Must be approved by me.
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha, January 5, 1976, Nellore:
"I will have to see personally what are the mistakes in the synonyms and also how you intend to correct them. I was not satisfied with the corrections that were made before. I saw some changes which I did no approve. Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval. So reprinting the volumes will have to wait until the mistakes are corrected and approved by me.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha, August 26, 1976, New Delhi:
"You may title this book, Teachings of Lord Kapila, but it must be subtitled, ``The Son of Devahuti''. That will remain, do not try to change it. The Americans may like it or not like it, but we must make the distinction between devahuti putra kapila, and the atheistic Kapila. Do not try to change anything without my permission.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Hayagriva, November 18, 1968, Los Angeles:
"Regarding Srimad-Bhagavatam, please send me the chapters which you have already revised. I want to see it, how it is being done. I am glad that you are not omitting anything, but just making grammatical correction, and phrasing for force and clarity, and adding Pradyumna's transliteration, that is very nice.
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha, January 5, 1976, Nellore:
"Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval."
Letter to Radhavallabha, January 5, 1976, Nellore:
"I will have to see personally what are the mistakes in the synonyms and also how you intend to correct them. I was not satisfied with the corrections that were made before. I saw some changes which I did no approve. Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval. So reprinting the volumes will have to wait until the mistakes are corrected and approved by me.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Uddhava, July 14, 1970, Los Angeles:
"I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12th July, 1970, along with the blueprint for the third chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam Second Canto, entitled ``Pure Devotional Service: the Change in Heart.''
I have looked over the blueprint and noted a few points to be corrected, so I am sending back the blueprint to you for seeing the necessary changes as they are in the text.
I have also corrected the points sent by Pradyumna and the sheet is also sent back herewith."
"I will have to see personally what are the mistakes in the synonyms and also how you intend to correct them. I was not satisfied with the corrections that were made before. I saw some changes which I did no approve. Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval. So reprinting the volumes will have to wait until the mistakes are corrected and approved by me.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha, August 26, 1976, New Delhi:
"You may title this book, Teachings of Lord Kapila, but it must be subtitled, ``The Son of Devahuti''. That will remain, do not try to change it. The Americans may like it or not like it, but we must make the distinction between devahuti putra kapila, and the atheistic Kapila. Do not try to change anything without my permission.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Hayagriva, November 18, 1968, Los Angeles:
"Regarding Srimad-Bhagavatam, please send me the chapters which you have already revised. I want to see it, how it is being done. I am glad that you are not omitting anything, but just making grammatical correction, and phrasing for force and clarity, and adding Pradyumna's transliteration, that is very nice.
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha, January 5, 1976, Nellore:
"Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval."
Letter to Radhavallabha, January 5, 1976, Nellore:
"I will have to see personally what are the mistakes in the synonyms and also how you intend to correct them. I was not satisfied with the corrections that were made before. I saw some changes which I did no approve. Nitai may correct whatever mistakes are there, but the corrected material must be sent to me for final approval. So reprinting the volumes will have to wait until the mistakes are corrected and approved by me.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Uddhava, July 14, 1970, Los Angeles:
"I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12th July, 1970, along with the blueprint for the third chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam Second Canto, entitled ``Pure Devotional Service: the Change in Heart.''
I have looked over the blueprint and noted a few points to be corrected, so I am sending back the blueprint to you for seeing the necessary changes as they are in the text.
I have also corrected the points sent by Pradyumna and the sheet is also sent back herewith."
EVEN IF THERE ARE SOME MISTAKE, THAT DOESN'T MATTER
It is true that there have been mistakes made in the 1972 version because in a letter to Radhavallabha dated 5th of January, 1976 Srila Prabhupada states that: "reprinting the volumes will have to wait until the mistakes are corrected and approved by me." However, when Radhavallabha writes to Srila Prabhupada that he had not received any corrections for the First and Second Canto from Nitai (Sanskrit editor for BBT), Srila Prabhupada responds in the following letter dated 4th of May, 1976: "There is no need for corrections for the First and Second Cantos. Whatever is there is all right." This means that although Srila Prabhupada knew that mistakes had been done in the 1972, he still authorizes its reprint. This is most likely to ensure that the books are not altered more than they already are. It is significant for us to know that these mistakes were not serious enough for Srila Prabhupada to stop the printing. How such books can be still transmitting the transcendental message is inconcievable to our mundane senses, but Srila Prabhupada explains this phenomenon in the following instances.
ARSA-PRAYOGA
If one is too big, there is no mistake. Arsha prayoga means there may be discrepancies but it is all right. Just like Shakespeare, sometimes there are odd usages of language, but he is accepted as authority. I have explained all these things in my preface to First Canto.” (Letter to Mandali Bhadra dated 1-20-72 )
Room Conversation, February 27, 1977, Mayapur:
Srila Prabhupada: The system is: whatever authority has done, even there is mistake, it should be accepted.
Radha-vallabha: Oh.
Prabhupada: Asa-praya(?) That is ha... He should not become more learned than the authority. That is very bad habit.
Conversation, June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:
Srila Prabhupada: "So you bring this to Satsvarupa. They cannot change anything.”
So unless one is self-realized, there is practically no use writing about Krsna. This transcendental writing does not depend on material education. It depends on the spiritual realization. You’ll find, therefore, in the comments of Bhagavatam by different acaryas, even there are some discrepancies, they are accepted as arsa-prayoga. It should remain as it is.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.23-24 — Vrndavana, March 31, 1976)
Conversation, June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:
Yasoda-nandana: Sometimes they appeal that "We can make better English," so they change like that, just like in the case of Isopanisad. There are over a hundred changes. So where is the need? Your words are sufficient. The potency is there. When they change, it is something else.
Svarupa Damodara: That's actually a very dangerous mentality.
Yasoda-nandana: What is it going to be in five years? It's going to be a different book.
Prabhupada: So you... What you are going... It is very serious situation. You write one letter that "Why you have made so many changes?" And whom to write? Who will care? All rascals are there. Write to Satsvarupa that "This is the position. They are doing anything and everything at their whim." The next printing should be again to the original way.”
Conversation, June 22, 1977, Vrndavana:
"So everything is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. And then these unfortunate rascals, they are distorting. What can I do? How to stop it?"
“Too much editing is not required. If Satsvarupa has already edited it, there is no need of further editing.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Rayarama 21-Dec-67)
“I have dictated the missing purports from Chapter Nine and they are sent enclosed herewith. So far changing the wording of verse or purport of 12:12 discussed before, it may remain as it is.” (Letter to Jayadvaita dated 3-17-71)
"A devotee should have intelligence to know who is deviating. Surrender by your intelligence but don't surrender your intelligence." (SP to Bali Mardana, 1974)
Srila Prabhupada: "There are many jealous people in the dress of Vaishnavas in this Krishna Consciousness movement, and they should be completely neglected. A false acarya may try to override a vaishnava by a high-court decision, (2/3 hand vote) but Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga." (CC.Madhy., Ch.1, Text 218 / 220, purport)
1977, June 22nd:
Srila Prabhupada instructs in a conversation: "The next printing should be again to the original way"
Novemeber 14th:
Srila Prabhupada's disappearance
1978:
The Third Canto and Fourth Canto are printed in a reedited version
“You cannot change one comma, not even a punctuation mark, that is the etiquette”
FROM RAMESVARA INTERVIEW
“There can never be any more changes” — Prabhupada
So in 1976 at Mayapur we brought the color board. We had been talking about how we wanted to standardize everything for the reprints for the Library Party. Prabhupada at that time approved the new design for the Krsna Book trilogy and then he approved the standardization in terms of lettering and so on for the Bhagavatams and he approved the new color board. That is what the 12 Cantos are going to look like. Prabhupada was very happy to see that we had made a plan. But then he got very grave and said, “Now, this is the final plan, this is the final approved standard, there can never be any more changes.” He was emphatic, he was insistent, and he pounded it into our heads. I was there with Radhaballabha I think Jagannathasuta was there, Prabhupada Kripa Maharaja was there.
FROM RAMESVARA INTERVIEW
So that was a big event, the first of many with the Isopanisad cover and these paintings. The first of many experiences I’ve had with Prabhupada literally drilling me, pounding it into my head that you’re never allowed to change anything in his books. He trained me so intensely on this point. Even when the changes make sense he wouldn’t let me change. Just to train me.
FROM RAMESVARA INTERVIEW