Author Archives: H.H. Jayadvaita Swami

For disciples of Srila Prabhupada: Invitation to the Open Vyasa-puja book, 2014
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A letter from the production manager 

Deadline: April 15, 2014

Dear Srila Prabhupada disciple,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

On behalf of the Tributes team, I’d like to invite you to submit your offering for Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja Tributes book 2014.

The book accepts offerings from everyone directly initiated by Srila Prabhupada, regardless of their personal history, present circumstances, personal views, or institutional affiliation.

Last year we received 280 offerings and our hope this year is that we can increase that number. Every disciple who submits an offering will receive a free copy of the book courtesy of the sponsorships the book receives. Last year we received an anonymous contribution from Africa. For this years sponsorship opportunities, please visit our website www.sptributes.com for details.

The deadline for submitting an offering is 15th April 2014. To find out more  — and, especially, for details on submitting your offering — please see www.sptributes.com.

We look forward to receiving your offering! And please spread the word!

Thank you.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Your servant,
Pradyumna Dasa
Production Manager
www.sptributes.com

 

 

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For disciples of Srila Prabhupada: Invitation to the Open Vyasa-puja book, 2014
→ Jayadvaita Swami

A letter from the production manager Deadline: April 15, 2014 Dear Srila Prabhupada disciple, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. On behalf of the Tributes team, I’d like to invite you to submit your offering for Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja Tributes book 2014. The book accepts offerings from everyone directly initiated by […]

The post For disciples of Srila Prabhupada: Invitation to the Open Vyasa-puja book, 2014 appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

“Simply supplying food is nonsense”
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Srila Prabhupada wanted to distribute prasadam (spiritual food) along with spiritual education. He wrote: “If we open a branch in Madras, actually there are so many poor children there. Spiritual education and food, that is proper. Simply supplying food is nonsense.” (letter to Gurudasa, 13 May 1972) Hare Krishna.

The post “Simply supplying food is nonsense” appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

Bhaktivedanta Archives releases 2013 VedaBase update and 1976 audio
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On Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 6, the Bhaktivedanta Archives released the latest update of the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. The update is available for download here. At the same time, the Archives released the 1976 audio recordings of Srila Prabhupada. For details of the new releases, see the Archives blog.

The post Bhaktivedanta Archives releases 2013 VedaBase update and 1976 audio appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

Bhaktivedanta Archives releases 2013 VedaBase update and 1976 audio
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On Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, November 6, the Bhaktivedanta Archives released the latest update of the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. The update is available for download here.

At the same time, the Archives released the 1976 audio recordings of Srila Prabhupada.

For details of the new releases, see the Archives blog.

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Change 4,528
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According to what I hear, the second edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is has five thousand changes. Here’s one that came up in a Gita class a few nights ago: 17.28 (first edition) asraddhaya hutam dattam tapas taptam krtam ca yat asad ity ucyate partha na ca tat pretya no iha asraddhaya — without faith; […]

The post Change 4,528 appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

Change 4,528
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According to what I hear, the second edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is has five thousand changes. Here’s one that came up in a Gita class a few nights ago:

17.28 (first edition)

asraddhaya hutam dattam
tapas taptam krtam ca yat
asad ity ucyate partha
na ca tat pretya no iha

asraddhaya — without faith; hutam — performed; dattam — given; tapah — penance; taptam — executed; krtam — performed; ca — also; yat — that which; asat — falls; iti — thus; ucyate — is said to be; partha — O son of Prtha; na — never; ca — also; tat — that; pretya — after death; no — nor; iha — in this life.

But sacrifices, austerities and charities performed without faith in the Supreme are nonpermanent, O son of Partha, regardless of whatever rites are performed. They are called asat and are useless both in this life and the next.

 Asat, of course, means “impermanent,” “temporary,” or false. The second edition has it right.

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Giriraja Publishing releases Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Tattva-sandarbha
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Giriraja Publishing, part of the BBT publishing group, has released the translation and commentary on Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Tattva-sandarbha done by Gopiparanadhana Dasa. You can purchase it at blservices.com

The post Giriraja Publishing releases Srila Jiva Gosvami’s Tattva-sandarbha appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

“Gita changes” for chapter eight an eye-opener, now online
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BBT press release

The BBT is pleased to announce the release of the annotated scans for chapter eight of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. They are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes.

In this chapter, the revisions made are extensive. In fact, so much of what Srila Prabhupada originally wrote has been restored – and this so enriches the chapter – that lovers of Srila Prabhupada’s words may well ask themselves, “How could we not want this in?”

You’ll see:

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“Gita changes” for chapter eight an eye-opener, now online
→ Jayadvaita Swami

BBT press release

The BBT is pleased to announce the release of the annotated scans for chapter eight of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. They are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes.

In this chapter, the revisions made are extensive. In fact, so much of what Srila Prabhupada originally wrote has been restored – and this so enriches the chapter – that lovers of Srila Prabhupada’s words may well ask themselves, “How could we not want this in?”

You’ll see:

read more

“Gita changes” for chapter eight an eye-opener, now online
→ Jayadvaita Swami

BBT press release The BBT is pleased to announce the release of the annotated scans for chapter eight of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. They are now online at www.BBTedit.com/changes. In this chapter, the revisions made are extensive. In fact, so much of what Srila Prabhupada originally wrote has been restored – and this so enriches […]

The post “Gita changes” for chapter eight an eye-opener, now online appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

These things happen
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This letter was sent to me and Dravida Dasa, the chief editor at the North American BBT.

Respected Maharaj and Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I request to read the following purport of SB 9.10.29

“After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if one is too sinful, he is checked from transmigrating to another body, and thus he becomes a ghost. To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or sraddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized sastra, must be performed. Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra and was destined for hellish life, but by Lord Ramacandra’s advice, Vibhisana, Ravana’s brother, performed all the duties prescribed in relation to the dead. Thus Lord Ramacandra was kind to Ravana even after Ravana’s death.”

Shouldn’t the word “diseased” be “deceased”?

Your servant,
Anuj Agrawal
Banswara
Rajasthan, India

Yes, it certainly should!

(This will be fixed in the next printing.)

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These things happen
→ Jayadvaita Swami

This letter was sent to me and Dravida Dasa, the chief editor at the North American BBT.

Respected Maharaj and Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I request to read the following purport of SB 9.10.29

“After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if one is too sinful, he is checked from transmigrating to another body, and thus he becomes a ghost. To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or sraddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized sastra, must be performed. Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra and was destined for hellish life, but by Lord Ramacandra’s advice, Vibhisana, Ravana’s brother, performed all the duties prescribed in relation to the dead. Thus Lord Ramacandra was kind to Ravana even after Ravana’s death.”

Shouldn’t the word “diseased” be “deceased”?

Your servant,
Anuj Agrawal
Banswara
Rajasthan, India

Yes, it certainly should!

(This will be fixed in the next printing.)

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These things happen
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This letter was sent to me and Dravida Dasa, the chief editor at the North American BBT. Respected Maharaj and Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I request to read the following purport of SB 9.10.29 “After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if […]

The post These things happen appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

Updated BBT style sheet (June 2013)
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Here is the most recent version of the BBT Style Sheet. You can have it either of two ways: The BBT Style Sheet (June 2013) (Word file) (392 KB) The BBT Style Sheet (June 2013) (PDF file) (753 KB) The style sheet offers the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s latest standards on such matters as spelling, punctuation, […]

The post Updated BBT style sheet (June 2013) appeared first on Jayadvaita Swami.

Updated BBT style sheet (June 2013)
→ Jayadvaita Swami

Here is the most recent version of the BBT Style Sheet.

You can have it either of two ways:

The style sheet offers the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s latest standards on such matters as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word choice.

This is a routine update.

You can always find the latest version of the style sheet on the permanent page of BBT editorial resources.

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Updated BBT style sheet (June 2013)
→ Jayadvaita Swami

Here is the most recent version of the BBT Style Sheet.

You can have it either of two ways:

The style sheet offers the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust’s latest standards on such matters as spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and word choice.

This is a routine update.

You can always find the latest version of the style sheet on the permanent page of BBT editorial resources.

read more

Images from the planet of the trees
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“There is also a planet of trees presided over by Aryama, who represents Krsna.”
   —Bhagavad-gita As It Is, first edition, purport to 10.29

Turning many heads at last year’s Ratha-yatra festival in Los Angeles was a colorful sight: a man on stilts and dressed as a tree, lushly adorned with leaves and branches. Apparently he is a well-known figure at Venice Beach.

Spotting him, my godbrother Svavasa Prabhu, the president of the Los Angeles ISKCON temple, called out to me, “Look! The planet of the trees!”

I was too late to snap a picture of the tree-man. But I picked up pictures of him and other “tree people” from the internet.

Once, a few years before, in Long Island, I’d had a — well, I guess you could call it a chat — with a bold young fellow from Bangalore who proudly declared that since “the planet of the trees” was in the original edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the edition Srila Prabhupada had personally approved, at least he (that bold young fellow from Bangalore) had full faith that there really is such a place.


So for those who would accord a special sacred status to “planet of the trees” and other such editorial errors (and for anyone else who might find such curious matters interesting), here you have them: images from… … . The Planet of the Trees!


Please don’t get me wrong. The first edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is a marvelous transcendental book, full of spiritual potency. So if that’s the edition you prefer, fine. In that case — if you’re sincere and honest about wanting to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions — please buy it from the BBT.

Hare Krishna.

read more

Images from the planet of the trees
→ Jayadvaita Swami

“There is also a planet of trees presided over by Aryama, who represents Krsna.”
   —Bhagavad-gita As It Is, first edition, purport to 10.29

Turning many heads at last year’s Ratha-yatra festival in Los Angeles was a colorful sight: a man on stilts and dressed as a tree, lushly adorned with leaves and branches. Apparently he is a well-known figure at Venice Beach.

Spotting him, my godbrother Svavasa Prabhu, the president of the Los Angeles ISKCON temple, called out to me, “Look! The planet of the trees!”

I was too late to snap a picture of the tree-man. But I picked up pictures of him and other “tree people” from the internet.

Once, a few years before, in Long Island, I’d had a — well, I guess you could call it a chat — with a bold young fellow from Bangalore who proudly declared that since “the planet of the trees” was in the original edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the edition Srila Prabhupada had personally approved, at least he (that bold young fellow from Bangalore) had full faith that there really is such a place.


So for those who would accord a special sacred status to “planet of the trees” and other such editorial errors (and for anyone else who might find such curious matters interesting), here you have them: images from… … . The Planet of the Trees!


Please don’t get me wrong. The first edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is a marvelous transcendental book, full of spiritual potency. So if that’s the edition you prefer, fine. In that case — if you’re sincere and honest about wanting to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions — please buy it from the BBT.

Hare Krishna.

read more