—————————————————————————————————-ISKCON is selling Garuda dasa [Graham M. Schweig’s] Gita
Link where ISKCON stores are selling this bogus version online in “Other Editions” sections.http://store.krishna.com/bhagavad-gita-the-beloved-lords-secret-love-song/
This is a matter of etiquette. If a previous acarya has already written about something, there is no need to repeat it for personal sense gratification or to outdo the previous acarya.” [CC, Madhya, text 151]
Our students have no time to read our own books, but they have time to read other’s books, and the money to purchase them?
Srila Prabhupada Letter to: Cyavana:Bombay 13 October, 1973Brahmananda Swami has read me your letter regarding the students there reading other books. I request you to stop this practice. Our students have no time to read our own books, but they have time to read other’s books, and the money to purchase them? Why this mentality is there? You are a serious student, therefore you have correctly found out the defect in these books. We don’t want babaji class. We want active preachers.
SRILA PRABHUPADA QUOTES ON BHAGAVAD GITA WITH NO KRSNA PICTURE CLEARLY VISIBLE ARE UNAUTHORIZED:
Srila Prabhupāda: No, no. First thing is that when we speak of Bhagavad-gītā, it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So why there is no Kṛṣṇa photograph?
Srila Prabhupāda: That’s all right. You are bringing something else besides Bhagavad-gītā. Just try to understand. We are preaching… This International Society for Krishna Consciousness, we are preaching…
Guest (1): But you have to understand the relation between the two.
Srila Prabhupāda: That’s all… That we understand very nicely. It is not that I have to learn from you. We know it very well. But you should know that we are preaching Bhagavad-gītā. So, this jyotir-liṅga, all these theories, they are not in the Bhagavad-gītā. It may be in other literature, but we are particularly interested in preaching Bhagavad-gītā. Because Bhagavad-gītā is wrongly preached all over the world by nonsense commentation, we want to rectify it. Therefore, our society is specially named “Krishna conscious.”
Guest (1): What is wrongly preached about Gītā?
Srila Prabhupāda: Wrong… Just like yesterday I went that Gītā Samītī. There is a lamp. Why there is a lamp instead of Kṛṣṇa? Why there is a lamp? Kṛṣṇa is a lamp?And it is Bhagavad…
Guest (1): I don’t know…
Srila Prabhupāda: You do not know. Therefore, I say this is wrongly preaching. Why in the place of Kṛṣṇa there is a lamp? Does Kṛṣṇa say?
Guest (1): Lamp has been with us for more than… In our mandira…
Srila Prabhupāda: That’s all right. (Hindi?) Kṛṣṇa is also there.
Guest (1): They must evolve with that idea because…
Srila Prabhupāda: No, no. First thing is that when we speak of Bhagavad-gītā, it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So why there is no Kṛṣṇa photograph?
Guest (1): They didn’t put the picture.
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. That means you have not understood Kṛṣṇa. Therefore your, this so-called Gītā society is not bona fide. At least even in ordinary feature, suppose if there is political meeting, you keep Gandhi, this photo, Jawaharlal Nehru’s photo because they are the political leaders. You are preaching Bhagavad-gītā, Gītā Samītī, and there is not a single picture of Kṛṣṇa. Srila Prabhupada Discussion with Indians. Allahabad, January 18, 1971
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Letter to: Sri GovindaDated: Jan. 20, 1972There is no need by any of my disciples to read any books besides my books—in fact, such reading may be detrimental to their advancement in Krishna Consciousness. All reading of outside books, except in certain authorized cases such as for example to read some philosopher like Plato to make an essay comparing his philosophy with Krishna’s philosophy—but otherwise all such outside reading should be stopped immediately. It is simply another botheration. If my students cannot even read my own books thoroughly, why they should read others? I have given you TLC, what need is there to read Caitanya Caritamrta translated by someone else. You are right to stop such reading.
“The authorized edition of Bhagavad-gita will help to stop the terrible cheating of ‘gurus’ and ‘yogis’ who are false and unauthorized.”
Letter to: Svarupa, RanadhiraMayapur-3 February, 1976Los AngelesThe reviews have very much encouraged me. Especially those of Prof. Bhatt and Prof. Vajpeye. I have personally written a letter of thanks to Dr. Bhatt, that he has so much encouraged me. Dr. Vajpeye’s review we are going to print and widely distribute, especially in Bombay and Madras, where there is so much propaganda from these bogus gurus and yogis. He has got practical experience of how they are cheating the innocent people in foreign countries and he has written; “The authorized edition of Bhagavad-gita will help to stop the terrible cheating of ‘gurus’ and ‘yogis’ who are false and unauthorized._________________________________________________________________
‘One, it will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized gurus and yogīs; and two, it will give an opportunity to Spanish-speaking people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture.”
Devotee (1): . . .in Mexico, and he’s been asked to actually take charge of the Oriental Studies, specifically on Hinduism. And he’s done a review on the Spanish Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.
Prabhupāda: This is Spanish language?
Devotee (1): No, English.
Rāmeśvara: Printed in the Spanish Gītā.
Satsvarūpa: Shall I read it?
Rādhāvallabha: It’s very nice.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Satsvarūpa: “As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. Just as any ordinary man in the West becomes conscious of Christian culture from his very birth, any ordinary man in India becomes familiar with the principles of meditation and yoga from his very birth. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous persons come from India, exhibit their imperfect and ordinary knowledge of yoga, cheat the people with their wares consisting of mantras, and present themselves as incarnations of God. So many of these cheaters have come, convincing their foolish followers to accept them as God, that those who are actually well versed and learned in Indian culture have become very concerned and troubled. For this reason I am very excited . . .”
Prabhupāda: Send this copy to Indira Gandhi.
Devotee (2): Indira Gandhi.
Prabhupāda: Yes, and request him stop, to send . . . give passport to all these nonsense. Do this. Yes.
Satsvarūpa: “For this reason I am very excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, by Śrī A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīla Prabhupāda, from his very birth, was trained in the strict practice of bhakti-yoga, and he appears in a succession of gurus that traces back to the original speaking of Bhagavad-gītā by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. His knowledge of Sanskrit is impeccable. His penetration into the inner meaning of the text is befitting only a fully realized soul who has indeed perfectly understood the meaning of Bhagavad-gītā. Personally, I intend to use this book in the courses which I am directing by invitation of the Mexican government on the language, culture and philosophy of India. This authorized edition of the Gītā will serve a double purpose in Spanish-speaking countries. One, it will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized gurus and yogīs; and two, it will give an opportunity to Spanish-speaking people to understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture.”
Devotees: Jaya![Morning Walk – Mayapur- March 13.,1976]————————————————————————————————-Prabhupāda: Hmm. So, I shall speak on Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The purpose of saying Bhagavad-gītā as it is, explained, that there are many editions of Bhagavad-gītā, they have interpreted in their own way, giving up the spirit of Bhagavad-gītā. So this particular name, “As It Is,” significant.
Perhaps there is no other edition of Bhagavad-gītā where it is written, “As It Is.” In this connection, Professor Dimock of Chicago University has written a foreword, and he very much appreciates the thing. He says, “Swami Bhaktivedanta comments upon the Gita from this point of view, and that is legitimate.” So he accepts that Bhagavad-gītā As It Is is legitimate presentation of the great book of knowledge.
And he also says more than that. “In this translation the Western reader has the unique opportunity of seeing how a Kṛṣṇa devotee interprets His own text.” So, about Kṛṣṇa, the devotees actually can interpret about Kṛṣṇa book. Others, if they are not devotee, how they can interpret on Kṛṣṇa? Just like a member of a family can say very nicely about the head of the family. How outsiders can say about the family? That is not possible. Similarly, about Kṛṣṇa a Kṛṣṇa devotee can speak nicely, not others. Others have no right to speak about Kṛṣṇa.
[Srila Prabhupada’s Lecture on Bhagavad Gita 07.01 – Los Angeles – August 1,1972]