320 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

In this way | passed my life as a householder until 1950, when | retired from
family life as a vanaprastha. With no companion, | loitered here and there until
1958, when | took sannydsa. Then | was completely ready to discharge the order
of my spiritual master. Previously, in 1936, just before His Divine Grace passed
away at Jagannatha Puri, | wrote him a letter asking what | could do to serve him.
In reply, he wrote me a letter, dated 13 December 1936, ordering me, in the same
way, to preach in English the cult of $ri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as | had heard it
from him.

After he passed away, | started the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead
sometime in 1944 and tried to spread the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
through this magazine. After | took sannydsa, a well-wishing friend suggested that
| write books instead of magazines. Magazines, he said, might be thrown away,
but books remain perpetually. Then | attempted to write Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Before that, when | was a householder, | had written on Srimad Bhagavad-gita and
had completed about eleven hundred pages, but somehow or other the
manuscript was stolen. In any case, when | had published Srimad-Bhagavatam,
First Canto, in three volumes in India, | thought of going to the U.S.A. By the
mercy of His Divine Grace, | was able to come to New York on September 17,
1965. Since then, | have translated many books, including Srimad-Bhagavatam,
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Teachings of Lord Caitanya (a summary) and many others.

In the meantime, | was induced to translate Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and publish
it in an elaborate version. In his leisure time in later life, His Divine Grace Bhakti-
siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would simply read Caitanya-caritamrta. It was his
favorite book. He used to say that there would be a time when foreigners would
learn the Bengali language to read Caitanya-caritamrta. The work on this transla-
tion began about eighteen months ago. Now, by the grace of Sri Caitanya
Mahdaprabhu and His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, it is
finished. In this connection | have to thank my American disciples, especially
Sriman Pradyumna dasa Adhikari, Sriman Nitai dasa Adhikari, Sriman Jayadvaita
dasa Brahmacari and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in
writing, editing and publishing all these literatures.

| think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is always seeing
my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. As it is said in Srimad-
Bhagavatam, tene brahma hrda ya 4di-kavaye. Spiritual inspiration comes from
within the heart, wherein the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma
feature, is always sitting with all His devotees and associates. It is to be admitted
that whatever translation work | have done is through the inspiration of my
spiritual master because personally | am most insignificant and incompetent to do
this materially impossible work. | do not think myself a very learned scholar, but |
have full faith in the service of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Stila Bhakti-
siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it
is all due to His Divine Grace. Certainly if His Divine Grace were physically present
