Brahma-samhita translation and purports by Bhaktivinoda Thakura

[Guest guest]

Dear Jayadvaita Maharaja,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

Thank you for the references from Srila Prabhupada:

 

"I recommend, therefore that all my students read Brahma Samhita very

carefully--especially because it was translated personally by my

spiritual master Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja."

"I shall begin writing my own commentation after my Guru Maharaja."

 

I now kind of understand why the BBT has published it like this. But how

should we understand the following statements?

 

In "Sri Brahma-samhita - Quintessence of Reality the Beautiful", published

by Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math Nabadwip, it says on page 193:

 

jivabhaya-prada vrttir jivasaya-prakasini

krta BHAKTIVINODENA surabhi-kunja-vasina

 

iti sri-brahma-samhitaya bhagavat-siddhanta-sangrahe

mula-sutrakhya pancama adhyayera

'prakasini'-namni gaudiya-vrttti samapta

 

This Prakasini-vrtti Commentry -

the queller of the pprehensian of Jiva,

the illuminator of the deep purport of Jiva,

was penned by Sri Bhaktivinoda,

residing at Surabhi Kunja.

 

Thus concludes the prakasini Gaudiya Illumination

of the Quintessence of Reality the Beautiful

Fifth Chapter, Sri Brahma-samhita

 

And on page xxii Swami B.A. Sagar writes: "...I was given the service of

rendering into English this Holy Book Sri Brahma-samhita from the Bengali

translation and elaborate commentary of the Most Venerable Om Visnupada Sri

Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakur [1838-1914], the great preacher of

Unalloyed Devotion in this most exalted Divine Succesion of Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu. The work was first published by our Param Gurudev Prabhupada

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Gosvami Thakur."

 

Then we read on page xxviii Srila Bhaktivinoda's own words in his preface to

this Sri Sri Brahma-samhita Prakasini: "Once my Divine Master, Sri Bipin

Bihari Prabhu, instructed me to write, expanding on that commentary of Sri

Jiva Gosvami Prabhu."

 

In other words, although Srila Prabhupada referred to the Gaudiya Matha

edition of Sri Brahma-samhita as being a translation and commentation by his

Guru Maharaja, it's clear from these statements that the original was

actually written by Bhaktivinoda Thakura. And again, from Bhaktisiddhanta

Sarasvati's foreword in our own BBT edition: "Thakura Bhaktivinoda has given

an elucidatory purport...in Bengali, and one of his devout followers has

rendered that into English for propagatory purpose."

 

Was the BBT aware of this fact, but prefered to keep it a secret because

Srila Prabhupada said something different? Or was the BBT not aware of this

fact, and simply accepted Srila Prabhupada's words? And does it make any

difference if I prove that it was actually Bhaktivinoda Thakura who wrote

the book?

 

I have a few reasons why I would prefer that it becomes a well-known fact

that the present BBT edition was not written by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, but

by Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

- the English is extremely difficult, and according to one sannyasi, a

Prabhupada-disciple, who's giving seminars on Brahma-samhita, at times also

incorrect. As we see things now we have to preach that it was

Bhaktisiddhanta who wrote in such a difficult and sometimes incorrect way.

Actually it was translated by someone else ("and one of his devout followers

has rendered that into English for propagatory purpose");

- ISKCON, as an educational institution, should provide the historical facts

about the previous acaryas as they are. Thus ISKCON should give Bhaktivinoda

Thakura the credit for writing a commentary on Sri Brahma-samhita;

- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's statement mentioned above ("Thakura Bhaktivinoda

has given an elucidatory purport...in Bengali") doesn't make sense if the

book was written by himself. Thus there's a mystery in the BBT version

itself;

- Knowing that the original was written by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and that

the present version was not a translation by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, the BBT

could decide to get the original Bengali version, and make a new ISKCON

translation in modern and simple English. Thus more devotees would be able

and inclined to read it, which as you mentioned was Srila Prabhupada's

desire. I've heard so many devotees say: "Yes, I tried reading it, but I

gave up after .. pages. The English is so difficult." There is now a version

available from the Gaudiya Matha which is much more readable than the BBT

version. But even this version is quite archaic (as the title suggests:

"Quintessence of Reality the Beautiful").

 

Yours in the service of the parampara,

bhakta Ivar.