Svalikhita-jivani

(left) Bhaktivinoda Thakur's photo with his autograph and (right) the first page of his original Svalikhita-jivani (1896).

Svalikhita-jivani is an autobiography written in 1896 by Kedarnatha Datta (also known as Bhaktivinoda Thakur), a prominent thinker of Bengali Renaissance and a leading philosopher, savant and spiritual reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism^[1] who effected its resurgence in India in late 19th and early 20th century^[2] and was hailed by contemporary scholars as the most influential Gaudiya Vaisnava leader of his time.^[3]

Written in Bengali on the request of Bhaktivinoda's son Lalita Prasad, Svalikhita-jivani gives a detailed autobiographical account that spanned most of his life from his birth in 1838 until retirement in 1894. The book was published by Lalita Prasad in 1916, after Bhaktivinoda's death.

In February 2023, a Bengali version of the Svalikhita Jivani was jointly published by the Bhaktivedanta Research Center and Dey’s Publishing. It was edited by Dr. Santanu Dey, who compared the original manuscript of the Svalikhita Jivani from 1896 with the first edition of the text by Lalita Prasad Datta from 1916 to eliminate textual discrepancies.^[4]

The introduction of the new edition places Kedarnath Datta's life and contributions within the historical context of his times. Additionally, the new edition contains a collection of rare photographs and a complete list of works authored by Bhaktivinod Thakur.^[5]