How Many Apa-siddhāntas Does it Take to Make an Apa-Sampradāya? (06/30/14)Kṛṣṇa Knows Who Has Caused these Problems (12/24/14)Part and Parcel (07/01/14)
Dear Bernd,
The real problem lies within the English language as well as many other western languages which do not have parallel words for many Sanskrit words. Prabhupāda translates aṁśa in Bhagavad-gītā as “part and parcel”, jīva as “soul”, and bhajana as “worship”, etc. but in fact these are not the same thing.
Also there is no such word as “obeisances.” The correct word is “obeisance” which is both singular and plural. Avatāra, is translated as “incarnation” but incarnation from the Latin means, “Encapsulated in flesh” which is obviously not what an avatāra is. Pretty much English is a sloppy language [not fit to explain things in transcendence] and often times, accepted usage outweighs proper grammar.
According to my research the first time the phrase ‘part and parcel’ appears in English literature was 1585 in a Christian directory guiding men to their salvation. Later Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura uses the phrase in his lecture, ‘The Bhagavat’, in 1869.
Throughout the English literature published by Bhaktisiddhānta [like Harmonist magazine, etc] the phrase ‘part and parcel’ is used.
So to answer the question ‘Why?’… I would say that because his guru and parama-gurus used the phrase, then so did Śrīla Prabhupāda. He did not invent the term or ponder its correct English meaning. But obviously our ācāryas felt that it was close enough to get the message across…the living entity is ‘part of a larger entity’.
I came across the following meaning of ‘part and parcel’ as follows: “Part and parcel means essential portion or element, integral part, a vital part of a larger entity. The alliteration and tautology/redundancy in the expression ‘part and parcel’ serve to emphasize the importance of a constituent to the whole.”
Happy to be of some assistance.
SN
