Pandit Basdeo Misir (First Dharmacharya of Trinidad & Tobago SDMS)

Pandit Basdeo Misir, the first Dharmacharya (Hindu Archbishop) of Trinidad and Tobago was the foremost exponent of the treasures enshrined in the Hindu scriptures.

He was among the first set of immigrants from India to this land. Trinidad and Tobago has been sanctified and blessed by the presence of this great giant and colossus in Hindu theology. He was the guru of the late Bhadase Sagan Maraj and many others including Pandit Seusankar Seunarine, Pandit Capildeo Maharajh, Pandit Krishna Harrybatchan and many other Pandits. He taught many pandits in this country. He conducted thousands of Yagyas throughout Trinidad. His Bhagwat Yagyas were very enlightening and he had a unique method of presenting these scriptures in Sanskrit and Hindi so simply and yet so profound that all were able to drink deeply from his fountain of wisdom.

His style was inimitable. He was profound and yet so simple. He was by far the most humble exponent of the scriptures this country has ever seen. He came with this wealth of knowledge from India and brought with him several authentic texts in the scripture. He imparted the treasured knowledge of the scriptures and the method of communication to the Pandits of his time. He was the first Pandit to transmit his learning by means of a battery driven microphone which was very pleasant and charming. He had no greed as he freely distributed whatever was offered to him to the sadhus and the poor. He had a lovable and charming personality and he hailed the Lord always as ‘HARAY NAMO NAMAHA,’ meaning ‘I hail the Lord in absolute humility.’

He lived in Mount Lambert near St. Joseph where he had his monastery to which many devotees regularly came and offered their prayers. Towards the end of his life he returned to India to spend his last days. BUT unfortunately for him he was robbed of his belongings and fortunately for us he returned to Trinidad, where he gave up his mortal body and his disciples were privileged to cremate their beloved Guru on the banks of the Caroni which became sanctified by his spirituality and the ocean was purified by his ashes.

We give our grateful thanks to all those who provided information on the life and teachings of this ICON, which is being disseminated throughout the world setting the stage for others to emulate this renowned spiritual giant. 

You can also visit this interesting link of pandits past and present of Trinidad and Tobago where you are sure to see a familiar face https://hindisongstt.com/photos/pandits-past-present-of-trinidad/ There is another link of great interest of pandits conducting ceremonies https://hindisongstt.com/photos/pandits-of-trinidad-conducting-ceremonies/ We are making a kind request to any family, friends or chelas who may hold precious memories in the form of photos, audios or videos of these great and learned pandits to inbox us these memories  at hindisongstt@gmail.com so we may share for the enjoyment of all. (Copyright Ashram Sharma 2025).