Within the barricade of Varanasi

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Though this example is not from "Bhagavad-gita As It Is," I think it helps us

understand why published books sometimes require revision.

 

In the edition of "Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead" published during

Srila Prabhupada's physical presence, about eleven paragraphs into Chapter

Fifty-six ("The Killing of Satrajit and Satadhanva) we find this curious

sentence:

 

"Once in the province of Kasi within the barricade of Varanasi there was severe

drought and practically no rainfall."

 

Hmmmm. What did Srila Prabhupada mean by this? What precisely is "the barricade

of Varanasi"? And is it within the province of Kasi, or vice versa?

 

In fact, "Kasi" and "Varanasi" are both well-known names for the same holy

place, also known as Benares. So what's going on here?

 

Perhaps most readers never wondered. But back in 1992 or 1993 one reader did:

Ekanatha Dasa, then an editor at the Northern European BBT.

 

To solve the puzzle, he compared the printed BBT Krishna Book with Srila

Prabhupada's recorded tapes.

 

Result?

 

On the tape, Srila Prabhupada said:"Once in the province of Kasi WITHIN

BRACKETS Varanasi there was severe drought and practically no rainfall."

 

The BBT later corrected the error.

 

Perhaps some readers will insist that "the barricade of Varanasi," however

meaningless, is how the text should eternally have stayed. The rest of us will

be grateful to Ekanatha.

 

Hare Krsna.

 

 

 

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Hare Krsna.