How should we approach texts like Gopal Champu and Anand Vrindavan Champu – are authentic translations available?
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This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors. how should we approach books like Gopal Champu and Raman Champu with respect but at the same time it is our tradition as far as authorised translations it’s tough because it’s a very complicated Sanskrit so Bhanu Maharaj’s translation is quite good, I was involved in editing that also, the English part and Sanskrit part but it may not be entirely Sanskrit because it’s very complicated in the 15-16th century Sanskrit has become very artistic and intricate so it’s not so easy to translate that but it’s not that difficult because it’s stories the Sandarvas are much more difficult to translate because it’s very intricate reasoning and philosophy about it, but here it’s primary story, so not Bhanu Maharaj’s translation are fairly good other devotees may also have done translations we’ll have to see which one merit but this is our tradition and we all, if we have been for a few years in Vishnu consciousness if we have read Brahmapada’s recent books and at least once we have read Nargotham’s CC, then with the blessings of Shri Prabhupada and in parallel with what Shri Prabhupada has given us, we can read the Tumajacharya’s books, because ultimately Prabhupada gave us the whole tradition of Krishnapati so we don’t want to bypass Prabhupada but it is basically Prabhupada’s blessings, we want to in fact Prabhupada, we want to move the newest tradition, the first chapter, the first chapter of Nargotham Prabhupada gives a whole list of commentaries of the Bhagavatam that should be studied by the serious student of the Bhagavatam and he mentions there not only our own traditions, he also mentions Vallabha which is another tradition so Prabhupada really wanted us to go to the Bhagavatam, and Gopal Champu, Ananda Champu are basically expansions of the Bhagavatam so we can read them and while reading, there are certain sections which are esoteric, which talk about the intimate passion of our own and for that we can adopt the same approach as we adopted the Raasleela Prabhupada’s told that the Bhagavatam’s purpose is very clear Bhagavatam says if you hear the Raasleela the lust in your heart will go away Vikri Vitham Prajapati Vitham Vichavishnu Shraddhan Vitho Nishunayana Tarvanam Vivenda that if you hear this Bhaktinparanam Bhagavatam Dhrondh Mahashivoham for the last 4-5 months but Prabhupada said if you read this you will get agitated then use your common sense, don’t read the whole thing, just read other sections, why worry, beautiful sections the idea is that this world is like a reflection and Krishna is like the reality, the male-female attraction in the world is like a reflection Radha-Krishna attraction is the reality so now if somebody sees a real mango then they stop getting attracted to the positive the reflection of the mango so like that if you understand the purity, the sublimity the sweetness, Radha-Krishna and worldly attraction, captivations will go downwards but that is only when we are convinced that is the real mango and this is the reflection but if you are not even philosophically convinced about that if you are not even devotionally purified enough then in fact for the absorbed devotees, what happens even the reflection reminds them of the reality if they look upon some of the prayers says that just as a young boy is attracted to young girl, young girl is attracted to young boy then by heart they are attracted to Radha-Krishna so what is happening for them the reflection is reminding them of the reality but for us the reality might remind us of the reflection so we have to be careful so esoteric sections in the scriptures we need to be cautious about reading them and see their effect and then decide whether we should read them or not but our sections we can read and we can read them through the guidance of Shri Prabhupada so if we see something which is a bit different from what Prabhupada has said we don’t reject Prabhupada but we try to find out Srila Vaishnavas from whom we can reconcile things but it can be very devotional and enriching if the Prema Satcharita books are read with a proper serious attitude Thank you