| Damodardev | |
| Birth Date: | January 1488 |
| Birth Place: | Nalaca, Nagaon |
| Death Place: | Vaikunthapur Sattra |
| Occupation: | Ekasarana preceptor |
| Language: | Assamese, Sanskrit |
| Period: | medieval period |
Damodardev (1488–1598) was sixteenth century Ekasarana preceptor from Nalaca, Nagaon. Damodardev was a follower of Sankardeva's Ekasarana dharma order.[1] He started his own order after the death of Sankardeva that came to be called the Brahmasamhati, which admitted Brahmanical rituals and greater adherence to the caste system alongside the namadharma of Sankardev.[2] He was succeeded by Bhattadeva.[3]
Damodardev was born in a village called Nalaca in (in present-day Nagaon) in the 1488, the third and youngest son of Sushila and Satananda a Brahmin couple. Nalaca was close to Bordowa than, Sankardev's native place, and Satananda was Sankardev's friend. Damodardev and his family moved from the Ahom territories after Sankardev moved from Dhuwahat to Barpeta in 1546 and settled, after some wandering close to Patbausi, or Chandravatipura[4] near Sankardev's sattra. Damodardev received his education along with his two brothers under Kalpacandra of Navadwip in Bengal, where they studied detailed grammar, derivations and usage of words, four Vedas, fourteen scriptures, Gita, Bhagavata Purana and other religious books.
Early biographers of Damodardev are unanimous that he was inspired and influenced by Sankardev in his religious practice and he began proselytising in Barpeta.[5] After meeting Damodar, Sankardev asked him to recite Bhagavata in his Sattra for which Damodar replied "Yours is the land where tree of Bhakti can grow", and this marked the beginning of friendship between them. Sankara requested him to initiate Brahmin disciples. Sankardev also initiated Damodardev to the Mahapurushiya cult.