By Visnu Murti dasa, Vanipedia
For eight years, English has been the only language in which Vanipedia presented Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings. No longer, for on May 2 (Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s appearance day) we launched pages in 76 new languages.
A total of 7,000 pages have already been added, and by August another 8,000 pages will appear. Each page features an audio clip, a video clip with subtitles, and links to the original Vaniquotes and Vanisource pages in English.
Over the last two years, more than three hundred devotees have translated these texts from the 1,080 video clips which we created from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lectures and conversations. Uniting Śrīla Prabhupāda’s multilingual family, ki jaya!
Having Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings displayed in so many languages in one place is a historic first, and access to the different languages could not be simpler. A convenient language bar on the left side of every page of Vanipedia takes you to any of the 76 languages. (On the main page of vanipedia.org, a right-hand bar shows flags, for those who like flags.)
The Bible is translated in 520 languages and parts of it are translated in 2,800 languages. Comparing this with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in only 59 translations, we are not satisfied to have only 77 languages within Vanipedia. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words merit more than this, and the people of the world deserve to have access to his teachings in each of their languages.
We therefore invite devotees to join this collaborative effort to offer Śrīla Prabhupāda the gift of translating his Introduction to the Bhagavad-gītā in 108 languages by February 20, 2016, the 50th anniversary of him speaking it and, coincidentally, the anniversary of Lord Nityananda’s appearance. It’s also the first recording Śrīla Prabhupāda ever made.
At the moment we have completed the Introduction in 23 languages and another 19 languages are in process. That’s 42 taken care of, with 66 left to do over the next ten months. This offering will succeed through our collaborating together.
Having Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words in 108 languages will surely stimulate his followers to expand his teachings into 500 languages and then on to more than 2,000 languages.
In only 24 hours of service, the Gītā Introduction can be completed in a new language. Please participate and send us an email. You can make a wonderful offering to Śrīla Prabhupāda and to the world.
http://vanimedia.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Bhagavad-gita_in_108%2B_Languages
Vanipedia strives to continue to serve the spiritual needs of all people from all nations. Join with us in this benevolent project to make Srila Prabhupada’s teachings shine brightly throughout the whole world.