Founder Acharya His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

facebook instragram Threads Youtube
facebook instragram Threads Youtube
Gauranga Das Completes Master of Arts (By Research) in Philosophy at the Bhaktivedanta Research Center
By Gopika Radhika Devi Dasi   |  Dec 26, 2024
nw

Radhanath Swami and Gauranga Das gifting the book to Lt. Col. Anant Sinha, Director of Asiatic Society, Kolkata.

The Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) takes immense pleasure in announcing that Gauranga Das, GBC member, and director of ISKCON Govardhan Eco-Village (GEV), has successfully completed his Master of Arts (By Research) in Philosophy from the Bhaktivedanta Research Center, affiliated with Mumbai University. 

His thesis, “Legacy of Community Building in the Bhakti Tradition: Principles of Community Development from Shri Chaitanya’s Philosophy and Life,” offers deep insights into the foundational principles of community development inspired by Lord Caitanya’s example and precepts.

Gauranga Das conducted his research under the guidance of Dr. Thanigaimalai Thirumalai (Mukund Madhav Das), research supervisor at BRC. His work explores key questions about human relationships, the vision of an ideal society, and practical steps toward achieving such a community. The thesis highlights Bhakti principles such as servitude, compassion, selflessness, and freedom from discrimination as essential elements for building thriving and fulfilling communities that foster greater satisfaction and belongingness among their members. With detailed analysis and comparative studies, it provides a roadmap for building cohesive communities grounded in mutual respect, service, and devotion.

Its key themes include:
The Foundation of Relationships: Understanding how individual interactions contribute to the larger societal fabric, enriched by perspectives from renowned philosophers.

Ideal Community Structure: Insights into Caitanya’s teachings and their relevance in transcending societal divisions, informed by classical and modern thinkers.

Achieving Societal Harmony: Practical applications of Bhakti practices to promote unity and shared spiritual identity.

Organizing and Morality: A thorough examination of Caitanya’s ideas of justice, morality, and communal resilience in comparison with other philosophical teachings.

Commending the thesis, the external examiner, Dr. Vedprakash Dongaonkar, has suggested further exploration by Gauranga Das through a Ph.D. on the same topic. He recommended comparative studies of Lord Caitanya’s teachings with Western philosophical traditions, along with an exploration of the structure of Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, His social contributions, and more.

Gauranga Das’s thesis has been published in book form by BRC in collaboration with Dev Publishers. It has already garnered significant acclaim among prominent intellectuals and leaders, including a congratulatory message from Shri Amit Shah, the Home Minister of India, expressing his gladness over the book’s publication and its potential to inspire meaningful community development.

Gauranga Das expressed feelings of deep gratitude and fulfillment in having completed this milestone in Srila Prabhupada’s service: “It is most humbling and fulfilling to have completed this service of exploring and presenting Lord Caitanya’s teachings in an academic context. I am deeply grateful to BRC for making this opportunity available and strongly encourage others to take advantage of the MA and Ph.D. programs being offered.”

Commenting on the significance of this precedent, Pranava Das (Dr. Ferdinando Sardella) said: “In 1931, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura set up the Thakur Bhaktivinode Research Institute​ at Sridham Mayapur; today, humbly attempting to serve the mission of Srila Prabhupada and our previous acaryas, BRC is striving to similarly provide devotees the opportunity to study and present Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy in an academic setting. We hope that more and more devotees will take inspiration from the sterling example of Gauranga Prabhu and be encouraged to pursue these degrees.”

Gauranga Das’s MA thesis published in book form by BRC in collaboration with Dev Publishers.

The Bhaktivedanta Research Center, headquartered in Kolkata, has several branches, including those in Mumbai, Pune, and other locations. The Mumbai branch of BRC, located at Govardhan EcoVillage in Palghar district, Maharashtra, is formally affiliated with the University of Mumbai and offers excellent opportunities for individuals interested in pursuing advanced studies in Philosophy.

The center’s MA by Research program, which lasts two years, enables students to explore philosophical topics of their choice and produce a thesis supported by guidance from experienced international faculty and Mumbai University-approved guides.

For those seeking to deepen their exploration, BRC, in affiliation with the University of Mumbai, also offers a Ph.D. program in Philosophy. With a minimum duration of three years and rigorous coursework, the program is designed to prepare scholars for advanced research and contribute to philosophical discourse. The program has flexible eligibility requirements, with pathways available for candidates from various academic backgrounds. 

The programs are also open to international students. The Pune branch of BRC is affiliated with Savitribai Phule Pune University as a center for special studies, offering various certificate courses. All degree programs and other courses offered by BRC are subsidized; BRC charges no fees for these programs, apart from the applicable university fees.

Quoting from a letter written by Srila Prabhupada on 9 November 1975, Dr. Sumanta Rudra, Academic Dean of BRC, shared: “Srila Prabhupada wrote: ‘Your idea for the scholastic institution…is a very good idea…this institution can be affiliated with some nearby university. Then the students will get their degrees of Bachelors and Post Graduates Ph.D…At least we can offer the degree of DD—Doctor of Divinity by affiliating ourselves with some neighboring recognized university.'” Endeavoring to follow this instruction, BRC has established affiliations with Mumbai University and has been running the MA and Ph.D. programs for several years now. It’s our heartfelt desire that our endeavors be of service to devotees and contribute to Srila Prabhupada’s mission in some small way.”

For further details about the programs, readers are requested to consult BRC’s website.  For further queries, readers may also reach out to Dr. Sumanta Rudra via email and +91 98200 20505.

The Bhaktivedanta Research Center would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to its below 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  and Mrs.Sadhana Jain, Mr.Hitesh Jain  and 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, 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, Kiran Rapolu, Revati Devi Dasi, Hladini Gopika Devi Dasi, , Karan Rakesh Kantliwala, Hema Sundari Devi Dasi, Hare Krishnananda Das, Govindadev Das, Giriraj Das, Dwarkadhish Das, Bharat Shroff, Shweta Shroff, Dr. Snehal Donde, Chandra Sekhar Guntupalli, Chaitanya Sundar Das, Balramkumar Srivasatava, Ananta Acharya Das, Amarender Bilapati, Acyuta Lila Das, Abhishek Jajodia, Gopinath Rasa Das, Vishwarupa 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.

Join Our Newsletter

Share your email below to receive our Weekly Roundup of articles.

en_USEnglish