Spiritual Realisation, Not Translation Ability, Required

 

Mahädeva: “Here’s the text, here’s the original Sanskrit. Andwe have a roman transliteration, and then individually, the wordmeanings. ”

 

Jesuit Priest: “Oh, I see. I’ve got it, yes.”

 

Mahädeva: “And then a full translation.”

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8

 

 

The Authorised Bhägavatam

 

 

Jesuit Priest: “Translation. Yes. They’re marvelous. Yes. Yes.” Revaténandana: “Actually, most of the Sanskrit, much of that workis done by one of Prabhupäda’s disciples now. He handles much of the Sanskrit.”

 

Çréla Prabhupäda: “Yes, they are being trained.”

 

Revaténandana: “It’s a mechanical process, after all. But thetranslation, that requires not only knowledge of the language, it requires spiritual realization. ”

 

Çréla Prabhupäda: “ Yes. ”

 

Revaténandana: “And the spiritual translation is done byPrabhupäda.”

 

(Çréla Prabhupäda, Conversation, 3/8/73)

 

a) This conversation mentions the “Sanskrit” help that “one of Prabhu päda’s disciples” rendered. This disciple was Pradyumna Däsa (“PD”).

b) This work involved translating all the individual Sanskrit words into English, and therefore we know that PD already possessed the ability to translate from Sanskrit.

c) But it is stated that this translation ability is simply “mechanical”, whereas a full translation of a Sanskrit verse can only be rendered by Çréla Prabhupäda, since this requires “spiritual realization”. Çréla Prabhupäda agrees with all these points.

d) Hence, this explains why neither PD, nor anyone else, was mentioned by Çréla Prabhupäda as being qualified to translate scriptures in Proof 8, when he agreed that “none” were. Thus, it was never a question of PD’s (or anyone else’s) Sanskrit translation ability, which he already possessed. It is because translation of scripture requires spiritual realisation as possessed by Çréla Prabhupäda. Translation ability, no matter how expert, is not enough.

 

Further confirming that spiritual realisation, not simply translation ability – no matter how great – is required for translation of the Bhägavatam, Çréla Prabhupäda states:

 

Bhügarbha: “He says it is very interesting, very important that Çrémad-Bhägavatam be translated […]”

 

Yogeçvara: “He says, Professor Chenique wishes to know, would itnot be more valuable if our men spoke Sanskrit and could translatedirectly from the Sanskrit into French? […] We have no Sanskritscholars in French yet, no.”

 

Çréla Prabhupäda: “Not only scholar. Not only scholar; he must be a

No One Authorised

9

 

realized soul. Simply scholarship will not help.”

 

(Room Conversation, 5/8/76)

 

Çréla Prabhupäda repeats the point that scholarly knowledge of Sanskrit is not enough to be able to translate scripture, but that the person actually needs to be a “realized soul”. Çréla Prabhupäda also states:

 

“The poet or writer dealing with transcendental subject matters is not an ordinary writer or translator. Because he is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whatever he writes becomes very effective.”

 

(Cc., Antya-lélä, 1.211, purport)

 

This refers to spiritual writing, which can include translating scripture, since it states that such a writer is not an “ordinary writer or translator ”. And it states that such a person is actually “empowered” by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Additionally, the translator must at least be the person Bhägavata, or one whose very life is Bhägavata:

 

“No, no, that is rubbish. They do not know what is Bhägavata. How they will translate? Professional translation is not… Bhägavata-pado giya bhägavata sthäne. [?] “ Whose life is Bhägavata,go there and read Bhägavata. ” That is the recommendation. That is the order of Svarüpa Dämodara Gosvämé.”

 

(Çréla Prabhupäda, Room Conversation, 2/4/77)

 

From the above, it is clear that, in order to translate holy scripture, Çréla Prabhupäda states that scholarly translating ability, no matter how expert, is not enough. Rather, one must be an “empowered”, spiritually “realized soul”, whose very life is “ Bhägavata”. Çréla Prabhupäda is thus describing someone such as himself, rather than one who has linguistic scholarly or translation ability.

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₁₀                                        The Authorised Bhägavatam

 

 

C h a p t e r T h r e e

 

Hridayänanda Forbidden: Proofs 11-13

 

T he previous chapter established that Çréla Prabhupäda did not authoriseanyone to complete his Bhägavatam, which would mean HD was also not authorised. In this chapter, we give proofs which establish that Çréla Prabhupäda actually ordered HD to not complete the Bhägavatam; and also that HD did not satisfy the requirement to be like Çréla Prabhupäda

 

– “very realized” – which Çréla Prabhupäda states is the qualification for a scriptural translator.