Bhagavan: Srila Prabhupada, the word ksetrajna...

Prabhupada: Eh?

Bhagavan: Ksetrajna, the knower of the body.

Hamsaduta: Ksetrajna.

Prabhupada: Ksetrajna.

Bhagavan: Ksetrajna. Is that for one who is differentiating himself from this body? In other words, a person who has realized that there is field and there is knower, is he given that title or is the person who cannot make that distinction, is he also given that title?

Prabhupada: No. Anyone who knows that... That I have explained. That everyone is sitting on the floor. So everyone knows that he is not floor. He's different from the floor. Is it very difficult?

Bhagavan: No.

Prabhupada: So this is knower. Similarly by common sense we can understand that we are not this body.

Yogesvara: It says in the purport: "Now the person who identifies himself with the body is called ksetrajna, the knower of the field."

Prabhupada: Eh?

Yogesvara: In the purport it says: "The body is called ksetra, or the field of activity for the conditioned soul, and the person who identifies himself with the body is called ksetra, ksetrajna, the knower of the field."

Prabhupada: No, no. It is wrongly written.

Yogesvara: Ah. It's everyone, everyone.

Prabhupada: No, no.

Yogesvara: Not just those people.

Prabhupada: Identifies with the body. He's not ksetrajna.

Yogesvara: He does not know.

Prabhupada: No. It is wrongly written.

Bhagavan: That was no my question. This was my question.

Prabhupada: Ah. Oh, it is wrongly written.

Bhagavan: From the lecture, from lecture, when one can...

Prabhupada: Who does not identify, it should be.

Yogesvara: Who does not identify. Yes.

Prabhupada: Oh, it is wrong.

Bhagavan: That's always questioned in Bhagavad-gita.

Prabhupada: It is not, has been mis-edited. If you identify with body, how you know it? Oh, it is a very great mistake.

Bhagavan: We can, we can write them, make that correction.

Prabhupada: Yes. Write immediately. One must know that I am not this body. That is knowledge. That is knower. That is common sense. I say: "It is my body." I don't say: "I body." That I explained. One who does, one who knows that "I am not this body," he's real knower. And one who knows that: "I am this body," he does not know. He's in ignorance. Just like Danielou.

Yogesvara: A Krsna conscious person, he can maintain his position in family, government, business, anything.

Prabhupada: Why not? All these Pandavas, they were government men. How they maintained Krsna consciousness? Yudhisthira Maharaja... They were fighting for political reasons. So they were Krsna conscious, fully. (break) ...who identifies with this body, he's described as cow or ass. How he can be knower? It is wrongly edited. The word: "Not". It was edited by whom? Hayagriva?

Hamsaduta: Hayagriva.

Bhagavan: Jayadvaita.

Prabhupada: Eh? Eh?

Hamsaduta: Hayagriva also...

Bhagavan: Hayagriva and Jayadvaita.

Prabhupada: This should be corrected immediately.

[Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, August 11, 1973, Paris]

 

After reading the above quote the other day, I thought I would do a little research to see if this very great mistake had been rectified as Prabhupada ordered.

I first checked my little original black pocket Gita, printed in Taiwan by BBT – Philippines. The mistake was corrected, it now read:

Therefore the body is called ksetra, or the field of activity for the conditioned soul. Now, the person who does not identify himself with the body is called ksetra-jna, the knower of the field.

[Srila Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad-gita 13.1-2]

I then checked the recently reprinted original Gita, which is available in hardback with forty four colour plates and the mistake was present there. So I concluded that this Gita was printed in 1972 before the above conversation in Paris 1973. The little black pocket Gita’s are obviously reprints of original Gita’s printed just after the very great mistake was rectified, probably in 1973-1975.

I then located a Jayadvaita Gita printed in 2000, and checked the purport from chapter 13 verses 1-2. Sure enough the very great mistake that Prabhupada ordered to be rectified was present again!

Therefore the body is called ksetra, or the field of activity for the conditioned soul. Now, the person who identifies himself with the body is called ksetra-jna, the knower of the field.

[Jayadvaita’s Gita or Srila Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad-gita 13.1-2, 1972 print before the mistake was changed]

Jayadvaita and all the rascals who support or associate with this society of demons are on the royal road to hell, for sure!

TRANSLATION: Arrogance, pride, anger, conceit, harshness and ignorance--these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Prtha.

PURPORT: In this verse, the royal road to hell is described. The demoniac want to make a show of religion and advancement in spiritual science, although they do not follow the principles. They are always arrogant or proud in possessing some type of education or so much wealth. They desire to be worshiped by others, and demand respectability, although they do not command respect. Over trifles they become very angry and speak harshly, not gently. They do not know what should be done and what should not be done. They do everything whimsically, according to their own desire, and they do not recognize any authority. These demoniac qualities are taken on by them from the beginning of their bodies in the wombs of their mothers, and as they grow they manifest all these inauspicious qualities.

[Srila Prabhupada’s original Bhagavad-gita 16.4]

I humbly suggest that for all future reprints of Prabhupada’s original books, any mistakes that Prabhupada has ordered to be corrected like the mistake in chapter 13 or the mistake in chapter 18 verse 44 be done so, directly or at least as a footnote.

Prabhupada: That is second-class. And the third-class?

Tamala Krsna:

                      krsi-goraksya-vanijyam

                    vaisya-karma svabhava-jam

                      paricaryatmakam karma

                     sudrasyapi svabhava-jam

 

   "Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities..."

Prabhupada: They are not cattle raising, that was...

Tamala Krsna: Cow protection.

Prabhupada: Cow protection. It has to be corrected. It is go-raksya, go. They take it cattle-raising. I think Hayagriva has translated like this.

Tamala Krsna: Hayagriva.

Prabhupada: No, it is especially mentioned go-raksya.

[Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, with the Mayor of Evanston, July 4, 1975, Chicago]