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Debendra K. DashDipti R. Pattanaik 35justification of translation of the Gita, Balaram adds a postscripttitled “Gitabakasha” to his translation of the original Sanskrit text.In the postscript, he also claims, with the blessings of LordJagannath, the originator of all knowledge, to have surpassed thegenius of Vyasa, the first codifier of the divine speech. Along withthe postscript, he has also added an introductory portion in the firstchapter before coming to the actual translation of the text. However,the translation can be said to be literal in nature.The key conceptshave been simplified for the Oriya audience and ethical and moralinflection has been added here and there. Thus, one can discern asimplification and a moral and ethical dilution of the philosophicalrigor of the text during the translation process. Moreover, thesambada (dialogue) form of the original Sanskrit has been changedinto Bhakti ritual in which the devotee has invoked the godhead byhis question (pidhabandha) and the answer of the divine teacher hasbeen given in the Gitabandha. The rhyme of the original wasuniform but in the translation, several rhyme schemes have beenused for various chapters. Despite its limitations as a translated text,including its dilution of the philosophical rigor of the original, this isa radical step forward in introducing abstract thought to the Oriyalanguage through translational practice.The articulation of abstract thought in the Oriya languagewas further tested in the translation of Srimad Bhagabata (especiallyin the eleventh book), which is both a philosophical and a devotionaltext. Subsequently because of its wide acceptance among the Oriyapeople, the translation of Bhagabata succeeded in institutionalizingabstract thinking in the hitherto Prakrit-oriented Oriya language. Theparallels and variations between the original and the translatedversion of Srimad Bhagabata, have been elaborately dealt with by anumber of scholars like Gopinath Nada Sharma, Ketaki Nayak,Krushan Chandra Sahoo, Bansihar Mohanty and Bansidhar Sarangias Oriya Bhagabata by Jagannath Das is a central text of the Oriya