Isopanisad Changes: (BBTI’s adulterated front cover + over thousands of changes)
Analysis of Book Changes: Thousands of changes found in Isopanisad 1974 and 2001 editions
Hare Krsna. All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and all Vaisanvas. The link below contains a detailed list of 1000s of changes made to Srila Prabhupada’s Original Sri Isopanisad 1969 edition in the 1974 edition.BBTI editors claim that the 2001 edition is closer to Srila Prabhupada. But we find no such restorations have been made(i.e, it is almost the same as the 1974 edition) and only a handful of even more changes were made in the 2001 edition. We can therefore conclude that the 2001 edition also has the same unauthorized changes as the 1974 edition.
Link containing these changes:https://draftable.com/compare/XHqtwOJumUmc (Left side has 1969 edition and the right side has 1974 edition)
“P.S. Our Isopanisad is now published. This excellent book of God-Consciousness should be introduced as study book for school and college students because it is so nicely explained about God-Consciousness. Any sincere gentleman serious about knowing God-Consciousness must read this book. A little education will make every one aware what is meant by God. It is a challenge to the atheists, agnostic, skeptics and gross materialists. Please get this book in quantities from Boston and try to introduce it.”
[Letter to: Kirtanananda—Los Angeles,18 February, 1970]
We have our new book, “Isopanisad,” published. It is very attractive and instructive also. Try to get them from Boston center.
[Letter to: Harer Nama—Los Angeles, 23 February, 1970]
Now we have published our Isopanisad and you must try to sell it as far as possible. I have tried to explain in this book the preliminary knowledge of God-consciousness so any layman who reads it will be able to understand our Krsna Consciousness movement to their great benefit. If you simply present our program before them with great sincerity of purpose, they will be influenced by the seriousness of our Krishna Consciousness movement, and you can further impress them to join with us.
[Letter to: Rudra—Los Angeles, 9 March, 1970]
Identify the Sri Isopanisad(Original first edition):The photo below is the one that was sold initially in 1969. Later, in 1972 a reprint of this was made in the form of the pink cover WITH NO CONTENTS CHANGED. The entire book was revised in 1974. The pink version is the one which is printed by KBI.
1969 Isopanisad translation from Back To Godhead – 1969 Magazine:Part 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mWBW0N5embxLK6Mt9HUmBDdwbiIXmc97/view?usp=sharing [Page 16-29]Part 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aafp2NZztouKaMzrmK7eAz_rB6mWMisH/view?usp=sharing [Page 31-43]
Download the E-Book of 1969 Isopanisad in PDF format:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R19-YGFEwVgfZTLhE0zsRcilVnwjfdTc/view
Purchase the First Edition Original Sri Isopanisad: https://krishnastore.com/sri-isopanisad-hardcover-1969-edition-h-krishna-443.html
Regarding Sri Isopanisad changes: (Srila Prabhupada disapproves the changes)
Yaśodā-nandana: In the Gurukula we were teaching Īśopaniṣad class to the children. So we took… [break] …Prabhupāda and the words which the recent edition of the Press is wrong. Many changes were brought. They were trying to make better English, but sometimes, to make better English, I think they were making philosophical mistakes also. There is no so much need of making so much better English. Your English is sufficient. It is very clear, very simple. We have caught over 125 changes. They’re changing so many things. We are wondering if this is necessary. I will show you today. I have kept the book.
Srila Prabhupāda: I know that these rascals are doing. What can be done? How they can be relied on?
[……..]Yaśodā-nandana: Sometimes they appeal that “We can make better English,” so they change like that, just like in the case of Īśopaniṣad. There are over a hundred changes. So where is the need? Your words are sufficient. The potency is there. When they change, it is something else.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That’s actually a very dangerous mentality.
Yaśodā-nandana: What is it going to be in five years? It’s going to be a different book.
Prabhupāda: So you… What you are going… It is very serious situation. You write one letter that “Why you have made so many changes?” And whom to write? Who will care? All rascals are there. Write to Satsvarūpa that “This is the position. They are doing anything and everything at their whim.” The next printing should be again to the original way.
Only few changes are seen between 1974 and 2001 editions such as: (THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST, AS THERE ARE A LOT MORE CHANGES BETWEEN 1969 AND 1974 EDITION)Change 1:Purport, Isopanisad Mantra 4Original edition:(1969)Men are accustomed to reach conclusions only according to their own capacity to understand. But the Supreme Lord is not subject to our limited capacity to understand Him.
Changed edition:(1974)Men are accustomed to reach conclusions according to their capacity for understanding, but the Supreme Lord is not subject to our limited capacity for understanding.
Changed edition:(2001)
Men are accustomed to reaching conclusions according to their capacity for understanding, but the Supreme Lord is not subject to our limited capacity for understanding.
Change 2:Translation, Isopanisad Mantra 6Original edition:(1969)A person who sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, and sees all entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything, never hates anything, nor any being.
Changed edition:(1974)
He who sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, who sees all living entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything never hates anything or any being.
Changed edition:(2001)
He who sees systematically everything in relation to the Supreme Lord, who sees all living entities as His parts and parcels, and who sees the Supreme Lord within everything never hates anything or any being.
Let us now analyze how BBTI has adulterated the Isopanisad’s front cover too in the 2001 edition:
Instruction from Srila Prabhupada regarding cover change:
“No, the printing of the Gitar-gan cover this fashion is not at all approved by me. You have done most nonsensically. Why change the cover? When people look to see the Bhagavad-gita they expect to see Krishna and Arjuna, not the picture of Krishna with cow. You have done a great mistake by changing the front picture and it will hamper the sale. In future you don’t do any changes without asking me first.
Simply because there is no stock of books, we can do anything whimsically??? Is this logic? Gita is not spoken in Vrindaban, it is spoken on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, but this is Vrindaban picture. That chariot driven by 4 horses, that is the real Kuruksetra picture. It is not that because there is no stock we can do whimsically as we like and lose the idea, that is rasa-bhasa. Because there is no bread, you take stone to eat? There is no stock of bread so you will take stone??? The front picture is most important thing and you have changed it. It must remain standard, and not change. Also, the lettering is not nice on the cover. You could have taken a color picture of Krishna and Arjuna and used it black and white (one color) on the front cover. Just as you did with the inside back cover of the Bhagavat darsana, the original picture of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in color but you have printed it in black and white. You could have done this on the front cover with Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, but the cover must not be changed.
[Letter: Bhargava, May 29, 1976]
Conclusion:It is best to stick to the original way, that is the first editions of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Same goes with Isopanisad. Hare Krishna.