By a Group of Śrīla Prabhupāda Disciples, followers:
Dear Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & Company,
Please explain why you have made the following rotten changes on Śrīla Prabhupad’s Macmillan Bhagavad Gītā As It is:
(1) Why is it in the revised edition of the Bhagavad Gītā, you and company have completely removed the foreword by Professor Edward Dimock that was printed in the Original Macmillan Version of the Bhagavad Gītā As It Is which Śrīla Prabhupāda regularly read from?
Readers, please see the following video:
Śrīla Prabhhupada is lecturing on the Bhagavad Gītā. There, in the very immediate beginning ( very first few minutes) of this video, you will find Śrīla Prabhupāda praising the foreword by Professor Edward Dimock. This particular video clip is taken from one of the 19 Double layer DVDS produced by ITV Nrshinghanandana Prabhu and his associates. It is the particular DVD named Bhagavad Gītā as It Is, with Krishna and Arjuna on the Chariot, and Sky background, and is in the very first part called “Introduction”.
Śrīla Prabhupāda is reading the foreword himself, praising it, mentioning Edward Dimock’s name, and praising Edward Dimock for a particular comment that he had made, namely as follows:
“Swami Bhaktivedanta comments upon the Gītā from this point of view, and that is legitimate. More than that , in this translation the Western reader has the unique opportunity of seeing how a Kṛṣṇa devotee interprets his own texts”
Śrīla Prabhupāda in the video explains this particular statement by Edward Dimock, on how a Kṛṣṇa devotee interprets his own texts, by explaining that just as a family member only is qualified to give the best knowledge to others about his own family, similiarly, only a Kṛṣṇa devotee can properly explain one to others about Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciates this particular point made by Edward Dimock, in the video.
Thus, not only has Śrīla Prabhupāda authorized this particular foreword in the Macmillan Bhagavad Gītā, but had himself read, it, and praised certain points made by the person who wrote this foreword.
Yet you, Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & company have the audacity to remove this foreword completely in their revised version. The proof of how you both have offended your Spiritual Master is on public video record, as those who watch will sadly, but easily be able to understand this particular deviation of yourselves in either revising or omiting your spiritual master’s works and words by using your fertile imaginations.
(2) Why have you Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & Company omitted 47 out of 48 of the original color pictures inside from the Original Macmillan Bhagavad Gītā As It Is? Why have you omitted the pictures of the bonafide disciplic succession Gurus coming before Śrīla Prabhupāda, namely Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Thakur, Śrīla Gaur Kisore Das Bābājī Maharaj, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thakur, with a brief description of their character and achievements . Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted very much for every Iskcon member to understand their spiritual family roots, i.e. to understand the previous Disciplic succession Gurus, that is why he arranged to put these pictures there.
Śrīla Prabhupāda also wanted everyone, both devotees and Karmī readers to understand that he, as the author of this Macmillan version of Bhagavad Gītā was authorized, and a student of these bonafide spiritual Masters , thus giving genuine authority to this book. Yet you, Jayādvaita Swami and company have audaciously removed these most important disciplic Guru pictures. The other 43 pictures with their respective writing descriptions below were also very useful for the reader to relate to what he was reading in the different chapters of the Bhagavad Gītā, They were also painted with the guidance and authority of Śrīla Prabhupāda who blessed them with his constant glance whenever he used the book. Yet you have unfortunately removed all of them with the exception of one.
(3) Why have you Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & Company removed and replaced the original front cover of the Macmillan Version of the Bhagavad Gītā As It Is with your own version? In that original picture, Kṛṣṇa is holding the conchshell which is mentioned in the 1st chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā , how when both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna blew their respective conchshells, it aroused fear and shattered the hearts of the enemies. Śrīla Prabhupāda and all the thousands of devotees, including the Karmīs who bought this book were delighted to see this spiritual picture which is the one of the chief attractions of the whole book. The horses in the Macmillan version look strong stout, and healthy,as they should be, considering that they were gifted by the fire god Agni to Arjuna by the blessings of Kṛṣṇa. This is mentioned in the Kṛṣṇa book in the Chapter titled “Five Queens married by Kṛṣṇa”..
Yet in your revised version picture, your horses look all so thin with very skinny legs, it is as if they have not had prasādam for a long time. They are half the size in bodily structure as opposed to the Original Macmillan horses. They really do not look celestial and gifted by a celestial demigod, Readers, please compare for yourselves. Yet you Jayādvaita, Draviḍa, & Company have removed this wonderful picture, and replaced it with yours. You have also replaced the original Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, with Kṛṣṇa now holding a whip instead of a conchshell. What was the need for this change, just so that you all could show to everyone in the world that you could do something different and new than what your spiritual master has done?
(4) why have you Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & Company, in the back cover of your revised version of Bhagavad Gītā put a commentary by Mohandas K Gandhi, so called praising the Bhagavad Gītā, when you very well know how much Śrīla Prabhupāda condemned Gandhi especially in relation to the Bhagavad gītā. Śrīla Prabhupāda comments that Gandhi was the greatest hypocrite, that on one hand while posing himself as a student of the Bhagavad gītā, he never even had any faith that Lord Krishna even existed. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes Gandhi as having no spiritual consciousness whatsoever. Gandhi also did not even care to stop the millions of cows being slaughtered daily, when he had an excellent chance to do so, thus he was directly defying Lord Krishna’s instructions on cow protection described in the 18th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā . Readers, please see the particular conversations below mentioned on folio about what Śrīla Prabhupāda said about Gandhi in relation to Bhagavad Gītā and cow killing:
(A) Room Conversation March 2 1975 Atlanta:
Prabhupāda: “No, no. No shortage. That is everything supply. You have got the Vedic knowledge. You don’t take care of that. You now manufacture your own knowledge. Now there is knowledge, this Bhagavad-gītā is perfect knowledge, but even a political leader like Gandhi, he says that I don’t believe that there was anybody like Kṛṣṇa living. This is your leader. All the ācāryas, previous ācāryas, big, big ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya, big, big, stalwart, learned, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa. Now Gandhi says, “I don’t believe.” Now you are guided by Gandhi, you are not guided by the ācāryas. That is your misfortune. You are not guided by Kṛṣṇa. You are guided by Dr. Radhakrishnan. That is the misfortune. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ [SB 7.5.31], one blind man is being, is following another blind man. That is going on. That is going on all over the world, not only in India.
Guest (2): I think Mahātmā Gandhi followed the Gītā, all these…
Prabhupāda: But he did not believe in Kṛṣṇa and he followed Gītā. Just see.
Guest (2): (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: No, just try to understand the psychology. He (Gandhi) says plainly that I do not believe there was anybody Kṛṣṇa, living ever. And he’s following Kṛṣṇa’s instruction. Just see his position.
Guest (2): No, he must have also answered this question.
Prabhupāda: No, no, there is no questioning. If you do not believe in somebody, how you are reading His book of knowledge?
Guest (2): That’s my point also.
Prabhupāda: Yes, so therefore. This kind of leader we are following, contradictory. That is our misfortune.
(B) March 10th 1972 Vṛndāvana: Prabhupāda:
“Useless speaking. In India also, so many fools, they are accepted as very perfect. Just like Gandhi, take Gandhi. Where was Gandhi? In spiritual consciousness, he is nothing. Nothing, no value. But if we say in the public, they will be angry, “Oh!” But actually there is no value, no spiritual value. He is known all over the world as a great spiritualist. He was a moralist, that’s all. That is not a qualification for understanding God”.
(C) March 5 1975 New York: Prabhupāda:
”Even Gandhi, such an exalted man, he says that “I have no belief. I do not believe that there was any person as Kṛṣṇa ever living.” Just see. All the big, big ācāryas of India who are practically controlling the destiny of the Hindu civilization or Vedic civilization, they all believe. Gandhi became more than them. Who made him, that is another thing. But he thinks like that, and because Gandhi thinks, just imagine how many millions of people have been misled”.
(D) January 23rd 1977 Bhuvaneśvara: Prabhupāda:
“Yes. No, anything, if you can understand very clearly, where is the question of interpretation? But it has become a fashion that “If I can interpret in my own way, I become a big scholar.” This is going on. If you have got your philosophy, you can speak. Everyone is free. Why you should take Bhagavad-gītā and distort it? Kṛṣṇa never meant that “In future Gandhi will come,” or “Dr. Radhakrishnan will come, and he will explain My ideas.” What is this nonsense? Kṛṣṇa was a foolish person that he left it for Gandhi for distortion? He could not explain Himself that Kurukṣetra means this body? Gandhi has to interpret? Do you think it is right?”
(E) Dec 16th 1975 Bombay: Prabhupāda:
“Karl Marx maybe. Even your Gandhi-ism, that is also concoction. Gandhi invented nonviolence; it is also concoction. It is impossible. Everyone is doing this—something manufacturing. That is not sanātana dharma. Sanātana dharma is never manufactured. It is already there. You have to accept it, that’s all. Otherwise everyone is manufacturing some conncoction. This is going on. Kṛṣṇa is teaching, “Fight.” And Gandhi is teaching from Bhagavad-gītā nonviolence. Just see ! Is it possible
(F) January 9th 1977 Bombay:
Prabhupāda: “The people approached him that “Mahatmaji, you have got influence over the Muslims, why not stop cow-killing?” “I cannot touch on their religious principles.” Just see. Cow-killing is religious? Their religious principle. If I say my father-killing, mother-killing is my religion, so Gandhi will say, “Yes, you can do that. Nonviolent.” Kill nonviolent. This nonsense contradiction can be tolerated by the fools and rascals. That’s all. That is…”
(5) Why have you Jayādvaita Swami, Draviḍa Prabhu & Company removed the words below the picture of Śrīla Prabhupāda in the Original Macmillan Bhagavad Gītā, namely “ greatest exponent of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the western world”. Is this also one of the many ‘stupid mistakes made by some raw editors at the time, namely Hayagrīva Prabhu, or some raw typist such as Bhakta Neal, and you have mercifully corrected it for all our spiritual welfare.? Even a person with half a brain can understand that you have done the greatest offence to your spiritual master by enviously removing these words “greatest exponent of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in the western world”.
Srila Prabhupada talks about Bhagavat saptaha or the 7-day recitation of SB which we know is not the process to be followed in this age. Just because Sukadev Goswami did it for Parksit maharaja, does not mean we do the exact same thing.
Actually, the SB clearly states within the text that nitya bhagavata sevaya-always chanting, 24 hours daily, then all the dirty things in the heart become washed away. Not just for 7 days which is the watered-down version.
When it was brought up Prabhupada’s reply was- no acarya has mentioned this 7-day recitation of SB. And yet we see in various “institutions” around us they encourage this Bhagavata saptaha affair because they know the sentimental Hindus will pay for it, but they keep the blind followers in the dark about the actual way to worship and serve Srimad Bhagavatam. This is misleading and once again proves to those who know and care, they are not fit to be spiritual leaders.
GopālaKṛṣṇa: This lady? That man there? He’s our accountant, Mr. Krishna. He lives with us full-time. He’s doing very good service.
Vāsughoṣa: About two months ago in Hyderabad they had a very big Bhāgavata-saptāha. One thousand and eight brāhmaṇas chanting Bhāgavatam for seven days, and it was presided over by a big Vaiṣṇavasannyāsī, Rāmānuja-sampradāya. And all the local Marwaris, they gave lakhs of rupees for prasādam and so many things.
Vāsughoṣa: No, they haven’t given anything to our temple, but for this, the same people, some of them, most of them refused even to become members. One man who refused me to become a member, he gave fifty thousand rupees for prasādam.
Acyutānanda: They are the “Hindus.” We are the foreigners.
Yaśomatīnandana: But they don’t go too long, because in Ahmedabad they have started one Gujarat, one Bhāgavata–hṛdaya–pīṭha.(?) Just outside Ahmedabad. And he had a plan to build a whole huge temple and dharmaśālās and schools, gurukulas. That Krishna Shankara Shastri, that poor fellow, he started something, and now he has scarcity, he cannot find funds to finish his project. So, the project is lying idle for almost two years. They collected sixty, seventy lakhs initially, but then…
Srila Prabhupāda:Sixty seventy lakhs? And he squandered it?
Yaśomatīnandana: No. He has got land and he has got some buildings, but now he has no funds to go further. And there also no local people give. All he collected in London and Africa from the Gujaratis. [break] …in becoming trustees and managing the things, but they will not give any money.
Srila Prabhupāda: So, bring some sitting place.
Vāsughoṣa: Every brāhmaṇa got 116 rupees, and they brought him a cādara and they paid for prasāda. Lakhs of people came from all over central India, Andhra Pradesh, thousands and thousands. They paid for prasādam. Whole pandal, huge pandal, they went to this exhibition ground. They gave, the rest of the money went to the Rāmānuja Swami.
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. From tulasī. It was made in Honolulu. In Honolulu tulasī plants are very luxurious. Hyderabad local people, they are not sympathetic with our temple? Huh? Not sympathetic?
Acyutānanda: But when their casteguru comes they may come out, because that’s a big thing. Narayana Jeer, Rāmānuja-sampradāya, so Rāmānujas have to pay their respects to their own ācārya. The temple is being built. And the location of Hyderabad is such that there are so many guesthouses, because it’s near the station, Nampally Station. There are many guesthouses. So, from all over India people who stop in Hyderabad, they come to the temple. So, from all over Andhra we got invitations from people who had come to the temple. (plane going over)
Acyutānanda: Annapurna Hotel, so many guesthouses.
Srila Prabhupāda: They visit our temple?
Vāsughoṣa: All those brāhmaṇas that came for the yajna, and everybody, after the yajna ended at about six-thirty, they immediately came to the temple, our temple, afterwards. Everybody knew. We distributed thousands of books there. It was very good book distribution. We sold in one day, you know, we were selling two thousand rupees a day worth of books. Everybody that came there was very pious.
Srila Prabhupāda:We took advantage.
Vāsughoṣa: Oh, yes.
Srila Prabhupāda: Unless one is pious how he can…
Vāsughoṣa: Yes, we went there every day, and we had all day book distribution and kīrtana. Actually, some of the Marwaris were good friends of ours, so we wanted to get…, they announced that we were there, and we were selling books over the loudspeaker system. Very good. They gave us…, we had a good place for book distribution.
GopālaKṛṣṇa: In Bombay also Shrimati Morarji had a big program in her house recently. There were huge crowds, and our devotees went there to distribute books afterwards.
Yaśomatīnandana: They didn’t like it, though. Ghaja, Ghaja came, from Śrī Nāthajī, has come to her house.
Srila Prabhupāda: What is the idea, Ghaja(?) Due to her influence people came. Not for the Ghaja(?). She is influential and something is being done, everyone knows that.
Acyutānanda: In Bangalore we went to another Rāmānuja sannyāsī’s āśrama, and he invited us to see an initiation, and they burned the śaṅkha–cakra on the shoulders, by fire, branded. That means they’re initiated. August 14, 1976 – Bombay conversations
