Do Not Change My Words

Srila Prabhupada used to like to sit in his garden in Vrindavan especially in the mornings. He liked to hear his books read to him daily. One time Yasodanandan Prabhu was reading Sri Isopanisad when Srila Prabhupada stopped him and asked him to reread the last paragraph. After hearing it again Srila Prabhupada said, “Those are not my words! They are changing my words! Is my English not good enough?” Srila Prabhupada became very angry and continued, “This is the worst thing a disciple can do! Do not become like a leap frog and try to jump over the spiritual master thinking you know better than him. Tell them immediately [the editors] do not change my words!”

Srila Prabhupada was very upset about the changes in his books. I never saw him get so angry any other time.
Srila Prabhupada: “The nonsense, they are correcting my translations. Rascal. The rascal editors, they are doing havoc. So you bring this to Satsvarupa. They cannot change anything … So on the whole, these dangerous things are going on. How to check it? 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.”

(Conversation, “Rascal Editors” – June 22, 1977, Vrndavana)

Padmanayana Krsna Dasa

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Sankarsana das says:

October 26, 2020 at 4:48 am

This is a cherry picked misrepresentation of Srila Prabhupada's take of the editing. First of all the Isopanisad example wasn't a part of the Rascal Editor conversation as it's being presented here, and secondly, Prabhupada criticized editors who made great blunders, and fully supported editors whom he trusted. Since the rascal editor conversation is quoted here, the conclusion Prabhupada arrive at in that conversation was he wanted chosen editors to correct mistakes in his books, and rascal editors to be disbanded. Read the entire conversation here: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/770622r1vrn/