Teachings of Lord Chaitanya
| Author: Srimad Bhagavatam Das | |
Source: http://adi-vani.org/articles.php?articleId=126
1968 - 72 Comparison to Present Edition
Teachings of Lord Chaitanya
1968 - 72 Comparison to Present Edition
Founder - Acarya of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
· All
Glories To Srila Prabhupada, the 1968, 72 Editions of TLC are the same.
After that (1974) many changes took place. Srila Prabhupada didn’t
really like those changes and wanted that the original TLC be printed
again. That didn’t happen and now we have over 1,108 or the whole TLC
was re-written.
· Starting in 1969 Srila Prabhupada just wanted diacritic marks and Sanskrit added not that the books be completely changed.
· First of all I would like to mention that I’m
comparing the 1968 TLC Edition with the 1984 Edition, British. The
Revised Teachings of Lord Chaitanya are all the same, just different
page numbers.
· Practically the whole TLC was re-written. All
the changes are small ones. The problem is that there are so many of
them and that they are not at all beneficial. I could have the article
1,108 changes. I just entered some of the points that were changed.
· First the Acknowledgements (Srila Prabhupada personally thanking some of the first devotees) were taken out.
· Chapter titles were put in a different order. BUT WHY? Even these two changes I don’t consider a big deal.
Original
(The Order for the Chapter titles is different)
Chapter 18 The Conversation with Prakasananda
Chapter 19 The Goal of Vedanta Study
Chapter 20 The Mayavadi Philosophers are Converted
Chapter 21 Further Talks with Prakasananda
Chapter 28 Relationship with the Supreme
Chapter 29 The Transcendental Pastimes of Radha and Krishna
Chapter 30 Pure Love for Krishna
Chapter 31 The Supreme Perfection
Revised
Chapter 18 The Conversation with Prakasananda
Chapter 19 Further Talks with Prakasananda
(The Goal of Vedanta Study – same chapter as 19 in the
Original but has a different Chapter Name) Actually Chapter 19 doesn’t
have very many changes in it just unnecessarily edited.
Chapter 20 The Goal of Vedanta Study
The Name of this chapter is really The Mayavadi
Philosophers are Converted. Not much change. 4 paragraphs of the next
chapter were merged into the last part of Chapter 20.
Chapter 21 The Mayavadi Philosophers are Converted
Chapter 28 Relationship with the Supreme
Chapter 29 Pure Love for Krishna
Chapter 30 The Transcendental Pastimes of Radha and Krishna
Chapter 31 The Supreme Perfection
Lord Caytania’s Mission
Original
exacting and consistent-due to the unbreakable system of disciplic succession-of any religious culture in the world.
Revised
exacting and consistent-due to the system of disciplic succession.
Original
Yet Lord Chaitanya, in His youth widely renowned as a scholar, Himself left us only eight verses, called Sikshastaka, in
which His mission and precepts are revealed. Here, rendered by A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami, are these eight supremely valuable prayers:
Revised
Although Lord Caitanya, was widely renowned as a scholar in His youth, He left us only eight verses, called Sikshastaka. These suprememly valuable prayers are translated herein.
Original
3.
One can chant the Holy Name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than
the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all
respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the Holy Name
of the Lord constantly
Revised
3.
One should chant the Holy Name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant
than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to
offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the
Holy Name of the Lord constantly
· The word should comes from the word shame as in shame on you. Too much prosecution in ISKCON already.
Original
6.
O my Lord! when shall my eyes be
decorated with tears of love, flowing constantly while I chant Your
Holy Name? When will my words be choked up when uttering the Holy Name?
And when will all the holes of hair on my body have eruptions by the recitation of Your Name?
Revised
6.
O my Lord! when shall my eyes be
decorated with tears of love, flowing constantly while I chant Your
Holy Name? When will my voice choked, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your Name?
Beginning of Introduction
· Next, The nice story about flying from San Francisco to New York and being above the clouds seeing the sun was taken out.
(pg.2 Original—pg 2 1984 Version) There is a nice
example of this: When I was flying from San Francisco, the plane was
above the cloudy ocean. Above the cloud was the sun; and though we came
down through the cloud and everything in New York was dim, still, above
the cloud, the sun was shining. A cloud cannot cover the whole world;
it can't even cover the whole United States, which is not more than a
speck in the universe. From the sky the skyscrapers are very tiny, just
as from God's position all this nonsense becomes insignificant. I, the
living entity, am very insignificant, and my tendency is to come down;
but God hasn't got this tendency. The Supreme Lord doesn't come down to
Maya, any more than the sun comes under the cloud. But we have the
tendency to be controlled by Maya. Māyāvadī, impersonalist
philosophers, say that because we are under the control of Maya in this
world, when God comes, He is also put under the control of Maya. This
is the fallacy of their philosophy.
Original (pg. 3)
He was a Brahmin, and not rich-but He took sannyasa, the renounced order, and didn't care for the Maya of wife and mother.
Revised (pg. 3)
Although He was a brahmana and was not rich, He took sannyasa, the renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family entanglement
-
I kind of see the whole spectrum, this is a politically correct move so that a sannyasa wouldn't look so bad after getting caught breaking the 4 regs.
· This next part is an example of how
everything is re-written. I still feel that the best way to see the
changes for yourself is to just compare the revised TLC and the
original TLC books. Take any two page and compare them. This part
about Junior Haridas (a sannyasa) was shortened quite a bit.
Original (pg. 3 )
Junior Haridas, who was important for being a good Kirtan singer,
glanced lustfully at a young woman, and he was at once rejected by Lord
Chaitanya: "You are living with Me in the renounced order, and yet
looking at a woman with lust." This Junior Haridas later committed
suicide in despair over his separation from Chaitanya. Other devotees
had approached Chaitanya and asked Him to forgive Junior Haridas, but
Chaitanya replied, "You all go live with him and forgive him. I'll stay
alone." And when the news of Junior Haridas' suicide reached Him, Lord
Chaitanya, Who was aware of everything that was happening, said, "Very
good, that is very good." A householder devotee of His pleased
Chaitanya, and Chaitanya, on learning of the devotee's wife being
pregnant, asked that the baby be given a certain auspicious name. So He
approved of householders, having sex in a regulated way; but He was
strict-like a thunderbolt-with those of the renounced order who cheated
by the method known as "drinking water underwater while taking a bath
on a fast day."
Revised (pg. 4)
He was very strict with those in the renounced
order, and He even banished junior Haridasa for glancing lustfully at a
young woman. The point is that one must take up a particular path and
stick to it, obeying all the rules and regulations necessary for
success in spiritual life. It was Lord Caitanya's mission that He teach
the path of Krsna consciousness to all men and thereby enable them to
partake of the immortality of spiritual life.
Original (pg. 12)
If you want to know that which is inconceivable, you
must accept the disciple succession. Because the knowledge is coming
down from the Supreme, down, down, down-it is perfect. Suppose a
hundred generations before, there was something confidential that your
forefather told his son, which has finally been passed down to you.
Although you are not in touch with the direct personality, yet because
it is coming through disciplic succession, the same truth is expressed.
Revised (pg. 16)
for that is the system. In this way the Lord sets
the example for men. We should not think, however, that the Lord takes
a spiritual master because He is in want of knowledge. He is simply
stressing the importance of accepting the disciplic succession. The
knowledge of that disciplic succession actually comes from the Lord
Himself, and if the knowledge descends unbroken, it is perfect.
Although we may not be in touch with the original personality who first
imparted the knowledge, we may receive the same knowledge through this
process of transmission.
· Next why was this part taken out?
· Is this something that has to do with women's lib?
Original (pg. 7)
In the Hindu Scripture, the chastity of woman is
very much recommended. Why? Because if a woman becomes much addicted in
love of her husband, at the time of death she will remember him, and in
the next life she is promoted to a man's body. Man's life is better
than woman's, because a man has better facility for understanding
spiritual science.
But Krishna Consciousness is so nice that it makes no distinction between man and woman. In the Bhagavad-gītā you
will find: "If somebody, even if he is born in a low family, even a
woman or a sudra or a vaishya, anyone who takes shelter of Me is sure
to achieve My association." That is guaranteed. And Krishna says that
if these people can achieve the highest perfection of life, then why
not the real brāhmanas, devotees, and saintly kings? They are sure to achieve the highest perfection.
Chapter One
Teachings to Rupa Goswami
Original (pg. 22)
"My dear Rupa, please get up. The Lord informed Rupa Goswami about the causeless mercy of Krishna on him, because Krishna had delivered him from the materialistic way of life, which is based simply on pound-shilling-pence.
Revised (pg. 23)
and asked him to get up. The Lord then informed Rupa Goswami about the causeless mercy of Krishna upon him, for Krishna had just delivered him from a materialistic way of life, based simply on pound-shilling-pence.
Original (pg. 23)
Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructed Rupa Goswami continually for ten days, and He began His teaching as follows:
Revised (pg. 25)
When Lord Caitanya began His instructions to Rupa Gosvami, He first told him
Original (pg. 26)
Of being engaged in devotional service,
Revised (pg. 28)
Living entity’s constitutional position as a servant of Lord Krsna.
Original (pg. 26)
When the plant of devotional service grows, some animal may come and eat the whole thing or destroy the plant, just like the animal also destroys an ordinary plant. And when some animal takes the green leaves of the plant away, the plant generally dries up. So one has to take precaution about the plant of devotional service not being disturbed by other animals. An animal is used to refer to offenses unto the pure devotee of the Lord, which is called Vaishnava Aparadha. This offense unto the pure devotee is compared to a mad elephant:
Revised (pg. 29)
After the plant has grown some bit, an animal may come and either eat or destroy it.
When green leaves of a plant are taken by some animal, the plant
generally dies. The most dangerous animal is considered a mad elephant,
for if a mad elephant enters into a garden, it causes tremendous damage
to plants and trees. An offense to a pure devotee of the Lord is called
vaisnava aparadha, the mad elephant offense.
Original (pg. 27)
As a mad elephant, if it enters into the garden,
causes tremendous loss to the plants and trees, so in the devotional
discharge, if there is any offense unto the feet of the pure devotee, it creates havoc in the matter of advancing in devotional service. Therefore, one has to defend the plant by fencing it properly; one has to take care, while discharging devotional service, not to commit any offense to the pure devotees. If one is cautious in the matter of not committing offenses unto the pure devotees, then the plant of devotional service is properly protected.
Revised (pg. 29)
In the discharge of devotional service, an offense to the feet of a pure devotee can create havoc. Thus one has to defend the plant of bhakti by tending it properly and taking care not to commit offenses. If one is cautious, the plant can properly thrive.
Original (pg. 27)
Offenses are of ten kinds, and they are also known as offenses unto the Holy Name The first offense is to blaspheme great devotees who have tried to spread the Glories of the Holy Name all over the world. If one is unnecessarily envious of a devotee who is trying to spread the Holy Name all over the world, in execution of the order of his Spiritual Master, such a rascal is the greatest offender at the feet of the Holy Name. The
Holy Name of Krishna is non-different from Krishna, and Lord Krishna
cannot tolerate such offenses as to decry a pure devotee who is
spreading His Holy Name all over the world. The second offense is to
deny that Lord Vishnu is the Absolute Truth; There Is no difference
between His name, quality, form, pastimes, and activities; but one who
sees a difference in these different functions of the Supreme Lord is also an offender. In the same way, the Lord being supreme, nobody is equal to or greater than the Supreme Lord. Therefore, if anybody thinks that the Lord or His name is equal to the personality of some demigod, he is also an offender. Such
a conception of equality between the Supreme Lord and the demigods is
not very congenial to the performance of devotional service
Revised (pg. 29)
There are ten principal offenses which can be committed against the holy name. The first is to blaspheme the great devotees who have tried to spread the glories of the holy name throughout
the world. The holy name of Krsna is nondifferent from Krsna, and one
who attempts to spread the holy names throughout the world is beloved of Him. Krsna Himself does not tolerate offenses against His pure devotees.
The second offense is to deny that Lord Visnu is the Absolute Truth.
There is no difference between His name, quality, form, pastimes and
activities, and one who sees a difference is considered an offender. The Lord is Supreme, and no one is equal to or greater than Him. Consequently if one thinks that the Lord's names are nondifferent from the names of demigods, he offends. The Supreme Lord and the demigods should never be considered on the same level.
Original (pg. 28)
The third offense is to consider the bona fide
Spiritual Master as one of the common men. The fourth offense is to
blaspheme Vedic literature and the corollaries of Vedic literature, the Puranas.
The third offense is to consider the bona fide
spiritual master to be a common man. The fourth offense is to blaspheme
Vedic literature and authorized scriptures like the Puranas.
· Authorized scriptures like the Puranas?
· The Vedac literature remained the same for millions of years it never did change. Srila Prabhupada didn’t change the Puranas.
· What’s the idea of using like the Puranas.
· It is the Puranas, not its like Puranas.
Original (pg. 28)
The fifth offense is to consider the Glories of the Holy Name as an exaggeration.
Revised (pg. 29)
The fifth offense is to consider the glories attributed to the holy names to be exaggerations.
Original (pg. 28)
The sixth offense is to imagine a perverted meaning of the Holy Name.
Revised (pg. 30)
The sixth offense is to concoct perverted theories about the holy name.
Original (pg. 28)
The seventh offense is to commit
sinful activities on the strength of chanting the Holy Name. It is
understood that by chanting the Holy Name one gets freed from sinful reactions, but that does not mean that one should perversely act sinfully on the strength of his chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. That is the greatest offense.
The seventh offense is to commit
sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name. It is
understood that by chanting the holy names one is free
from sinful reactions, but this does not mean that one should act
sinfully on the strength of chanting. That is the greatest offense.
Original (pg. 28)
The eighth offense is to consider that religious ritualistic performances, austerity or renunciation
or the performance of sacrifices are on an equal level with chanting
the Holy Name. Chanting of the Holy Name is as good as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and other pious activities may be a means to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when they are employed for some material achievement they are called offensive.
Revised (pg. 28)
The eighth offense is to consider
that religious rituals, austerity, sacrifices or other forms of
renunciation are equal to chanting the holy name. Chanting the holy
name is as good as associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Pious activities are only means to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they can even be performed for some material reason.
Original (pg. 28)
The ninth offense is that the Glories of the Holy Name of God may not be preached to a faithless person, and to speak about the Glories of the Holy Name unto such persons is also another offense.
Revised (pg. 30)
The ninth offense is to preach the glories of the holy name of God to a faithless person who is not interested in hearing them.
Original (pg. 28)
so if it is found that a chanter of the Holy Name still has material attachment, then that is called an offense.
Revised (pg. 30)
Thus if one chants the holy names and still has material attachments, he must be committing some offense.
Original (pg. 29)
Another disturbing element is to aspire after material name and fame by discharging devotional service,
If one is not particularly careful, then by the process of watering the
plant of devotional service, other unnecessary plants, as described
above, may grow, and that may hamper the progress of devotional service.
Revised (pg. 31)
If one is not particularly
careful, even by watering the plant of devotional service, unnecessary
weeds will grow and hamper progress. The idea is that when one waters a
garden, not only does the desired plant grow more rapidly, but the unwanted plants grow also.
Original (pg. 29)
Love of Godhead can be awakened
from the dormant position by executing pure devotional service. And
what is that devotional service? What are its symptoms? These were all
described by Lord Chaitanya to Rupa Goswami:
Revised (pg. 31)
After speaking in this way about
devotional service, Lord Caitanya begins to describe devotional service
and its symptoms to Rupa Gosvami.
Chapter Two
Sanatan Goswami
Original (pg. 39) First paragrah
After Lord Chaitanya Mahaprahhu accepted the renounced order of life (sannyāsa), He
travelled all over India. During this period, He went to Maldah, a
district in Bengal. And in that portion of land there was a village by
the name of Rāmakeli. Two government ministers of the Nawab Hussain
Shah's regime lived there, namely Dabir Khas and Shakar Mallik, later
renamed Sanatan Goswami and Rupa Goswami. They had a chance to meet Lord Chaitanya,
and after meeting Him they decided that they would retire from the
government service and join His saìkértan movement. The two brothers at
once took steps to leave their material engagements, and appointed two
learned brāhmanas to perform certain Vedic religious rituals in order to achieve complete freedom for the devotional service of Krishna.
Revised (pg. 43)
After Lord Caitanya accepted the
renounced order of life (sannyasa), He traveled all over India. During
this period He went to Maldah, a district in Bengal. In that area there
was a village named Ramakeli, where two government ministers of the
Nawab Hussain Shah's regime lived. These two ministers were named
Dabira Khasa and Sakara Mallika, and they were later to be renamed
Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami. Being inspired by Lord Caitanya, they decided to retire from government service and join His sankirtana movement.
-
This is re-writing history. Rupa and Sanatan Goswami retired after meeting Lord Chaitanya.
Chapter Eleven
Service to the Lord
Original (pg. 98)
Lord Chaitanya says that those of the Mayavadi, or impersonalist, school may artificially think themselves as one with God, or liberated, but according to Him and to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, they are not actually liberated. In this connection, He quoted a verse from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Tenth
Canto, Second Chapter, in which it is said: “Those who think that they
are liberated in the Mayavadi philosophical way, but who do not take to
the devotional service of the Lord, even after undergoing the severest
type of penance or austerity, and even after sometimes approaching the
Supreme post, still, for want of devotional service, fall."
Revised (pg. 113)
Lord Chaitanya further points out that those of the Mayavadi, or impersonalist, school consider themselves to be one with God, or liberated, but according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself and to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, they are not actually liberated. In this regard, Lord Chaitanya again quotes a verse from the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, (10.2.32):
Original (pg. 98)
This is confirmed in the Rāmāyana, Lankā-kānda. (18.33) There the Lord says, "It is My duty and vow that if somebody surrenders unto Me without any reservation, then I give him all protection." Somebody may develop the idea of enjoying fruitive activities, or liberation, or jnāna, or perfection in the yoga system, but if such a person
by chance becomes very intelligent, then he will give up all those
paths and engage himself in sincere devotional service to the Lord.
Revised (pg. 113)
This is also confirmed in the Rāmāyana, Lankā-kānd (18.33),. wherein the Lord says, "It is My promise and duty to give all protection to one who surrenders unto Me without reservation." One may enjoy fruitive activities, liberation, jnāna, or the perfection in the yoga system, but if one becomes very intelligent, then he will give up all these paths and engage himself in sincere devotional service to the Lord.
Chapter Twelve
The Devotee
Original (pg. 104) or first paragraph
A person in Krishna Consciousness, fully devoted in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, develops many good qualities, or godly qualities, pertaining to the demigods.
Revised (pg. 121)
A person in Krishna Consciousness, who is fully devoted to the transcendental loving service of the Lord, develops all the godly qualities, of the demigods.
· This above is another over emphasis.
Original (pg. 104)
In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Third
Canto, Twenty-fifth Chapter, the person in Krishna Consciousness,
devoted to the loving service of the Lord, is also described: Such a
devotee or person in Krishna Consciousness is always tolerant and
merciful. He is a friend to all living entities. He has no enemies. He
is peaceful, and he is decorated with all good qualities. These are the symptoms of the person in Krishna Consciousness.
Revised (pg. 121) also SB. 3.25.21
A friend to all living entities. He has no enemies. He is peaceful, and he is possesses all good qualities. These are but a few characteristics of a person in Krishna Consciousness.
· Which Srimad Bhagavatam?
Original (pg. 107)
There is no essential difference
between a fully surrendered soul and a person in the renounced order of
life. The only difference is that a fully surrendered soul has the distinguishing symptom of being completely dependent upon Krishna.
Revised (pg. 124)
There is no essential difference
between a fully surrendered soul and a man in the renounced order of
life. The only difference is that a fully surrendered soul is completely dependent upon Krishna
Original (pg. 107)
Lastly, one should always think of himself as the most fallen, so that Krishna may take care of him.
Revised pg. 124)
Lastly, one should always think of himself as the most fallen, so that Krishna will take care of him.
Chapter Thirteen
Devotional Service in Attachment
Original pg. (113) End of first paragraph
A devotee of Lord Krishna is by nature nonviolent and self-controlled,
both in the mind and the senses. Therefore, he does not have to try
separately to acquire the qualifications which result from cultivating
knowledge and from fruitive activities.
Revised (pg. 133)
Since a devotee of Lord Krsna is by nature nonviolent, and since his mind and senses are controlled,
he does not have to make a special effort to acquire the good qualities
which result from cultivation knowledge and performing fruitive
activities.
The Srimad Bhagavatam
Original (pg. 201)
Hari! Hari!
All the inhabitants of Benares were
struck with wonder by seeing the dancing of Lord Chaitanya in ecstasy.
Lord Chaitanya, however, checked Himself in His continuous ecstasy, and
stopped His dancing when He saw that the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs
were also present. As soon as He stopped His chanting and dancing,
Prakasananda Saraswati fell at the feet of Lord Chaitanya. Lord
Chaitanya tried to stop him and said: "Oh, you are the Spiritual Master
of the whole world, jagad-guru, and I am not equal even to your disciple. You should not therefore worship an inferior like Me, Who is not even equal to the disciple of your disciple. You are exactly like Supreme Brahman, and if you fall down at My Feet it is a very great offense on My part. Although you have no vision of duality, still for the teachings of the people in general you should not do this."
Revised (pg. 237)
"Hari! Hari!" All the inhabitants of
Benares were struck with wonder upon seeing the dancing of Lord
Caitanya in ecstacy. However, Lord Caitanya checked His continuous
ecstasy and stopped dancing when He saw the Mayavadi sannyasis. As soon
as the Lord stopped chanting and dancing, Prakasananda Sarasvati fell
at His feet. Trying to stop him, Lord Caitanya said, "Oh, you are the
spiritual master of the whole world, jagad-guru, and I am not even equal to your disciples. You should therefore not worship an inferior like Me. You are exactly like the Supreme Brahman, and if I allow you to fall down at My feet, I will commit a very great offense. Although you have no vision of duality, for the sake of teaching the people in general you should not do this."
· The original shows quite a bit more humility of Lord Chaitanya.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Relationship with the Supreme Lord
Original (pg. 249)
On hearing this from Rāmānanda Rāyā, Lord Chaitanya rejected it again. By rejecting Rāmānanda Rāyā's third proposal, Lord Chaitanya wanted to demonstrate that simple
renunciation is not sufficient. There must be positive engagement.
Without positive engagement, the highest perfectional stage cannot be
attained. Generally, in the renounced order of life, there are two
kinds of philosophers: the goal of one is nirvana, and of the
other, the impersonal quality of the Brahman effulgence. They cannot
conceive that they can reach beyond, or that there is a Spiritual Sky
with Vaikuntha Planets. Because such mentalities cannot have any
conception of the Spiritual Planets and activities, therefore Lord
Chaitanya rejected the proposal of renunciation.
Revised (pg. 298)
Lord Chaitanya however, also rejected this third proposal, for He wanted to demonstrate that renunciation in itself is
not sufficient. There must be positive engagement. Without positive
engagement, the highest perfectional stage cannot be attained.
Generally, there are two kinds of philosophers in the renounced order
of life. The goal of one is nirvana, and of the other, the
impersonal of the Brahman effulgence. Such philosophers cannot imagine
that they can reach beyond nirvana and the Brahman effulgence to the
Vaikuntha planets of the Spiritual. Because in simple renunciation
there is no conception of spiritual planets and spiritual activities.
Lord Caitanya rejected this third proposal.
· Next is an example of the changes that take place throughout almost every chapter of TLC book.
Chapter 31
The Supreme Perfection
Original (pg. 268)
Rāmānanda Rāyā then humbly submitted: "Because You are asking me to speak on the Pastimes of Radha and Krishna, of course I must obey Your order,
and whatever You would like me to say, I will speak in that way."
Rāmānanda Rāyā humbly submitted himself as a puppet, and Lord Chaitanya
was the puppeteer. So, he wanted to dance
according to the will of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He expressed that his
tongue was just like a string instrument, and "You are the player of
the string instrument." So, as Lord Chaitanya would play, Rāmānanda
Rāyā would vibrate the sound.
Revised (pg. 320)
: "Because You are asking me to speak of the pastimes of Radha and Krishna, Rāmānanda Rāyā then humbly submitted, “I will obey Your order, I will speak in whatever way you like.” Thus Rāmānanda Rāyā humbly submitted himself as a puppet before Lord Chaitanya the puppet master.
· This first is more personal, actually the original TLC is more personal, and sweeter.
Original (pg. 269)
"When will my mind be cleared of all dirty things, and
when shall I be able to see Våndävana as It is? And when will I be able
to understand the literature left by the Gosvamis so that I will be
able to understand the transcendental pastimes of Radha and krsna?”
"When will my mind be cleared of all contamination so
I will be able to see Våndävana as It is? And when will I be able to
understand the literatures left by the Gosvamis so that I will be able
to know of the transcendental pastimes of Radha and krsna?”
Original (pg. 269)
In the material world there may be
the temporary awakening of lust, but it disappears after so-called
satisfaction. But in the Spiritual World the love between the gopis and Krishna is constantly going on, and it is increasing at every moment.
Revised (pg. 321)
In the material world there may be
the temporary awakening of lust, but it disappears after so-called
satisfaction. But in the Spiritual World the love between the gopis and Krishna is constantly increasing.
Original (pg. 269)
Klim kamadevaya vidmahe puspavanaya dheemahi tanna’ nanga prachodayat.
This Kamagayatri is received from the spiritual master when a disciple
is far advanced by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Revised (pg. 321)
Klim-kamadevaya is received from
the spiritual master when the disciple is advanced in chanting Hare
Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama,
Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Chapter 32
Conclusion
Original (pg. 284)
In the Garuda Purana there is
a verse in which it is said that, instead of becoming a demigod such as
Brahma or Lord Shiva, if one becomes a famous devotee of the Supreme
Lord in this Age of Kali, that is very rare. Yudhisthira also, in
connection with talks between Narada and Pundarika, said, "After many,
many births, if somebody comes to understand that he is the servant of Vasudeva, that person is the most famous, and can deliver all others. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā it said, "Anyone who understands that Vasudeva is everything and surrenders to Him is the most learned and wise man." In the Agni Purana it is said that liberation or transcendental life follows all the devotees of Godhead. In the Brhan– naradiya Purana, it
is also stated that even personalities like Brahma and the other
demigods do not know the value of a devotee of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. In the Garuda Purana also it is stated that, out of many thousands of brāhmanas, one is prominent who is expert in performing sacrifices; and out of thousands of such brāhmanas who are expert in the performance of sacrifice, one brāhmana who is expert in the Vedanta Sutra is
the most famous; and out of many, many thousands of Vedantists, one
person who is a devotee of Lord Vishnu is the most famous. There are
many devotees of Vishnu, and out of them, one who is an unflinching
devotee is eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Third Canto, 13th Chapter, it is also stated that there are many students of the Vedas, but
one who is always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within
his heart is the best. In the Narayan prayers it is said that even
Brahma if not a devotee of the Lord, He is therefore insignificant,
whereas even a bacteria who is a devotee of the Lord is famous.
Revised (pg. 340)
The Garuda Purana points out that, out of many thousands of brāhmanas, one maybe expert in performing sacrifices, and out of thousands of such expert brāhmanas, one brāhmana maybe expert in the knowledge of Vedanta Sutra,
and out of many, many thousands of Vedantists, there maybe one person
who is famous as a devotee of Lord Vishnu. There are many devotees of
Vishnu, and out of them, he who is unflinching in his devotion is eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Original (pg. 288)
Ramananda Roy went on to say that
those who have no taste for Krishna Consciousness or spiritual life are
just like crows who take pleasure in eating the bitter nimba fruit,
while the poetic cuckoo eats the seeds of the mango. Similarly, the
unfortunate transcendentalists are simply speculating on dry
philosophy, whereas the transcendentalists who are in love with Radha
Krishna enjoy, just like the cuckoo. Therefore, those who are devotees
of Radha and Krishna are the most fortunate persons in the world. Ramananda Roy compared
mental speculation with the bitter nimba fruit, which is not at all
edible; simply full of dry speculation, and so fit for the crowlike
philosophers; however, mango seeds are very relishable, and those who
are in the devotional service of Krishna and Radha are like those mango-tasting cuckoos.
Revised (pg. 343)
Ramananda Raya went on to say that
those who have no taste for Krsna consciousness or spiritual life are
just like crows who take pleasure in eating the bitter nimba fruit. It
is the poetic cuckoo that eats the seeds of the mango. The unfortunate
transcendentalists simply speculate on dry philosophy, whereas the
transcendentalists who are in love with Radha and Krsna enjoy fruit
just like the cuckoo. Thus those who are devotees of Radha and Krsna
are most fortunate. The bitter nimba fruit is not at all eatable; it is
simply full of dry speculation and is only fit for crowlike
philosophers. Mango seeds, however, are very relishable, and those in the devotional service of Radha and Krsna enjoy them.
Chapter 21
Further Talks With Prakasananda
Original (pg. 192)
Sripad Sankaracharya has unceremoniously obscured the Krishna Consciousness described in the Purusa Vedanta Sutra by manufacturing an indirect interpretation, and giving up the direct interpretation. But unless we take all the statements of Vedanta Sutra as self-evident, there is no need to study Vedanta Sutra. To interpret the verses of Vedanta Sutra according to one's own whimsy is the greatest disservice to the self-evident Vedas.
So far as Omkara Pranava is
concerned, He is considered the sound incarnation of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; as such Omkara is eternal, unlimited,
transcendental, supreme, and indestructible. He is the beginningless,
and He is the beginning, middle and end. When one understands the
Omkara as such, then he becomes immortal. One should know Omkara as a
representation of the Supreme situated in everyone's heart. Anyone who
understands Omkara and Vishnu as one and the same and all-pervading,
never laments the material world, nor does he remain anymore as a Sudra.
Although He (Omkara) has no
material form, He is unlimitedly expanded, and has unlimited form. By
understanding the Omkara one can become free from the duality of the
material world and be placed in Absolute Knowledge. Therefore, Omkara
is the most auspicious representation of the Supreme Lord. Such is the
description of the Mandukya Upanishad. One should not foolishly interpret such a description of the Upanishad, and
say that because the Supreme Personality of Godhead "cannot" appear
Himself in this material world in His own form, therefore the sound
representation Omkara is here. By such a false interpretation, Omkara
comes to be considered as something material, and the eulogizing of
Omkara is misunderstood as simply an exhibition of His value. Actually, Omkara is as good as other incarnations of the Supreme Lord.
The Lord has innumerable incarnations, and Omkara is one of them, as an incarnation of the alphabet. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: "Amongst
the letters I am Omkara". This means that Omkara is non-different from
Krishna-that is the right interpretation. The impersonalist, however,
gives more importance to the Omkara than to the Personality of Godhead,
Krishna. In fact, however, any representational incarnation of the
Supreme Lord is non-different from Him. Such an incarnation or
representation is as good spiritually as the Supreme Lord. Omkara is
therefore the ultimate representation of all the Vedas.
Revised (pg. 229)
In this way Lord Caitanya condemned
attempts at indirect interpretation of the Vedanta-sutra, and all the
sannyasis present were struck with wonder by His explanation. After
hearing the direct interpretation, one of the sannyasis immediately
declared, "O Sripada Caitanya, whatever You have explained in Your
condemnation of the indirect interpretation of omkara is most useful.
Only a fortunate person can accept Your interpretation as the right
one. Actually, every one of us now knows that the interpretations given
by Sankara are all artificial and imaginary, but because we belong to
Sankaracarya's sect, we take it for granted that his interpretation is
the right one. We shall be very glad to hear You further explain the
Vedanta-sutra by direct interpretation." In this way Lord Caitanya
condemned attempts at indirect interpretation of the Vedanta-sutra, and
all the sannyasis present were struck with wonder by His explanation.
After hearing the direct interpretation, one of the sannyasis
immediately declared, "O Sripada Caitanya, whatever You have explained
in Your condemnation of the indirect interpretation of omkara is most
useful. Only a fortunate person can accept Your interpretation as the
right one. Actually, every one of us now knows that the interpretations
given by Sankara are all artificial and imaginary, but because we
belong to Sankaracarya's sect, we take it for granted that his
interpretation is the right one. We shall be very glad to hear You
further explain the Vedanta-sutra by direct interpretation."
· I give up on chapter 21. The last part of Chapter 20 has the first part of 21. I can’t seem to work with this.
law. So religion, you cannot manufacture religion. Religion means the
word of God. And if yearly or quarterly you change the words, that is
not religion. That is not religion. That is mental concoction.
Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. No change. Others, they are interpreting in their own way. That is not Bhagavad-gītā.
That is something else. (to devotee) Keep it there. He will take. In
the words of God there is no question of changing. You cannot change.
As soon as you make a change, immediately it is material; it has
nothing to do with spiritual world.
· There are many letters
by Srila Prabhupada praising devotees for their editing work. Starting
in 1975 Srila Prabhupada didn’t seem so pleased anymore.
Conversation Vrndavana 1975
Prabhupada: Not certain other
comment. The Vallabhacarya, he brought his Subodhini-tika, and he was
great admirer of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he said that "I have written
one commentary which is far better than the comments given by Sridhara
Svami." So that was disapproved by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you
disapprove previous acarya or if you become more intelligent than
previous acarya, then you are not acarya. This is... This was Caitanya
Mahaprabhu's... He disapproved. Our process is evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh. We cannot disregard. Sridhara is the original
commentator of Bhagavata. If you say that "I am better than Sridhara
Svami," then you immediately become rejected. If I say... Just like
there are some people, they create some avatara, and they say, "This
avatara is better than Krsna"--immediately rejected. Immediately. He
must know his value. This was... Caitanya Mahaprabhu said svami,
Sridhara Svami, so he also sarcastically remarked, svami na mane yei
jana vesyara bhitare tare kariye ganana. Svami means husband also. So
if some woman says that "I don't care for my husband," Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, "Then he's a prostitute. She is a prostitute." This is
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You cannot disregard svami. Not that... They were
Letter to: Satsvarupa
--
San Francisco
23 December, 1967
My Dear Satsvarupa,
I also do not like too much editorial
work. This too much editorial work on Gitopanisad has created some
misunderstanding between the editorial staffs. Anyway, in future, one
man should edit it and be sufficient for our printing. And I do not
want that Lord Caitanya's Teachings should be edited again and typed
again and
Letter to: Satsvarupa
Tittenhurst
26 October, 1969
I want that in all of our books,
magazines and other writings the scholarly presentation be given in all
instances, so for every Sanskrit word there must be the appropriate spelling and diacritic marks.
Discussion with BTG Staff
--
December 24, 1969, Boston
Satsvarupa: Then words like Krsna's "pastimes," "entourage," His "will."
Prabhupada: No, small.
Satsvarupa: Small.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hayagriva: The possessions of Krsna, small.
Prabhupada: Small.
Satsvarupa: His hands and feet, small.
Brahmananda: Lotus feet?
Prabhupada: Yes.
Satsvarupa: Lotus flower?
Prabhupada: Yes. All small. Simply name. Stick to name.
Hayagriva: The pronoun, Krsna, "who." The pronoun "who," that's not...
Prabhupada: No, no. Use small.
Hayagriva: Thank you. There's so many... That causes a headache for everyone.
Letter to: Brahmananda
--
Los Angeles
20 March, 1970
I think all our books can be
printed in such small booklets, part by part, and they will be easily
saleable. Take for example TLC. If we issue part by part like that, it
will be about 5 books. So people will easily buy, and our purpose will
be served. Discuss the idea with your colleagues.
Somehow or other, we shall
overflood the market with Krishna Conscious literature. That will
create our prestige, and being cheap distribution, many people will
learn our philosophy. Another point is that while BTG is delayed, you
can sell these.
Letter to: Karandhara
--
Tokyo
2 May, 1972
Los Angeles
My dear Karandhara,
Please accept my blessings. I am
just now in receipt of your special-delivery letters dated April 29,
1972, and I am very much encouraged by the contents.
I am also very much pleased to hear
from you that you have sold 100 sets of paperback Krishna Book in one
day, and that you have re-ordered from Dai Nippon. Gradually, we shall
replace the literatures which are currently popular with our own style
of transcendental literature. I have tried it: any page you open, that
is wonderful reading matter. My ambition is to spread these books far
and wide all over the world so that everyone shall read at least one of
our books and that will change his life. If only 1% become devotees,
that will change the world.
I think that eventually we can print TLC in paperback also.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
· Srila Prabhupada wanted
that TLC be distributed widely the newer version has all the sweetness
taken out, and is more impersonal.
For more information visit:
ys Srimad Bhagavatam
[Editor's Note: This article appeared earlier on the Sampradaya Sun - http://harekrsna.com/sun/index.htm as well as on Krishna.org at http://books.krishna.org/Articles/2002/10/004.html ]
Acharya’s Message
