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Setting the Record Straight On Prabhupada's Audio by Ekanatha das Posted February 8, 2010 My appreciation goes out to those who have brought issues about the Bhaktivedanta Archives audio collection to everyone's attention. I apologize for failing to properly communicate details on this all-important topic. The Bhaktivedanta Archives is completely neutral, non-political, and free from hidden agendas — always has been and always will be. We do not censor any audio, nor withhold audio from the devotees because of content (internal or external political views, women, gays, skin colors, and philosophical issues, etc.). We do not engage in conspiracies of any kind. By Krishna's mercy we were given the charge to protect this invaluable collection of our dearmost spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, and make it available. In some ways we do find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, however, and I'll try to make clear the reasons by touching on the history and current on-going work of the Srila Prabhupada audio project. The short answer The project to release the complete, unedited, original, audio archive collection is coming along, although much more slowly than we would like and anticipated. Here are the tasks involved:
We are determined to get it right, to pass on an accurate and definitive record of Srila Prabhupada's vani. This presentation is an attempt to correct this problem. The long answer Back in 1977 the Bhaktivedanta Archives was founded by Parama-rupa and Radha-vallabha prabhus. Please see article published in Back to Godhead 37-04, 2003. When I joined the Bhaktivedanta Archives in 1978 after a 5-year stay in India, I was given the challenging task of dealing with the collection of Prabhupada tapes (reels and cassettes, mostly stacked in crates and boxes) — inherited from the Golden Avatar Studio. Though most of the tapes from 1972 through 1977 were properly identified, a large portion of those from 1966 through 1971 were not. Working with these unidentified or misidentified tapes requires one to be first of all a detective. In those early days we had made it a regular habit to put aside the "problem" tapes to be dealt with later, so as not to hold up creating the tape ministries. A "problem" tape usually means a fragment or where the audio is so poor that even expert transcribers cannot make out what is being said. There is a myth out there that such tapes can be easily cleaned up with modern technology. Though advances have been made, what we have is a unique collection with a wide variety of problems. For example: When unwanted interfering noise and Prabhupada's voice are on the same frequency, separating them is very difficult. But the time for dealing with these unmarked, mismatched or nearly inaudible recordings is now, and this is our present service — a very specialized time consuming procedure. We have not communicated adequately to the community of devotees why sorting through all the audio put aside takes so much time. Procedure Though there have been ongoing efforts over the years, for the last year or so we have concentrated on processing the "problem" tapes. For transcriptions and proofreading, 27 volunteers now work on processing the audio transcripts. The system is that a transcript is created, proofread for accuracy by a different individual, then proofread again by yet another person to make sure it is verbatim, then proofread for Sanskrit and diacritics, then formatted and applied into the VedaBase. Only by doing the in-house updated VedaBase check can we be certain a tape is unique and original. Already several dozen existing entries in the tape ministry and the archival collection have been reported as doubles, as given incorrect dates, or both. Some have been identified as incomplete as well, and we are sure that further corrections will continue to come in. A further major problem, which has existed since before we acquired the collection, is the many, many bits and pieces of mislabeled and non-labeled tapes (reels and cassettes). We find copies and "originals" to be incomplete duplicates, triplicates, etc. We find portions and sections spread over a few tracks, sometimes jumping back and forth between the tracks. In addition we need to address the dozens of recordings that are off-speed. When Srila Prabhupada was recorded on a morning walk, often the servant would forget to charge up the batteries, resulting in the gradually slowing-down of the tape and making Srila Prabhupada sounding abnormally too fast. Another issue is that some reel tapes require to be baked for 24 hours at 120 degrees F to restore the ability for the tape to be played again. We also come across cassettes with wrinkled or stretched tape inside, making playback very difficult or next to impossible. Major detective work is often necessary to straighten all this out, and it takes enormous amounts of time. After referencing the VedaBase every item must be transferred and transcribed first and assigned a proper reference source. With this done, we can begin to unravel the audio record. All this results in slow publication, but of course it must be done, no matter what. Please remember that Srila Prabhupada was recorded by amateurs, by whomever was available and who often barely knew how to handle equipment and properly place a microphone. There are many recordings that have very poor acoustics. The reason is that Srila Prabhupada was recorded from too far away with an internal microphone in a cheap shoebox tape cassette recorder. Many reels, the majority from India, were recorded at the slowest speed available (15/16 inch per second) in order to save tape. Because we cannot afford to hire devotees full-time, we are forced to rely on volunteers. Only through their kindness can we make reasonable progress. However, the volunteers, due to personal obligations, generally have a slow turnaround time. This is normal. This essential service is extremely tedious and takes a healthy amount of super-focused attention and determination. The difficulty of the task is compounded again by the poor audio quality. I have worked with dozens upon dozens of volunteers in the past, but virtually everyone, for various reasons, petered out. Although volunteering for such a service seems at first like nectar, volunteers soon realize that the work calls for strenuous efforts and lots and lots of time, and thus they shortly drop out. Fortunately we currently have a few good people on board, for which I am very grateful. Archival policy
We are sorry for not being any quicker, but we, as much as you, want to see the project completed as soon as possible. Requesting your help, patience and understanding We beg for your blessings to help us complete this final phase of the audio project. As mentioned above, the entire original audio collection will be released. It will replace the existing MP3 ministry in its entirety. All the kirtans, verse recitations, Srila Prabhupada chanting Jaya Radha Madhava, etc., present on the originals will be included. No introductory announcements, as in the current ministries, will be added. If there's any way you can help, I gladly welcome your efforts, whether in proofreading or transcribing, or telling others about this specialized service opportunity. And if substantial financial contributions are donated, we can hire additional qualified personal to speed up the audio project. For further inquiries please contact me at Ekanatha@prabhupada.com. Thank you. Ongoing progress as of 02-05-2010: Audio ready for transcribing, 47; Bengali proofreading in progress, 4; Digital cassette transfers to be identified, 249; English proofreading completed--Stage 1, 110; English proofreading in progress — Stage 1, 62; English proofreading in progress — Stage 2, 16. English transcribing in progress, 66; Hindi transcribing in progress, 15; Bengali ready for transcribing, 15; Ready for Folio — VedaBase, 10; Hindi ready for transcribing, 54; Sanskrit ready for proofreading, 50.
Reels to be digitized and to be identified, 161; Sanskrit proofreading in progress, 26; Transcripts ready for English proofreading — Stage 1, 44; Conservative estimate of new audio files forthcoming, 500.
The "changes" for chapter three of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is will soon be online at www.BBTedit.com/changes. The Preface, the Introduction, and the previous chapters are already there. See for yourself what was done and why.
Also in the pipeline: "The changes" for The Nectar of Devotion.
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Romeo, Rama and the Rebellious Riff-Raff by Niscala dasi Posted February 4, 2010 In “The Cry for Myth”, Rollo May makes a powerful case for the need of myth in every society, and that societies and cultures can be seen as byproducts of their collective myths. In this essential service to society, it doesn’t matter at all if the myth is fiction or fact, for either way the myth acts on the collective subconscious of the society, which moulds its identity, values and attitudes around the myth. Even modern society has myths which have molded the character of its people- the courage and confidence of the first settlers as they pressed on westwards into unknown territory can now be seen in the many risk-taking adventures that Americans are famous (and more recently, infamous) for… In the area of personal relationships, myth also plays a vital role, which may explain the stark contrast between how societies deal with, for example, romantic love- the differences can be traced back to different myths… Romeo and the Riff-Raff In western society our ideal romantic couple, the couple which we feel most fully embody ideal love, was portrayed with force and style by Shakespeare in “Romeo and Juliette”. In that story, the lovers break all social taboos, all requirements of society…forsaking the desires of their parents, they love only for the sake of love. On the other hand, in India it is not Romeo the rebellious romantic youth, but Sri Ramachandra, the obedient and loving son who is the hero of the story. Ramachandra’s example has molded Indian society, and thus, it can be seen that even with the influx of western influence into the subcontinent, still nearly all marriages are arranged by the parents, with the child’s consent, and divorce is a rarity. This astonishing phenomenon makes clear the superexcellent holding power of myths. In the Ramayana, Sri Ramachandra risks all for filial obedience, whereas in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo risks all for the opposite- filial rebellion. Thus, it is no wonder that in Indian society the importance of the desires of the parents, even in regard to career but most definitely in regard to marriage, are foremost, and all the talk in India that this is “old-fashioned” and “outdated” has had little effect, and will continue to have little effect, because their myths are still strongly internalized. In the West, rebellion is the norm for teenagers, it is even seen as healthy- part of growing up, yet is it? When they rebel against loving parents who only wish to guide them for their own good, the effect is that they become lost and fall prey to their own whims, often ending up as victims of the drug trade. The tendency towards rebellion is further facilitated by the psychoanalytical discovery that most psychological problems can be traced back to the parents’ behavior- this reinforces the Romeo myth, but also may have been born out of it as well, in terms of the original hypothesis- though I am not sure if Freud ever read Shakespeare, or if there was a German equivalent, but certainly the extreme popularity and ready acceptance of his theory reflects our internalization of the Romeo myth of heroic rebellion against domineering parental authority. Of course, the real issue is which myth is good for us, and in this respect the Ramayana appears to win the race- Indian arranged marriages stay together, with the effect that children don’t have to be traumatized by the break up of their parents. Are they happy together- we may wonder? Would they be happier if they were to marry through choice? First consideration is whether happiness is more important than duty, and if doing one’s duty can lead to happiness- certainly the Gita is based on this premise. Here we have another myth- with the hero being Arjuna. He was speculating on his future happiness, what we in the West would romantically call “having a dream” but when he forsook the dream for duty, he experienced great joy, which is something that Oprah fans would have been astonished by- we must follow our dreams! There is joy in duty- it is experienced by the mother who sacrifices her comfort, sleep, time and energy for her child. Contrary to Freud’s theory, the children coming from Indian families do not appear to suffer from following the parents’ desires- they appear to be generally well-balanced, successful and driven. And drugs appear to be less of a problem in India, despite the widespread corruption of its police force (taking bribes is normal). It may be argued that in many cases, where there is marital conflict, it is better for the child if the parents split, and that social pressure to stay together may result in psychological harm to the children. Still it is far better if there is no conflict, or if conflicts remain contained, and the parents stay together. Divorce has not made marital conflicts any less common, and this is logical. If one knows that one is expected to stay with this person, “come hell or high water”, then naturally one will work on the relationship, work through the difficulties, reach compromises... If one knows that by signing a paper, it can all be over, what is the point in being so tolerant of the other? One who knows that his whole life will be spent with this person, will try to make the situation pleasant- for one cannot live in constant conflict. And this pleasant situation is enjoyed by the children, and gives them security. Working on conflict, learning to see things from the other’s perspective, surrendering time which would otherwise be spent making money in order to uphold family commitments, all contribute to a quality of life that is nurturing and full of higher value. In the frantic search for happiness we must not forget that it may be found not only in new places (relationships), like the early settlers pressing on westwards, but within ourselves and between the selves that we know. It may be found in places that we least expect it, like in honoring the desires of a wise and caring person, as Arjuna and Rama did. But in order to have faith in that, we must work on dismantling the Romeo myth inside us, which is reinforced by at least half of what Hollywood produces, with the result of blind cynicism of authority figures, and blind faith in one’s own desires- characteristics of “rugged individualism” that can so quickly degenerate into selfishness and thus rupture family bonds. The myths of India, in contrast, have led to a relatively healthy stable family structure. Internalizing such myths, and having such heroes as Arjuna and Ramachandra as our role models, we may be able to replace the heady, whimsical and blindly rebellious role model of Romeo that has led our society down the path of ruination, at least for a large portion of our youth, our future hope…. Clearing Things up a Bit In writing this, I do not mean to suggest that in every case parents should be obeyed, that arranged marriages are better, or that Indian society as a whole is better than western society. Modern Indian society is a corruption of varnashrama by the so-called brahmanas, but it was only the caste or varna part that they corrupted- for the sake of self-aggrandizement…the ashrama part, including the grhastha-ashrama, has remained relatively uncontaminated over the millennia. Thus, we see a mixture of good and bad in India- very functional families, in a society where many children of lower castes have to rummage through trash for food- unheard of in the West. Such exploitation of the lower castes is NOT part of any Indian myth, but is the concoction of power-mongers. Still much can be gained from separating gold from mud, particularly much can be gained from the Indian conception of ashrama- which is an arrangement for pursuing duty and spiritual elevation, not for facilitating the overwhelming whimsical, lustful attractions we call “falling in love” which we just as whimsically fall out of. Meanwhile Indian society can learn from our better conception of varna- which is less about inequality (at least in relation to humans), and thus closer to genuine varna …Varnashrama means that all, from washerman to king, are essentially equal, being parts and parcels of God Who dwells in all. Our bill of rights upholds this equality, for humans at least, and thus we have shelters, education and welfare for the underprivileged. Obedience and duty is served by the Ramayana myth, whereas service to one’s own desires is served by the Romeo myth. Thus vedic traditions can turn our families into ashramas- peaceful places for spiritual evolution, rather than feverish places for pursuing personal desires and attractions. The lessons of the Gita in God-conscious vision can expand our western sense of equality to include animals, the unborn and the environment. Thus the vedic traditions can contribute to social harmony that is the outcome of following varna, and the spiritual elevation that is the outcome of ashrama.
In writing about myth in this context, I do not mean to suggest that the Ramayana or the Bhagavad-gita are not factual, historical texts. I use the word “myth” in the context that the above-mentioned author uses it, which has nothing to do with whether it is fact or fiction, but everything to do with how it molds our collective thinking, attitudes and behavior. A myth is not any less powerful from being fiction, neither is it more powerful from being fact- actually the opposite may be true, because facts tend to engage the conscious and analytic part of our brain, whereas fiction, being more dreamlike, may effect more the subconscious, which has more to do with identity. But whether the stories are facts or fiction is irrelevant for us, as this is the domain of scholars. We are only interested in consciousness, and how to transform it into the Godly type- therefore we do not have to waste time to research how historical our myths are- for to do so detracts us from the purpose and power of their effects on consciousness. Meditating on the myth, our consciousness is transformed, our attitude to life, changed. Through the myth, the role model hero lives in- and through- us all.
The "changes" for chapter two of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes.
See the meaning Srila Prabhupada actually intended where the first edition said:
See:
All this and more, in a free, highly informative PDF download.
In this file you'll see the revisions Jayadvaita Swami made to the purports, in the actual book where he made them. You'll also see the revisions made to the word-for-word meanings. (The translations were done separately.)
Annotations give the reasons for most of the changes (and often also tell what Srila Prabhupada’s original manuscript said). Images show relevant portions of the manuscript itself, as well as two sample pages.
The scans for the Preface, the Introduction, and chapter one are already online at www.BBTedit.com/changes. Gita Has the Peace Formula by Rita Gupta Posted December 14, 2009 Judging by the prestige associated with the Nobel Peace Prize, which was just awarded to President Barack Obama, the question of how to attain peace is one of the most fundamental matters facing humanity at large. The "peace formula" expounded in the Vedic literature of India gives humanity a concise answer to this question. Peace can be had when one understands that God is the proprietor of everything. (See Srila Prabhupada's book, Krishna Consciousness, The Topmost Yoga System, ch. 9.) Until then, there will be no peace; there will be only discord and disagreement. Individuals and nations will fight for proprietorship over regions and countries. Soon, they will fight for proprietorship over planets. The Vedas tell us that there is a place where all the inhabitants accept that God is the proprietor of everything. In that place, all the relationships are peaceful and full of love. That place is called Vaikuntha, or the spiritual universe. Many vedic literatures include detailed descriptions of Vaikuntha, explaining that just as this material universe has multiple planets, there are multiple planets in Vaikuntha, and they describe what life on those planets is like. They describe what the inhabitants eat, how they dress, etc. Furthermore, in Vaikuntha there is no birth or death. Thus, relationships in Vaikuntha are not only peaceful and full of love, but they are eternal. The Vedas are the oldest known sacred writings. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, translated over 80 volumes of vedic literatures into English, giving voluminous commentaries. The best-known of Prabhupadaâ™s translations, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, has been translated into over 50 languages. In an October 12, 1972 lecture given in Manila on the Bhagavad-Gita, Srila Prabhupada contrasted life in Vaikuntha with life in this material universe, saying: "Here we are full of anxieties. When will my death take place? What will be the political situation? What shall I eat? Where shall I sleep? We're always full of anxieties, but there is another world where there is no anxiety. That is called Vaikunthaloka."
Everyone wants a world free from anxiety. Each one of us can have it — practically immediately — by accepting that God is the proprietor of everything. It is a matter of individual consciousness, completely independent of our government, friends and family.
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