ISKCON Guru Attacks

Srila Prabhupada’s Books

Back To Prabhupada, Issue 67, Quotes Notes & News, Vol 3, 2020

In a podcast dated 10/6/20, GBC voted-in guru HH Bhaktimarga Swami ("BMS") has continued ISKCON's trend of minimising Srila Prabhupada's books, taking things to new depths of offense. All emphases added.

1) He states Srila Prabhupada's books are "embarrassing":

"they should consider, you know, the language adjustments, \[...\] anybody who's writing for a contemporary audience must look at those principles \[...\] otherwise it will be embarrassing to present books in such a way that are kind of outdated, language-wise."

2) He states Srila Prabhupada's books contain "dirty words":

"we say no ‘illicit sex', and I think a better terminology there would be no ‘casual sex'. \[...\] ‘Preach' is just like to me, I just want to block my ears, \[...\] talk about irrelevance \[...\] I mean somebody's just have to sit down in a back room and figure out what are the dirty words in ISKCON that we use \[...\] you could open almost any page and find something"

BMS also described Srila Prabhupada's word choice as:

"crass or harsh".

3) BMS continues his assault by saying that Srila Prabhupada's books require so much alteration that it actually becomes "translation":

"I do think that the translation is important and I think that if we want to be relevant to the world \[...\] we have to look at words that are going to be dear to people's hearts."

Thus, BMS criticises and suggests changes to Srila Prabhupada's words on the basis of making them more appealing to the public.

1) However, Srila Prabhupada was against this mentality of pandering to the public:

"I am not much fond of the idea of changing things to accommodate the public – better to change the public to accommodate us. Therefore I suggest wherever there is Sanskrit used there should also be English spelling in brackets. In this way, the public will become accustomed to Sanskrit language so that in future we may use only Sanskrit and they will understand."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 28/12/71)

2) Srila Prabhupada predicted that his words would inspire "ecstasy" in people's hearts and are ever fresh:

"Please continue to read the literature very attentively. Try to understand very soberly and you will feel ecstasy undoubtedly."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 7/12/69)

"We read the scriptures again and again and it is still fresh. When there is time I go on reading my own books."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, 1/10/74)

It is bad enough that BMS has occupied Srila Prabhupada's position as diksa guru, which itself has blocked people from accessing the genuine path of Krishna Consciousness via Srila Prabhupada, yet he also insists on assaulting Srila Prabhupada's books – the gateway to accepting Srila Prabhupada as one's spiritual master directly. As shown, such criticism is entirely unnecessary as Srila Prabhupada's books are transcendental. Indeed, they are written by the Lord Himself:

"That is not my explanation, that is Krsna's explanation. I cannot explain now. That moment I could explain. That means Krsna's... I can understand that, that the description is very nicely given. Although it is my writing, but I know it is not my writing. It is Krsna's writing."
(Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation, 4/9/76)

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