(Left to Right): Madhavendra Goswami, Padmanabha Goswami, Dr. Sumanta Rudra (Academic Dean, BRC), and Pushpang Goswami.

By the inspiration and initiative of Badrinarayana Swami, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) has embarked on a new manuscript preservation project in its ongoing efforts to safeguard the literary heritage of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

This latest project is focused on the digitization of a rare collection of texts, including numerous handwritten manuscripts, housed at the historic Shri Raghunath Bhatt Goswami Peeth in Vrindavan. This sacred site traces its lineage to Srila Raghunath Bhatt Goswami, one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan, and his disciple Srila Gadadhar Bhatt Goswami. Although not widely known to the general public, the temple is revered and frequented by many senior devotees familiar with its transcendental and historical significance.

The initiative took root when Harsharani Devi Dasi, a disciple of Badrinarayana Swami based in Delhi who frequently visits Vrindavan, brought to his attention the existence of this manuscript archive. Instantly recognizing the importance of preserving such irreplaceable treasures, Badrinarayana Swami promptly began seeking contacts who were competent to undertake this project.

In response, Pranava Das (Dr. Ferdinando Sardella) connected Badrinarayana Swami with the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC), which has long-standing experience in preserving Gaudiya Vaishnava manuscripts and rare texts, both physically and digitally. With Badrinarayana Swami’s blessings, Dr. Sumanta Rudra, Academic Dean, BRC, and Sundar Gopal Das, Researcher and Curator at BRC, visited the temple earlier this year and met with the custodians of the Peeth. Upon reviewing BRC’s experience and commitment, the temple authorities gladly entrusted this service to BRC.

The collection comprises over 500 rare and authentic Gaudiya Vaishnava manuscripts, meticulously preserved for the last several centuries by the custodians of the Peeth. These texts, many of which are in fragile, handwritten form, are precious repositories of the teachings, history, and culture of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

The digitization work officially commenced on April 24, with BRC providing professional-grade scanning equipment, a laptop, and a dedicated staff member to carry out the seva. The Peeth, in collaboration with BRC, plans to eventually make the digital archive accessible to scholars, devotees, and institutions worldwide, creating a library for study. It also intends to develop a physical museum to exhibit these rare manuscripts and other related sacred books.

A special inauguration festival was organised at the Shri Raghunath Bhatt Goswami Peeth on April 24 to mark the formal commencement of the project. Conservation Architecture & heritage expert Sushant Bharti, who is also associated with BRC, was instrumental in coordinating with the temple authorities and facilitating logistics and administration.

Speaking at the inauguration, Padmanabha Goswami, a 14th-generation descendant in Shri Gopal Bhatt Goswami’s disciplic lineage, and a senior sevait of the Sri Radha Raman Temple, stated, “Scriptural preservation is like an addiction—when a person’s heart and mind are seized by this addiction, nothing else appeals to him. The goal of his life becomes the preservation of these texts. It becomes a passion.” His words reflected the spirit carried on through the generations of the temple custodians who have been safeguarding these sacred texts through the centuries. He further stressed, “Our acaryas did not write all this for themselves. They wrote it for us. Therefore, preserving them is not merely a scholarly task; it is a sacred duty, a yajña—for which the fire must keep burning.” He also expressed heartfelt appreciation for BRC’s role in this work, adding, “I am very happy that BRC is engaged in this work with admirable determination. When I first saw their repository in Kolkata and how carefully they were handling the texts, I felt such joy that it is difficult to put into words.”

Padmanabha Goswami also fondly recounted the time he gifted Badrinarayana Swami a Govardhan-sila. The sila is now worshipped and served in ISKCON Detroit.

Pushpang Goswami, from the Sri Radha-Raman temple, noted that the preservation and propagation of sacred texts have been vital spiritual responsibilities since the time of Lord Caitanya Himself, who personally recovered long-lost scriptures during His South Indian tour. He further emphasized, “Preservation and collection of sacred texts is a process—but that work finds completion only when it is combined with affection for these texts and their daily study.”

Madhavendra Goswami, the temple custodian and owner of the manuscripts, outlined the broad categories of texts in the collection—most of them in Bengali or Sanskrit—and highlighted the significance of the work, noting, “This is an attempt at uninterrupted scripture service.”

Dr. Sumanta Rudra, Academic Dean, BRC, expressed a deep sense of gratitude for being part of this effort. “We are performing a most auspicious task,” he said, adding that it was a profound honour and privilege for the BRC to be entrusted with such a project that is bound to have a transformative impact on future generations of scholars, devotees, and seekers.

Gauranga Das, Director of the ISKCON Govardhan EcoVillage, also expressed happiness and enthusiasm at the initiative, stating, “This is a much-needed service. Preserving the texts of our tradition in this way will have an enduring impact across generations. I am truly heartened to see this happening, and very grateful to all involved for their commitment to this important seva.”

BRC offers heartfelt thanks to Badrinarayana Swami for his mercy, vision, and initiative in catalyzing this project, and for blessing BRC to take up this opportunity to serve the parampara by preserving yet another priceless Gaudiya Vaishnava manuscript collection.

As with all such manuscript preservation projects, this is more than just an academic or archival effort—it is a humble attempt to serve Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, who explicitly desired the preservation of such ancient manuscripts of our previous acharyas, as reflected, for instance, in the following letter:

“….Treat this matter very seriously and thoroughly, and take all precautions to protect this wonderful boon of literature forever…best thing is to request Lalita Prashad if we may take care of them by treating them against insects and storing them in a tight, dry storage place where they may be preserved for future generations of Vaisnavas to see the actual handwriting and words of such great saintly persons….Yadubara may photograph every page, never mind Bengali or English or any other language…These items are very, very priceless and are a great treasure house of Vaisnava lore, so be very careful in the matter and take all precautions to guard them” (Srila Prabhupada letter to Acyutananda, Los Angeles, 12 June 1972).

Such preservation is vital to ensure that the words and wisdom of our previous acaryas remain alive and accessible for generations to come.

For more information about the BRC, please visit their website, subscribe to the BRC YouTube channel, and follow them on Facebook. 

The Bhaktivedanta Research Center would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the following esteemed patrons and supporters for their valuable partnership:

Smita Krishna Swami, Devamrita Swami, Candramauli Swami, Radhanath Swami, Hari-sauri Das, Pranava Das, Krishna Chandra Das, Keshava Das, Namamrita Devi Dasi, Radha Giridhari Das, Dayarama Das, Gauranga Das, Radha Giridhari Das, Yudhistir Govinda Das, Dr Suresh Jain, Mrs.Sadhana Jain, Mr.Hitesh Jain, Mrs.Veena Jain, Braja Hari Das, Braja Vilasa Das, Ramesvara Das, Meenakshi Rudra, Dr. K. N. Dhumal, Sanjay Bhosale, Dr. Janardan Chitode, Raman Reti Das, Bhakti Vilasini Devi Dasi, Anurag Sharma, Vraja Kishore Das, Dr. Sumanta Rudra, Krishna Chandra Das, Adi Purusa Das, Anand Tirtha Das, Vraja Raja Das, Damodar Hari Das, Yasodanandana Das, Syama Sakhi Devi Dasi, Vraja Raman Das, Visvakalyana Gaura Das, Shyam Hari Das, Prem Kumari Devi Dasi, Shaligram Krishna Das, Satya Sara Das, Ramesta Das, Ram Mukunda Das, Prem Niketan Das, Nitai Gaursundar Das, Krishna Kumar Das, Krishna Kirtan Das, Balarama Lila Das, Anand Manaktala, Akrura Das, Vishwatma Gopinath Das, Sundarananda Das, Srinivas Sharan Das, Sridhar Gopal Das, Shweta Pandey, Satyaraj Das, Anisha Ghoorbin Dareeawoo, Sadananda Das, Ram Das, Rajesh Solanki, Raja Nagarajan, Radhananda Das, Madhava Chandra Das, Krishna Chaitanya Das, Kammal K. Jaiswal, Satyabrata Mukhopadhyay, Kiran Rapolu, Revati Devi Dasi, Hladini Gopika Devi Dasi, Vishwarup Das, Karan Rakesh Kantliwala, Hema Sundari Devi Dasi, Hare Krishnananda Das, Govindadev Das, Giriraj Das, Dwarkadhish Das, Bharat Shroff, Shweta Shroff, Dr. Snehal Donde, Caitanyacandra Dasa, Chaitanya Sundar Das, Balramkumar Srivasatava, Ananta Acharya Das, Amarender Bilapati, Cintamani Devi Dasi, Acyuta Lila Das, Namamrita Das, Abhishek Jajodia, Gopinath Rasa Das, Vipra Sudama Das, Vidura Das, Vidagdha Madhava Das, Kirtida Devi Dasi, Veerchandra Das, Vaishali Kamat, Tushar Bhole, Suresh Amin, Sundarananda Das, Sujit Sen Gupta, Subuddhi Raya, Srngi Das, Sripati Das, Sri Sakhi Devi Dasi, Sreenivas Gopal Das, Shyamlal Das, Shyam Mohan Das, Shravya Kanchi, Shivam Gupta, Shailen Ramanlal Desai, Satcitananda Das, Sarla Thakker, Sarang Thakur Das, Sakshi Gopal Das, Sai Suman, Sacisuta Das, Sachi Prana Das, Roopendra Singh, Rasesvara Das, Rasamrita Das, Ramesvara Das, Ramapriya Das, Radharadhya Das, Priyadarshan Das, Praveen Krovvidi, Prashant Devatraj, Pranava Das, Prahlad Priya Das, Prahlad Bhakta Das, Padmanabha Das, Nityananda Vilas Das, Navina Krishna Das, Murlidhar Das, Murari Krishna Das, Mukund Ras das, Mokshyalakshmi Devi Dasi, Manish Goyal, Mahendra Singh Rawat, Madhusudan Reddy Gunna, Madhava Gauranga Das, Lileshwari Devi Dasi, Lavanga Mangal Devi Dasi, Krishna Murali Das, Koumudhi Kammari, Koel Colours Pvt Ltd, Krishna Kishore Dasa, Karishma Peswani, Jyoti Pravin Purohit, Janardan Das, Janardan D. Bahirat, JABS International Pvt. Ltd., ISKCON Attapur, Hercules Pigments Pvt. Ltd., Haridev Krishna Das, Hari Vallabh Das, Hari Kirtan Das, Gopinatha Rasa Dasa, Gauranga Prem Das, Gaurachandra Das, Gadadhara Chandra Das, Dr. Shekhar Shukla, Dr. Amar Shah, Dhananjaya Das, Darshan Shinde, Damodar Vilas Das, Chetan Hazaree, Chaitanya Bhagavan Das, Braja Prakash Das, Braja Kripa Das, Avatari Chaitanya Das, Atul Madhava Das, Nadiya Kishor Das, Arun Rangachari, Aristaha Das, Ansul Agarwal, Anjan Bacchu, Aniruddha Patel, Anandini Sundari Devi Dasi, Ananda Kumar, Madhu Kumari, Amritananda Das, Ajit Kumar Garg, Advaita Chandra Das, Kalasudha Devi Dasi, Abhishek Mantha, Abhijeet Deulkar, Madhusudan Shetty, Girish Balakrishnan, Sushil Goyal, Pankaj Chopra,  Anand Madhava Das, Suryakar Mani, Gopakumar Das, Vrindavaneshwari Devi Dasi, Pallavi Subhash, Chaitanya Nidhi Das, Dr. Priyank Dhumade, Premorayojan Das, Darshana Khante, Rasik Nimai Das, Aarti Arora, Bali Chaitanya Das, Dr.Lakshman Dās, Gaura Candra Das, Sundari-Radha Devi Dasi, Acyuta Kesava Dasa, Mukunda-Anghri Das, Krishna Naam Das, Krishna Sakha Das, Vamsidhari Das