《效法基督》序言
本译文由人工智能辅助工具生成，可能存在不准确之处。如需查阅权威文本，请参考英文原文。
AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
《师主篇》是基督教世界珍藏的瑰宝。这部伟大的著作出自一位罗马天主教修士之手。"出自"也许不是恰当的措辞。更恰当的说法是，这部书的每一个字母都深深印刻着那位为了对基督的爱而舍弃一切的伟大灵魂的心血。那位伟大的灵魂，其鲜活而炽烈的言辞，在过去四百年间对无数男女的心灵施下了如此深远的魔力；其影响至今依然强劲如初，并注定将永远延续下去；在其天赋才华和灵性修持（Sadhana）面前，数百位加冕的君王都俯首致敬；在其无与伦比的纯净面前，基督教世界那些名目繁多、争论不休的教派，将数百年的分歧消弭于对一个共同原则的共同崇敬之中——那位伟大的灵魂，说来也怪，竟未曾在这样一部著作上署下自己的名字。然而这毕竟没有什么奇怪的，他为什么要署名呢？一个完全放弃了一切世俗欢乐、将对虚名的渴望视为污秽和糟粕的人——这样一个灵魂怎么可能在乎那区区一个作者的名字？不过后世猜测作者是托马斯·阿·肯培（Thomas a Kempis），一位罗马天主教修士。这个猜测有几分正确，唯有上帝知晓。但无论他是谁，他值得世人崇敬——这是一个无人能否认的真理。
我们碰巧如今是一个基督教政府的臣民。承蒙其恩惠，我们有机会接触到许多教派的基督徒，无论本土的还是外国的。他们的言行之间差距何其惊人！这边站着基督教传教士在布道："一天的难处一天当就够了。不要为明天忧虑"——转眼间就忙着积累财富，制定未来十年的预算！那边他说自己追随的是那位"没有枕头之处"的人，口若悬河地谈论导师的光荣牺牲和炽烈弃绝，实际上却像一位欢乐的新郎般四处游走，尽情享受世间所能赐予的一切舒适！放眼望去，一个真正的基督徒我们都看不到。新教各教派中那些极度奢靡、傲慢、专横、乘坐马车出行的基督徒给我们留下的丑陋印象，只要我们以应有的注意力认真阅读一遍这部伟大的著作，就会彻底消除。
一切智者所见略同。读者在阅读本书时，会一再听到《薄伽梵歌》的回响。如同《薄伽梵歌》所说的那样，它也宣称"放弃一切法而归依我"。谦卑的精神、困顿灵魂的渴望、仆从式虔信（Dasya Bhakti）的最佳表达，在这部伟大著作的每一行中都留有印记，读者的心灵将被作者那炽烈弃绝、奇妙归顺和对神旨意的深切依赖之思所深深触动。对于我的同胞中那些在盲目偏见影响下可能因这是一部基督徒的作品而试图贬低此书的人，我只引用胜论派（Vaisheshika Darshana）的一则格言便不再多言。这则格言是：权威者的教导之言即为圣言——意思是成就者（Siddha Purushas，圆满的灵魂）的教导具有证明力，这在术语上被称为圣言量（Shabda Pramana，言语证据）。注释者阇弥尼仙人（Rishi Jaimini）说，这样的权威者（Apta Purushas）既可能生于雅利安人中间，也可能生于蔑戾车（Mlechchhas）之中。
如果在古代，像耶婆那阿阇梨（Yavanacharya）这样的希腊天文学家都能受到我们雅利安祖先如此高的尊崇，那么这位虔信之狮的著作不会被我的同胞所赏识——这简直不可思议。
无论如何，我们将把这部书的孟加拉语译本依次呈献给读者。我们相信孟加拉的读者至少会在上面花费他们浪费在成车成车的庸俗小说和戏剧上的时间的百分之一。
我已尽力使翻译尽可能逐字忠实，但我不敢说做到了多少。若干段落中引用的《圣经》典故在脚注中给出。
参考文献
English
The Imitation of Christ is a cherished treasure of the Christian world. This great book was written by a Roman Catholic monk. "Written", perhaps, is not the proper word. It would be more appropriate to say that each letter of the book is marked deep with the heart's blood of the great soul who had renounced all for his love of Christ. That great soul whose words, living and burning, have cast such a spell for the last four hundred years over the hearts of myriads of men and women; whose influence today remains as strong as ever and is destined to endure for all time to come; before whose genius and Sâdhâna (spiritual effort) hundred of crowned have bent down in reverence; and before whose matchless purity the jarring sects of Christendom, whose name is legion, have sunk their differences of centuries in common veneration to a common principle—that great soul, strange to say, has not thought fit to put his name to a book such as this. Yet there is nothing strange here after all, for why should he? Is it possible for one who totally renounced all earthly joys and despised the desire for the bauble fame as so much dirt and filth—is it possible for such a soul to care for that paltry thing, a mere author's name? Posterity, however, has guessed that the author was Thomas à Kempis, a Roman Catholic monk. How far the guess is true is known only to God. But be he who he may, that he deserves the world's adoration is a truth that can be gainsaid by none.
We happen to be the subjects of a Christian government now. Through its favour it has been our lot to meet Christians of so many sects, native as well as foreign. How startling the divergence between their profession and practice! Here stands the Christian missionary preaching: "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Take no thought for the morrow"—and then busy soon after, making his pile and framing his budget for ten years in advance! There he says that he follows him who "hath not where to lay his head", glibly talking of the glorious sacrifice and burning renunciation of the Master, but in practice going about like a gay bridegroom fully enjoying all the comforts the world can bestow! Look where we may, a true Christian nowhere do we see. The ugly impression left on our mind by the ultra - luxurious, insolent, despotic, barouche-and-brougham-driving Christians of the Protestant sects will be completely removed if we but once read this great book with the attention it deserves.
All wise men think alike. The reader, while reading this book, will hear the echo of the Bhagavad-Gitâ over and over again. Like the Bhagavad-Gita it says, "Give up all Dharmas and follow Me". The spirit of humility, the panting of the distressed soul, the best expression of Dâsya Bhakti (devotion as a servant) will be found imprinted on every line of this great book and the reader's heart will be profoundly stirred by the author's thoughts of burning renunciation, marvellous surrender, and deep sense of dependence on the will of God. To those of my countrymen, who under the influence of blind bigotry may seek to belittle this book because it is the work of a Christian, I shall quote only one aphorism of Vaisheshika Darshana and say nothing more. The aphorism is this: आप्तॊपदॆशवाक्यं शब्दः—which means that the teachings of Siddha Purushas (perfected souls) have a probative force and this is technically known as Shabda Pramâna (verbal evidence). Rishi Jaimini, the commentator, says that such Âpta Purushas (authorities) may be born both among the Aryans and the Mlechchhas.
If in ancient times Greek astronomers like Yavanâchârya could have been so highly esteemed by our Aryan ancestors, then it is incredible that this work of the lion of devotees will fail to be appreciated by my countrymen.
Be that as it may, we shall place the Bengali translation of this book before our readers seriatim. We trust that the readers of Bengal will spend over it at least one hundredth part of the time they waste over cart-loads of trashy novels and dramas.
I have tried to make the translation as literal as possible, but I cannot say how far I have succeeded. The allusions to the Bible in several passages are given in the footnotes.
References
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。