HIS LIFE
The turning point
” I have come here to give the Americans something very valuable which they do not have
– Bhagavata Culture. Why don’t you do the same as I am doing?”
– Srila Prabhupada
While doing his Ph.D. research work at the University of California, Irvine, USA, one day, in April 1970, the secretary of the chemistry department gave him a telegram from India informing him that his mother had passed away. Damodara had not seen his mother for over three years and was unaware that she was suffering from any ill health, so the news was very shocking. He wanted to return to India in order to perform her shraddha or funeral ceremony, but he had no money for the flight. He managed to borrow some funds from the University and made arrangements to leave for India. Just before leaving however, he received a letter from his guardian and teacher, Sri Kerani Singh, advising him not to return to India for the shraddha ceremony.
He wrote, “Being a Vaishnava, you should lament neither for the living nor for the dead.” He further reminded Damodara that the body is temporary but the soul is eternal. Sooner or later there will be a time for everyone to leave this temporary body, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita. He instructed Damodara not to waste any time worrying about the temporary body, but to concentrate on his studies and return to India after graduation. He assured Damodara that the shraddha ceremony would be properly arranged in his absence. Therefore, Damodara cancelled his ticket to India.
In life, incidents that act as a catalyst for introspection and inquiry about the purpose of life happen to individuals by the inconceivable arrangement of the Supreme Lord. The passing away of his mother became such an incident in the life of Damodara that he started meditating on the flickering nature of this material world and on the meaning and purpose of life. During these days, Damodara met Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (popularly known as Srila Prabhupada), one of the greatest exponents of Vedanta in modern times who further crystallized Damodara’s thoughts. Damodara had never seen such a wonderful person before and in his very first meeting, he recognized him as a person who was not only conversant with the age-old philosophy of Vedanta but also someone who could apply it to his own life.
In the same year, i.e., 1970 he formally became his disciple. In 1974, Srila Prabhupada founded the Bhaktivedanta Institute to promote studies about the relationship between science and Vedanta and from its very inception, appointed Dr. T. D. Singh, as its Director. From 1970 till the departure of Srila Prabhupada in 1977, he was personally trained by Srila Prabhupada for eight years on the philosophy and practice of Vaishnava Vedanta. The dialogues held between Damodara and Srila Prabhupada on Vedanta and modern science laid the foundation for Damodara emerging as one of the seminal figures in the history of science-spirituality dialogue.
SRILA PRABHUPADA
Spiritual Master of Dr. T. D. Singh
Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami or Srila Prabhupada, born Abhay Charan De, was an Indian spiritual teacher who traveled extensively from 1965 to 1977, meeting and inspiring many scientists, religious leaders, educationists, intellectuals, and youths around the world. He presented the science of spirituality based on the conclusions of the Vedic teachings, specifically the teachings of the Bhagavadgita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Chaitanya Charitamrita. He wrote over sixty volumes of scholarly books and established a worldwide spiritual organization known as ‘The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)’.