BBT resolutions, 1998

[Guest guest]

FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

24 July 1998

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Here are the BBT resolutions passed this year by the international

trustees. I include those we handled in correspondence during the year

and those we resolved upon at our annual trustees meeting, this year

held at Villaggio Hare Krishna, near Milan, on June 25-27. I've also

added some explanatory comments.

 

 

First, the items from correspondence:

 

1. The right to produce and distribute books in Vietnamese is

hereby given to the North American BBT.

 

[COMMENT: Each of the five major geographical BBT's takes the

responsibility for publishing in various languages. (We now publish in

just over 70.) The North American BBT has taken the responsibility for

publishing in Vietnamese.]

 

 

2. As per Srila Prabhupada's instructions, every edition of

"Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas" must include (toward

the beginning of the book) the two songs Srila Prabhupada

wrote upon his first arrival in America and must not

include the song "Srita Kamala."

 

Relevant quotations from Srila Prabhupada:

 

"Regarding the songs by Jayadeva, `Srita Kamala' is not

approved. Sometimes our Krsnadasa Babaji sings, but it is not

approved by [srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati] Prabhupada.

Those songs are for siddha bhaktas, not for us who are sadha[ka]

bhaktas or learning bhaktas. Lord Caitanya never divulged in

public, he enjoyed them in the company of his selected three

or four devotees. There is one song by Jayadeva, `Worshiping

the Ten Incarnations,' that song is all right."

 

--letter from Srila Prabhupada to Acyutananda, 15 July 1972

 

"You can add to the Songbook the poem I wrote before arriving

at the Boston Port when I first came to America. This can be

printed at the beginning of the books."

 

--letter to Radhavallabha, 3 February 1976

 

 

3. We authorize the creation of a new BBTI affiliate, meant to

help unify Krsna conscious publishing on the Internet.

Varnadi Dasa will head the unit. Madhava Puri Dasa will

oversee it on behalf of the trustees. The BBTI will provide,

from its fund for international projects, an annual budget,

initially USD 12,000.

 

[COMMENT: The new unit, BBT-ISKCON Web Services, is providing web

hosting free for small ISKCON sites, and at a modest cost for larger

ones. Total sites: about 60 so far, including "The Hare Krishna

Index." Other services include a "web ring" to take visitors from one

ISKCON site to another, and a beautifully designed set of resources

concerning the Hare Krsna movement. Varnadi Dasa and his colleague

Krishna Kirtana Dasa are doing great service.]

 

4. 350-450 US dollars per month can be taken from the International

Projects Fund for 4-6 students at Gopiparanadhana Prabhu's Sanskrit

school in Vrndavan.

 

[COMMENT: We hope that the school will produce graduates who can serve

the publishing mission of the BBT.]

 

 

5. Bhagavat Dharma Dasa is appointed the new communications

officer of the BBT.

 

[COMMENT: Bhagavat Dharma Prabhu has begun sending out e-mail

newsletters that tell about the work of the BBT and invite

comment. A print newsletter is also in the pipeline. He also serves as

an easily available source for accurate information about the BBT.

He is ably assisted by Anjana Devi Dasi. Here's where to reach them:

 

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Department of Public Affairs

Mayapur House

Station Road

Radlett, Herts WD7 8JX

UK

 

Tel: +44-1923-853333

Fax: +44-1923-858014

 

COM Anjana.ACBSP (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se

Net bbtco (AT) netcomuk (DOT) co.uk

 

Please Feel free to get in touch with them about any questions or

suggestions you may have.]

 

 

6. For future BBTI-licensed items, BBTI will make sure that the

use of the word "Jayanti" for the appearance day of anyone

other than Lord Sri Krsna be contractually forbidden.

"Jayanti" should also not be used for the appearance day

of Bhagavad-Gita.

 

Quote by Srila Prabhupada: ". . . it has become a fashion to

observe the so-called jayanti ceremony for any and every

common man. According to authorized sastras, such a jayanti

ceremony for an ordinary man, however exalted he may be

materially, is an offense to the Lord because jayanti is

reserved for the day when the Lord appears on the earth."

(Bhagavatam 1.9.45, purport)

 

[COMMENT: Some calendars using BBT artwork have noted such days as

"Gandhi Jayanti" and "Ambhedakar Jayanti." The purpose of this

resolution is to prevent such offenses. We have been told that "Gita

Jayanti," though a commonly used term, was disapproved by Srila

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and have therefore included it in

the resolution. (Alternatives such as "Advent Day of Srimad

Bhagavad-gita" will be acceptable.)]

 

 

7. Vishaka Devi Dasi wrote:

 

"Originally I received permission from the BBT Trustees to

summarize Bhagavad-gita As It Is with the following

conditions: that the text be copyrighted by the BBT (the

illustrations copyrighted by me), that the text be subject to

review by member(s) of the BBT review board (Dravida has

already reviewed it), and that the royalities be divided

40-60, with the 40% for the BBT.

 

"My amendment now is that my out-of-pocket expenses for this

project be re-imbursed from the initial royalities before

they are divided as mentioned above.

 

"The expenses break down as follows:

 

95 rolls of 36exp b/w film @ $5 ea $475

developing & contact sheets for above @ $11 ea 1045

276 negatives digitized onto CD's @ $3.25 ea 897

2 copies of manuscript (for review) 25

2 chapters proofed (for publisher) 110

color proof for front cover 45

mailings 85

25 100MB zip discs @ $15 ea 375

zip drive 125

transfer zip discs to CD 25

miscellaneous (printing ink, fees, phone calls) 155

total $3362

 

"So, in other words, I'd receive all the royalities until this

amount is reached, and after that they'd be divided 40-60."

 

[COMMENT: Visakha Dasi had asked for and received permission

to publish a summary version of Bhagavad-gita. She proposed the terms,

and we accepted them. Now we have also accepted her proposed

amendment. We wish her all success with her book.]

 

 

8. The BBT International copyright office is granted 14,000 US dollars

for creation of space and facilities by the end of 1997.

 

[COMMENT: The office was working in cramped quarters. So we provided

funds for more space and other facilities needed.]

 

 

9. We grant permission for Hari Rama Dasa and Virender Dayal to

distribute the Bhagavad-Gita CD's they have already pressed--about 500

copies--in conjunction with Bhaktivedanta Manor.

 

[COMMENT: This was a response to a request. Later, at our annual

meeting, we granted Hari Rama and Virender further permissions.]

 

 

10. That the BBT hereby allows books published by BBT alternate

imprints to be distributed on sankirtan under the following

conditions:

 

1) That the total number of alternate imprint books not exceed 25% of

the total BBT books distributed in a particular country.

 

2) That the book to be distributed be approved by the BBT review

board under relaxed standards. Those standards are as follows:

 

a) The book follows the principles and philosophy of Krsna

Consciousness

 

b) That it has some value for the preaching mission.

 

[COMMENT: Before a book is published under the name "The Bhaktivedanta

Book Trust," it must undergo rigorous and time-consuming editorial

scrutiny. But we also want to provide a way for some books--cookbooks,

for example, or topical titles--to come out quickly and under less

stringent requirements. One way we do this is through "alternative

imprints."

 

When a publisher uses an "alternative imprint"--a common publishing

practice--he is simply printing under a different name. For example,

"Bantam,Pocket Books," and "The Modern American Library" are all

imprints used by publishers who also publish under various other brand

names.

 

So we provide a shortcut: The BBT can bring out useful books under

names other than "The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust." The resolution here

sets standards for providing such books for sankirtana.]

 

 

11. UNPUBLISHED.

 

[COMMENT: This year, the trustees chose to keep unpublished a few

resolutions concerning finance and legal matters. Particularly while

facing a nasty lawsuit, the trustees consider this prudent.

 

By the way, the trustees don't believe that Hamsaduta Dasa--an

expelled ISKCON member--and the people he has appointed should have

full control over Srila Prabhupada's publishing house, nor that the

BBT should hand over to them all the proceeds it has received since

1988, as he has demanded. We expect the Court to agree.]

 

 

 

 

Now, here are the minutes from our annual meeting, with comments:

 

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN VILLAGGIO HARE

KRISHNA, BERGAMO, ITALY, ON JUNE 25, 26 and 27, 1998:

 

BBT Trustees present:

 

Gopal Krishna Goswami

Jayadvaita Swami (Chairman)

Naresvara Dasa

Madhusevita Dasa (on June 25 and 26)

Svavasa Dasa

 

(Absent due to illness: Harikesa Swami)

 

Others present:

 

Brahma Muhurta Dasa (Secretary)

Hanuman Dasa [spanish BBT]

Madhava Puri Dasa [bBT International president]

Navina Nirada Dasa [iSKCON Minister of Book Distribution]

Nimai Pandit Dasa [Mediterranean BBT]

Ranjit Dasa [bhaktivedanta Archives]

Traidas Dasa (for parts of the meetings)

[veteran preacher and book distributor]

 

1. (ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN)

Jayadvaita Swami is reelected Chairman until June 2001.

 

[COMMENT: We elect our chairman for terms of 3 years.]

 

 

2. (BMD)

The Trustees authorize Brahma Muhurta Dasa to serve as a

voting member for the course of the meeting.

 

[This was due to the absence of His Holiness Harikesa Swami. Brahma

Muhurta Dasa is the manager of the Northern European BBT.]

 

 

3. (KRISHNASOFT INC.)

The BBT grants permission for Krishnasoft Inc. (Hari Ram dasa

and Virender Dayal) to distribute the copies remaining of the

500 they printed of their Bhagavad-Gita CD-ROM. The BBT will

also grant Krishnasoft Inc. the permission to use 50 BBT

pictures, some audio, and some references from Krishna Book

and Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 5 for use in one Krishna

conscious game. Madhava Puri dasa from BBT International will

work out the particulars of the license with Krishnasoft Inc.

Jayadvaita Swami will communicate these decisions to

Krishnasoft Inc.

 

[Last year, the trustees turned down permission for Krishnasoft's Gita

CD. This year, we reconsidered and granted it. We also granted the

permssions they requested for their proposed CD game. We have also

made it clear that once their 500 Gita CD's have been sold, we are

open to requests to allow more.

 

Meanwhile, the BBT's own CD-ROM of "Bhagavad-gita As It Is" is in

production. Krishna Prema Dasa and Nitya Trpta Dasi have taken charge

of the project. They estimate that the work will be done within six

months. You can expect the CD to be splendid.]

 

 

4. ("BBT" ON COVERS AND IN FRONT MATTER)

"The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International" should be

mentioned as the copyright holder in all BBT publications.

But on the cover, the title page, etc., the publisher should

be given as "The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" or whatever

variant the local BBT may be accustomed to use.

 

[COMMENT: Here we are setting standards. Some books had come out

giving "The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc." as the

publisher on the cover and title page. Simply "The Bhaktivedanta Book

Trust" is our standard.]

 

 

5. (FULL INDEX)

In English, every volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-

caritamrta, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Teachings of Lord

Caitanya, The Nectar of Devotion, and any other large book

written by Srila Prabhupada must include a full index. These

books should also include a glossary, Sanskrit pronunciation

guide, list of references (or index of verses quoted), and

index of Sanskrit (or Bengali) verses. [Reference: Srila

Prabhupada Letters to Radhavallabha Dasa dated 1/19/75 and

2/6/75.]

 

In principle, this same policy should hold for all other

languages as well, though exceptions may be made in

extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the local

trustee.

 

[COMMENT: Thank you to His Holiness Danavir Goswami for suggesting

this resolution. For non-English languages, some flexibility is

needed, for example to keep costs low in printing small runs for small

countries.]

 

 

6. (BI FUNDS TO BE PAID IN JULY)

The BBTI shall annually disperse in July its contribution for

scientific Krishna conscious preaching and other

international projects.

 

[COMMENT: The point here is the timing. We want to disperse these

funds shortly after our annual meeting, before changes in

foreign-exchange rates can mess up the amounts we've allotted.]

 

 

7. (DISCONTINUATION OF THE MAHABHARATA PROJECT)

We understand that His Holiness Hridayananda Maharaja has

decided to discontinue translating the Mahabharata. We

respect his reasons, and if this is indeed his decision we

accept his judgment.

 

[COMMENT: To translate the entire Mahabharata is, practically

speaking, a life's work. Hridayananda Maharaja has decided that other

service is more deserving of his attention. Also, a team of scholars

at the University of Chicago has taken up the task of completing a

Mahabharata translation begun but left uncompleted by one of their

eminent colleagues, now deceased. To scholars, at least, this is

likely to make a BBT edition seem redundant. Hridayananda Maharaja may

still undertake presenting Mahabharata in an abridged version.]

 

 

8. (WEB SITES FOR THE BLIND)

The BBTI will grant the request of the Italian person who

wishes to make Srila Prabhupada's books available in audio

form on a web site for the benefit of the blind. No royalty

will be charged. We shall follow this policy for all similar

requests.

 

 

9. (POLICY ON RESTRICTING SALES)

In principle, the BBT is willing to sell BBT publications at

wholesale prices to any person or group interested in

distributing in wholesale quantities. However, the BBT exists

for the benefit and service of ISKCON. Therefore the BBT

feels obliged to hold back from selling to any individual or

group to which ISKCON considers sales harmful. The local BBT

trustee, therefore, will disallow sales to such a person or

group upon the written request of the local national or

continental representative of the ISKCON Governing Body

Commission. The local trustee will inform the other trustees of all

such decisions, and together the trustees will cooperate in serving

such ISKCON requests.

 

[COMMENT: This was a matter on which the BBT lacked a clear,

consistent policy. Now we have one.]

 

 

10. (INFO ON NEW ART)

The Bhaktivedanta Archives will send out a quarterly bulletin

to all the BBT trustees giving an update on new art available.

 

[COMMENT: This is meant to help us plan art for new books and other

publications.]

 

 

11. (SPANISH CC)

Hanuman Prabhu will complete the editorial work on the

Spanish Caitanya-caritamrta by Gaura Purnima 1999. He will

keep the trustees informed monthly of his progress.

 

 

12. (SPANISH VEDABASE)

The Bhaktivedanta Archives will produce the Spanish Vedabase

by June 1999.

 

 

13. (NEW OFFICE IN MIAMI FOR SPANISH BBT)

Svavasa Prabhu will request His Holiness Kesava Swami to set

up and take charge of a BBT office in Miami for publishing

and book distribution for Latin America.

 

[COMMENT: The trustees recognize the need to give more attention to

publishing in Spanish. Hence the above three resolutions.]

 

 

14. UNPUBLISHED

 

 

15. (FUNDING THE WEB PROJECT)

Funding for the web project headed by Varnadi Prabhu

(CP97-17) has been provided up till March 1999. Funding will

not continue beyond then unless a BBT Division agrees to take

up the supervision and funding of the project.

 

[COMMENT: During our annual meeting, we recognized that for the Web

project and the Sanskrit school we had alloted money from funds our

own rules prevent us from using for any but a few clearly defined

purposes. That is the reason for this and the following resolution.

 

Meanwhile, the Web project is aiming to achieve financial

self-sufficiency, and BTG is providing $3,000 in financing to provide

the project with their own server. The project is based in Alachua, so

Jayadvaita Swami is staying in touch close with Varnadi and Krishna

Kirtana.]

 

 

16. (FUNDING THE SANSKRIT SCHOOL)

The Western Indian BBT will bear the expenses for

Gopiparanadhana Prabhu's school as outlined in CP97-18 [our

correspondence proposal] and previously paid for by BBTI. This comes

to a maximum of US dollars 450 per month.

 

[COMMENT: Again, this corrects our mistake of alloting money from the

wrong fund.]

 

 

17. (WESTERN INDIAN BBT FUNDS TO EASTERN INDIAN UNIT)

For 1997, the Western Indian BBT will give the Eastern Indian

BBT Indian Rupees 10,64,779 for language development, as per

resolution 33 of 1993 and resolution 19 of 1994.

 

[COMMENT: Every year, the Western Indian BBT gives funds to the

Eastern Indian BBT for publishing new books in languages where the BBT

has been less active.]

 

 

18. (AUDITS IN 1999)

The BBT trustees request Dwarkadhish Prabhu to audit the NE

BBT next year.

 

[COMMENT: Dwarakadish Dasa, formerly a senior chartered accountant

with the West Bengal Electricity Board, thoroughly audits one BBT

division or more every year. In this way, each division is audited

every few years. This year, it is the Northern European BBT's turn in

the rotation.]

 

 

19. (JAPANESE EDITORIAL)

Svavasa Prabhu will explore the possibility of having some

Japanese work translated by Naganathana Prabhu and edited by

a person whom Naganathana Prabhu may suggest and whom Svavasa

Prabhu accepts as suitably qualified.

 

[COMMENT: Whether professionals or devotees, translators often have

differing opinions about how translation work should be done. Because

of such a difference of opinion among our devotee translators in

Japanese, the trustees passed this resolution.]

 

 

20. (URDU TO WESTERN INDIAN BBT)

The Urdu language shall be under the jurisdiction of the

Western Indian BBT.

 

[COMMENT: His Holiness Gopal Krsna Maharaja and the Western Indian BBT

have taken the initiative to publish new books in Urdu.]

 

 

21. (THANKS FOR FILM PRESERVATION)

The BBT trustees express their gratitude to Sriman Yadubara

Dasa Adhikari for his devoted work in preserving all known

film footage of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. We express

our gratitude also to Sriman Puru Dasa Adhikari and Sriman

Nrsimhananda Dasa Adhikari for their contributions to this project.

 

22. UNPUBLISHED

23. UNPUBLISHED

24. UNPUBLISHED

 

25. (CATALOG OF ALL BBT PUBLICATIONS)

The NE BBT will publish a catalog of BBT publications

available in all languages.

 

 

26. (MARKETING)

A committee consisting of Bhagavat-Dharma Prabhu, Brahma

Muhurta Prabhu and Navina Nirada Prabhu will work on

prototype ideas for BBT marketing.

 

 

27. (FULL SANSKRIT PRONUNCIATION GUIDE IN BHAGAVAD-GITA)

We strongly recommend that all complete editions of Bhagavad-gita As

It Is include the full Sanskrit pronunciation guide as found in the

1972 English edition.

 

[COMMENT: Thanks again to His Holiness Danavir Goswami for suggesting

this resolution.]

 

 

28. (THANKS TO HOSTS)

We thank Madhusevita Prabhu, Kritayuga Prabhu, Kelilalita dd,

Anandamurti dd, Harikatha dd, Janardana Prabhu, Radharamana

Prabhu, Radhesyama Prabhu, Gaurangi dd, Vaikuntha Prabhu,

Risabhadeva Prabhu, Bhakta Gastone, Paramesvara Prabhu, Bhima

Prabhu and all the other devotees at Villaggio Hare Krishna

for their wonderful hospitality and the great prasadam. Mille

grazie!

 

 

Finally, two resolutions passed by correspondence after our meeting:

 

(1) With great appreciation for the services he has performed as a

director of the BBT International since its inception in 1988, we

hereby accept the resignation of His Holiness Harikesa Swami, due to

ill health.

Srila Harikesa Swami has given written notice of his resignation to

our Chairman, His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami. The resignation is

effective immediately.

 

 

(2) We hereby elect Brahma Muhurta Dasa a director of the BBT

International, to fill the vacancy left by Harikesa Swami's

resignation. Brahma Muhurta's election is effective immediately. He

shall serve as a director for the remainder of Harikesa Swami's

unexpired one-year term, which expires at the time of our next annual

meeting.

We elect Brahma Muhurta Dasa pursuant to Article V, Section 19, of

our by-laws, after finding him qualified under the requirements of

Article V,Section 3.

 

 

This ends our resolutions. If you have any questions or comments,

please feel free to write to the BBT Communications Office or to me.

 

Thank you. Hare Krsna.

 

Your servant,

Jayadvaita Swami

 

P.O. Box 430

Alachua, FL 32616

USA

Tel: +1 (904) 462-7794

Fax: +1 (904) 462-7893

E-mail: jayadvaita.swami (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se

 

 

 

BBT Communications Office:

 

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Department of Public Affairs

Mayapur House

Station Road

Radlett, Herts WD7 8JX

UK

 

Tel: +44-1923-853333

Fax: +44-1923-858014

 

COM Anjana.ACBSP (AT) com (DOT) bbt.se

Net bbtco (AT) netcomuk (DOT) co.uk