BG 4.11:
So called original manuscript (Srila Prabhupada’s draft):
Click to enlarge picture
Original and authorized 1972 Macmillan edition:
All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.
BBT International’s posthumously changed 1983 edition:
As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.
Hayagriva Prabhu, the original editor of Bhagavad-gita As It Is was true to Srila Prabhupada’s words here. Jayadvaita Swami’s 1983 “Revised and Enlarged” edition is not! Why?
There is NO explanation of why this change was made on the BBTI’s website. I wonder why, since they write:
“Want to see the actual revisions made for Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Teachings of Lord Caitanya? You’ve come to the right place.” (BBT International’s website)
And on Jayadvaita Swami’s “annotated scans” which are categorized under “See the changes” on BBTI’s website there are no annotations made to verse 4.11.
Regarding these “annotated scans” BBT International’s website says:
“When Jayadvaita Swami made his revisions for the second edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, he did them directly on a copy of the book–that is, a copy of the first edition. After the second edition was published, for many years his first-edition copy was lost. But back in roughly 2006, Dravida Dasa found it in a trunk in San Diego. More recently, that copy has been scanned and digitized. And now the BBT is putting it here online.”
Apparently not all the changes made to Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is are to be found in this “annotated scan” that all of a sudden mysteriously re-appeared. Why do they not write that not all changes are mentioned in this “annotated scan”? Are they trying to hide some of the changes from the public?
How did Srila Prabhupada feel about verse 4.11 as it appeared in his 1972 Macmillan Bhagavad-gita As It Is?
Prabhupada: So the original verse says that “All of them as they surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly. Everyone follows my path in all respects.” This means that everyone is searching after that absolute truth. Some of them are satisfied with impersonal feature. The philosophers, jnanis, they, because they want to understand the absolute truth by dint of their imperfect knowledge.
=> Bhagavad-gita 4.11-18 — Los Angeles, January 8, 1969
Prabhupada: “All of them — as they surrender unto Me — I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.” God is everything, and we can associate with Him according to our choice.
=> Interview with the New York Times — September 2, 1972, New Vrindaban
Cyavana: Krsna says, “All of them, as they surrender, I reward accordingly.” So that means they are surrendering in different…
Prabhupada: Yes. He has not surrendered. He keeps himself separate from Krsna, and he is, artificially he shows surrender. Surrender does not mean that you reserve something for you. That is not surrender. Surrender means without reservation. That is surrender.
=> Morning Walk — November 1, 1975, Nairobi
Pradyumna (leads chanting): Translation: “All of them, as they surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.”
Prabhupada:
ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah [Bg. 4.11]
Everyone is seeking to find out Krsna. Directly or indirectly. Krsna means the all-attractive. All-attractive. Bhagavan means the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So indirectly or directly, everyone is seeking Krsna, the all-attractive. Ananda-mayo ‘bhyasat. The Supreme Bliss.
=> Bhagavad-gita 4.11 — Bombay, March 31, 1974
Nitai: “All of them — as they surrender unto Me — I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.”
ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah [Bg. 4.11]
We are continuing from yesterday’s subject matter, how one can become purified and go back to home, back to Godhead. Here the second line of this verse is very important. It is said, mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah: “All human being is searching after Me.”
=> Bhagavad-gita 4.11 — Geneva, June 1, 1974
Prabhupada: This is page one-hundred-eighteen, yes.
Tamala Krsna: “All of them as they surrender unto Me, I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Prtha.” Purport: “Everyone is searching after Krsna in the different aspects of His manifestation. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is partially realized in His impersonal brahmajyoti or shining effulgence. Krsna is also partially realized as the all-pervading Supersoul dwelling within everything, even in the particles of atoms.”
Prabhupada: It [the microphone] is not fixed up right.
Tamala Krsna: “But Krsna is only fully realized by His pure devotees. Therefore, Krsna is the object of everyone’s realization, and as such anyone and everyone is satisfied according to one’s desire to have Him. One devotee may want Krsna as the supreme master, another as his personal friend, another as his son, and still another as his lover. Krsna rewards equally all the devotees in their different intensities of love for Him. In the material world the same reciprocations of feelings are there and they are equally exchanged by the Lord with the different types of worshipers. The pure devotees both here and in the transcendental abode associate with Him in person and are able to render personal service to the Lord and thus derive transcendental bliss in His loving service. As for those who are impersonalists and who want to commit spiritual suicide by annihilating the individual existence of the living entity, Krsna helps them also by absorbing them into His effulgence. Such impersonalists do not agree to accept the eternal, blissful Personality of Godhead, and consequently they cannot relish the bliss of transcendental personal service to the Lord…”
Prabhupada: Yes.
Tamala Krsna: “…and they extinguish their individuality.”
Prabhupada: God realization, there are three aspects: brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11].
=> Bhagavad-gita 4.11-18 — Los Angeles, January 8, 1969
Not Closer to Prabhupada!
Again we see that Jayadvaita Swami’s and BBT International’s claim to fame – namely that they are making the books “closer to Prabhupada” – is false propaganda. Many, many changes – hundreds (if not thousands) – are further away from the words that Srila Prabhupada originally wrote or dictated.
Their claim about not making needless changes is proved false by the changes to Bg. 4.11, since this change is not at all needed.
Do Jayadvaita Swami and the BBTI trustees ever ask themselves this question: If making all of these changes is our way of surrendering to Srila Prabhupada, then what will our reward be?
Jay Madhudvisa prabhu! Rascals editors once more defeated! Of course Jayeasyswami is a pure Kali yuga liar, an exemplary cheater a master cheater! How is he closer to Prabhupada!
He could be close, so close but he misused the rare opportunity.Anyone who reads those books or support them in any other way must be doomed. I have no doubt. Why not to preserve the books as they are? According to Srimad Bhagavatam they may be composed imperfectly, there is licence given by the Lord to those who are able to transmit the spiritual sound, to the mahatmas. ISKCON became asara as many times as they are changes to the books of Srila Prabhupada!
y.s. bj
I’d gladly shove that sanyas stick up Jayadvaita’s rear end , till it comes out from his big mouth !!!t
In the beginning I was inclining for the BBT editing as a better translation. However, the more I read it, I discovered that the BBT editing changes the emphasis of Srila Prabhupada and therefore; something is lost. In this emphasis, one find Srila Prabhupada spiritual mood. In this particular verse Srila Prabhupada emphasis is in “All of them…..” the subject; in the BBT translation, the emphasis is change to “I reward them accordingly.” ….the reward. Thank you to bring this topic for my attention.
Whoever poses as a devotee and makes whimsical and unauthorized changes to the revealed Vedic Scriptures (which descend directly from the Supreme through the authorized Parampara System) for whatever reason he/she may provide, should be considered non other than a ‘demon’ – A bona fide devotee of the Lord would never even consider engaging in such sinful activities …!