Whereas ISKCON is meant to be a public organisation for the cultivation of self-realization also called Atma-Tattva in Sanskrit language, ISKCON seems to give priority to the mundane.

For example, when you have one or several mundane diplomas such BA, MA or PhD, you are sure to be accepted immediately as a big shot in ISKCON and may even be given a position. You certainly will be given priority and some kind of a red carpet. But what does BA, MA and PHD know about Atma Tattva ???

The theoretician versus the practical man – jnana versus vijnana, theoretical knowledge against realised knowledge – is an old dichotomy and Srila Prabhupada illustrates it in the following story He told in Cambridge Mass. USA, on the 8th of May 1968 to students at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). So in Vedabase terms, the lecture reference will be 680508LE.CAM. We note that the moto of this prestigious place of learning is “Mens et Manus”, which is Latin for “Mind and Hand.” This motto illustrates our point very well:

“Unfortunately, we have got technology for the bodily senses, we have got technology for psychology, but we have neither any technology for intelligence nor for any technology in the science of the soul. The Krsna consciousness movement is the technology of the science of soul.
There is a nice story. You’ll appreciate it. In India, especially in Bengal, there are many rivers. The land is full of rivers. Because it is on the bank of the Bay of Bengal, all rivers are falling. Therefore Bengal, the land of, especially the East Bengal, is full of rivers. One student of technology was going home, and he was on the boat. So the student was asking the boatman, “Do you know what are the stars?” The boatman said, “Sir, we are ordinary boatman. What do we know about these stars?” “Oh. Then your fifty percent of life is wasted, useless.”
Then he was asking, “Do you know what are these trees? Do you know any science of botany?” He said, “Sir, we are ordinary laborer. What do we know about botany?” “Oh. Then seventy-five percent of your life is useless.” In this way the student of technology was asking the boatman, “Do you know this? Do you know that?” And he said that “I am ordinary man. What do I know all these things?”
Then all of a sudden there was a black cloud, and there was storm, and the river began to be inflated, and the boatman said, “My dear sir, do you know swimming?” “Oh,” he said, “no.” Then he said, “Then your cent per cent knowledge is spoiled. Now you have to go down to the river. Your life is finished.” In this way they dropped in the river, and the technological student, because he did not know how to swim, so the storm and the waves grabbed him.

The idea is that we are making progress, certainly, in technology, in economics, in so many other departments of human necessities. But Bhagavad-gita says that real problem of this world, or real problem of our life, it is said in the Bhagavad-gita,
janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
duhkha-dosanudarsanam
[Bg 13.9]

If you are intelligent enough, then you should see the real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. Janma means birth, and mrtyu means death. Janma-mrtyu-jara. Jara means old age, and vyadhi means disease. So actual material problem is this, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi.”

But we have here not only a question of “Mens et Manus” but also a question of character.

The bearded Hayagriva.

The most blatant case of corruption is the case of departed Professor Howard Wheeler aka Hayagriva whose consciousness of drug addicted, homosexual misogynist and sexist shines and permeates throughout both versions of Srila Prabhupada glorious Bhagavad Gita As It. He qualified as an English teacher and taught at State University of Ohio, USA and he undertook the editing of Srila Prabhupada’s BGAII in the seventies. And Jayadavaita’s Second Revised and Enlarged Edition in the early eighties is broadly based on the first Hayagriva edition. “Jayadvaita Swami was born Jay Israel to a Reform Jewish family.^[1] He spent his childhood in Englewood, New Jersey, where he attended Dwight Morrow High School.^[” (Wikipedia.) Jayadvaita did NOT make the fundamental changes he should have done by reverting to a more faithful version to Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Jayadvaita therefore shares the responsibility and the blame. Srila Prabhupada’s Original Transcript (OT) enables us to do just that. Jayadvaita’ s edition, however, is currently accepted as the “official version” of BGAII. What hoax and a farce this represents!

Two more very ugly consequences follow:

ONE. Anyone who reads, studies, or hears such presentations of BGAII is subtly and unconsciously trained at being a drug addicted, HOMOSEXUAL SEXIST and MISOGYNIST. In other words, both these versions of BGAII promote at least discretely and subtly the exploitation and suppression of women in general, which represents more than half humanity and is in one sense a crime against women.

TWO. Because all this is done in the name of Srila Prabhupada there is a grave case of defamation of Srila Prabhupada Who besides being God’s or Krishna’s special emissary can be described as a perfect truth-telling gentleman, advocating gender equal-opportunity. He is also my revered spiritual master and that my position implies unavoidable duties of protection to Him, especially when He is disrespected on such a grand scale, and especially in His physical absence.

Further more the innumerable and unauthorised changes, additions, subtractions introduced by both editors make both current Bhagavad Gitas only a pale reflection and a travesty of Srila Prabhupada original intentions. This is death by a thousands cuts! The original Prabhupada rendition of Bhagavad Gita (OT) can be found here thanks to an Australian devotee of the name Madhudvisa Prabhu: https://bookchanges.com/bhagavad-gita-as-it-is-manuscript/. Madhudvisa Prabhu deserves ample recognition for his brave action of justice of posting Srila Prabhupada’s original rendition of BGAII on line for the whole world to consult and verify, even though the presentation is sometimes very rough and even illegible and some pages are missing as well.

We may safely assume that the clique of individuals in charge of these matters on the other side of the Pacific Ocean would have never published the original transcript (OT) and would have enjoyed perpetuating the plot and misleading us forever. Two names at least come up immediately: Jayadvaita and Dravida of ISKCON San Diego. It is now these rascal’s turn to die by a thousands cuts or otherwise for their crimes and ill, dishonest and somber intentions.

Here are some examples of Hayagriva’s unauthorised and bogus changes. They are in fact falsifications and we are being misled de facto:

ONE. In the verses always and sometimes in the purports as well (as in purport BGAII 4.33), he systematically replaces Srila Prabhupada’s thoughtful expression “the Supreme Personality of Godhead” with his own concocted “the Blessed Lord.” or other expressions. Srila Prabhupada’s plans is to inculcate into the psyche of the world that Krishna is the Supreme Boss, but Hayagriva sabotages it. This represents a betrayal of the author by the editor and a sign of envy for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a common and chronic disease for the condition souls.

TWO. Srila Prabhupada spells Brahmin always, which is totally fine. Hayagriva again falsely feels a need for change to the word “Brahmana.”

THREE. Unauthorised suppression of appealing words and expressions such as “industrialist” in BGAII 10.36, “According to logicians” in BGAII, 2.27, replacement of the colourful “originator” with the pale “source” for no valid reason whatsoever in BGAII 10.8, purport, etc etc …..

FOUR. Unauthorised introduction of Non-Prabhupada text such “Or, as the Christians say, “What profiteth a man if he gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of his eternal soul?” in the purport of BGAII 2.40. This sentence originates from Hayagriva, who falsely gave himself the liberty to introduce it. Srila Prabhupada is NOT the actual author of this sentence, just another misrepresention, betrayal and misleading! Hayagriva just keep your private feelings and thoughts to yourself. We are not interested. For the matter under consideration, we are interested in PRABHUPADA ONLY. Neither do you have license to act in this manner!

Hayagriva is really very much obsessed with men. This is not at all wonderful, as he is homosexual but is however totally out of place as an editor of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. He is homosexual and correlatively he is a complete misogynist and complete sexist. In BGAII 4.13, purport, again this is confirmed as follows:

Here Srila Prabhupada writes:

“A person in Krishna consciousness is above even the Brahmins, because a Brahmin by quality is supposed to know Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. Most of them do approach up to the impersonal Brahman manifestation of Lord Krishna. But a qualified Brahmin who transcends the limited knowledge of a Brahmin, and reaches the knowldege of the Supreme Personality, Lord Shri Krishna becomes a person in Krishna consciousness, or in other words he becomes a Vaishnava.”

Hayagriva modifies the text in the first place and gives:

” A person in Krsna consciousness, however, is above even the brahmanas, because a brahmana by quality is supposed to know about Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. Most of them approach the impersonal Brahman manifestation of Lord Krsna, but only a man who transcends the limited knowledge of a brahmana and reaches the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, becomes a person in Krsna consciousness-or, in other words, a Vaisnava.”

And Jayadvaita instead of spotting the deficiency , tacitly approves of the sexist rendition, which makes him a sexist too.

“A person in Krsna consciousness, however, is above even the brahmanas. Although brahmanas by quality are supposed to know about Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, most of them approach only the impersonal Brahman manifestation of Lord Krsna. But a man who transcends the limited knowledge of a brahmana and reaches the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, becomes a person in Krsna consciousness — or, in other words, a Vaisnava.”

Recapitulation: So Hayagriva at the first instance, replaces falsely Srila Prabhupada’s “a qualified Brahmin” with “a man” and Jayadvaita tacitly agrees.

So man, man, man, man, man or men, this is Hayagriva’s obsession and he repeats it over and over again in the entire text. Whenever he sees an opportunity, he catches it. And because Jayadvaita did not correct the matter when he had a chance, it makes both renditions of BGAII bogus, grossly misleading and phsychologically damaging and to be rejected into the bin of history ASAP. While this is a sufficient reason for rejection both current versions of BGAII, it is very far from being the only one. There are hundreds of other bogus and unnecessary changes away from the Original Transcript (OT) which will also warrant such a radical move.

To finish on positive note, we all agree that Hayagriva’s rendition of 4.20 is just perfect. One just can’t do better than:

“Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of undertakings.”

This revolution is coming. Better prepare for it.

Signed: The Krishna Conscious Observer or TKCO

tkco16108@gmail.com