19900211 Talk On Release Kannada Gita by Jayapataka Swami and Bhanu Swami

The following is the talk given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on February 11^th, 1990 in regards to the Kannada Gītā release.

Jayapatākā Swami: It’s a very great honor for me to be at this occasion and with the permission of the honorable chief guest, and all the assembled Vaiṣṇavas and mothers, I just wanted to express a few things on the importance of this Bhagavad-gītā. Of course, the first thing would be how happy a moment this is for our beloved spiritual master, the Founder Ācārya of the Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, International.  He said that the most important thing was the dissemination of the transcendental knowledge. And the spiritual knowledge, the education for the masses of people to bring back, to be able to personally solve all the anxieties and problems of their life, to know the goal and purpose of life, to reestablish their relationship with the Supreme Godhead. All these things are possible with Bhagavad-gītā. So this is, I feel a very historical moment because, being here in Karnataka state, the home of Madhvācārya, the home of Uḍupi Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, is the most important situation for ourselves, since we are coming in the disciplic succession or guru-paramparā from Madhvācārya. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted initiation into the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya coming from Śrī Madhvā and thus his disciplic succession is known as the Brahma-Madhvā-gauḍīya-sampradāya. Although it’s not surprising at the same time that  Bhagavad-gītā has been translated in other languages first,  because possibly the priority was more in the other languages, since the people in Karnataka are very religious and pious. One might even question what is the necessity of another translation of Bhagavad-gītā in Kannada?  Although I am not sure how many translations there are in Kannada language, but since this Bhagavad-gītā is the Bhagavad-gītā which has convinced the people all over the world: the Americans, the Europeans, including the Russians, the Polish, Scandinavians, the Africans, the South-Americans, as well as even the Chinese have become convinced of the importance of the Bhagavad-gītā and its teachings by reading this translation and commentary. Actually, commentary is not used. That word commentary is not used anywhere in this Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gīta As it is, the word ‘purport’ is used. 

The author, he explained in the introduction that when he first went to United States in 1966 with the Bhāgavatam… when he was in Vṛdāvana, he translated the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam prathama-skanda, the first skanda, into English from Sanskrit with the copious purports. At that time the prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave a very good welcome to his work. When he was a youth in Gandhījīs movement, he was ordered by his guru that you should see to the spiritual upliftment of the people in the western country. They need Indian culture, they need Indian’s wisdom, they need the science of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. You are educated, you should preach the English-speaking languages. So when he was 70 years old, he took up that order and he went by Scindia Steamship ocean crater journeying over 45 days over the Atlantic Ocean to reach the United States where he established the International Society of Kṛṣṇa Consciousnesses and he went and preached to all the different countries, traveling about 14 times around the world!

When he first arrived some people asked him, “Swamiji, we want to read the Bhagavad-gītā. Could you recommend a particular version of Bhagavad-gītā for us to read?” At that time, in English, there is about 400 commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā.  So he said, “I am very sorry, but most of the versions, in fact all that I can think of, that somewhere or other, within the discussions, within the commentary, the author has put forward his own feelings or own ideas through the Bhagavad-gītā. So it’s difficult for me to recommend one which is  just giving a very straight forward commentary.” So he explained in the introduction, he felt compelled to himself to write a translation of Bhagavad-gītā just giving the direct explanation. In other words when Kṛṣṇa says    

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
(Bg. 18.66)

That, “You abandon or renounce all other occupational duties and simply surrender unto me.” In the purport he explains, this means that Kṛṣṇa wants you to surrender unto Him.  Gives it direct without trying to change anything. Just explaining what is the history of that. What have other previous ācāryas like Madhvā, like Rāmānuja, like Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers, what they have taught. And from different Purāṇas, from Upaniṣads, what are the references of all these instructions. So it's a very direct, very simple explanation. He didn’t write to impose. You won’t find any deviation from the original text. Exactly. He even put for every Sanskrit word, the word-for-word translation, then the translation into English, and then the purport. 

So there was a such a demand that subsequently, you hear the statistics, so many different languages have had the Bhagavad-gītā translated. About… I don’t know the exact statistics but I think It’s somewhere between over 50 or so. And the effect is that when someone reads the Bhagavad-gītā, they feel the same shelter, the same protection that Arjuna felt when he got the instruction from Kṛṣṇa.

Arjuna was bewildered. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what to do at that moment, whether he should fight or not fight. In fact he decided not to perform his duties because of being so much bewildered. But finally, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and said, “Now I am your śiṣya, I am your disciple. You kindly teach me what I should do.” And so, here the great student Arjuna, under the Supreme Master Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda, he explained that to understand Bhagavad-gītā, that the reader should try to understand it from the point of view that Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavān. He is the Parameśvara. Whether one believes in that or not, that may be matter of faith or realization.  But at least one should read the Bhagavad-gītā from that point of view. Then the Bhagavad-gītā has actual meaning. If Kṛṣṇa was an ordinary person speaking to his friends, then after 5000 odd years why will we still be concentrating on Bhagavad-gītā? There are so many novels coming out every day. But Bhagavad-gītā is a such a work, that the great thinkers of the world, whether the Einstein or even our Gandhiji, they all have got unlimited inspiration from Bhagavad-gītā. That inspiration is going on unending because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by... Bhagavān-uvāca, and it is heard by Pārtha, Dhanañjaya, the great devotee.  So the discussion, naturally the most intellectual, spiritual, philosophical level. Arjuna was the most qualified student, a great politician, a great leader, a great moralist, a great spiritualist in all respects. Most of all he was a great devotee. And Kṛṣṇa was speaking to his great devotee and friend. So in this way, the discussion naturally revealed many many secrets. 

Kṛṣṇa explained, rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ rahasyam hy etad uttamam. In the Bhagavad-gītā I am giving a great secret, the greatest education. So this has actually created a kind of tidal wave or revolution all over the world. You will be surprised to know that in Poland, in Russia, previously we could not so freely import the books or get the books published there.  People were saving one month's salary to purchase Bhagavad-gītā. One month's salary! Just to be able to get the Bhagavad-gītā.  Now, since the government has recognized the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in these countries, now we are printing in those countries at a very subsidized rate so that all the people are able to get it. In fact just in a month of November, over two hundred and fifty thousand Bhagavad-gītās and other literatures were distributed in Russia. People are lining up to get this work. 

Therefore we feel that it’s very important for the people of Karnataka to be able to read the Bhagavad-gītā in Kannada, and most importantly this is for the youth. Although the older generation, many of them have studied the Bhagavad-gītā, most of them know it. But you will be surprised. We being in this field, we are always meeting all the people. The common people. We have to meet everyone. We are meeting the students, and the students are telling us that they are studying science, mathematics, history but Bhagavad-gītā they don’t study.  I met many college students, they never touched the Bhagavad-gītā in their life in India.  They know Marx, they know so many philosophies, but philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā they don’t know.  So all of the parents here, I am sure you can appreciate how important it is that the youth should be able to study the Bhagavad-gītā and know it very thoroughly. So this Bhagavad-gītā is written in very simple language and with the examples of the 20^th century.  With examples that we can relate with now, as well as with the ancient examples, both. 

So here in the land of Kṛṣṇa, here in this very sacred place, I am sure that everyone can agree that this is the most historical occasion. And if everyone can take advantage and try to see that  this Bhagavad-gītā is given to all of the children in all of the schools and colleges, so that they can know and appreciate the great wealth and wisdom of India — the great classic of spiritual wisdom, The Bhagavad-gītā.

Hare Kṛṣṇa! (Clapping)

Devotee: Thank you very much, His Holiness Jayapataka Swami.  Now I request His Holiness Bhanu Swami to kindly read certain quotes about what the scholars all over the world say about Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by Śrīla Prabhupāda.

HH Bhanu Swami: Of course, there are many scholars, countless scholars around the world, many learned people who have praised His Divine Grace A.C Bhakti Vedanta Swami’s translations, and purports in the English language. So I can only read out a few of these. I selected some prominent scholars from prominent universities who have expressed their opinions of the translation of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in the English language.

First quote is from professor of Sanskrit, Dr. Samuel D. Atkins of Princeton university, which is a very prominent university in America. So He has said this:

“I am most impressed with A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gītā. It is the most valuable work for the scholar, as well as the layman, and is of great utility as a reference book as well as a text book. I promptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done book.”

And there is another university in America, very famous, Columbia University, and there Dr. Frederick B. Underwood, professor of religion has said this:

“I had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book trust, and I found them to be of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes on Indian religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the Bhagavad-gītā.”

In Mexico, University of Mexico, Dr. Kailash Vajpayee, director of Indian studies center for oriental studies, has said this:

“As a native of India now living in the west, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason I am very much excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gītā as it is by Śrī A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.  It will help to stop the terrible cheating of false and unauthorized gurus and yogīs, and will give an opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of oriental culture.”

And Dr. Salagram Sukla, professor of linguistics department at Georgetown university has said:

“It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained work. I don’t know whether to praise more this translation of the Bhagavad-gītā, it’s daring message of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the gītā with such an important voice and style. It will occupy a significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man for a long time to come.” 

And from the point of view of other religions, Dr. Paul Lesourd, honorary professor of Catholic university of Paris, he has also praised the Bhagavad-gītā:

“I can say that in the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, I have found the explanations and answers to questions I have always posed regarding the interpretations of the sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I greatly admire.”