Letter
PAMHO:2113757 (47 lines)
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 22-Feb-99 06:26
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: Obeisances
------------------------------------------------------------
To
begin this conference, I first offer my humble and respectful obeisances to my
beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
founder-acarya of ISKCON and author of "Bhagavad-gita As It Is."
I next
offer my respectful obeisances to all the previous acaryas in the disciplic
succession through which this book has been received.
I offer
my respectful obeisances to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who composed and published
a rendering of Bhagavad-gita into Bengali that Srila Prabhupada surely
consulted.
I offer
my respectful obeisances unto Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, the author of the
"Gita Bhusana" commentary. It is to him that Srila Prabhupada
dedicates "Bhagavad-gita As It Is," and Srila Prabhupada mentions his
comments several times in the text.
I offer
my respectful obeisances to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, author of the
"Sarartha Varsani" Gita commentary. Srila Prabhupada has told us that
a comment, in this book, about following the orders of the spiritual master
guided Srila Prabhupada in his own life.
Next I
offer my respects to the original editors of "Bhagavad-gita As It
Is." As I have written elsewhere, "the editors of the first edition
are to be praised. They did a fine job of making a tough manuscript ready to
print."
My
respectful obeisances, also, to all the devotees involved in publishing and
distributing "Bhagavad-gita As It Is" in many different languages of
the world.
I offer
my respectful obeisances to all who read and study "Bhagavad-gita As It
Is." As stated in Bhagavad-gita itself, they worship Lord Krsna by their
intelligence.
And
finally I offer my obeisances to the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the original speaker of Bhagavad-gita.
By the
grace of Lord Sri Krsna and His devotees, may we all gain a deeper and clearer
understanding of "Bhagavad-gita As It Is."
Hare
Krsna.
Jayadvaita
Swami
(Text
PAMHO:2113757) ---------------------------------------
Text
PAMHO:2114976 (62 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 22-Feb-99 19:33
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: The format for texts in this conference
------------------------------------------------------------
Generally,
the texts in this conference will follow the following format:
1ST:
[Text from the First Edition (1972), originally
published
by the Macmillan Company.]
2ND:
[The corresponding text from the Second Edition.]
MS:
[The text from the original manuscripts.]
COMMENTS:
My comments.
A few
words of explanation:
"Original
manuscripts" means different things, according to different Gita chapters.
For the first five or six chapters, it refers to original manuscripts
apparently typed by Srila Prabhupada himself. For the middle six chapters, it
refers to the original transcriptions of his tapes. And for the last chapters
it refers to the old retyped manuscripts from which the 1972 Macmillan edition
was produced. In all cases, "original manuscripts" means the oldest
and most reliable manuscripts in the BBT files.
The
"retyped manuscripts" for the last six chapters were copied from
original transcriptions on which much editing had already been done. The typist
followed the edited version, adding what the editor had added and deleting what
he had deleted. Sometime before 1972, the original transcriptions themselves
were apparently lost. (This loss is why the revisions in the last six chapters
of the Second Edition are particularly light.)
The
text of the manuscripts for all eighteen chapters has been converted into
digital form, and for convenience while traveling I am relying on the digital
version. If this results in any significant errors that later come to my
attention, I shall report them.
Thank
you. Hare Krsna.
============================================================
SUBSCRIPTION
AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
This is
an "information-only" conference, not a discussion conference. The
only person who can post texts to it is me. (Queries and comments may be sent
to me privately.)
The
conference is public. If you are a member of COM, the BBT e-mail system, you
can join or leave it on your own--no need to send a request to the Sysop or to
me. E-mail users who are not on COM can join or leave the conference by sending
me a request at <jayadvaita.swami@com.bbt.se>.
The
First and Second Editions of "Bhagavad-gita As It Is" are © 1972,
1983 by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. The contents of this message, and of the
conference as a whole, are © 1999 by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. All rights
reserved.
Hare
Krsna.
(Text
PAMHO:2114976) ---------------------------------------
New
Text 4883 (31 lines)
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 24-Feb-99 10:42
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: Announcement of the conference
------------------------------------------------------------
Gita
Revisions Explained
In this
conference, I shall present and discuss some of the more interesting,
instructive, and controversial revisions made for the Second Edition of
"Bhagavad-gita As It Is."
Unlike
comparisons published elsewhere, these discussions will include comparisons to
the original unpublished manuscripts. (You can expect to see, as in Krsna's
universal form, "many wonderful things which no one has ever seen or heard
of before.")
I shall
usually publish examples one at a time, one example per message. The messages
will appear as often as I have the time and inspiration to write them. In any
case, there won't be more than one a day.
This is
an "information-only" conference, not a discussion conference. The
only person who can post texts to it is me. (Queries and comments may be sent
to me privately.)
The
conference is public. If you are a member of COM, you can join it on your
own--no need to send a request to the Sysop or to me. E-mail users who are not
on COM can join the conference by sending me a request at <jayadvaita.swami@com.bbt.se>.
Hare
Krsna.
Your
servant,
Jayadvaita
Swami
(Text
4883) ------------------------------------------------
Text
PAMHO:2120226 (72 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 24-Feb-99 11:02
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 10.31, purport: Lord Rama, "of the
Ramayana"
------------------------------------------------------------
Bhagavad-gita
10.31
pavanah
pavatam asmi
ramah
sastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam
makaras casmi
srotasam
asmi jahnavi
TRANSLATION:
Of purifiers I am the wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I
am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges.
PURPORT:
1ST
EDITION: Of all the aquatics the
shark is one of the biggest and is certainly the most dangerous to man. Thus
the shark represents Krsna. Lord Ramacandra, of the Ramayana, an incarnation of
Krsna, is the mightiest of warriors.
2ND
EDITION: Of all the aquatics the
shark is one of the biggest and is certainly the most dangerous to man. Thus
the shark represents Krsna. [end of purport.]
MANUSCRIPT:
Of all the acquatics especially fish
the shark-fish is the biggest amongst them and some of the shark-fish are
dangerous to humankind also, but the shark-fish is amongst the fish. [end of
purport.]
COMMENT:
The
shark may be a dangerous fish, but the locution "of the Ramayana" at
once alerted me that something else fishy was going on. Is Lord Ramacandra a
character from a book, like Alice "of Alice in Wonderland"? Sure
enough, in the original manuscript the text about Lord Ramacandra doesn't
appear; it seems to have been added by the editor.
For
certain, the editor of the First Edition was trying to be helpful. But
sometimes we are better off without help. The word "rama" may of
course refer to Lord Ramacandra--or to Balarama, or even to Krsna Himself.
Nonetheless, our sampradaya acaryas comment here that "rama" refers
to--whom? Lord Parasurama.
Hare
Krsna.
(Text
PAMHO:2120226) ---------------------------------------
New
Text 4895 (81 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 26-Feb-99 11:52
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 4.34, purport: "Nor by independent
study of books. . . "
------------------------------------------------------------
4.34,
purport (right after the Sanskrit quotation "dharmam tu saksad
bhagavat-pranitam):
FIRST
EDITION: Therefore, mental speculation
or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual
master to receive the knowledge.
SECOND
EDITION: Therefore, mental speculation
or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent
study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life. One has to
approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge.
MANUSCRIPT: Therefore mental speculation or dry
arguments cannot lead one to the right path.Neither by self study of the book of knowledge can help
one progress in spiritual life.One has to approach therefore a bonafide
spiritual master for receiving the knowledge.
COMMENT:
According to a message I received not long ago from a correspondent in
Bangalore, some devotees there were pointing to this revision as evidence that
"Bhagavad-gita As It Is" is not really "as it is." The critics
pointed out that the original 1972 edition did not contain the sentence about
the inability to progress by independent study of books. The sentence had been
added by the GBC (so the critics charged) to support a guru system never
desired by Srila Prabhupada.
I take
such criticism as a sign that restoring this sentence from Srila Prabhupada's
manuscript was worth doing.
By the
way: How did the missing portion go missing? Here's a guess. Suppose the
original editor did the text this way: "Therefore, mental speculation or
dry arguments cannot HELP lead one to the right path. Nor can independent study
of books of knowledge HELP one progress in spiritual life." [capitals
supplied] If you jump from the first HELP to the second, leaving out everything
between--a very common sort of typist's error--you get precisely what was
published in the First Edition.
The
First Edition was typeset on a now-extinct "IBM Composer" on which
each typeset line had to be typed twice, making this sort of error even more
likely. When you notice that in the
First Edition the word HELP comes at the end of a line, you can figure that
you've pretty well solved the case: The typesetting person left out one
complete line. The Second Edition restores it.
This
fix illustrates the sort of work done for the Second Edition of
"Bhagavad-gita As It Is." And the response to it illustrates how an
over-suspicious mind and a hyperactive imagination can turn a typist's error
into an international conspiracy.
Hare
Krsna.
New
Text 4913 (84 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 27-Feb-99 15:47
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 1.32-35:
"Kill or be killed"? / "creature comforts" / missing line
------------------------------------------------------------
1.32-35,
translation:
"O
Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself when
all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this battlefield? O
Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles,
fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives are ready to
give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why should I
wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O maintainer of
all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for
the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from
killing the sons of Dhrtarastra?"
1ST
EDITION: Why should I wish to kill them, though I may survive?
2ND
EDITION: Why should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill
me?
MANUSCRIPT:
why shall I wish to kill them even though I may be killed by them.
COMMENT:
The old version means roughly the opposite of what Srila Prabhupada (and Lord
Krsna) said.
1ST EDITION:
O maintainer of all creatures, . . .
2ND
EDITION: O maintainer of all living entities, . . .
MANUSCRIPT:
Oh the maintainer of all living entities, . . .
1ST
EDITION: [nothing]
2ND
EDITION: What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhrtarastra?
MANUSCRIPT:
[nothing]
COMMENT:
A line of Sanskrit has been left untranslated:
nihatya
dhartarastra nah
ka
pritih syaj janardana
It's
there in the Sanskrit and in Srila Prabhupada's word for word. The omission
clearly appears unintended. (And it's the sort of omission that scholars and
professors notice.) Supplying such missing lines was routine work for the BBT
Sanskrit editors on all of Srila Prabhupada's later books, a standard set by
Pradyumna Dasa and appreciated by Srila Prabhupada. Here the supplied
translation derives directly from Srila Prabhupada's word-for-word meanings.
Hare
Krsna.
New
Text 4948 (57 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 28-Feb-99 13:07
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 5.16, purport: Krsna consciousness drives
away nescience
------------------------------------------------------------
5.16,
purport:
1ST
EDITION: Therefore, one has to seek out such a bona fide spiritual master and,
under him, learn what Krsna consciousness is. The spiritual master can drive
away all nescience, as the sun drives away darkness.
2ND
EDITION: . . . learn what Krsna consciousness is, for Krsna consciousness will
certainly drive away all nescience, [etc.]
MANUSCRIPT:
Therefore, one has to find out such bona fide spiritual master who is perfect Krsna consciousness and, has to
learn under such benafide spiritual master what is Krsna consciousness. Such
Krsna consciousness will certainly drive away all kinds o nescience, as the Sun
drives away all kinds o darkness.
COMMENT:
What we
find in the First Edition is philosophically all right. What we find in the
Second Edition is what Srila Prabhupada said.
This
revision is hardly worth mentioning. I bring it up only because some critics
have cited it, seemingly as evidence that the Second Edition whittles away the
importance of the spiritual master. As you can see, what the Second Edition
actually does here is restores Srila Prabhupada's words.
Hare
Krsna.
New
Text 4966 (77 lines) [W0]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 03-Mar-99 02:20
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 9.26: "A leaf, a flower. . . "
First paragraph of purport restored
------------------------------------------------------------
9.26:
patram
puspam phalam to yam
yo me
bhakt ya prayacchati
tad
aham bhakt y-upahrtam
asnami
prayatatmanah
If one
offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will
accept it.
Purport
(first paragraph):
1ST
EDITION: [nothing--the purport skips this paragraph]
2ND
EDITION:
For the
intelligent person, it is essential to be in Krsna consciousness, engaged in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord, in order to achieve a permanent,
blissful abode for eternal happiness. The process of achieving such a marvelous
result is very easy and can be attempted even by the poorest of the poor,
without any kind of qualification. The only qualification required in this
connection is to be a pure devotee of the Lord. It does not matter what one is
or where one is situated. The process is so easy that even a leaf or a little
water or fruit can be offered to the Supreme Lord in genuine love and the Lord
will be pleased to accept it. No one, therefore, can be barred from Krsna
consciousness, because it is so easy and universal. Who is such a fool that he
does not want to be Krsna conscious by this simple method and thus attain the
highest perfectional life of eternity, bliss and knowledge? Krsna wants only
loving service and nothing more. Krsna accepts even a little flower from His
pure devotee. He does not want any kind of offering from a nondevotee. He is
not in need of anything from anyone, because He is self-sufficient, and yet He
accepts the offering of His devotee in an exchange of love and affection. To
develop Krsna consciousness is the highest perfection of life. Bhakti is
mentioned twice in this verse in order to declare more emphatically that
bhakti, or devotional service, is the only means to approach Krsna. No other
condition, such as becoming a brahmana. a learned scholar, a very rich man or a
great philosopher, can induce Krsna to accept some offering. Without the basic
principle of bhakti, nothing can induce the Lord to agree to accept anything
from anyone. Bhakti is never causal. The process is eternal. It is direct
action in service to the absolute whole.
COMMENT:
I retrieved this missing paragraph from the 1968 Macmillan *abridged* edition.
Hare
Krsna.
New
Text 4968 (83 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 04-Mar-99 14:50
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 10:26: "Holy fig tree!"
------------------------------------------------------------
10.26.
asvathah
sarva-vrksanam: "Of all trees I am the banyan tree."
WORD-FOR-WORD:
1ST AND
2ND EDITIONS: asvattha--the banyan tree; sarva-vrksanam--of all trees;
MANUSCRIPT:
Asvatthah--the beginning trees, Sarvavrksanam--of all trees;
TRANSLATION:
1ST
EDITION: Of all trees I am the holy fig tree. . .
2ND
EDITION: Of all trees I am the banyan tree. . .
MANUSCRIPT: I am the beginning tree amongst all the
trees;
PURPORT:
1ST
EDITION: The fig tree (asvattha) is one of the most beautiful and highest
trees, and people in India often worship it as one of their daily morning
rituals.
2ND
EDITION: The banyan tree (asvattha) is one of the highest and most beautiful trees,
[etc.]
MANUSCRIPT:
Brilliant tree is the most beautiful and the highest tree, therefore brilliant
tree is the presentation of Krishna. In India people in general worship Indian
tree as one of the daily morning rituals.
COMMENT:
Botanists classify the banyan tree as a species of fig. People in India,
however, do not worship fig trees in general; they worship the banyan.
Though
the banyan is "the holy fig tree" and tulasi is "the holy
basil," people worship the banyan tree and the tulasi plant, not figs and
basils.
Clearly,
"beginning tree," "brilliant tree," and "Indian
tree" are all mis-transcriptions of "banyan tree."
See
also Bhagavad-gita 15.1, which speaks of a banyan (not fig) tree with its roots
up and branches down.
More
about 10.26 in our next message.
Hare
Krsna.
Text
PAMHO:2139838 (84 lines) [W0]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 06-Mar-99 16:49
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 10.26 (continued): "The perpetually
living entities"
------------------------------------------------------------
10.26:
asvatthah
sarva-vrksanam
devarsinam
ca naradah
gandharvanam
citrarathah
siddhanam
kapilo munih
Of all
trees I am the banyan tree, and of the sages among the demigods I am Narada. Of
the Gandharvas I am Citraratha, and among perfected beings I am the sage
Kapila.
10.26,
translation:
1ST
EDITION: . . . and amongst sages and demigods I am Narada.
2ND
EDITION: . . . and of the sages among the demigods I am Narada.
MANUSCRIPT:
I am Narada amongst all the sages of demigods,
COMMENT:
No big deal here, but "sage among the demigods" was Srila
Prabhupada's standard translation.
10.26,
purport:
1ST
EDITION: Amongst the perpetually
living entities, Kapila is considered an incarnation of Krsna, and His
philosophy is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam.
2ND
EDITION: Amongst the perfect living
entities, Kapila, the son of Devahuti, is a representative of Krsna. He is considered
an incarnation of Krsna, [etc.]
MANUSCRIPT:
Amongst the perpetually living entities, Kapila, the son of Katumuni is the
presentation of Krishna. Katumuni is considered incarnation of Krishna. And his
philosophy is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagwatam.
COMMENT:
"Perpetually living entities"? *All* living entities are perpetually
living. The Gita text here is siddhanam kapilo munih: "Among the perfect
[Srila Prabhupada would usually say "perfected"] living entities I am
Kapila." So "perpetually living entities" is clearly a
mis-hearing.
Looking
at the manuscript again: the Second Edition should certainly have said
"son of Kardama Muni" rather than "son of Devahuti." (I
don't know how I missed that.) But either name--that of His mother or His
father--serves Srila Prabhupada's purpose of distinguishing the genuine Lord
Kapiladeva from the atheist. In the First Edition, neither parent is mentioned.
Hare
Krsna.
Text
PAMHO:2141159 (46 lines) [W0]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 07-Mar-99 06:33
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Comment: Text PAMHO:2141294 by Madhava (das) BRS
(Chowpatty, Bombay - IN)
Subject: 1.11, purport: "forced to strip"?
------------------------------------------------------------
1.11,
purport:
1ST
EDITION: being forced to strip naked
2ND
EDITION: being forced to appear naked
MANUSCRIPT:
being forced to become naked
COMMENT:
Draupadi was not forced to strip.
I
suppose I could have edited this further--"while the attempt was being
made to force her to appear naked"--but I didn't. I'm not sure, now,
whether I was being conservative or just lazy. Anyway, I chose to do the
minimum: get rid of "strip."
Hare
Krsna.
New
Text 4998 (55 lines) [W0]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 07-Mar-99 11:29
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 7.4: Altogether the wrong word
------------------------------------------------------------
7.4:
bhumir
apo 'nalo vayuh
kham
mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara
itiyam me
bhinna
prakrtir astadha
Earth,
water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all together these
eight constitute My separated material energies.
7.4,
translation:
1ST
EDITION: . . . altogether these eight. . .
2ND
EDITION: . . . all together these eight. . .
COMMENT:
A matter of English. The word "altogether" is altogether the wrong
word. "The Random House Dictionary" explains: "The forms
ALTOGETHER and ALL TOGETHER, though often indistinguishable in speech, are
distinct in meaning. The adverb ALTOGETHER means 'wholly, entirely,
completely': an altogether confused report. The phrase ALL TOGETHER means 'in a
group': The children were all together in the kitchen." ALL the eight
elements TOGETHER constitute the Lord's material energies.
Hare
Krsna.
Text
PAMHO:2189368 (65 lines) [W1]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 16-Mar-99 13:04
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Cc: Varnasrama development
Bcc: krishna@all.com.au
Comment: Text PAMHO:2190468 by WWW: Janesvara (Dasa)
ACBSP (Syracuse - USA) <jdf1@stsi.net>
Comment: Text PAMHO:2199781 by Sucharya (dd) ACBSP
(IC North Carolina - USA)
Subject: 2.31, purport: "Editing
varnasrama-dharma out of the books?"
------------------------------------------------------------
2.31,
purport (last sentence):
[NOTE:
I have capitalized the relevant portions, to make them stand out.]
1ST
EDITION: Discharging one's specific duty in any field of action in accordance
with VARNASRAMA-DHARMA serves to elevate one to a higher status of life.
2ND
EDITION: Discharging one's specific duty in any field of action in accordance
with THE ORDERS OF HIGHER AUTHORITIES serves to elevate one to a higher status
of life.
MANUSCRIPT:
To discharge one's specific duty in any field of action and AS ORDERED BY
HIGHER AUTHORITY is the opportunity for being elevated in higher status of
life.
COMMENT:
This revision seems to have become a topic in the "Varnasrama
Development" conference on COM, under the subject heading "Editing
varnasrama-dharma out of the books?" As you can see, the answer is
"No. Restoring what Srila Prabhupada said."
By the
way, I could have further edited the sentence from the First Edition to bring
it still closer to Srila Prabhupada's words. But my goal was to keep the
sentence from the First Edition nearly intact and yet still restore Srila
Prabhupada's point. I believe the revision does that.
Hare
Krsna.
PS for
members of the "Varnasrama Development" conference:
"MANUSCRIPT" refers to the original manuscript of "Bhagavad-gita
As It Is," which for this chapter was apparently typed by Srila Prabhupada
himself.
Text
PAMHO:2191802 (120 lines) [W0]
From: Jayadvaita Swami
Date: 28-Mar-99 05:09
To: Gita Revisions Explained
Subject: 4.34: Surrendering to the spiritual master
------------------------------------------------------------
4.34
tad
viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena
sevaya
upadeksyanti
te jnanam
jnaninas
tatt va-darsinah
tat—that
knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi—try to understand; pranipatena—by
approaching a spiritual master; pariprasnena—by submissive inquiries; sevaya—by
the rendering of service; upadeksyanti—they will initiate; te—you; jnanam—into
knowledge; jnaninah—the self-realized; tattva—of the truth; darsinah—seers.
BOTH
EDITIONS: Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master.
Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him.
1ST
EDITION: . . . The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he
has seen the truth.
2ND
EDITION: . . . The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because
they have seen the truth.
MANUSCRIPT:
Just try to know the truth of all these by approacing self realised spiritual
master with all submission, enquiries and rendering service unto Him. Such
learned self realised spiritual master initiates knowledge unto you because
they have seen the truth.