Tagore and Yogananda

[Guest guest]

"And when old words die out on the tongue,

new melodies break forth from the heart."

~ Rabindranath Tagore

Only Thee

That I want thee, only thee---let my heart repeat without end.

All desires that distract me, day and night,

are false and empty to the core.

As the night keeps hidden in its gloom the petition for light,

even thus in the depth of my unconsciousness rings the cry

---`I want thee, only thee'.

As the storm still seeks its end in peace

when it strikes against peace with all its might,

even thus my rebellion strikes against thy love

and still its cry is

---`I want thee, only thee'. ~ Rabindranath Tagore, "Gitanjali

Paramahansa Yogananda --

Whispers From Eternity

One Name, Two Books—What Happened?

When you are able no longer to talk to me, Read my Whispers of

Eternity.Eternally through that I will talk to you.Unknown I will

walk by your sideAnd guard you with invisible arms.—Paramhansa

Yogananda, Inner Culture, March 1940excerpted from When I Am Only a

Dream

"There are three Bibles which I read and from which I draw my outer

inspiration: the Christian Bible, the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, and my

Whispers from Eternity, which were given to me by God."—Paramhansa

Yogananda, East-West, May 1932

Many devotees consider Paramhansa Yogananda's book of spiritualized

prose poems, Whispers from Eternity, to be his most beautiful and

inspiring book. The first edition, copyrighted 1929, was received

with rave reviews, heart-felt praise by writers and poets, and deep

appreciation by devotees.

Yogananda, himself, ranked Whispers with the Christian and Hindu

bibles. He said, "There are three Bibles which I read and from which

I draw my outer inspiration: the Christian Bible, the Hindu Bhagavad

Gita, and my Whispers from Eternity, which were given to me by God."

(Spiritual Recipe, East-West, May 1932) He also said that Whispers

was the only book that he edited himself.

Self-Realization Fellowship currently publishes and sells two entirely

different books entitled, Whispers from Eternity. Sincere devotees

very much want to know which book contains the whispers that were

given to Paramhansa Yogananda "by God"? Which book will fulfill the

promise in the East-West, March-April, 1930 advertisement that "you

learn how to have a heart-to-heart talk with God, Who is otherwise

often silent."

History and background

The first edition of Whispers from Eternity was published in 1929. The

"third enlarged edition" was published in 1935. This edition is

identical to the 1929 edition, with the addition of twenty-nine

poems, chants, essays, and prayers. The fifth revised edition,

copyrighted 1949, seems to be identical to the 1935 edition except

that two works were added and two others were deleted. Thus in the

twenty years after it appeared, Whispers from Eternity was enlarged

but otherwise essentially unchanged.

Then in 1959, (seven years after Yogananda's passing), SRF published

the revised eighth edition of Whispers from Eternity. This is a

completely different book, rewritten by Tara Mata under the guise of

"editing." The order of the works is completely rearranged, titles

changed, some works are added, and others are deleted. Almost every

sentence of the text has been changed.

Later, the 1929 edition went into the public domain, and Amrita

Foundation, Inc. published it. In 1981 due to the demands of devotees

and because the 1929 version was available through Amrita, SRF

reprinted the 1949 edition (except for four works used in

ceremonies). On the cover of this reprint is written, "First

Version." This can give the impression that it is the 1929 first

edition, when, in fact, it is a reprint of the 1949 fifth edition.

SRF also continues to publish the highly edited 1959 version of

Whispers. At this time it is the ninth edition, and is essentially

the same as it was when it was first published in 1959.

What was changed?

What are the significant differences between the two versions of

Whispers from Eternity that SRF is currently publishing? We'll call

them the ninth edition and the 1981/1949 reprint.

The teaching of prayer-demands—a new way to pray

In Whispers from Eternity Paramhansa Yogananda taught us to pray not

as beggars but as children of God.

He explains the importance of this way of praying in the "Hints to the

Reader": "My purpose in presenting these Sacred Demands, received in

the course of my various fruitful communions with our Father, is to

enable my fellow-beings to contact Him effectually. I prefer the word

"demand" to "prayer," because the former is devoid of the primitive

and medieval conception of a kingly tyrant-God whom we, as beggars,

have to supplicate and flatter." (1981/1949 reprint, p.13)

This was considered revolutionary in 1929 when Whispers from Eternity

first appeared. James Warnack of the Los Angeles Times writes in a

review (printed in East-West, March-April, 1930), "Almost startling

in its deviation from orthodox conceptions, Swami Yogananda's new

book—Whispers From Eternity"—blazes a new trail of thought about

prayer. The Swami contends that the average supplicant for God's

favor goes to Him like a beggar, and that he receives, therefore, a

beggar's pittance, instead of his rightful heritage as a Son of God."

In the Foreword, Amelita Galli-Curci writes, "In Whispers from

Eternity, by Paramhansa Yogananda, we are taught to pray to our

Heavenly Father by demanding instead of begging, and thus not limit

ourselves to the law of beggary. The author explains in the beginning

why all our prayers are not answered. All the property belonging to a

father can be claimed by his son, but not by a beggar. (1981/1949

reprint)

What happened to the prayer-demands?

Yogananda called his prayers, "prayer-demands." This teaching has been

removed from the ninth edition. In the Table of Contents of the

1981/1949 reprint, the word "demand" appears seventy-eight times in

the section names and titles of the 227 prayers. In the current ninth

edition, the word "demand" appears only once in the titles. Two entire

sections, "Key to Demands" and "Hints to the Reader," that explain how

to use the prayer-demands to reach God and receive His answer are

completely removed from the current ninth edition. Without the

demands, Amelita Galli-Curci's Foreword no longer makes sense. So,

more than half of it was deleted and the rest revised.

In Self-Realization Magazine, Fall 1987, SRF printed a composite of

the original introductory material. But the way Yogananda taught us

to use his book of prayers remains absent from the current edition of

Whispers from Eternity.

A scripture altered!

Yogananda considered Whispers from Eternity to be scripture because

they were given to him by God. He said, "Since these demands were

given to me by the Universal Father, they are not mine. I only felt

them and gave them expression through the avenue of words, in order

that I might share them with you. My blessing goes with them, and I

pray that they may strike an answering note on the living harp

strings of your heart, so that you may feel them just as I have felt

them." (1981/1949 reprint, p. 9, totally removed from the ninth

edition) In the ninth edition, this expression of the demands from

God was completely altered.

Almost every sentence of the text and in many cases almost every word

in the prayers, has been significantly changed and not for the better

as SRF claims. The language, the images, feelings have been reduced to

intellectuality and sentimentality. Tara Mata was neither a poet nor a

Bhakti yogi. Yogananda was both.

"Prayer at Noon"

For example, almost every word in the beautiful "Prayer at Noon" is

changed. And the meaning of even the unchanged words is subtly

altered because the context is changed. The first line that Yogananda

wrote is:

The sun shines high in the heavens: everything is fully awake.

It's clear, simple yet powerful in the image of the energy at noon. It

flows, there's rhythm, feeling.

Tara Mata's version is:

The sun is at zenith; outer world is filled with vigor.

What is this? It doesn't even scan so the lack of rhythm causes even a

phase like "filled with vigor" to lack energy. And this word "zenith"?

It's dead, pedantic.

Some other examples of simple powerful images replaced by pompous words:

"Everything" became "outer world"

"flows" became "permeates"

"crowded" became "populous"

Sometimes the entire concept is altered:

"may I behold Thy rays of protecting love" became "I drink from Thy fountain of joy."

"empty" became "lonely"

And the extremely beautiful, loving last line, "Give me strength; and

what I receive, teach me to share with others."—almost the whole of

the spiritual path in itself—is completely left out of the ninth

edition. See the side-by-side comparison below.

What's left?

Here is another way to look at it. This is the 1981/1949 reprint

version of Prayer at Noon. See the words underlined in bold? In the

ninth edition, in the poem of the same name, those are the only words

that are still included.

1981/1949 reprint

Prayer at Noon

The sun shines high in the heavens:

everything is fully awake.

Awaken Thou me, likewise!

Thou art invisible, yet Thine energy flows through the rays of sunshine.

Fill my veins with Thine invisible rays,

making me strong and tireless.

As the sun shines in the busiest streets, may I behold Thy rays of

protecting love in the crowded places of my life's activities.

As the light shines steadily, undisturbed, on the street, whether crowded or empty,

so May I hold my calmness and my strength steadily,

while I move through the crowded or empty streets of life.

Give me strength; and what I receive, teach me to share with others.

"Prayer at Dawn" and "Prayer at Eventide —A side-by-side comparison

These two examples are particularly interesting because you can hear

Yogananda himself praying them on the tape sold by Self-Realization

Fellowship, "Chants and Prayers: The Voice of Paramahansa Yogananda."

In a footnote to these prayers in the ninth edition, SRF refers to the

recordings as containing an "earlier version" of the prayers as if

there were something wrong with the way Yogananda originally spoke

them. Listen yourself to Yogananda's booming, powerful voice, saying,

"I, Paramhansa Yogananda, am praying with you. Pray with me. . . . "

Then he prays, "Prayer at Dawn" and latter on the tape, "Prayer at

Eventide" -- both exactly the same as in the 1981/949 reprint of

Whispers from Eternity. The prayers just flow out in a powerful,

finished form. There is no hesitation, no groping for words, nothing

that would indicate a lack of satisfaction or desire to change them

later. Hearing Yogananda's own voice makes it easy to know that the

prayers were received from God as a direct inspiration and were not

an intellectual exercise that needed to be revised more than twenty

years later. Listen for yourself and you'll see what we mean.

Unfortunately, Tara Mata didn't agree. She applied the same pedantic

leveling and intellectualizing that she did to "Pray at Noon".

Comparison of Prayer at Dawn

981/1949 reprint , SRF

9th Edition, 1986, SRF

With the opening of the earliest dawn and the lotus-buds,

At dawn and the opening of lotus buds,

my soul softly opens in prayer to receive Thy light.

my soul flower softly unfolds to receive Thy light.

Bathe each petal of my mind with Thy radiant rays!

Each petal is bathed in rays of bliss.

I saturate myself with the perfume of Thy presence, and I wait to waft

with the breeze the aroma of Thy message of love to all.

The early breezes waft the perfume of Thy presence.

Bless me, that with the spreading dawn I may spread Thy love everywhere.

Bless me, that with the spreading aurora I spread to all men Thy message of love.

Bless me, that with the awakening dawn I may awaken all souls with my own and bring them to Thee.

With the awakening day may I awaken countless souls with my own and bring them to Thee.

Comparison of Prayer at Eventide

1981/1949 reprint, SRF

9th Edition, 1986, SRF

The day is done.

The day is done.

Refreshed and sanctified with the sunshine of the day,

Purified by its sunshine,

I pass through the portals of evening,

I pass through the faintly starlit portals of evening.

dimly adorned with faint stars,

to enter into the temple of silence and worship Thee.

I worship Thy Spirit of approaching calmness.

I bow to Thine approaching Spirit of calmness.

What prayers shall I offer, for I have no words to offer Thee?

What prayers shall I offer? For I have no words worthy of Thee.

I shall light a little fire of devotion on the altar of my soul.

On the altar of my heart I will light a fire of devotion.

Will that light suffice to bring Thee into my dark temple—my dimly

lighted temple, dark with my ignorance?

Shall that little blaze suffice to attract Thee to my temple—dimly

illumined, long dark with ignorance?

Come! I crave, I yearn for Thee!

Come, O Lord, I yearn for Thee!

Compare and decide

Since both the ninth and the 1981/1949 reprint are available from SRF,

you can look and compare for yourself. Which version do you think has

Yogananda's vibrations, blessings, and power. Of which book did he

say?

When you are able no longer to talk to me, Read my Whispers of

Eternity.Eternally through that I will talk to you.Unknown I will

walk by your sideAnd guard you with invisible arms.

Did Yogananda authorize Tara Mata to rewrite Whispers?

At this point you may be asking yourself, Why? How could SRF so

drastically alter one of Yogananda's most important and fundamental

books—a book already so beautiful, powerful and inspiring? And how

could any disciple presume to rewrite a book that her guru said had

"been given to him by God"?

Self-Realization Fellowship justifies their actions and in a

"Publisher's Note" at the beginning of both the 1981/1949 reprint and

the ninth edition. They say Yogananda was dissatisfied with his

writings and revised them himself at the end of his life. They claim

Yogananda's writings were compiled by students from unedited

materials and incomplete class notes. However, this obviously isn't

true in the case of Whispers from Eternity. It's impossible to

reconcile what SRF says with what the reviewers, the devotees, and

Yogananda himself said.

An eyewitness account

Fortunately we don't have to speculate about Yogananda's intentions.

Swami Kriyananda spent many months with Yogananda at the desert

retreat where he went for periods of seclusion during the last years

of his life to work on completing his writings. Kriyananda recounts

in his autobiography, The Path, "Master could cope easily and

efficiently with mundane problems, including those of grammar and

literary style, when he had a mind to. As he once told me, 'I did

edit one book myself: Whispers from Eternity.' And this I considered

not only one of his finest works, but one of the loveliest books of

poetry ever written. (footnote: I am referring to the 1929 and 1949

editions.) "

And as Kriyananda writes in his book, A Place Called Ananda, "I

remember Master speaking of a change she [Tara] had made in just one

word from Whispers from Eternity. It was in the poem, 'God! God!

God!' His complaint was, 'Every time I write 'I will drown their

noises by loudly chanting . . .' she changes noises to clamor.' I

confess I myself liked 'clamor' better, though I see now that, while

it is more literary, it lacks the color-tone of 'noises.' Now I

prefer 'noises' because it expresses Master's 'vibration' better."

About Yogananda's authorizing Tara Mata to revise Whispers, Kriyananda

says in his article, "Who and What is Swami Kriyananda?"

"Tara Mata proceeded, after Yogananda's passing, to change Whispers

from Eternity so drastically that it became almost unrecognizable as

the beautiful book he had authored. She even dared to forge a letter,

as if written by him, commending her for her editorial labors on the

book. The letter was predated to before his death.

"Master himself had told me this book was the only one he'd edited

personally, and in its entirety. The results of his labor were

inspiring. Tara's supposed 'improvements' were, by contrast, like

that change from 'noises' to 'clamor.' Her edition lacked beauty,

simplicity, and inspiration. In a word, it lacked the right

vibrations. Tara herself was growing in pride, a fact I've discussed

in a book of mine named A Place Called Ananda. This defect caused the

poetry of Whispers to seem heavy-handed. It lacked the flowing grace

expressed instinctively by a true poet."

http://www.yoganandarediscovered.com

“There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That

magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first. When you learn to

live for others, they will live for you.”

~ Paramahansa Yogananda

LoveAlways,

Mazie

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