“Srila Prabhupada was Adept at Editing His Books”

BY: ANIRUDDHA DAS

Dec 13, 2010 — GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA (SUN) — After all, today there are more than 500 million people who speak Spanish all over the world. Displacing English, Spanish is now the most important foreign language taught in all Swedish schools.

To ensure its correctness, purity, but above all, its preservation, Spanish scholars—mainly clerics, founded in 1713 the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy). Nowadays every single Spanish-speaking country (21) has a local branch of the Academy. Their knowledgeable members are the authorities who decide all matters pertaining the use of the language, including the admission of new words.

One of the oldest standing rules of the Real Academia Española is that after the demise of any of the beacons of the Spanish language (masters like Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Rómulo Gallegos, Gabriela Mistral, Octavio Paz), while reviewing their work, find out a grammatical or even a spelling mistake, the Academy leaves it like that. It will always be printed as it is. As an act of respect. Out of recognition. Out of admiration. Even such a stalwart writer has the right to trespass the rules and regulations so well defined by the big scholars!

Official seal of the Real Academia Española

So, why would anyone dare to change, posthumously, Srila Prabhupada’s sacred texts? It is a grave offense, even by secular standards!

Even Srila Prabhupada himself was keen to not allow anyone the change or delete any his written words. He knew perfectly well how to edit his books:

Pradyumna:

yam hi na vyathayanty ete
purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram
so ‘mrtatvaya kalpate
[Bg. 2.15]

“O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.”

Prabhupada: There is a mistake. “Is best,” it should be “the best,” not “is best” “The best.” It is address. Not nominative. Go on.

Pradyumna: Finished.

Prabhupada: Finished?

Pradyumna: Yes.

Prabhupada: So Krsna is addressing Arjuna, purusarsabha, the best of the men. “O the best of the men.” Certainly, Arjuna is the best of the mankind. Because he is directly friend of Krsna, who can be better man than him? The best of the men. So the best of the men, why he’s distressed in executing his duty? Therefore, this very word is used, that “You are the best of the men.”

(Class On Bhagavad-gita 2.15, London, August 21,1973)