Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, Preface and Intro, 72 Gita Showing Revisions

Bhagavadgītā As It Is

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda FounderĀcārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Preface, Introduction, and other front matter

from J. Swami’s edited copy of the 1972 edition

This is the Preface and Introduction (with other front matter) from the copy of the 1972 edition of Bhagavadgītā As It Is on which Jayādvaita Swami marked the revisions for the edition of 1983.

This document is made available so that persons interested can see what revisions were made and why. It is for your personal use only.

The yellow annotations were made in 2009 by Jayādvaita Swami. The paper clips mark sound files made from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s original tape recording of the Introduction. To open a sound file or the text of an annotation, click on it twice.

For more information, see www.BBTedit.com.

You can download this document and the complete recording of the Introduction from www.BBTedit.com.

Notes for the Preface and Introduction by Jayādvaita Swami

Śrīla Prabhupāda dictated the Preface for Bhagavad-gīlā As It Is in May of 1971, and a month or so later we at ISKCON Press in Brooklyn received a typed transcription. The transcription is dated in this way:

Sydney, Australia; 12 th May, 1971 Bombay, India; 14 th June, 1971 (second typing)

Śrīla Prabhupāda had mailed the typed Preface on May 12, but somehow it hadn’t been received, and so he sent a retyped version enclosed in a letter, dated June 15, to Rupanuga, Bhagavan, and Satsvarupa.

The typist’s initials for the Preface are given as “adb,” most likely standing for Aravinda Dāsa Brahmacārī, who was traveling with Śrīla Prabhupāda as an assistant at that time. I can no longer recall with certainty who edited the Preface, Hayagrīva Dāsa or me.

The text for the Introduction was spoken by Śrīla Prabhupāda and recorded on tape, quite likely by Śrīla Prabhupāda himself, while he was living at Dr. Mishra’s yoga studio at 100 West 72 nd Street in Manhattan. The tape ends abruptly, a few seconds after three hours, Śrīla Prabhupāda still speaking. The reel of tape—the earliest audio recording held by the Bhaktivedanta Archives—bears on its box the notation, in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s hand, “Introduction to Bhagwat Geeta” and the date “19/2/66”—that is, February 19. And so the recording was made five months after Śrīla Prabhupāda arrived in America.

Of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s dictations for Bhagavad-gīlā As It Is, this is the only audio recording still extant. For the early chapters of the book, he typed the text himself. When he began using a dictating machine, starting with the seventh chapter, he reused the tapes, and no audio copies were made.

In the diary Śrīla Prabhupāda kept in 1966, he mentions the Introduction several times. In the entry for February 20: “Introduction to Geetopanishad recorded two sides 3 three Hours.” The next day: “Todays meeting was attended by greater number of members than other days. They liked the Introduction record very much. Some of them brought fruits for me and Mrs. Leblanc paid $3.00.” And two days after that: “Mrs. Leblanc took away the tape-record for writing Introduction to Geetopanishad.”

Mrs Charlotte Leblanc was a woman attending Śrīla Prabhupāda’s classes. Again according to his diary, it seems he tried to engage her in editing Bhagavad-gita As It Is, but on March 15 he wrote, “Now she is losing interest since she has learnt it that Bhagwat Geeta does not support monism.”

One night in October, Śrīla Prabhupāda, now at 26 Second Avenue, gave a manuscript of the Introduction to Satsvarupa to retype. “He said he wanted to immediately mimeograph the essay and distribute it separately from the rest of the Bhagavad-gītā. ” Satsvarupa handed him back the retyped manuscript the next morning, and “Prabhupāda kept it for a few days before printing it.” By November 13 Śrīla Prabhupāda had sent a copy to Sumati Morarjee in Bombay. And the third issue of Back to Godhead, dated December 1, 1966, announced that the pamphlet was available for 35 cents.

In 1968 the Macmillan Company published the abridged edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, with the Introduction (and the rest of the book) edited into its final form by Rayarāma Dāsa.

For the 1972 unabridged edition, the Introduction (and, again, the rest of the book) was edited by Hayagrīva Dāsa. Because the Introduction is in essence a spoken lecture, it presented certain editorial challenges beyond those one expects to find in editing the written word. Whereas writing tends to move from point to point in a straight line, lectures tend to move here and there, the speaker sometimes digressing, sometimes taking up a line of thought but leaving it unfinished, sometimes repeating himself, perhaps even several times over. This is all typical of speech.

Hayagrīva, therefore, necessarily made many choices about what to cut and what to keep as he molded Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lecture into a written introduction. In my estimation he did a masterful job. In revising the Introduction, therefore, I generally chose to respect his choices.

I tidied things up here and there, attending to matters of spelling, punctuation, grammar, and syntax. I fixed a few mishearings and restored a few lost words. When Hayagrīva had supplied translations, I updated them so they would match the text found in the main body of the book. But I saw no reason to go back to the unedited tape and start again from scratch.

I did, however, restore a number of Sanskrit quotations the original edition had left out. Most conspicuously, with the help of our Sanskrit editors I restored the seven Sanskrit verses Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes from the Gīlā-māhātmya as his conclusion builds to its crescendo.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Introduction (concluded)

NOTE FROM JAYADVAITA SWAMI:

When I was revising the first edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, my revisions for the end of Srila Prabhupada’s Introduction were too extensive to make directly on the page. So for the very end—pages 27 and 28 of the original book—I provided my revised version on separately typed pages. Those pages, however, were not included in the scanned copy I later received of the edited book, and perhaps they have been lost.

The following pages, therefore, show in a different format the revisions done. The text of the first edition and the revisions for the second appear in the left column (insertions in bold, deletions in red). A transcription of Srila Prabhupada’s original spoken words appears in the right column, with blue to highlight some of the text that corresponds to the revisions.

As you examine this text, you might get a still better understanding by hearing Srila Prabhupada speak the words from which it was taken. To open the audio file, click on this paper clip:

Key:

• Regular text = appearing in both the first and second editions • Bold text = unique to the second edition • Strikethrough text = deleted for the second edition • Blue courier = highlighted for quick recognition

PUBLISHED EDITIONS ORIGINAL SPOKEN TEXT

. . . In conclusion, Bhagavad-gita Therefore, the is a transcendental literature conclusion is that which one should read very Bhagavad-gita is a carefully. It is capable of saving transcendental one from all fear. literature which one nehabhikrama -naso ’sti should read very pratyavayo na vidyate carefully. svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat

“In this endeavor there is no loss [The Gita verse in the or diminution, and a little old edition was not advancement on this path can spoken here by Srila protect one from the most Prabhupada.] dangerous type of fear.” (Bg. 2.40).

Gita-sastram idam punyam Gita-sastram idam punyam yah pathet prayatah puman: yah pathet prayatah if one properly follows the puman. And the result instructions of Bhagavad-gita, will be, if he properly one can be freed from all the follows the miseries and anxieties of life. instructions, then he Bhaya-sokadi-varjitah. One can be freed from all will be freed from all fears in miseries of life, all this life, and one's next life will be spiritual. ( Gita- anxieties of life. mahatmya 1) Bhaya-sokadi-vivarjitah- - all fears of life, in this life, as well as he’ll get a spiritual life in the next life.

There is also a further gitadhyayana-silasya advantage: pranayama-parasya ca naiva santi hi papani gitadhyayana-silasya purva-janma-krtani ca pranayama-parasya ca naiva santi hi papani purva-janma-krtani ca Another advantage is “If one reads Bhagavad-gita very that if one reads sincerely and seriously with all Bhagavad-gita very seriousness, then by the grace sincerely and with all of the Lord all of the reactions of his past misdeeds will not re act seriousness , then by the upon him. ” (Gita-mahatmya 2) grace of the Lord the The Lord says very loudly In in reactions of his past the last portion of Bhagavad-gita misdeeds will not act (18.66): Sri Krsna proclaims: upon him. The Lord says very loudly in the sarva-dharman parityajya Bhagavad-gita, in the mam ekam saranam vraja last portion, aham tvam aham tvam sarva-papebhyo sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah moksayisyami ma sucah. The Lord takes the “Give up Abandon all varieties of religio nusness, and just responsibility. One who surrender unto Me .; and in return surrenders unto the I shall protect deliver you from Lord, He takes the all sinful reactions. Therefore, responsibility to you have nothing to Do not indemnify from all fear.” (Bg. 18.66) Thus the Lord reactions of sins . takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies such a person against all the reactions of sin. maline mocanam pumsam maline mocanam pumsam jala-snanam dine dine jala-snanam dine dine sakrd gitamrta-snanam sakrd gitamrta-snanam samsara-mala-nasanam samsara-mala-nasanam

One cleanses oneself One may cleanse s himself daily daily by taking bath in by taking a bath in water, but if one who takes his a bath even the water, but one who only once in the sacred Ganges takes once bath in the water of the Bhagavad-gita , for sacred Ganges water of him cleanses away all the dirt of Bhagavad-gita, his the material life is altogether dirty material life is vanquished . (Gita-mahatmya altogether vanquished . 3)

gita su-gita kartavya gita su-gita kartavya kim anyaih sastra-vistaraih kim anyaih ya svayam padmanabhasya sastra-vistaraih mukha-padmad vinihsrta ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha-padmad vinihsrta Because Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Because Bhagavad-gita is Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need spoken by the Supreme only attentively and regularly Personality of Godhead, hear and read Bhagavad-gita. In therefore people should. the present age, mankind is . . people may not read people are so absorbed with in all other Vedic mundane activities that it is not literatures. Simply if possible to read all of the Vedic he attentively and literatures. But this is not regularly reads and necessary. This one book, hears Bhagavad-gita. . . Bhagavad-gita, will suffice , Gita su-gita kartavya. because it is the essence of all And one should adopt Vedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme this means, by all Personality of Godhead. (Gita- means. Gita su-gita mahatmya 4) kartavya kim anyaih sastra-vistaraih. Because at the present age people are embarrassed with so many things that it is hardly possible to divert the attention in all the Vedic literatures, this one literature will do, because it is the essence of all Vedic literature, and especially spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As it It is said : bharatamrta-sarvasvam visnu-vaktrad vinihsrtam gita-gangodakam pitva punar janma na vidyate bharatamrta-sarvasvam visnu-vaktrad vinihsrtam gita-gangodakam pitva As it is said that one punar janma na vidyate who drinks the water of

the Ganges he also gets that one “One who drinks the salvation, then what to water of the Ganges certainly speak of Bhagavad-gita ? gets attains salvation, but so Bhagavad-gita is the what to speak of one who drinks nectar in the whole the waters nectar of Bhagavad- Mahabharata, and spoken gita ? Gita Bhagavad-gita is the by Visnu. Lord Krsna is very essential nectar of the the original Visnu. Mahabharata , and it is spoken Visnu-vaktrad by Visnu Himself, for Lord Krsna vinihsrtam: It is coming Himself, is the original Visnu. ” (Gita-mahatmya 5) It is nectar out of the mouth of the emanating Bhagavad-gita Supreme Personality of comes from the mouth of the Godhead. Gangodakam, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ganges, is said to be and the Ganges is said to be emanated from the lotus emanat eing from the lotus feet of feet of the Lord, and the Lord. Of course , there is no Bhagavad-gita is difference between the mouth emanated from the mouth and the feet of the Supreme of the Lord. Of course, Lord, but in our position from an there is no difference impartial study we can between the mouth and appreciate that the Bhagavad- gita is even more important than the feet of the Supreme the water of the Ganges Lord. Still, from neutral position we can study that Bhagavad-gita is a more important than the Ganges water.

sarvopanisado gavo sarvopanisado gavo dogdha gopala-nandanah dogdha gopala-nandanah partho vatsah su-dhir bhokta partho vatsah su-dhir dugdham gitamrtam mahat bhokta dugdham gitamrtam mahat “This Gitopanisad, The Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanisads, is just like a Just, this Gitopanisad cow, and Lord Krsna, who is is just like a cow, and famous as a cowherd boy, is the Lord is famous as milking this cow. The milk is the cow boy , and He was essence of the Vedas, and Arjuna milking this cow. is just like a calf ., and learned Sarvopanisada: It is the scholars The wise men, the essence of all great sages and pure devotees , Upanisads , and are to drink the nectarean milk of represented as the cow. Bhagavad-gita. ” ( Gita- And the Lord being mahatmya 6) expert cow boy, He is milking the cow. And partha vatsa: And Arjuna is just like the calf. Su-dhir bhokta: And learned scholars and pure devotees they are to take this milk. Su- dhir bhokta dugdham gitamrtam mahat. The nectar, the milk of Bhagavad-gita, is meant for learned devotees.

ekam sastram devaki-putra- ekam sastram gitam devaki-putra-gitam eko devo devaki-putra eva eko devo devaki-putra eko mantras tasya namani eva yani eko mantras tasya namani karmapy ekam tasya devasya yani seva karmapy ekam (Gita-mahatmya 7) tasya devasya seva

In this present day, man is people are very eager to have Now, the world should one scripture, one God, one learn from the Bhagavad- religion, and one occupation. So gita the lesson. Ekam Therefore , ekam sastram sastram devaki-putra- devaki-putra-gitam: let there gitam. There is one be one scripture only, one scriptures only, one common scripture, for the whole common scripture, for world—Bhagavad-gita. And Eko the whole world, for the devo devaki-putra eva: let people of the whole there be one God only for the whole world—Sri Krsna. Eko world, and that is this mantras tasya namani: Aand Bhagavad-gita. Deva one hymn, one mantra , one devaki-putra eva: And prayer only —the chanting of there is one God for the His name: Hare Krsna, Hare whole world-Sri Krsna. Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ And Eko mantras tasya Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama namani: And one hymn. Rama, Hare Hare. Karmapy Mantra: one hymn only, ekam tasya devasya seva: one prayer, or one hymn- Aand let there be one work ek: To chant His name - only—the service of the Supreme Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Personality of Godhead. Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ [end] Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

eko mantras tasya namani yani

karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva

And there is one work only--that is, to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

If one learns from the Bhagavad-gita, then the people are very much anxious to have one religion, one God, one scripture, and one business, or one activity of life. This is summarized in the Bhagavad-gita. That one God is Krsna. Krsna is not sectarian God. Krsna-from the name of Krsna. . . Krsna means- as we have explained above, Krsna means the greatest pleasure. So therefore. . .

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