by Govinda Dasi on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 9:58pm
Kaisori (dasi) (NE BBT) wrote:
Hare Krsna, Govinda Dasi Prabhu,
My obeisances to you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thanks for writing to bbtedit.com. Are you replying to something specific inyour feedback below regarding Hayagriva and Jayadvaita Maharaja?
your servant,
Kaisori-devi dasi
Your Feedback: Srila Prabhupada came to San Francisco in 1967; Hayagriva was there the entire time. They worked together; Hayagriva had a little “office” set up in the back of the temple on Frederick Street. There were few devotees then; Hayagriva spent much time upstairs in “Swamiji’s” apartment doing editing work with him. Later, in late 1968, Hayagriva came and lived with us (Srila Prabhupada, Kartikeya, myself and sometimes others) in Los Angeles, on Hayworth Street.
Since I joined “Swamiji” in 1967, I am eye-witness to these events. Jayadvaita Maharaj joined Iskcon in perhaps 1970 or 1971 (I dont know since he was on the East coast and by then I was in Hawaii.) I don’t understand why you wish to try to change history. The fact is, now that the original books are available EVERYONE wants them as opposed to the heavily edited ones. Why do you persist in this? You cannot change what really happened, and it cannot be covered up. Why not just accept it and become peaceful?
Your Name: Govinda dasi
Email (optional): Prabhupadas.govindadasi@gmail.com
Options: You can publish this with my name.
The results of this submission may be viewed at:
http://bbtedit.com/node/245/submission/558
Dear Kaisori Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Yes, I am replying to statements made by Jayadvaita Swami on BBTedit entitled “the myth that Hayagriva worked with Srila Prabhupada side by side on editing.” It was sent to me via someone else. I will forward it to you.
The statements there on your BBT website simply are not true. I was Srila Prabhupada’s secretary, cook and assistant for over a year, from Dec. of 1967, when he arrived back from Vrindaban, until Jan of 1969. I also joined the SF temple in early 1967, and at that time Srila Prabhupada was in SF working with Hayagriva daily.
Jayadvaita Prabhu had not even joined the movement at that time–not till (I think) 1970 or so. Brahmananda was in New York–he was not in San Francisco so how would he know what was going on in SF! Communication was scanty; only New York temple existed at that time, and San Francisco was just beginning. Hayagriva was in San Francisco; Brahmananda was in New York.
But I was in San Francisco at that time. I was there in SF in December of 1966, as I joined just when the first SF temple opened in early 1967. And I witnessed Hayagriva working with Srila Prabhupada on the editing of Bhagavad Gita and SB.
I went up to Srila Prabhupada’s apartment many times. And then later, after traveling with Srila Prabhupada for nearly a year, in late 1968 we (Srila Prabhupada, Kartikeya, Hayagriva, and myself) stayed at an apartment in Los Angeles and Srila Prabhupada and Hayagriva worked daily on the editing of his books.
I was the cook, the secretary, (I was typing Nectar of Devotion from Prabhupada’s transcripts, and also Chaitanya Charitamrita transcripts, as well as Prabhupada’s letters) and witnessed this whole era. In late 1968, Hayagriva stayed with us and slept on the floor in the living room for weeks, and he was in Prabhupada’s room working with him for hours every day.
And when he wasn’t in Prabhupada’s room, he was hunched over the editing work in the living room. I repeat, Jayadvaita Prabhu had not yet even become a devotee. (He joined later–in Boston, I think.) So how would he know what went on in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and elsewhere when he hadn’t even joined yet? He is piecing together some false history from letters or other peoples’ faulty memories, or whatever. Why? To establish something that just isnt true?
I am an eye witness, I have photos of my time with Srila Prabhupada, and everyone in Iskcon knows this. This inaccurate reconstruction of history does not befit a great Vaishnava. He should stop this work of misleading others. You may kindly print this information on your website.
As further proof, I also wish to point out that in Hayagriva’s book, “The Hare Krishna Explosion” written LONG before Jayadvaita Prabhu joined the movement, and even longer before any posthumous editing work was done, Hayagriva describes his editing work with “Swamiji” which began in the summer of 1966. He also describes his editing work in San Francisco in early 1967.
Hayagriva met “Swamiji” in New York, in 1966, and he describes this meeting in his book. His description of his meeting “Swamiji” on the street in 1966 was already printed in an early Back to Godhead, one that I read when I joined in early 1967.
Hayagriva was an English professor specializing in American transcendentalism, i.e. the writings of Thoreau, Whitman, Dickenson etc. He had just returned from a trip to India, and was searching for a guru. He met “Swamiji” (as our Srila Prabhupada was called then) on the streets of New York City just after his return from India. Srila Prabhupada invited him to his classes, being held at Matchless Gifts. So in the summer of 1966, Hayagriva attended Prabhupada’s classes, and began meeting with “Swamiji” in his tiny apartment, where he began his editing service to him.
On page 15 and 16 of “The Hare Krishna Explosion,” Hayagriva describes how “Swamiji” handed him “thousands of pages of single spaced, marginless manuscripts of literatures unknown in the Western world.”
He offers to type for him, and “Swamiji” gives him pages and pages to revise and retype. Hayagriva describes these events in his book. Please acquire Hayagriva’s book, and you will read in Chapter two, page 15, how their editing relationship began in the summer of 1966!
Bear in mind, Hayagriva was highly educated, a college professor specializing in English literature, and fresh from a pilgrimmage to India seeking a guru. What more perfect an editor could Krishna send to Srila Prabhupada? On page 15 of his book, Hayagriva writes, “Thus my editorial services begin.
I type all morning in the room where he reads, translates, welcomes visitors, and ‘takes rest.’ There is a tin footlocker used as a desk, and a rug on which he sits and sometimes sleeps.
Apart from my typewriter table, there is no other furniture…” THIS was written long before there was any idea of re-editing Prabhupada’s books, long before Jayadvaita Swami joined Iskcon, and long before the world had received any of Srila Prabhupada’s writings. Order the book and read it for yourself–it is written proof of Hayagriva’s long-term editing work with Srila Prabhupada.
I also wish to point out that in Los Angeles and San Francisco, in 1968, I did the original cover drawing for the original Bhagavad Gita As It Is, with Srila Prabhupada literally looking over my shoulder.
He would shuffle into the room and look at my work, which was a line drawing of the Universal Form. MacMillan later removed most of the arms, and turned it into Vishu with 4 arms. They also edited down the COMPLETED Bhagavad Gita As It Is, that Hayagriva and Srila Prabhupada had COMPLETED together.
Srila Prabhupada was unhappy with the abridgment done by MacMillan (who wanted to save money on a new release) and wanted the complete book printed–The one that he and Hayagriva had completed PRIOR TO 1969, and PRIOR to Jayadvaita even joining Iskcon. So later on, as soon as money was there, Srila Prabhupada had his original book printed, with his elaborate purports, that was edited by Hayagriva before 1969, all before Jayadvaita joined Iskcon.
Please do not go on promoting these untruths. It does not look good for BBT, or for Jayadvaita Swami, who is indeed a great devotee, but he is simply not accurate in his historical renditions. And above all, he is wrong in rewriting Srila Prabhupada’s books after his departure from this world.
Now, as the original books gain in popularity, more and more people want them. That’s natural. Everyone wants the first unedited editions of great authors’ works. Please stop this propaganda. It serves no other purpose than making the public, and new devotees, suspicious of BBT and its motives. It is not respectable preaching work! Srila Prabhupada would not be pleased with this line of disservice.
Your servant , Govinda dasi
On Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 7:25 PM, Kaisori (dasi) (NE BBT) wrote:
Hare Krsna, Govinda Dasi Prabhu,
My obeisances to you. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thanks for writing to bbtedit.com. Are you replying to something specific in your feedback below regarding Hayagriva and Jayadvaita Maharaja?
your servant,
Kaisori-devi dasi
Your Feedback: Srila Prabhupada came to San Francisco in 1967; Hayagriva was there the entire time. They worked together; Hayagriva had a little “office” set up in the back of the temple on Frederick Street.
There were few devotees then; Hayagriva spent much time upstairs in “Swamiji’s” apartment doing editing work with him. Later, in late 1968, Hayagriva came and lived with us (Srila Prabhupada, Kartikeya, myself and sometimes others) in Los Angeles, on Hayworth Street. Since I joined “Swamiji” in 1967, I am eye-witness to these events. Jayadvaita Maharaj joined Iskcon in perhaps 1970 or 1971 (I dont know since he was on the East coast and by then I was in Hawaii.)
I don’t understand why you wish to try to change history. The fact is, now that the original books are available EVERYONE wants them as opposed to the heavily edited ones. Why do you persist in this? You cannot change what really happened, and it cannot be covered up. Why not just accept it and become peaceful? Your Name: Govinda dasi, yes by all means, you can use my name, and my email address, and my website, HareKrishnaHawaii.com,
Prabhupadas.Govindadasi@gmail.com
Email (optional): Prabhupadas.govindadasi@gmail.com
Options: You can publish this with my name.
The results of this submission may be viewed at:
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