Your Choice: Eternal Suffering or Eternal Bliss

I was wandering in the darkness of ignorance for thousands and millions of lifetimes due my mood of defiance of the Supreme Authority, Lord Sri Krishna, until I was fortunate to be blessed by the mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna with the most sublime seed of pure devotional service. And I was also fortunate enough to realize that I had indeed received something more valuable than anything that can ever be obtained anywhere in this material world. I cashed in on that mercy and thus have been blessed with the most sublime transcendental existence beyond the sufferings of this material world. You too can have this, if you want it badly enough. Thus, it is up to you now to decide whether you want to continue suffering in the cycle of birth and death or you want to enjoy an eternal life full of knowledge and full of bliss. The choice is yours. I hope and pray that you will choose wisely.

Krishna Awaits Your Return to His Sublime Abode

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Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Why the BBT Changed Srila Prabhupada's Books?

Dearest Srila Gurudeva,

Thank you very much Srila Gurudeva for a wonderful SB class given today (Jan 12, 2016) in Los Angeles and teaching us the importance of praying and begging Srila Prabhupada for his kind mercy and for what His Divine Grace desires us to do for this movement, followed by a very powerful question-answer session.

I humbly beg Your Divine Grace to allow me to submit few questions at Your lotus feet:

How to understand the changes being made by the BBT in Srila Prabhupada's books?

Wherever Srila Prabhupada mentioned "bona fide spiritual master" or "spiritual master" in the purports of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Caitanya Caritamrita, etc. does it specifically indicate the initiating Guru or does it mean both Siksha and Diksha gurus?

Srila Gurudeva, why is our process called the "science" of Krishna? What's the significance of the word "science" in the context of transcendental knowledge? Why is it "science" as we see the science of this material world which is based on proofs and experiments is changing, coming up with new conclusions every other day.

Srila Gurudeva, since I feel miserable in this world and do not want to stay here, my performing of devotional service to go back to Godhead feels like a selfish motive. And I am feeling guilty in my heart for this reason. So I humbly fall at the lotus feet of Your Divine Grace and beg You to guide me how to make devotional service unmotivated as heard in Your Divine Grace's lectures and read in Srimad Bhagavatam.

I humbly fall at the lotus feet of Your Divine Grace and thank You for attending my queries.

Yours insignificant servant,

Syamapriya devi dasi

Answer: Books Were Restored, Not Changed

In Srila Prabhupada’s books there were some errors made not by Srila Prabhupada but by persons who were doing the editing under Srila Prabhupada’s order to get the books reading for publication. For example, a karmi boy named Neal who volunteered to do service was transcribing the original dictation tapes by typing out what Srila Prabhupada spoke. On the dictation tape Srila Prabhupada was talking about Pitriloka, the planet of the Pitris, the Pitas. But Neal, being a karmi, had never heard of such a thing. He thought that Srila Prabhupada said, “planet of trees.” So in the original full edition of the Bhagavad-gita published in 1972 we read, "There is also a planet of trees presided over by Rama, who represents Krishna,” even though there is no such as the planet of the trees.

This gross error, which is not what Srila Prabhupada said, is now back into line with Srila Prabhupada spoke on the dictation tape:

"There is also a planet of Pitas, ancestors, presided over by Rama, who represents Krishna."

The idea behind the editing is not to change Srila Prabhupada’s words, but to undo the mistakes the neophyte editors made so that the books are now back into line with what Srila Prabhupada actually said.

Bona fide spiritual can be either a siksha guru or a diksha guru. In other words, a person can be a bona fide spiritual master without initiating disciples. Just like my wife, Srimati Vishnupriya devi dasi, who is known as Gurumata to my disciples, is certainly a bona fide spiritual master, although she is not initiating disciples. According to Vedic culture and the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, she leaves that service to me and assists me in my service as an initiating spiritual master. This does not mean that she is any less of a guru than I am. She is certainly just as much of a spiritual master as I am, and in many ways she is even better, as it is said that the wife is the better half of the husband.

Science means factual knowledge, not mental speculation. What they call "science" in the modern day world is mostly dogma. It is not science. It is nescience. That's why it is always changing. On the other hand, the teachings of Krishna are actual science because they are absolutely true and never change.

To attain unmotivated devotional service is not at all difficult. You simply must beg for it again and again, and again and again and again, etc. etc. until you finally attain it.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari