1 Corinthians 10:13 from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar

1 Corinthians 2:5 from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar

This Marathi Bible site was launched by me one year ago on 22 June 2008, the 107th birth anniversary of my father, Ratnakar Hari Kelkar. My objective was to provide Marathi-knowing people anywhere in the world an easy internet access to the New Testament translated by him from Greek to Marathi.

Initially, all the 27 books of the Marathi New Testament and the Greek-Marathi Word-Book compiled by him, were made available on this site in downloadable pdf format. I then began been making regular additions to the site’s content, posting a short Bible reading every day in jpeg image format for quick viewing. During the last one year, more than 400 such passages have been archived on this site, and they can be searched by topic, category, date, reference or keyword. I have also been designing wallpapers showing verses from the Marathi Bible and these have been immensely popular. I plan to add more passages and wallpapers in the days to come.

It gives me great satisfaction and joy to see the growing readership of the Marathi Bible site over the last one year. There have been over 17,000 hits so far and as the graph below shows, there are now more than 2,500 views per month. Praise be to God!

The Bible tells us that God does not change and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus himself said that even heaven and earth may pass away but his words will be there. However, it is we who are changing all the time. The languages that we use to communicate with our fellow human beings and with God are continuously evolving. That is why the Word of God needs to be re-translated again and again so that it remains clear and meaningful to an ever-changing world. This is what R. H. Kelkar did for the Marathi New Testament.

It is amazing to see how God chooses people to do his work and drives them to accomplish his purpose. William Carey who translated the first Marathi Bible at Serampore two centuries ago, had the initial training of a shoemaker. My father, R. H. Kelkar, worked for the Indian postal service. I am a retired meteorologist with no theological or literary background, but God has been leading me to use my little knowledge of computers and internet for creating and maintaining this Marathi Bible site. Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6, someone sows a seed, another waters the plant, but God makes it grow.

In Isaiah 55, God explains the power of his word using simple imagery, that is particularly familiar to me as a meteorologist: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Hebrews 4 adds this: “For the word of God is living and active…Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” But following this chilling description, is a reassurance that God’s overriding grace is always there: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

It is my primary aim that visitors to the Marathi Bible site may find the text that they are looking for, quickly and conveniently. I sincerely hope that by reading the appropriate passages, they find help, guidance, comfort and motivation while facing real life situations. It is my earnest prayer that by contemplating upon the Word of God, they are led to experiencing the abundant love of God, salvation through His Son Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit.

R. R. Kelkar

22 June 2009

1 Corinthians 13:13 from thhe New Testament translated into Marathi br R H Kelkar

Paul concludes Chapter 13 of his First Letter to the Corinthians in a very simple but definitive manner. In the end, he says, three things remain, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of them all is love.

Of all the good things of life, Pail shortlists only three and they are not quite independent of one another. The Bible defines faith as the conviction of things not seen and the assurance of things hoped for. Is faith not then an extreme form of hope? When you love someone how can you not have faith in that person? And will you not pin all your hopes on the person you love? And yet, while faith, hope and love form a triangle, Paul places love at its apex.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude, it does not insist on its own way. It rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, says Paul. Love never ends.

Such love, in the manner defined by Paul, has to be the greatest of all. It may happen that our faith falls utterly short. There could be times when our hopes get shattered into tiny fragments. But at any time and in any situation, God’s love is capable of carrying us through and into eternity.

- R R Kelkar

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar

Chapter 13 of Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians is one of the strongest passages of the Holy Bible. It not only gives a most comprehensive definition of love, but it asserts that love has to be at the foundation of our relationships with our fellow human beings and with God. If we are to prioritize human virtues, then love must get the topmost position. Love has to be central to whatever we do.

The verses quoted above describe the emptiness and hollowness of life without love. We may be proficient in public oratory, and have a command over several languages, but can we speak the language of love? We may have unraveled the mysteries of the universe, but are we puffed up with our knowledge? We may be able to perform impossible feats, but are we unseemly proud of our abilities? We may indulge in great acts of charity, but is our object to derive publicity for ourselves?

Yes, we do many good and great things in life, but our selfishness stands at the centre of our actions. That is why the net value of our good deeds is zero, says Paul. They cannot earn us salvation. The norm of Christian living is unselfish love. Love one another, said Jesus. God has first loved us and He wants us to love Him too.

- R R Kelkar

1 Corinthians 3:19-20 from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 from the New Testament translated into Marathi br R H Kelkar

The Marathi Bible site was launched by me on 22 June 2008, the 107th birth anniversary of my father, R. H. Kelkar. The purpose was to provide Marathi-knowing people worldwide an easy access to the New Testament translated by him from Greek to Marathi. Since then, I have been making regular additions to its content, posting a new Bible passage every day and occasionally designing a wallpaper. The Marathi Bible site has grown steadily in popularity and today, the hit counter has crossed the 10,000 mark. Praise be to God!

The Bible tells us that God does not change and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus himself said that even heaven and earth may pass away but his words will be there. However, it is we who are changing all the time. The languages that we use to communicate with our fellow human beings and with God are continuously evolving. That is why the Word of God needs to be re-translated again and again so that it remains clear and meaningful to an ever-changing world. This is what R. H. Kelkar did for the Marathi New Testament.

It is amazing to see how God chooses people to do his work and drives them to accomplish his purpose. William Carey who translated the first Marathi Bible at Serampore two centuries ago, had the initial training of a shoemaker. My father, R. H. Kelkar, worked for the Indian postal service. I am a retired meteorologist with no theological or literary background, but God has been leading me to use my little knowledge of computers and internet for creating and maintaining this Marathi Bible site. Like Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6, someone sows a seed, another waters the plant, but God makes it grow.

In Isaiah 55, God explains the power of his word using simple imagery, that is particularly familiar to me as a meteorologist: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Hebrews 4 adds this: “For the word of God is living and active…Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” But following this chilling description, is a reassurance that God’s overriding grace is always there: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

It is my primary aim that visitors to the Marathi Bible site find in it the information they are looking for, quickly and conveniently. It is also my hope that the word of God may offer them help and guidance in real life situations. And it is my prayer that by reading the word of God and contemplating upon it, they may come closer to the true God, and receive his comfort, peace, grace and mercy.

R. R. Kelkar

28 March 2009

Click on the thumbnails to download wallpapers for Valentine’s Day.

The verses are from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar.

1 Corinthians 15:45-50 from the New Testament translated into Marathi by R H Kelkar