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By Ajit Krishna Dasa
BBT International and their supporters often attempt to justify the changes made to Prabhupada books by Jayadvaita Swami by pointing out that Prabhupada a couple if times spoke highly of his editing work.
This article will show that these statements by Prabhupada can’t be construed to mean that Jayadvaita Swami editing work after Prabhupada’s disappearance is pleasing to Prabhupada.
From BBT International’s website:
“Of course, regarding Jayadvaita Swami, the BBT’s chief editor, Srila Prabhupada wrote, “Concerning the editing of Jayadvaita Prabhu, whatever he does is approved by me. I have confidence in him.” (letter to Radhavallabha, 7 September 1976)
BBT International and their supporters often speak about this quote from Prabhupada as if it was some kind of blessing from Prabhupada that makes Jayadvaita Swami and his editing infallible even to this very day. This, of course, makes no sense and even Jayadvaita Swami himself admits that he sometimes commits mistakes in his editing. One example of this is his changing “Visnu Form” into the “Visnu platform”:
(Click to enlarge picture)
So it’s obvious that we can’t take the statement “…whatever he does is approved by me” too literal. In order to be continuously approved by Prabhupada Jayadvaita Swami need to continuously meet certain criteria set forth by Prabhupada and sastra in regard to editing protocol. If it can be argued in any way that the editing policy of BBT International compromises the transcendental potency of Prabhupada’s books, or if Jayadvaita Swami becomes an atheist or a mayavadi or falls down and or if he somehow goes against the direct instructions of Prabhupada in his editing proces, then we must conclude that his editing is unauthorized and must be stopped. He can then no longer be “approved”.
This blog and several other websites have for years been showing that there is no evidence to support even the slightest change in Prabhupada’s books. It has been shown how Jayadvaita Swami does not at all perform his editing work according to the accepted protocol set forth by Prabhupada (“NO CHANGES”), sastra (arsa-prayoga) and even academic scholars. We have shown how he is actually sabotaging the books – however well-intentioned he may be.
So even though Prabhupada spoke highly of Jayadvaita Swami’s editing 40 years ago it does not make Jayadvaita Swami infallible, and it does not mean that he can just do whatever he likes to Prabhupada books.
The other quote that BBT International and their supporter often refer to is this:
From BBT International’s website:
“And in the conversation where Srila Prabhupada complained so strongly about “rascals editors,” Srila Prabhupada said about Jayadvaita, “He is good.””
So 40 years ago Prabhupada said about Jayadvaita Swami that he was “good”. Does it then follow logically or experientally that he is still “good”? Obviously not! There are several examples of Prabhupada at one point praising some of his disciple, and then at a later point criticized them severely.
Prahlada-Nrsimha Prabhu has written a very nice article about this (published on bookchanges.com):
Just because Srila Prabhupada at one point said someone was a good man, does that mean that they are one now? Srila Prabhupada liked many devotees at one point and at that point put them in positions of power and authority and praised them, but later on down the road he changed his opinion about them and/or they went astray or deviated to one degree or another. So although at one point Prabhupada approved of someone and complimented them, that does not mean that from that point on they are bona-fide no matter what they do. Here are a few examples to further examine this point.
One Prabhupada disciple did HUGE service for Prabhupada, pushing on the book distribution mission (probably) more than any other Prabhupada disciple in ISKCON’s history, and was pretty much running ISKCON at one point. But later he changed the basic rules of the four regulative principles to three. Does that mean because he had so many thousands of disciples, and at one point was so dear to Srila Prabhupada that Prabhupada even commented on how he was so intelligent and empowered, that now we should all only have three regulative principles instead of four and continue to follow this devotee?
There were so many big, big devotees that Srila Prabhupada personally gave sannyasa to but later on Srila Prabhupada became so fed up with their deviations that he said that they should give up those positions as sannyasi! Srila Prabhupada even said “This should be strictly outlawed, no more sannyasis….there will be no sannyasi anymore.”
(Room Conversation — January 7, 1977, Bombay)
Srila Prabhupada established the GBC as the ultimate managing authority for all ISKCON. But at one point Srila Prabhupada totally disbanded the whole of the GBC within ISKCON due to their deviations! So simply because at one point in time Srila Prabhupada appointed them to power and trusted them, does that give them permanent power? No! At any time anyone can lose their position and power and deviate or go astray and at that point one is no longer authorized and empowered.
I feel the most relevant example is from the concluding words of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, dated November 10, 1974
“Now, by the grace of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, it is finished. In this connection I have to thank my American disciples, especially Sriman Pradyumna dasa Adhikari, Sriman Nitai dasa Adhikari, Sriman Jayadvaita dasa Brahmacari and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in writing, editing and publishing all these literatures.”
But then on February 27, 1977 in Mayapura India Srila Prabhupada says “Nitai, he’s a rascal.”
Unfortunately there are so many examples I could mention, but in order to not depress/and embarrass all of us unnecessarily in this article I will stop here.
In conclusion, we have shown how the above two claims by the BBT International about Jayadvaita Swami being “good” and his work being “approved” by Prabhupada can’t be used to justify the changes he has made to Prabhupada’s books. And that they can’t be used as a guarantee that Jayadvaita Swami has not comitted mistakes himself or that he has pleased Prabhupada by his work.
Arsa-Prayoga 
MEANING OF THE WORD “GOOD”.BY NATURE´S LAW “GOOD” MAY BE A CHANGING POSITION.
*From BBT International’s website:
“And in the conversation where Srila Prabhupada complained so strongly about “rascals editors,” Srila Prabhupada said about Jayadvaita, “He is good.””
*Ajit Krishna Dasa,”ARSA –PRAYOGA”:
So 40 years ago Prabhupada said about Jayadvaita Swami that he was “good”.
Does it then follow logically or experientally that he is still “good”? Obviously not!
There are several examples of Prabhupada at one point praising some of his disciple, and then at a later point criticized them severely.
NOTE:
Honestly I love your argument,”ARSA –PRAYOGA”.
Everything is based on the meaning of the word “good”.
We must understand the meaning of the word “good”.
Thank You.
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MEANING OF “GOOD” ACCORDING WITH THE DICTIONARY AND ACCORDING WITH SRILA PRABHUPADA:
http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Category:Good
http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Good_devotees
http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Good_citizen
-POSSESSING DESIRABLE QUALITIES;
-SATISFACTORY IN QUALITY,QUANTITY,OR DEGREE;
-HAVING THE NECESSARY QUALITIES;
-HAVING THE QUALITIES THAT ARE DESIRABLE OR DISTINGUISHING IN A PARTICULAR THING;
.a good teacher; good health.
.well-behaved: a good child.
.financially sound or safe: His credit is good.
.in excellent condition; healthy: good teeth.
.not spoiled or tainted; edible; palatable: The fruit was still good after few weeks in the freezer.
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A year ago a doctor told me about my health: your health is GOOD or very good.
The doctor as qualified authority has sufficient knowledge and experience in this particular field, makes a judgment about my health in a specific time, according to certain objective parameters.
The doctor knows what it means health and therefore also which means NOT health.
Now a year later the same doctor after analyzing my state,same patient, says: your health is NOT GOOD .
Also something that before was not good later can it become good.
Good and not good are changing in this changing world, are interchanged in this changing world.
What is good today may not be tomorrow, not good and viceversa.
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Today I bought new clothes and its condition is good or very good.
But after a while this same clothes has become old and their status can not be good or be bad, or very bad. (BG 2.22).
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*When I have 20 years my body can be strong and agile.
I have a really good body.A good body.
But when I have 80 years it is normal that my body is not good.
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*Today I’m eating a fruit that is good.
Within a few weeks the same fruit may not be good and vice versa a fruit that is now green and not good maybe tomorrow is ripe and become good.
There is never security or certainty that something does not change its state,its status.
Everything in this dual world can go from good to not good and from not good to good at any time,from up to down and viceversa.
The assessment that something is good today does not mean, does not ensure that the same thing be good tomorrow.
This is the nature of this changing material world,everything is ever changing.
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*Today I’m eating something that is very good, very first-class foodstuff, but within days the same dish can be rotten and not good, does not taste good.
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Everything in this dual material world, at some point the person with knowledge can say about something that’s good, but maybe in the course of time the characteristics of that something changed for any reason and become not good.
Here everything material is temporary and changing.CHANGING QUALITY.
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Now someone has good behavior and tomorrow that person maybe has not good behavior.
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Any object or person today can be good according to a certain standard of evaluation but this same object or person may deteriorate with the passage of time or for any other reason and change its evaluation from good to no good.
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EVERYTHING MAY CHANGE OF STATUS TO BETTER OR WORSE, FROM NON GOOD AT GOOD OR FROM GOOD TO NOT GOOD.EVERYTHING MAY GO UP OR DOWN AT ANY TIME.
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Today my consciousness evaluated from the standard of Krsna consciousness can be good, but tomorrow my consciousness may be is not good.
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A GOOD CITIZEN MAY BECOME A NOT GOOD CITIZEN AT ANY MOMENT.
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EXAMPLES OF A CHANGE OF STATUS FROM GOOD TO NOT GOOD AND VICEVERSA:
“LOSING HIS PRESTIGE AND DISGRACING HIS GOOD NAME .”
SB 5.14.4, Translation and Purport:
Unless one’s desires are completely transferred to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the desire for family life continues, even after one has taken sannyāsa.
Sometimes in our society, ISKCON, a person out of sentiment may take sannyāsa, but because his desires are not burned completely, he again takes to family life,
even at the risk of LOSING HIS PRESTIGE AND DISGRACING HIS GOOD NAME .
These strong desires can be burned out completely when one fully engages in the service of the Lord in devotional service.
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GOOD REPUTATION IS VANQUISHED,IS LOSS, SIMPLY BY DISOBEDIENCE TO A GREAT SOUL.
SB 2.7.9, Purport:
Mahārāja Vena did not adhere to this principle of ruling, and he disobeyed the learned brāhmaṇas.
The broad-minded brāhmaṇas were not self-interested, but looked to the interest of complete welfare for all the subjects. They wanted to chastise King Vena for his misconduct and so prayed to the Almighty Lord as well as cursed the king.
Long life, obedience, GOOD REPUTATION,righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities ARE ALL VANQUISHED SIMPLY BY DISOBEDIENCE TO A GREAT SOUL.
One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Mahārāja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by THE LOSS OF ALL THE ABOVE-MENTIONED ACQUISITIONS.
In the Vāmana Purāṇa the history of Mahārāja Vena and his degradation are fully described. When Mahārāja Pṛthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukṣetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings.
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The conscience, the so-called conscience is created.
The conscience is created by association.
By GOOD ASSOCIATION, conscience is the GOOD CONSCIENCE and
by BAD association, a BAD conscience is created.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
http://vanisource.org/wiki/Philosophy_Discussion_on_Hegel?terms=good%20conscience&first=%C5%9Ay%C4%81masundara:%20He%20says%20that%20acting%20in%20accordance%20with%20a%20conscience&last=standard,%20the%20so-called%20conscience,%20so-called%20philosophy%20is%20of%20no%20value.
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BRINGING YOU BACK TO YOUR GOOD CONSCIENCE.
Letter to Gargamuni — Tokyo August 23, 1970:
I am very glad to note that you are now realizing that without executing the regular routine work of spiritual life nobody can grow spiritual strength and without spiritual strength nobody can preach the Krsna Consciousness Movement.
Both of you are my great hopes.
You have done great service to the cause of the Society and I always consider you as two strongest pillars of the Society.
Sriman Brahmananda Swami Maharaja joined me in my apartment in New York sometimes in 1966 and since then he is working so hard for upliftment of our activities and later on you also joined to help the Movement so strenuously.
So your service to Krsna in this connection will never go in vain even though accidentally something contrary has been done.
So far I am concerned, I am the same Spiritual Father and Guide of both of you and I have prayed all along to Krsna for BRINGING YOU BACK TO YOUR GOOD CONSCIENCE.
I hope Krsna is already helping you sitting in your heart and thus you are executing the regulative principles.
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Just like ordinarily, the common citizen, a good citizen, his duty is to abide by the laws of the state.
That is called good citizen.
And if you do not become a good citizen, then you are put into the prison house, good citizen and bad citizen.
Lecture on SB 1.7.7 — Vrndavana, April 24, 1975:
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Although he’s a prisoner, he can be also good citizen. There is no hopelessness.
Similarly, we are now prisoner in this material world, and we have got this material body.
Lecture on SB 3.25.27 — Bombay, November 27, 1974:
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Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.15 — Dallas, March 4, 1975:
The problem is that he has become criminal by transgressing the laws of the state.
Now HE SHOULD BECOME A VERY GOOD CITIZEN AND COME OUT OF THE PRISON HOUSE.
Then he is happy.
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