An Ode to Dr. Bibek Debroy – A Colossus of Our Times
यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः।। BG 12.15।।
yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate cha yaḥ
harṣhāmarṣha-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa cha me priyaḥ
(Those who are not annoyed by anyone and do not get agitated by anyone, Those who are equal in happiness and pain, and free from anxiety and fear, those Bhaktas are dear to me.)
Dr. Bibek Debroy, the eminent Indian economist, author, and Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, passed away today at the age of 69. Dr. Debroy’s passing is an immense loss to Hindu civilization and scholarship. He was a great scholar, an exceptional translator, a true polymath, and, above all, a remarkable human being. Dr. Debroy’s multifaceted personality, steeped in deep scholarship and classical sensibilities, harmonized the wisdom of tradition with the perspective of the modern world. His contributions extended across disciplines, embodying a rare blend of intellectual breadth and civilizational depth.
At INDICA, we were privileged to engage with him over many years; he was a steadfast well-wisher and always available to provide guidance and thoughtful feedback. He delivered keynote addresses at our conferences and symposiums, shared his insights in our talks, and was an invited participant in INDICA Book Conversations. Every book we presented to him was met with his discerning reading, sincere appreciation, and thoughtful feedback—an encouragement that left an indelible mark on emerging writers. It was an honor for INDICA to present him with our #Grateful2Gurus 2024 award for his monumental contributions to Bharatiya Parampara and Dharma. A few months ago, INDICA leaders, Smt Dimple Kaul, Shri Vipul Kocher, Shri Vikas Saraswat, and Smt Manoshi Sinha visited him to bestow this recognition at his residence.
A distinguished scholar and thinker, Dr. Debroy’s expertise spanned an impressive range of disciplines, including economics, history, culture, politics, philosophy, and spirituality. His contributions in these domains have left a lasting impact on India’s intellectual and cultural landscape. The enormity of this loss—one we will feel for a long time—cannot be overstated. Dr. Debroy was like a parvata, a mountain who, simply by his towering presence, created a renaissance for Itihasa-Purana, drawing an entire audience of English readers back to the tradition.
Throughout his career, Dr. Debroy held numerous pivotal positions in the financial and academic spheres. He served with leading institutions, including the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; Department of Economic Affairs; National Council of Applied Economic Research; Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies; PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Centre for Policy Research; and NITI Aayog. His vast experience informed his insights and his approach to public policy, making him a respected voice in the corridors of academia and governance alike.
An accomplished author, Dr. Debroy penned numerous books, articles, and papers. He was also a consulting and contributing editor for several newspapers. However, his most enduring legacy lies in his monumental English translations of Hindu texts—a contribution that will be revered for decades, if not centuries. As a translator par excellence, he produced accessible and deeply resonant translations that captured the essence and soul of the original works.
Among his voluminous translations are the unabridged Critical Edition of the Mahabharata (10 volumes), the Critical Edition of the Ramayana (3 volumes), Harivamsa, and several Puranas, including the Bhagavata Purana (3 volumes), Markandeya Purana, Brahma Purana (2 volumes), Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana (3 volumes), and Brahmanda Purana (2 volumes). These translations have been compared to the remarkable works of Sri M. N. Dutt, who over a century ago brought revered Hindu texts, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, to English readers. Dr. Debroy’s contributions to Hindu civilization, particularly to the Indian Knowledge Tradition (IKT), provided millions of urban Indians with a way to reconnect with their roots and laid a foundation for modern Hindu studies and the exploration of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).
Dr. Debroy’s contributions extended across multiple disciplines and institutions. As an economist, he shaped academic thought, policies, and programs at the highest levels, leaving an indelible mark on India’s economic landscape. As a thinker, writer, and cultural personality, he profoundly influenced perspectives and enriched cultural sensitivities, especially among modern English-speaking generations. He opened pathways for these emerging generations to engage deeply with our Itihasa-Purana, fostering a rekindled appreciation for Dharmic sensibilities and values. A towering scholar, Sanskritist, Itihasa-Purana connoisseur, and one of the finest writers of our time, Dr. Debroy has left a profound legacy. His work inspired countless individuals to engage with and appreciate the vast corpus of wisdom and cultural perspective that our tradition offers. His remarkable body of work will remain unmatched for a long time.
Beyond his professional achievements, Dr. Debroy was a friend, philosopher, and guide to countless aspiring writers, nurturing generations of talented authors. His feedback, encouragement, and genuine concern inspired young writers and fortified their resolve. We were truly blessed to have a scholar, intellectual, and writer of his caliber among us—an enduring guiding star in these challenging
Had he translated only the Mahabharata, it would have secured his place among the ‘Forever Greats.’ But such was his stature, with Devi’s grace, that he was destined to be one of the civilization builders of our time, rendering a vast portion of the Itihasa-Purana tradition into English. His work reoriented a lost generation toward our civilizational roots, quietly instilling a deep sense of civilizational confidence in those burdened by a generational inferiority complex, one built and inherited over centuries.
Despite his achievements, stature, and importance, Dr. Debroy remained incredibly accessible to aspiring writers. Every book presented to him was read in its entirety, with genuine seriousness and thoughtful feedback. He never ceased to appreciate good writing, regardless of whether it came from the well-known or the unknown. A true man of letters, he held a rare passion for literature and a profound faith in the power of writing to create beauty.
His most distinguished contribution, however, has often gone unnoticed. While his prolific writing is easily celebrated, the true hallmark of his work lies in the ‘texture, tenor, and dhvani’ he brought to English, making it resonate like one of the Bharateeya Bhashas. Such writing is rare indeed. This subtle yet immense legacy of Dr. Debroy has largely gone unsung in literary circles but is gratefully recognized by his readers.
Such Saraswatee Kripa is exceedingly rare. Today, we have lost one of Bharat’s great sons, and every future author from Bharat writing in English carries this rṇa, a debt of gratitude, to him.
His loss is felt acutely by many, including some authors associated with IndicA Today, who share their heartfelt tributes to Dr. Debroy. They remember him as a brilliant scholar, a cherished mentor, and a true friend, and believe that his compassion, guidance, and presence will remain unmatched, leaving a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
A heartfelt Shraddhanjali on the passing Dr. Bibek Debroy. May he attain Sadgati. Om Shanti.
Dr. Bibek Debroy- The Translator Par Excellence
Dr. Bibek Debroy, the veteran Indian economist, author, and the Chairman of the PM’s Economic Advisory Council passed away today at the age of 69. He was a distinguished scholar with expertise in various domains, including economics, history, culture, politics, philosophy, and spirituality.
Professionally, he has held many important positions in the financial world and was associated with institutes such as Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune; Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi; Department of Economic Affairs, National Council of Applied Economic Research, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Centre for Policy Research, and NITI Aayog.
He had authored and edited several books, articles and papers and was also a consulting/contributing editor with several newspapers. However, his most towering work which will be remembered for many decades, if not centuries are his English translations of Hindu texts. He was a translator par excellence whose translations are meaningful, easy to read, and captures the essence and mood of the original.
His voluminous translation work includes the complete translation of the unabridged version of the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata (in 10 volumes) and Critical Edition of Ramayana (in 3 volumes), Harivamsa, and a number of Puranas such as Bhagavata Purana (in 3 volumes), the Markandeya Purana (in 1 volume), the Brahma Purana (in 2 volumes), the Vishnu Purana (in 1 volume), the Shiva Purana (in 3 volumes) and the Brahmanda Purana (in 2 volumes). These translations parallels those of Sri M N Dutt, who more than a century ago had brought out notable translations of Hindu texts including of Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Smriti texts.
These translations are Dr. Debroy’s most important contribution to Hindu civilization, especially to Indian Knowledge Tradition. They facilitated millions of urban millennial Indians to connect with their roots and laid the foundation on which IKS and Hindu studies in contemporary format can be systematically built.
His passing away is a great loss to Hindu civilization.
At INDICA, we have been in constant touch with Dr. Debroy for the last many years. He has been a well-wisher of all our activities and was always available to share his guidance and feedback whenever we approached him. In August this year, as part of our flagship Guru Purnima programme ‘Grateful to the Gurus’, INDICA Leaders , Dimple Kaul, Vipul Kocher and Vikas Saraswat felicitated him and performed a Guru Vandana for him.
(Figure 1: INDICA team felicitating Dr. Bibek Debroy as part of Grateful to Gurus Program.)
At a personal level, I have been fortunate to have known and interacted with Dr. Debroy for more than a decade. He was always encouraging and appreciative of my work. He was one of the first reviewers of my book ‘Menstruation Across Cultures’. He had penned a very encouraging review for the Sunday Guardian describing my book as “an amazing book on an unlikely topic”.
When my book ‘Isopanishad: An English Commentary’ had been published, he wrote a signed personal note appreciating the work and encouraging me to take up similar works for other Upanishads.
(Figure 2: Dr. Bibek Debroy’s appreciative letter on my book ‘Isopanisad: An English Commentary’)
Dr. Debroy has also written a very insightful note of endorsement for my upcoming book ‘Chatuhsloki Manusmriti: An English Commentary’ and I was greatly looking forward to personally sharing a copy after the publication of the book. But, now this will only remain as an unfulfilled dream.
It is a great loss. He was a great scholar, wonderful translator, and most importantly, an excellent human being. May he attain Sadgathi. Om Shanti.
In Reverence of a Guiding Light: Remembering Dr. Bibek Debroy
మన సారథి, మన సచివుడు,
“>మన వియ్యము, మన సఖుండు, మన భాంధవుఁడున్,
మన విభుడు, గురుడు, దేవర,
మనలను దిగనాడి చనియె మనుజాధీశా!
Oh Lord of men, our Charioteer (The one who led us forward), our Advisor, our Ally, our Friend, our dearest Cousin, our Lord, Guru and God, He left us and passed away! (Arjuna conveying the news of Krishna Niryaana to Yudhishthira in Andhra Maha Bhagavatam)
Everything was alright this morning. We were returning home after attending Rajyothsava celebrations at my daughter’s school. And then rings my phone, flashing Shivu (GV Shivakumar)’s number. “Oh no! One more paper on Purushartha which he wants me to read in the next ten minutes!” I dreaded while answering the call. Shivu tells me he has bad news. I get ready to console/counsel thinking it might be some personal tragedy. And it turned out to be not just his!
“Dr. Bibek Debroy passed away. “All I felt was disbelief and shock and then this feeling that this was going to be a loss whose magnitude can’t even be comprehended. And I remembered the above quoted poem from Andhra MahaBhagavatam. Of course I cannot boast of the relationship resembling what Arjuna had with Krishna.
Perhaps it is more!
The man who had meticulously translated the Vyasa Bharata (critical edition) in its unabridged form, the man whose books are the starting point for people like me when we set about researching on any topic, the man who was so prompt in responding when we sought him out, whether it was for an academic reference or a blurb for our upcoming books or a petty query about some remote episodes of the Puranas, an Inspiration, humility, kindness and wisdom embodied into one passed away, leaving many like me who would have absolutely needed a ton of his guidance, the loss is indeed what the Pandavas might have felt at the terrible news.
I still remember grinning like a schoolgirl at the first opportunity to interview him about his book “Bhagavad-Gita for Millennials” for Kalinga Literature Festival’s Online Edition back in 2020. I remember hopping and sharing the link with literally everyone I knew about this momentous opportunity to do a one-on-one detailed interview with the man who translated the Mahabharata. After the whole interview was done and we were thanking him on the virtual backstage, he gently enquired with the team “Aap ko Saiswaroopa ke books ko bhi ek baar dikhaana chahiye tha. She writes wonderfully.” As if I wasn’t already on cloud nine by then!
But that was his large heart, truly blooming with compassion and magnanimity, staying true to the Canons of Bhagavad Gita.
Without his mountain of translations, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that writers like me would not have happened. It was just fitting that I sought his blessing of a blurb for my novel “Rukmini Krishna’s wife.” I was not sure if he would remember me (a good 7-8 months after this online interview) and sought the help of Sri Harikiran Vadlamani to do an official introduction.
Bibek Da (as he affectionately undersigned each of his subsequent correspondence thereafter) responded with a blurb within two days. (The first of the galaxy of celebrity writers who kindly obliged.) As much elated as I was, there was this petty side of me who thought he had probably written the blurb without reading, out of sheer kindness and upon Hari ji’s powerful introduction. I thanked him over an email. And lo! He replied quoting those abstract parts of the manuscript that only a pandita and rasika of his calibre could see!
How Bibek Da managed his time and churned out books and translations at that superhuman consistency is a constant puzzle among the lesser mortal zone of authors like me.
I am tearing up as I type about my last in-person interaction with him when he visited Chanakya University for a Distinguished Lecture. “Why aren’t you writing anything new? It has been so long!” He chided in a way only a family elder would.
“Working on a novel based on Devi Saranyu (Sanjna) Dada. New area for me and hence is taking time.” I gulped before managing this response.
“Sai, there are just five or six writers in this genre who do real justice to the stories in Puranas. You guys should not slow down!” There it was, a praise, a chide and a reminder of duty passed on, all in one sentence!
Why did you leave us before I could share the edited Manuscript Bibek Da? Perhaps when it finally comes out, I shall hold the hard copy up to the open skies for Lord Surya Vivasvan to bless it. And in those Eternal rays of knowledge and hope, I hope to feel your presence Dada.
Srimaatrenamah.
My Ode to My Literary Hero
How Scholar, Translator & Author Extraordinaire, Bibek Debroy, Made My Dreams Come True
Sometimes dreams come true. Once, when I was a rosy-eyed student full of ideals and dreams, I stood at a conference organized around Indic themes and said one of my dreams for myself, for the Hindu community at large, was to have lucid, accessible English translations of our Itihaasa and Purana. At that time, I was fascinated by the Mahabharata but had restricted access to it, due to the lack of my ability to read and understand Sanskrit, other than some heavily abridged translations and archaic texts that were difficult to obtain in full and digest. Within years, I came across the books of Bibek Debroy, who had embarked upon the daunting project of translating in full into lucid, modern English prose the unabridged Critical Edition of the Mahabharata. I eagerly collected each volume as it came out — in hardcover, then when it was available, paperback, and Kindle.
I cannot describe the rush of joy and gratitude I felt when the collection was complete. Now nobody could take from me my inheritance, as a Hindu and as a human, of the greatest literary epic ever told. Now I could discover it for myself, without intercession and without the biases that have tainted most English translations which date from colonial times. Yes, it is true that no translation can match the grandeur and authenticity of the original, but the plain reality is that for many of us — who have been deprived of Sanskrit education, again, through those same colonialist mechanisms — English is the sole recourse we have to the shastras. Just as the Ramakrishna Mission once nobly brought to us genuine translations of the Upanishads and other Vedantic texts, bringing Advaita Vedanta to new generations and new worlds, Bibek-da (as I fondly referred to him) bestowed us this gift of the Itihaasa-Purana.
Our gratitude, personally and as a civilization, is profound and bottomless. I have rarely seen such a uniform outpouring of grief as I witnessed today from Hindu leaders and citizens worldwide upon the news of Bibek-da’s untimely passing. That he left us on the day of Govardhan Puja, which commemorates the day on which Sri Krishna shielded the inhabitants of Gokul from devastating storms unleashed by Indra, is only fitting. Sri Krishna has taken him into his protective embrace, and Bibek-da’s mountain of textual translations and other books are our shelter from the storms of ignorance and disinformation that plague us today.
That he left us on the day of Govardhan Puja, which commemorates the day on which Sri Krishna shielded the inhabitants of Gokul from devastating storms unleashed by Indra, is only fitting. Sri Krishna has taken him into his protective embrace, and Bibek-da’s mountain of textual translations and other books are our shelter from the storms of ignorance and disinformation that plague us today.
A few months ago, I remarked wistfully to Bibek-da that I wished his Skanda Purana translation would have been available when I wrote my book on Kashi, which includes a long section on the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana. He promised me that it would be forthcoming yet also spoke forebodingly of the challenges of it. Alas, it will not come to be.
Yet, what pains me today the most is not the loss of him as an author, translator, or scholar, or even as of the most generous and kind and humble human beings who unfailingly provided support and feedback to writers, established and new — it is the loss of that protective shield, of having someone above us to look up to and admire, of having someone to depend on to keep producing, keep guiding, keep bringing us more and more literary gems of our own heritage that have been kept away from us. It is like taking rest under the shade of a great banyan tree, as the tree silently and steadfastly keeps guard and nourishes and protects us. That is what we have lost today.
We have elders in our family; but we have elders and giants as a community, who do the work of dozens of men and women, without complaint, without pause, without expectation. It is because of them we can sometimes be carefree, because we know they are there. When they fall, we lose that comfort and that sense of peace and security forever.
It is this that I feel today — the loss of a hero. A literary hero is something different, of course. It is a main character in a story, like Odysseus. It is supposed to be fictional, because heroes come so rarely in real life. And so for me, Bibek-da was a literary hero in a more real sense of the word — his literary sadhana brought me into the world of Hindu literature and for that he is a greater hero than those written of in fiction.
It is this that I feel today — the loss of a hero. A literary hero is something different, of course. It is a main character in a story, like Odysseus. It is supposed to be fictional, because heroes come so rarely in real life. And so for me, Bibek-da was a literary hero in a more real and unique sense of the word — his literary sadhana brought me into the world of Hindu literature and for that he is a greater hero than those written of in fiction, than those who can be imagined.
At such moments, all we can do is make the sankalpa to do our puny best to follow in their footsteps and to take up the work they have left behind. Let us each adopt as a project one of the Puranas left untranslated, one of the books left unwritten, and find a way to bring them home to completion, through nurturing new scholars and translators and new writers, as a tribute of gratitude and blessing to him who has given us, unstintingly and selflessly, so much.
A Tribute to My Guru: Remembering Dr. Bibek Debroy’s Illuminating Legacy
Thursday, May 30, 11PM.
I finally gather enough courage to hit the send button and share the manuscript of my book with my hero, Dr. Bibek Debroy.
“He is a busy man, I doubt if he would respond.”
Imagine my surprise, when on the very next morning, I receive a mail from the great man himself- he had read the manuscript overnight and sent across his suggestions and blessings.
It was a moment of joy I will treasure forever.
August.
I write to him again, requesting a blurb for the very same book. He agrees – “But don’t give me a tight deadline.” A couple of weeks later, he sends me a few lines which are so beautiful that they bring tears to my eyes. I resolve to personally present the book to him after publication. Little did I know then…
Alas. My hero is no more.
Dr. Debroy was an institution by himself- an economist, a policy maker, a scholar and an author; yet in addition to his prodigious output, it was his kindness, his generosity, his class and his grace which made his life a benchmark for any Bharatiya intellectual.
For many of us, Dr. Debroy was like the Great Indian Banyan tree. Under the shade of his scholarship a whole generation rediscovered our itihasa-purana tradition. It would not be an exaggeration to say that an entire literary ecosystem came into existence on the basis of his translation work alone- the upward roots of a Banyan around its main trunk.
What will happen to the tree now?
There can be only one answer. It is up to the new roots to show their strength, and carry on the legacy of this blessed son of Maa Saraswati. That is the way of Bharat!
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author. Indic Today is neither responsible nor liable for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information in the article.
