After a very good and faithful start of chapter two with Srimad Bhagavad-gita 2.1, here in Bhagavad-gita 2.2 Jayadvaita totally misses the point. The Swami is blind and wants to keep others in ignorance as well about “the values of life”. He talks instead about the value of life. He is just as blind as King Dhritarastra himself. What is the actual value of life? As per current media reports, in Gaza, Palestine, for example, the value of life is not much at all. No need to state that this is a very distressing and painful situation for everyone, especially for the dying.

On closer examination we find that in the OT, Srila Prabhupada clearly translates the Sanskrit “anarya” with the plural “persons who do not know the values of life”. And the most amazing thing of all is that Hayagriva whimsically changes it to a singular “value of life” in his word for word presentation and then in the verse itself catches precisely the Prabhupada intended meaning and puts it very nicely in the plural expression “the progressive values of life”. This is what Srila Prabhupada is really talking about. What inconsistency and whimsicality on Hayagriva’s part!!! Was he taking drugs on that day? Where was his mind? And Jayadvaita simply follows. Why didn’t Jayadvaita pick up the matter and correct it?

Srila Prabhupada BG 2.2 (closest version):

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, wherefrom have these dirty things come upon you? They are not at all befitting men who know the values of life. They do not lead to higher planets but to infamy.

Srila Prabhupada uses the expression “these dirty things” which is quite explicit and everyone understands it’s meaning. Besides that in the word for word of all three versions “kasmalam” is translated as “dirtiness”. So we may ask what is wrong with this expression “these dirty things”? Is it not sleek, refined or sexy enough? Srila Prabhupada also uses plural number for both “men” and “values of life.” Why change it? We note that in the OT there has been an attempt to obliterate the Prabhupada typed plural word “men”. It is hardly legible and has been replaced with the handwritten singular “man”. Are we implying that Srila Prabhupada is a fool??? Are we implying that Srila Prabhupada is ignorant of the facts of life and how to address them? Rather the opposite is true. Srila Prabhupada is the wise man and he who dares to rashly and impudently change unnecessarily His wording or formulation is himself a FOOL and OFFENDER at the lotus feet of Guru.

Hayagriva BG 2.2:

The Supreme Person (Bhagavan) said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive values of life. They do not lead to higher planets, but to infamy.

The Swami BG 2.2:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the value of life. They lead not to higher planets but to infamy.

Comes the Swami’s very excellent rendition of BG 2.1:

Sanjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, his mind depressed, his eyes full of tears, Madhusudana, Krishna, spoke the following words.

In the original transcript (OT) Srila Prabhupada uses both expressions “depressed in mind” and “eyes full of tears”. As opposed to Hayagriva’s “sorrowful”, the idea of depression is most suitable because of it’ s current and recurrent relevance in the world we are living both in the sense of “feelings of severe despondency and dejection” (MakBook dictionary) and also in the context of economic depression. Just see Srila Pabhupada’s ever relevance!!! Neither is there any need of Hayagriva’s speculation of “his eyes brimming with tears” even though it is otherwise a suitable and elegant expression. It has to be rejected. Better stick with Srila Prabhupada’s simple wording of “eyes full of tears” as does Jayadvaita Swami. This is a memorable instance where Jayadvaita manifestly trumps Hayagriva in Bhagavad-gita editing. He clearly scores a point here. But Hayagriva also deserves one point for his “progressive values of life”. Later in this chapter, at verse 18, Jayadvaita scores another point.

Hayagriva BG 2.1:

Sanjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion and very sorrowful, his eyes brimming with tears, Madhusudana, Krishna, spoke the following words.

There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of such anomalies and digressions in both versions of available Bhagavad-gitas. Therefore we may say that strictly speaking neither version is fully acceptable. When these anomalies will be corrected we will finally have Srila Prabhupada’s jewel Bhagavad-gita As It Is and on the whole it will be quite a different and even more powerful book! Om tat sat.

My dear readers, what are you thinking?