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PREFACE
Maharashtra for publication in the series, ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar:’ Writings and Speeches’.
I, having been in-charge of the project of Dr. Ambedkar’s works, was very much elated as I had studied this book as early as in 1957. I had given discourses on this book during 1958-60 in Yavatmal District, and thereafter published a brief commentary on this book in 1960 viz. Buddha Dhamma Pradeep. Although the book carried my pen-name as ‘NAG’, my real name, however, became known throughout Vidarbha within few years through this book. Ven. Anand Kausalyayan encouraged me. He was particularly happy with the diagram I had furnished in the book explaining ‘Nama-Rupa’. After the publication of this commentary viz. ‘Buddha Dhamma Pradeep’ in 1960, I wrote several articles on Buddhism based on the book by Dr. Ambedkar. ‘No-soul theory in Buddhism’ and ‘Ishwar’ are two such booklets.
‘The Buddha and His Dhamma’ which assumed a place of the Gospel among converts to Buddhism, came for publication in the series of Dr. Ambedkar’s works by Government of Maharashtra from the People’s Education Society, and with the approval of the State-level committee, I forwarded the book for printing to the Press. I had thought of incorporating the sources from the Pali text which Dr. Kausalyayan had included in the Hindi version. In addition, an index to the book was a necessity. Accordingly, I worked for about 6 months on this project. All references in Dr. Kausalyayan’s translation were verified from the English translations published by the Pali Text Society and other publishers in London.
References from ‘Buddhacharita’ were verified from Suryanarayan Choudhari’s Hindi translation while