Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami
Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual leader, scientist, writer and poet (1937–2006)
Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (IAST: Bhaktisvarūpa Dāmodara Svāmī; 9 December 1937 – 2 October 2006), also known as Dr. Thoudam Damodara Singh and by the honorific Sripada (Śrīpāda), was an Indian spiritual leader, chemist, writer about religion and science, and poet. In 1971 he received spiritual initiation from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A few years later he became one of the religious leaders of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (also known as the Hare Krishna Movement).
For more than thirty years he was the international director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute which promotes the study of the relationship between religion and science (Vedanta). Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja was a pioneer in "advancing the dialogue on synthesis of science and spirituality throughout the world". He was a co-founder and regional director of United Religions Initiative, a member of Metanexus Institute, founding rector of University of Bhagavata Culture (2000) in the State of Manipur (India) and founding member of the World Vaisnava Association. He authored and edited several books and organised a number of significant conferences and world congresses around the world, where a number of prominent scientists and religious leaders including several Nobel Laureates participated. He was the Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Bhaktivedanta Institute entitled, Savijnanam: Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm.
Biography
Early life
Thoudam Damodar was born in Toubul, part of the Bishnupur district, Manipur, India, on 9 December 1937 to Sri Thoudam Yogendra Singh and Srimati Kanyahanbi Devi.
The public source identifies “Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami” as indian Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual leader, scientist, writer and poet (1937–2006). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bhaktisvarupa, Damodar and Swami.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami”, the useful work is to connect “indian Gaudiya Vaishnava spiritual leader, scientist, writer and poet (1937–2006)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4100793. VIAF identifies the subject as 226066580. The Library of Congress control number is n78082561. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1937, 2006, 1971 and 2000.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami primary sources, Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami archive and Bhaktisvarupa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Swami” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.