyavinode Collection - The renowned saint and philosopher Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada's personal library, the "Sundarananda Vidyavinoda Collection," which contains books and journals from the late 19th and early 20th century on topics related to theology, philosophy, Vaishnavism, Sanskrit grammar, poetry, poetics, encyclopedia, comparative linguistics, and studies of Eastern and Western logic, poetics, and philosophy, is housed in the central library at Kolkata. Sri Sundarananda Vidyavinode, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakura Prabhupada and a Sanskrit professor from Dacca, served as the chief editor of the collection, which comprises over 2380 books and more than 70,000 pages of journals and newspapers mainly in Bengali, Sanskrit, Hindi, and English.
Birnagar Collection - The Birnagar Collection comprises the authentic handwritten manuscripts and Vaishnava literature authored by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his son Sri Lalita Prasad Thakura.
Journal Collection - The Sundarananda Vidyavinoda Journals Collection is comprised of 28 journals that are considered rare, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century. This collection includes notable publications such as Nadia Prakash, Gaudiya, Jyotirvid, Vrihaspati, and Sajjan Toshani, and Sajjan Sangini, among several other journals. Alongside this collection, the library also boasts an extensive selection of over 171 respected national and international journals that cover a range of topics within the humanities, such as linguistics, philosophy, history, and culture, among others.
Manuscript Gallery - The Manuscript Gallery at Kolkata's Bhaktivedanta Research Center provides a secure exhibit for 12 valuable manuscripts. The manuscripts are preserved in glass cabinets to enable visitors to view them from a safe distance without handling them.
Ultadanga Junction Road Museum - The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) was entrusted by HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj to conduct a thorough investigation of the activities of HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada at Bhaktivinoda Asana located at 1 Ultadanga Junction Road during the period of 1918-1930. After conducting meticulous research for two years, Sundar Gopal Das compiled the material, and the Ultadanga Junction Road Museum was inaugurated.
Darshan Manisha Digital Library - A unique attempt is made by Bhaktivedanta Research Center, Kolkata to preserve and disseminate the Indian knowledge by constructing a Digital Library named Darshan Manisha. This library will have digitized texts written by the scholars of Navadvipa in 17th-19 century on Navya-Nyaya. This Digital Library has digitized also the works of the traditional pandits of the indigenous schools of Bengal called tol or chatushpathi. Another section contains the digitized versions of the works of contemporary Indian philosophers. Many of these books are not available anymore. This is for the first time that such an attempt has been made to make the works of the traditional pandits of Bengal available to the interested scholars and students. Anybody interested can have a free access to this great genre of scholarship of Bengal. The library is made under the leadership of Prof. Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty and Prof. Madhucchanda Sen and assisted by research scholar Dr. Imdadul Islam Molla. The digital library was inaugurated by Jonardon Ganeri who hold the Bimal Matilal Distinguished Professorship in Philosophy at the University of Toronto.
David Haberman Library Collection – Bhaktivedanta Research Center has received the prestigious personal collection of books from Dr. David Haberman. Dr. David Haberman is a professor of religious studies at Indiana University. He received his BA (1976) in religious studies from the University of Colorado and his PhD (1984) in history of religions from the University of Chicago. He taught at the University of Arizona and Williams College before joining the faculty at Indiana University in 1993, where he served as departmental chair for five years.
Dr. David Haberman is also a visiting faculty in Bhaktivedanta Research Center for the PhD program in Philosophy. He taught the course ‘Lived Religion’ to the students of BRC in the year 2019-20. He also supports students of BRC in guiding their PhD studies.
The collection includes more than1000 books. These books are from the various fields of religious studies, Philosophy, Sanskrit, Social Studies etc. This valuable collection of books he very generously donated to BRC for the use of students and faculty.
==List of Research Projects==
* Satyavratashetra Devadhamam-Kanchipuram
* Narrative Analysis of Bhāgavata Purāṇa
* Mahārāsa Manjūṣa: Sacred Poetry of the Divine Dance
* Haridas Das and Bhaktisiddhanta: establishing Encyclopedias of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
* Conference proceedings of Bhakti in Vaiṣṇava Traditions
* Sambidananda Das Book 1-History of Bhakti
* Sambidananda Das Book 2-Advent of Lord Sri Chaitaya Mahaprabhu
* Sambidananda Das Book 3-Hare Krishna Movement after Chaitaya Mahaprabhu
* Following the Caitanya Trail: Situating the Cult of Jagannātha in Bengal
* Bengali - Carving out a sacred journalistic space: Vernacular Vaishnava Journals of colonial Bengal
* English - Carving out a sacred journalistic space: Vernacular Vaishnava Journals of colonial Bengal
* Bhaktivinod Thakur Svalikhita Jivani Bengali
* Translation of Bhaktivinod Thakur Svalikhita Jivani in English
* Braj Bhakti Vilas (Sanskrit)
* Translation of Sri Rupa Goswami's Sri Krishna Abhishek
* Annotated Marathi Translation of the Sundarakāṇḍa of the Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa
* Translation of Haridas Das Gaudiya Vaishanava Abhidaan
* Critical Edition and Publication of Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha with two commentaries
* The Rise of the Gaudiya Math and Mission
* Darshan Manisha Digital Library
* Journals of Colonial India - Digital Library
* Hindi Translation of “Exploring the Bhagwad Gita” Philosophy, Structure and Meaning
* English translation of Gaurango Vijay
* The poetic works of Maharaj Svati Tiruna - a literary study and translation
==List of MoUs==
Bhaktivedanta Research Center has signed MoUs with many organizations, Institutions and publishing houses to strengthen the education, training and research relationships. All the MoUs signed emphasize on institutional partnership, collaboration in quality assurance, online education, skill development, vocational education and training. The Institutions and Organizations have agreed to strengthen the partnership in the area of research collaboration also to allow greater mobility of researchers, academics and scholars to support mutual interest in high quality research outputs.
# Universal Publishers
# Dev Publishers
# Mandala Publications
# Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers P(Ltd)
# Tilak Maharastra Vidyapeeth
# Patkar Varde College
# Bar-Iian University, Israel
# Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
# North American Institute for Oriental & Classical studies
# Logic Based Therapy & Ruia College
# Dr. CV Raman University
# Prabhupada Research Institute for Integrative Medicine
# Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
# School of Cultural Texts and Records Jadavpur University
# Ubuntu
# West University of Timisoara
# School of Business, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune
==List of Books published by BRC==
* ‘Sri Srimad Kedarnath Dutta Bhaktivinod Thakur Svalikhita Jivani’ authored by Dr. Shantanu Dey published along with Dey’s Publisher, Kolkata
* ‘Sacred Poetry of the Divine Dance Maharasa Manjusha’ by Nandadas translation and commentary by Prakriti Goswami foreword by David Haberman, PhD published along with Mandala publications, USA
* ‘Narrative Analysis of Bhagavad Purana’ (selected episodes from 10th skanda) by Dr. Shakuntala Gawade published by Dev Publishers and Distributors, Delhi
==Awards & Recognitions==
Bhaktivedanta Research Center has instituted the first ever award in academia in the name of HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, at his prestigious alma mater Scottish Church College, Kolkata.
The award will be instituted in two categories:
* The best student in Philoosphy - because Srila Prabhupada was a student of Philosophy
* The professor doing best community service - because Srila Prabhupada did the highest community service
The Governing Body Commission (GBC) of ISKCON has released the official resolution for Bhaktivedanta Research Center.
The GBC body appreciates the work of the Bhaktivedanta Research Center as a library, research center and academic institute serving ISKCON globally.
==References==
==External links==
* Official website
* 
* BRC on YouTube
* 
Category:Public libraries
Category:Organizations established in 2009
Category:Non-profit organisations based in India
Category:Research organizations
Category:Organisations based in Kolkata