Gujarati, Marathi and Telugu Shri Chaitanya Charitaamrita

Dear Jagadish dasa prabhu,
Hare Krishna! AGTSP! Pranaams.

I hope you and your family is fine and your BBT service is going nicely.

BBT India has been performing the most wonderful service to Shrila Prabhupada. If the publication of Shri Chaitanya Charitaamrita in different languages can be added, then imho it will make it perfect and complete. I wanted to know the status on the Gujarati Chaitanya Charitamrita. It was in July 2006 that you had said that is being edited and will be published in some time. Roughly, how much time more will it take to publish it? I do understand that there is a lot of proof-reading and editing work required since it has 11,555 verses. As we all know there are so many souls waiting to read the Gaura Lilaa nectar in Gujarati and there are no authorized books available. How will Lord Gauranga be known to the Gujarati and Marathi speaking people? I think BBT India has a big responsibility towards the Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu etc. speaking people to make Lord Gaura's Pastimes known to them. Shrila Prabhupada's classic book Teachings of Lord Chaitanya is basically philosophical teachings and people will take His teachings much more seriously if they have at least some idea of His pastimes. Shrila Prabhupada wrote a very concise summary of Lord Gaura's Pastimes in his Shrimad Bhagavatam Introduction but very few people have the first volume of the Shrimad Bhagavatam in Gujarati. I have been circulating one old set of Gujarati Chaitanya Charitamrita amongst our devotees and all of them desire to personally own one since they are not able to complete the reading of the whole set quickly. We all know how much Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita was dear to Shrila Prabhupada. He stopped the Bhagavatam translation at the 5th Canto in order to complete the Chaitanya Charitamrita first because he knew that Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita in the topmost practical demonstration of the teachings of Bhagavatam. Lord Gaura is the Parama Purusha whom the Bhagavatam describes in every verse. Without Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita is difficult to understand the Bhagavatam in truth. Nowadays without examples, stories and pastimes, people are not so easily inspired to take up Bhakti. The Associates of Lord Gaura in Shri Chaitanya Charitaamrita and Their Pastimes are even higher and more relevant than the great Associates and Their Pastimes described in the Bhagavatam in the first nine cantos since they are all Gopies and Gopas from Vraja lilaa and have advented in our Kali Yuga times in circumstances somewhat closer in similarity to our present times than the previous ages.

Thus, I humbly plead with Yashomatinandana dasa prabhu and Bhima dasa prabhu to facilitate the publishing of Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita in Gujarati and Marathi as soon as practically possible in the near future.When I was in BBT many years before, we had all pledged to publish Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita in Marathi and Gujarati as soon as practically and work towards that goal. Due to Lord Gaura's causeless mercy, He used me as an insignificant instrument to publish the English Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita in India at a very affordable price for the Indian people. I consider that my greatest contribution and service to Shrila Prabhupada, since it was Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita which saved me from this material existence. It gave the topmost supreme nectar to the most fallen person. So I personally have no other desire than to see Gaura Lilaa published in as many languages as possible in India and in this world. I think this will also be a greatly pleasing service to His Holiness Jayapataka Swami Maharaja who is gradually recovering to again be amongst us since he is so attached to spreading Gaura Lilaa from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita and Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata in all his lectures and katha.

Shrila Prabhupada told us that all his books are like sugar-candy and there are no rigid hard and fast rules to read them since the sugar-candy is sweet anywhere you taste it. Even though he said that Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita is PhD, Shrila Prabhupada himself read and spoke from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita in his earliest lectures after his arrival in USA as he knew that describing the pastimes of the Ragatmika Acharyas like the Six Goswamis etc. from Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita will inspire the most fallen souls on the path of Bhakti. According to Shrila Prabhupada, Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita was the favourite book of his Guru Maharaj Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada. Also it was Shrila Prabhupada’s favourite book. This book was his intimate companion on the ship Jaladuta during his voyage ot America. Shrila Prabhupada also later instructed his disciple Shruta kirti dasa prabhu, “You should become expert in Chaitanya Charitamrita and give classes on it.” Shrila Prabhupada states in Adi-lila 8.39 purport: “Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami wrote Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita in his old age, in an invalid condition, but it is such a sublime literature that Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja used to say, ‘The time will come when the people of the world will learn Bengali to read Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita.’ We are trying to present Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita in English and do not know how successful it will be, but if one reads the original Chaitanya-charitamrita in Bengali he will relish increasing ecstasy in devotional service.” Thus it is very clear that this great book will become most popular and widely-read in world within the next few centuries of this golden age.

If this is going to take time, then I kindly suggest that one of the two (or both) pastime books summarized by Purnapragya dasa prabhu, either Shri Chaitanya Bhagavata and Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita or both, be translated and published in Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu and in other Indian languages, in the same way you published Ramayana in Gujarati. We need to make Lord Gaura as famous in Gujarat, Maharashtra, South India, North India, India and the whole world as Lord Krishna and Lord Raama already are, because in the words of Shrila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, Lord Gaura is the dispenser of causless mercy while Lord Krishna is the dispenser of justice. Lord Gaura proclaims in Navadvipa Dhaama Mahaatmya that to the areas where His Pastimes and Glories are spread in this world, Kali Yuga's influence will diminish in those places. Thus, without Gaura Lilaa, the undeserving and unqualified people have no hope in Kali Yuga...kali jive yogya vastu gaura-lila dhana..."Gaura Lilaa is the most suitable, beneficial and topmost treasure for the living entities born in Kali Yuga" (Shrila Bhaktivnoda Thakura in Navadvipa Dhaama Mahaatmya).

Shrila Prabhupada explains the simple qualification required to read Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita in the following words: “So study this Chaitanya-charitamrita. Now we have got this English edition, very elaborately described, following the footsteps of our Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada. So there is no such edition of Chaitanya-charitamrita, very elaborately described. But it can be understood by the advanced student. It can be... And so... Advanced, you can, anyone, you can become advanced. Advanced means at least one should understand that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you simply understand these two words, that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you are advanced. It is not very difficult.(Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita Lecture, Adi-lila 1.1, Mayapur, March 25, 1975)

Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja himself states:

yeba nahi bujhe keha, sunite sunite seha, ki adbhuta chaitanya-carita
krsne upajibe priti, janibe rasera riti, sunilei bada haya hita
(Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 2.87)

“If one does not understand Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita in the beginning but continues to hear again and again, the wonderful effects of reading Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes will quickly bring love for Krishna. Gradually one will come to understand the loving affairs between Krishna and the gopis and other associates of Vrndavana. Thus everyone is advised to continue to hear over and over again in order to greatly benefit from Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita.”

The fact that Shrila Krishnadasa Kaviraja has composed this literature for everyone including the common man (not only for the advanced student) can be understood from the following verse:

bhagavata-sloka-maya, tika tara samskrta haya, tabu kaiche bujhe tri-bhuvana;
ihan sloka dui cari, tara vyakhya bhasa kari, kene na bujhibe sarva-jana.
(Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 2.88)

 “In reply to those critics who say that Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita is full of Sanskrit verses, it can be said that Shrimad-Bhagavatam is also full of Sanskrit verses, as are the commentaries on Shrimad-Bhagavatam. Nonetheless, Shrimad-Bhagavatam can be understood by everyone, as well as by advanced devotees who study the Sanskrit commentaries. Why, then, will the common people not understand the Chaitanya-charitamrita? There are only a few Sanskrit verses, and these have been explained in the Bengali vernacular. What is the difficulty in understanding for all the people?"

Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in Samalochana, Sajjana Tosani 4/3:

shri chaitanya-lila sakala bhasaya likhita haoya prayojaniya.

“It it very urgently required to translate and publish the books about the pastimes of Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu into all the languages of the world.

ati alpa dinera madhei mahaprabhu sarva desa vyapi haiya eka matra upasya-tattva haitechen.

“This is so urgently necessary because in a very short time, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will become the sole object of worship or the Supreme Worshippable Lord in all the villages, towns, and cities of the world. If this books about His pastimes are available in various languages, people can read and hear them regularly and thus constantlyincrease and nourish their faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu."

In the 15th Chapter of Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya,  Shripad Ramanucharya came to know about Lord Gauranga’s incarnation from Lord Jagannatha Himself in Puri Dhama. He then decided become a staunch Gauranga-Bhakta and to reveal all the references hidden in the revealed scriptures about Lord Gauranga and thus flood the three planetary systems of the universe with Gauranga's Pastimes and  Bhakti, making everyone to Gauranga-bhaktas and tot ake up the chanting of His Holy Name.. At that time Lord Jagannatha said:

gaura-lila ati gudha rakhibe gopane; se lilara aprakate pabe sarva jane.

“Please keep this Gauranga-Lila very secret until Lord Gauranga completes His pastimes in this world. After this, the whole world will get the great treasure of Gauranga's Name and Pastimes.”

The Urdhvamnaya Tantra also predicts that Nityananda Gauranga Name and Pastimes will be broadcasted all over the world very soon:

dhanye kalau sampravishte, gaura-lila manorama; prakata bhavita hy etat, vyaktam tada bhavishyati.

“The advent of the age of Kali is most auspicious because in the near future the  most wonderful and enchanting Holy Names and Pastimes of Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu will be most openly and widely established and broadcasted.”

Lord Shri Gauranga Mahaprabhu Himself predicted that His holy names will spread all over the world in the Chaitanya-bhagavata (Antya 4.126):

prithivite ache yata nagaradi-grama; sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama.

“My Name and Glories will be broadcasted and glorified in all various towns, villages, cities, countries and continents of the world.”

Also the 1st Chapter of Shri Navadvipa-dhama-mahatmya states that:

ara eka gudha katha suna sarva jana; kali jive yogya vastu gaura-lila dhana.

“Please hear a most confidential secret. The most suitable thing for the conditioned souls in Kali-yuga is the supreme the treasure of Lord Gauranga's Lila (pastimes).”

kali-jivera aparadha asankhya durvara; gaura nama vina tara nahika uddhara.

“The offnses of the living entities in Kali-yuga are unlimited, insurmountable and formidable. The only hope for their deliverance is the chanting of the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga.”

ataeva gaura vina kalite upaya; na dekhi kothaya ara sastra phukaraya.

“Therefore I see no other means except Lord Gauranga for everyone’s deliverance in Kali-yuga and this is the repeated declaration of all Vedic scriptures.”

Daaso'smi,
Bhaktiratna Sadhu Swami.

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