By Ajit Krishna Dasa

When Bhakta Torben first published More Than Most in his ebook Blazing Edits, he exposed one of the clearest examples of how posthumous editing can distort Śrīla Prabhupāda’s intended meaning. His analysis of Bhagavad-gītā 18.63 was sharp, direct, and rooted in the ārṣa-prayoga principle. What follows is a revisiting of that same verse — not to replace his contribution, but to expand it. With additional evidence, deeper linguistic analysis, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s own spoken confirmation of the original translation, we can now see even more clearly the magnitude of the philosophical shift introduced by the BBT International editor Jayadvaita Swami. This article stands in continuity with Bhakta Torben’s work and in appreciation of his service.

Description

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s manuscript (draft):
“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”

Original and Authorized Pre-Samadhi Edition:
Same wording.

Jayadvaita Swami / BBT International posthumous edition:
“Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”

Here the ācārya’s chosen expression — “the most confidential of all knowledge” — has been replaced with a weaker comparative phrase that Śrīla Prabhupāda never authorized. Jayadvaita Swami and BBT International assured us that their edits would bring us “Closer to Śrīla Prabhupāda.” This edit does the opposite.

Type of Change

Substitution (Replacement) — replacing the ācārya’s established wording with a new formulation after his disappearance.

Category

Philosophical Change — because it alters the meaning, force, and doctrinal weight of the verse in one of the most climactic moments of the Bhagavad-gītā.

Śrīla Prabhupāda Confirms the Original Translation (Full Lecture Quote)

When the 1972 translation was read aloud to Śrīla Prabhupāda, he accepted it immediately and began teaching from it without hesitation. Even more striking, he strengthened it by using the pure Sanskrit superlative guhyatamam in his explanation.

Hari-śauri:

iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru

“Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.”

Prabhupāda: “So it is your business. ‘You deliberate on all the points I have told you. Now if you like, you surrender unto Me. If you don’t like, you do whatever you like.’ Yathecchasi tathā kuru. This is God. He doesn’t touch on your liberty. He gives you the right information. Now you… Idaṁ te jñānam? Iti te jñānam.”

Hari-śauri: “Iti te jñānam ākhyātam.”

Prabhupāda: “Ākhyātam.”

Hari-śauri: “Guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā.”

Prabhupāda: “Guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā.”

Hari-śauri: “Vimṛśyaitad.”

Prabhupāda: “Vimṛśya — ‘Now you think over it.’ You consider, make your deliberation, and then you do whatever you like. Iti te jñānam ākhyātam — ‘I’ve explained to you all kinds of different types of knowledge, and ultimately, guhyatamam, the most confidential knowledge I’ve spoken to you, that you surrender to Me.’”

This is decisive. Śrīla Prabhupāda accepts the translation exactly as printed in 1972 and then upgrades the comparative to the superlative. The posthumous edit does the opposite.

A Note on the Synonyms

It is true that Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the literal phrase “still more confidential” in the synonyms for guhyataram. But the Synonyms in Prabhupāda’s books serve as literal Sanskrit glosses, not as the final doctrinal expression of the verse. Prabhupāda routinely departs from the synonyms when giving the English Translation, because the Translation is where he presents the siddhānta — the intended philosophical meaning. In Bhagavad-gītā 18.63, Prabhupāda deliberately chose “the most confidential of all knowledge” for the Translation, and in his lecture he further strengthened that sense by using the pure superlative guhyatamam. The doctrinal meaning is therefore the superlative, not the comparative. The presence of “still more confidential” in the synonyms cannot justify altering Śrīla Prabhupāda’s authorized translation.

Commentary

The Sanskrit phrase guhyād guhyataraṁ is grammatically comparative (“more confidential”), but in the context of the Gītā it clearly expresses a final, culminating revelation. Śrīla Prabhupāda captures this meaning with precision by translating it as “the most confidential of all knowledge.”

This phrase appears in:

– the manuscript
– the 1972 Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
– Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lectures
– his consistent theological vocabulary

The BBT International posthumous edit — “knowledge still more confidential” — collapses that force.

-It downgrades the meaning, turning a climax into a comparative.
-It contradicts Śrīla Prabhupāda’s own explanation, where he uses the superlative guhyatamam.
-It breaks Prabhupāda’s established vocabulary (“most confidential” is a fixed Prabhupādan term).
-It corrects nothing and weakens much.
-It violates the Arsa-prayoga principle by overriding an ācārya’s chosen wording after his departure.

This is a philosophical change, not merely an adjustment of English.

Conclusion

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translation of Bhagavad-gītā 18.63 is clear, intentional, and confirmed by his own spoken commentary. The posthumous BBT International edit by Jayadvaita Swami replaces that clarity with a weaker, unauthorized formulation that is directly contradicted in his lecture.

This is not refinement. It is distortion.

When Śrīla Prabhupāda has already spoken, the matter is finished.