Nectar of Instruction 1986 edition changes: BBT has deleted Sanskrit verses,
color plates, references, index, Sanskrit pronunciation guide and
glossary from Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Instruction
In future you don’t do any changes without asking me first.
[Letter: Bhargava, May 29,1976]
Do not try to change anything without my permission.
[Letter to Radhavallabha, Aug 26, 1976]
The next printing should be again to the original way.
[SrilaPrabhupada Conversation, “Rascal Editors,”June 22, 1977, Vrndavana]
Prabhupāda: Yes. I have given glossary. You can follow that principle. Yes. And at the end of each book, glossary, index, will carry weight.
[Conversation A – Boston – December 24,1969]
Hare Krsna. All glories to His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This article presents a compilation of some horrendous changes made by the BBT in the Nectar of Instruction, 1986 Edition.
Google drive with Srila Prabhupada’s first edition unrevised, non adulterated, original books.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nHm72gVwAeei95WDkSLf2aw5x-jRXDoF?usp=sharing
To download and read the original copy of “The Nectar of Instruction”, please click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bo5vgP29hSo8j9G-vLrIySLfW73XO8Lu/view?usp=sharing
Original 1975 Edition: Changed 1986 Edition:
When did Srila Prabhupada ever even ask to change the front cover for this book?
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]
Srila Prabhupada speaks about the excellency of his original “Nectar of Instruction”.
The Nectar of Instruction has come out very nice. It is very important and must be immediately read by all devotees. In the near future we shall introduce the Bhaktishastri examination for second initiation and this shall be one of the required books of study. Anyone who reads it will immediately understand what Krishna Consciousness is. Some minister in Bombay recently asked me how to create morality amongst the students, because the students are all vagabounds. If this book is introduced for study in the schools and colleges it will give a clear idea of what morality actually is. It is a most important book.
[5th January 1976 – Letter to Radhavallabha written from Nellore]
The same changed book is sold on amazon websites(1986 or even later editions):https://www.amazon.com/Nectar-Instruction-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0912776854/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
https://www.amazon.in/Nectar-Instruction-C-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/9383095008
Analysis of changes:
1. Removal of Sanskrit Devanagari scripts in the revised editions
Only text one is shown here(see below). The Sanskrit is removed for all verses.
Why are these book changes whimsically doing anything they want with the books? Where did Srila Prabhupada ever mention that this Sanskrit must be cut out?
I am expecting this printing of our literature, especially Srimad Bhagavatam, with devanagari type and diacritic transliteration will be completely entrusted to you. So you cannot type everything from the IBM. That is not possible. In the IBM machine you shall do the English work and the diacritic transliteration work. So far as the devanagari type is concerned, you have to do it with the help of another machine, and either you will have to paste on the lines or adopt some other device so that they can be joined. That shall be the process. But if we publish our Srimad Bhagavatam exactly in the way I have already begun it, it will be a unique contribution. The scholars only require diacritic marks. Then it is all right. That should be very correct and standard. If there is devanagari character it is still better.
[July 24,1969 – Letter to Pradyumna written from Los Angeles]
Here we see that Srila Prabhupada emphasizes on being able to read books both in English and Sanskrit.
This is the perfection of education. Gurukula education should be trained up for their character. I have already mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Simply they should be able to read our books in english and sanskrit, and explain. That is compulsory.
[June 24,1976 – Letter to Gopala Krishna written from New Vrindaban, USA]
Sanskrit should be compulsory for all our children to learn, and anyone who has elementary knowledge of alphabet and grammar can begin to teach it.[February 28,1972 – Letter to Satsvarupa written from Mayapur]
2. Removing many colour plates and changing the remaining ones
The original book contains 7 plates, where the revised book contains only 4 plates. Where are the rest gone and why were they removed?
Deleted plates:
Sri Radha Govind Temple Building PlateSri Radha Govinda Deities PlateLord Krsna lifting Govardhan Hill
Our literature is not sentimental stories. It is meant to be understood by the intelligent class of men. Children and those with child-like mentalities will do better to chant “Hare Krishna” and take prasadam. We cannot water down the philosophy to make it more palatable. Our books must remain as they are. Do not waste your time anymore with such attempts. We are not going to publish it. Whatever books we have got, let them try to understand, and if they cannot then let them chant “Hare Krishna” and take prasadam. (Letter to Lilavati, Mar 31, 1977)
3. Removing the references, index, Sanskrit pronunciation guide and glossary
Hayagrīva: You have a glossary at the end of the first volume. Is that the type of glossary . . .?
Prabhupāda: Yes. I have given glossary. You can follow that principle. Yes. And at the end of each book, glossary, index, will carry weight.
Their last part of the book contains none of the items mentioned above. Why did they remove the Sanskrit index, pronunciation guide, glossary and the references?
DId Srila Prabhupada ever approve of deleting anything whimsically?
Let us have a look at the table of contents where there is no mention of these things.The left side has the original book, and the right side has the changed book.
————————————————————————————————-
Some more quotes against unauthorized book changes:
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes. They change so many things in our article. And it was on the telephone. I was speaking to him in Atlanta from Los Angeles. And I told him that “This article should not be printed because they have made so many changes.” And I didn’t like that. Then they answered that “It has already been offset, and BBT policy is always to be rushing. It’s always BBT policy.” Then I told him that “If you sacrifice quality on the strength of rushing, then it is your business, but that’s not my way, so please don’t print it.” But in any case, they have printed anyway that article. And we all had a bad reaction.
Prabhupāda: So you bring this to Satsvarūpa. They cannot change anything.
Prabhupada: The rascal editors, they are doing havoc.
Yasoda-nandana: Sometimes they appeal that “We can make better English,” so they change like that, just like in the case of Isopanisad. 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.
Svarupa Damodara: That’s actually a very dangerous mentality.
Yasoda-nandana: What is it going to be in five years? It’s going to be a different book.
Prabhupada: 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 Satsvarupa that “This is the position. They are doing anything and everything at their whim.” The next printing should be again to the original way.
Tamala Krsna: They should have a board of Satsvarupa and Jayadvaita.
Prabhupada: Hm.
Tamala Krsna: Those two men are both in Los Angeles now.
Prabhupada: So write them immediately that . “The rascal editors, they are doing havoc, and they are being maintained by Ramesvara and party.” [SrilaPrabhupada Conversation, “Rascal Editors,”June 22, 1977, Vrndavana]
You may title this book, Teachings of Lord Kapila, but it must be subtitled, “The Son of Devahuti”. That will remain, do not try to change it. The Americans may like it or not like it, but we must make the distinction between devahuti putra kapila, and the atheistic Kapila. Do not try to change anything without my permission.”[Letter to Radhavallabha, Aug 26, 1976]
“Our literature is not sentimental stories. It is meant to be understood by the intelligent class of men. Children and those with child-like mentalities will do better to chant “Hare Krishna” and take prasadam. We cannot water down the philosophy to make it more palatable. Our books must remain as they are. Do not waste your time anymore with such attempts. We are not going to publish it. Whatever books we have got, let them try to understand, and if they cannot then let them chant “Hare Krishna” and take prasadam.
Hoping this finds you and your husband well.”
[Letter to Lilavati — Bombay 31 March, 1977]
“He should not think his authority mistake. He’s such irresponsible man. He should not be given any responsible work. Our first business should see how he is advanced in devotion. We don’t want so-called scholars.“
[Room Conversation — February 27, 1977, Mayapura]
Prabhupāda: No, no. First thing is that when you speak of Bhagavad-gītā, it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So why there is no Kṛṣṇa photograph?
Guest (1): They didn’t put the picture.
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.
Guest (1): There is little misunderstanding, that Gītā-Jayantī is for . . .
Prabhupāda: No, first of all answer me this question, then you go to Gītā Jayantī. That, your Samītī is Gītā Samītī, and there is not a single picture of Kṛṣṇa. Yes.
Guest (1): We don’t know about that one.
Prabhupāda: You were not there present? Oh. That’s not . . . I think you were present.
Guest (2): . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: This is misguided.
Guest (2): I never gone there, never been there. They have just named it Gītā Bhavan, that’s all.
Prabhupāda: This is misguided. That’s all. Now, “Gītā Bhavan,” and they have invited me because we are teaching Bhagavad-gītā, and that was Gītā’s jayantī—and the speaker of Gītā is not present? Therefore I say that there are so many places—here also—they are wrongly representing Bhagavad-gītā. So our position is to rectify that wrong propaganda of Bhagavad-gītā.
Guest (2): So that is what we want to know. What is that wrong propaganda?
Prabhupāda: That is one of the instance. There are many instances, many instances, many instances. Just like Dr. Radhakrishnan. In the Ninth Chapter there is verse, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Radhakrishnan says, “It is not to the person Kṛṣṇa.” Where he gets this nonsense idea?
Guest (1): No, that Vivekananda also has said.
Prabhupāda: They are all nonsense! Therefore I say they are all nonsense, who deviates from the original text of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Guest (2): Swāmījī, by declaring other interpretation as nonsense, you do not . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes! You cannot interpret! First of all if you cannot interpret. First of all my proposal, that you cannot interpret.
Guest (2): We’ll come to that, that you are not interpreting correctly does not make me correct. I must be correct also to . . .
Prabhupāda: I am correct so long I present the correct thing, so long I am . . . if I present Kṛṣṇa as it is, then I am correct.
Guest (2): My solution, Swāmījī, most respectfully, is how do you judge that “I am correct”?
Prabhupāda: Because I am presenting what Kṛṣṇa says. First of all you answer this: What is correct, the standard of correctness? You cannot create correctness. When Kṛṣṇa says this, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, “You just surrender unto Me, become My bhakta,” how you can say: “It is not to Kṛṣṇa”? This is not nonsense? If I say, “Give me a glass of . . .” Just hear me. If I say, “Give me a glass of water,” if you say, “It is not to Swāmījī,” is that interpretation?
[Conversation, ALLAHABAD – January 18, 1971]
Conclusion:
From this it looks like it has become an aim of some people to destroy all Srila Prabhupada’s original books and change whatever they want in their own whimsical ways. There is a huge need for all of us to stick to the first edition books and stop the book changes in all possible ways. Therefore,it is our duty to stop this cheating immediately and restore what Srila Prabhupada had published in the exact “As It Is” manner.