BBT Crisis / Narasimha Writes / Mahatma / Kailasa 04 17 25

Nothing belongs to you.

Rather you -- and everything else -- belongs to Me.

I am the sole proprietor of the whole show,

big, small, inside, outside, top to bottom.

BBT CRISIS

Suparna Govinda Dasa

I know most devotees aren't paying attention, but due to the lawsuit against KBI, ALL PRINTING OF HDG SRILA PRABUPADA'S ORIGINAL LOTUS BOOKS HAS STOPPED. And, KrishnaStore.com is rapidly running out of Stock.

You can no longer purchase the 1972 MacMillan Bhagavad-gita As It Is, in Wholesale (no more cases....only onesies and twosies...).

No more BBD wholesale. No more POY wholesale. No more BG wholesale.
Many Books are now gone. I know most think this only affects big Book distributors on Sankirtana. But all of us disciples - we can serve our Beloved lord Srila Prabhupada by just carrying His Lotua Books whenever we go out.

For those who love my Beloved lord Srila Prabhupada and want to serve Him by His Instructions, well, we'll see what we can still purchase before It's all gone...
And don't trust the so-called "Originals" produced by bbti/bbt, who have long deviated and offended against my Beloved lord Srila Prabhupada.
Nothing good will come from such people.

Pray for those who are actually loyal to my Beloved lord Srila Prabhupada. The world is on the brink. Hare Krsna!

ALL GLORIES TO OUR BELOVED LORD SRILA PRABHUPADA!!!!!!!!

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Srila Prabhupada’s Changed Books Are Not Authorized

DAVID NRSIMHANANDA SHAPIRO

PADA NOTE: Nrsimhananda was one of the GBC fire brigade members who came to Berkeley when Hansadutta was having another one of his famous melt downs. I came into the meeting and said -- they need to get rid of Hansadutta. They said Hansadutta stays -- and maybe you have to go. 

So they wanted their alcoholic / percodan popping / machine gun swami / messiah -- who was also having affairs with half dozen women -- to be worshiped as God's successor. Nrsimhananda angrily noted that I was opposing their program, so he sort of cornered me outside the temple. He got right up in my face, making a very distorted, angry and menacing face he said "you are not one of those bogus ritviks are you"? 

Sorry, he was with these alcoholic / lusty dog / molester messiah's program's guys -- and despite his crying now is good -- it is way too little and way too late. But yeah, the ritviks do no want ISKCON's children to worship lusty and intoxicated dogs as their messiahs, and have the books changed by the GBC's hatchet job editors. He should have known that in 1978. ys pd

angel108b@yahoo.com

I always assumed that every word that I read in a BBT book was authorized by Srila Prabhupada. Despite overhearing occasional chatter to the contrary, I did not pay much attention to the detractors. For decades, I was a mushroom in the cellar. By Prabhupada’s mercy, I gradually woke up from my illusion to find myself in the company of a fringe minority. The rest of Iskcon was living in a different paradigm. I was no longer welcomed in the Matrix. By Krishna’s inconceivable mercy, I found my way back through the labyrinth. This is my story.

Background:

As the founder, director, and engine behind Iskcon Television from the late seventies onwards, I was an integral part of the international preaching effort. I not only produced shows worldwide, but I was responsible for collecting the funds from the zonal acaryas who were benefiting from monthly receiving new programs in the temples under their jurisdiction. Financial transactions are where the spiritual rubs right up against the material. You really get to see the attachments to money and power. 

To say that I had difficulty collecting from some leaders is an understatement. Despite agreements and fulfillments, they held onto their currencies without regard for keeping promises and putting me into awkward situations and prolonged anxiety. I earned a hard-learned lesson: what you see is not necessarily what is true. Krishna was teaching me: look under every rock. Unfortunately, I was a slow learner.

When the Bhagavad gita was republished in 1983, I paid no attention. Actually, no one paid much attention. I mean, “No one.” The manuscript had been sent to some GBC’s, but these many years later, all admitted to not reading it. 

Ramesvara was the North American BBT Trustee (although the books were never published from the Trust; always from Iskcon Los Angeles). He had ordered it edited. Prabhupada had authorized errors and mistakes to be corrected. Ramesvara also didn’t read through it. 

A few GBC’s had met in Detroit and talk ed about some changes with the chosen editor, Jayadwaita Swami, but they just scratched the surface. Ultimately, there were thousands of changes - some doing exactly as Srila Prabhupada had requested by fixing mistakes. However, there were many changes that reached far beyond Prabhupada’s mandate. 

Even “The Blessed Lord” was replaced by “The Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Strange that no one noticed, but reading Srila Prabhupada’s books was never a priority for most in those days. Making disciples was the main focus of the preaching. The changes were, well, small change, to the bigger picture of growing ever bigger followings.

Implosion and Distraction

In 1986, Iskcon imploded. The zonal acaryas fell like so many Humpty Dumpty’s. Entire countries like France were decimated. (They never recovered.) From falling down with godbrothers wives to marrying disciples to murders, Iskcon lost its groove. A convention was hastily convened to salvage the carnage. Godbrothers (no sisters, sorry) who had wanted to be guru’s finally saw their opportunity. The GBC “opened up” the doors to guruship to a few more selected leaders. These sannyasi’s already had their own flocks, and they soon turned them into their disciples. 

It wasn’t long before a new order evolved, but the powerful position of guru / GBC was still held tightly by an inner core. The door on including more guru’s slammed nearly shut. No one was paying much attention to what had been happening with the books. Temples were going bankrupt. Sheer determination by many temple presidents kept the deities served and the temple doors open. Gradually, a sort of stasis was established by the early 90’s. With an uneasy peace in most places, there was time to contemplate.

Revelation and Ostracism

The machinations of the 80’s paved the way to ritviksim. Faith in the Iskcon guru’s had been lost by many Prabhupada disciples. Prominent sanyassi’s turned to Narayan Maharaja who capitalized on the unhappiness and started preaching in the US and other countries. Then an Australian devotee, Madhudvisa, (not the orginal ACBSP disciple) dropped a bombshell. 

He had meticulously compared the MacMillian 1972 Gita with the revised edition. There were nearly 5000 changes! Gradually, a few devotees began to lobby for the changes to be rolled back, but they were all labeled “crazies” by the BBT managers and the Iskcon leadership. “Don’t listen to them; they are envious snakes.” 

By 1998-9, those “envious snakes” had launched a lawsuit against the BBT, and the BBT after an expensive fight, had to settle. Krishna Books was born and conferred with the rights to publish / distribute the Mac72 Gita. In return, Hansadhutta and others resigned as lifetime BBT trustees. The lawsuit was costly. That’s a lot of books. 

But these “malcontents” were still maligned by the established order of Iskcon. Jayadwaita had been authorized by the BBT to do the editing, and he did a great job according to them. The BBTInternational had been formed as a corporation to hold all the copyrights to Prabhupada’s books. It isn’t a trust though that word is in its name. It promised to return all the copyrights to the actual California trust set up by Srila Prabhupada when the ritvik case over the Long Island temple is resolved. That case has been going on for over twenty years. Lawyers have long ago advised the BBTI that there is no jeopardy from that case.

Fast Forward

The SABHA passed a proposal last year that requested the GBC to appoint a board of editors to review all of the changes made by Jayadwaita Swami and make recommendations. Garuda also organized a symposium of both Vaisnava and non-Vaisnava scholars to write and present papers on the issue of what are the academic standards regarding posthumous editing. That symposium took place in February 2020 at the Graduate Theological Union. A BBTI manager was invited to observe but chose not to come. An informal meeting had taken place in Washington D.C. mediated by Iskcon Resolve. 

Out of that meeting, a decision was made to form an editorial board from recommendations made by the GBC. The BBTI put together a board which later became a six person panel - RRP. The BBTI decided to make the panel advisory. They kept their own editorial board amongst themselves. The panel is to decide principles and guidelines for making changes in the books. They have been formed since January, but their is code of confidentiality imposed upon the panel. No one really knows what they have done or are doing.

The Present Challenge

Jayadwaita Swami formally resigned from the BBTI. I say formally because he is still very much involved. He is continuing to make suggestions for changes. He recently didn’t like Srila Prabhupada’s use of the word “sanguine” and suggested that it was incorrect. Prabhupada had typed that word himself in a draft. Dravida agreed and, in another example, added that he was doubtful that Prabhupada’s use of the word “integrity” was proper. He has changed numerous words verifiably written by Srila Prabhupada that he “feels” are not what Prabhupada meant to say. The incessant drive to “improve” Prabhupada is without the authority of the author. 

Author. Authority. I hope that the panel (RRP) can influence the BBT editorial board to end this madness and let Prabhupada speak for himself. Prabhupada picked Hayagriva as the editor of the Gita. Prabhupada read and spoke from that Mac 72 edition for five years. Anyone has a right to pen their own Gita. Certainly, they would not want someone to change it to “sound better” or “make more sense” without their permission. Jayadwaita Swami himself admits that he has no authority from Srila Prabhupada to edit the Gita. In “Responsible Editing” he writes, “”To my knowledge, Srila Prabhupada never asked us to re-edit the book,” (Mac ‘72) in a reply to Amogha Lila in July 1986. 

Srila Prabhupada often expressed his concern that we have the “change disease.” I want to read a BG that I know has been fully authorized by Srila Prabhupada. I don’t want to be presented with a Gita that has someone else’s words. The BBT should put Jayadwaita Swami’s name on the front cover of the revised Gita as the editor because that’s the truth. What you are reading in the 1983 revised edition does not contain all Srila Prabhupada’s words or the words of his editor (Hayagriva) who worked closely with Prabhupada to produce that Mac ‘72 edition.
Epilogue

I have known and been friends with Jayadwaita Swami since working at Tiffany Press, Brooklyn, 1971. I care for him and all my godbrothers/sisters. I am hardly the only one speaking out against the unauthorized changes. Nine GBC sponsored the SABHA proposal to have the GBC select the RRP members. They and others are also concerned. 

Ramesvara, the NA BBT Trustee throughout Srila Prabhupada’s presence, said that not reviewing the revised edition was the single worst mistake in his life. Rupanuga, an early disciple, GBC, and former BBT Trustee, has written volumes about the offenses made by changing the books. Ekanatha, protector of Bhaktivedanta Archives, is against all except fixing the errors and mistakes. Bhutatma, currently working on re-editing a book with the BBT, has been trying to convince the BBT managers that the editing went way too far. Visnumurti, the guardian of Prabhupada’s vani, Gargamuni, Govinda dasi, Shyamasundar, Gurudas, Dhanajaya, Garuda, Pancharatna, Bir Krishna Goswami, Hrydayananda Goswami, Atmanivedana Swami, Bhakti Dhira Damodhara Swami, Bhakti Bhagavatamrita Swami, and so many others join the cacophony expressing doubt about the validity of Jayadwaita’s changes. 

The time has come to take their voices to heart. There is a disconnect. It is between those who think they can improve upon Srila Prabhupada and those that like him as he is, and the book, Bhagavat, as it is (with only errors and mistakes corrected).

PADA: Notice that after they had thousands and thousands of us people exiled out of ISKCON for the crime of wanting to worship Srila Prabhupada, now all of a sudden, everyone should focus on worship of Prabhupada! Really? Meanwhile Mahatama claims to be the successor to Jesus of Nazareth, because he too can absorb sins as a diksha guru, which is perhaps why he had to have by-pass heart surgery from taking all this karma without authority. Mahatma was one of the people giving me Grinch stares on Watseka when we were having his program sued for $400,000,000. He could not say one word to me at that time, just gave me the silent treatment, but he had plenty of time to talk to the ISKCON lawyers. 

"Talk to my lawyer," yep, real devotee association here. ys pd

KAILASA CHANDRA

PADA: There is no excuse for Kailasa joining Bhakti pedo and Thomas Drescher to be smearing Sulochana's name to make him a target. Calling Sulochana a fallen sahajiya made him a target, he said that himself MANY TIMES. 

I was there! I was also being called a sahajiya by Kailasa, and I was also a target as a result. And I had to be saved by the FEDS. Kailasa has no authority to help make a flea into a target, never mind me and Sulochana. Calling us sahajiyas is discrediting us, and giving the bad guys ammunition to come after us, and they did. This is not exploiting the crime, it is explaining how the crime happened. Kailasa was part of the party that was smearing our names to make us targets. 

I am the proof, I lived it, and the FEDS had to protect me from the New Vrndavana people and their cheer leaders and name smearing hand maidens like -- Kailasa. And he is still smearing our names now because he is proud he helped produce this crime. And this is not just a crime against one person, it is a crime against all the children we were trying to protect. Kailasa joined the smear campaign against us, from the Bhakti pedos and Thomas Dreschers, and that condemned us, and he is proud of it, because he has dedicated his entire life to smearing the name of Sulochanana and me, because I was target no. 2 for Kailasa's smear campaign program. 

He has no authority to help Bhakti pedo and Thomas Drescher make a smear campaign against us, which we all know produced fatal results. I am also not making any libel when I am quoting you continuing your smear campaign against Sulochana and me since 1986 and you are still at it now, and that is how you guys helped enable these crimes. Give a dog and bad name, and get rid of it, that is what you guys are all about, and Sulochana knew that and said that. 

Of course now the HKC Jaipur and Prabhupadanugas EU have joined with Bhakti pedo groupies saying me and Sulochana are sahajiyas, so they can defend their mass child mistreatment guru regime and help have some of us assassinated. The pedo guru lovers club are all united in attacking us. And that means the blood of all their children victims are on their hands. They are co-responsible for creating and enabling this mess.

ys pd