CC Madhya 11.57
bāhya-jñāna nāhi, se-kāle kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni,
āliṅgana karibena tomāya ‘vaiṣṇava’ ‘jāni’
bāhya-jñāna nāhi — without external consciousness; se-kāle — at that time; kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni’ — by hearing the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; āliṅgana karibena — He will embrace; tomāya — you; vaiṣṇava jāni’ — taking you to be a Vaiṣṇava.
“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will be in a mood of ecstatic love, without external consciousness. At that time, as you recite those chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, He will embrace you, knowing you to be a pure Vaiṣṇava.
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Dear Guru Maharaja,
In Bengali wordings says kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni. Synonym says by 'hearing the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa'. Translations says 'recite those chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam!'
I appreciate how SP is giving purport(s) already in the translations and also how, on spiritual plane, some activities looking different from outside are same from inside (exoteric and esoteric?). There is no mention of SB in the verse, even though, there is mention about it before in context of a whole situation.
Another phrase from the verse āhya-jñāna nāhi — without external consciousness. In translation SP adds in a mood of ecstatic love.
From these situations, I remember Bhaktivonoda Thakura who wrote something like: we should understand the spirit of sastra and not (just) words.
Could you comment on this?
HpS - AgtSP. Thanks from everyone here for such nice questions. It is big topic. We hope we can add a little to your investigation in trying to know Srila Prabhupada, his words.
It is very clear to all scholars, external or internal to ISKCON, that Srila Prabhupada's Translations differ from what is in the WFW. Srinivasa Das brought this up in a class in Boise and then Radhika-ramana Das, our Oxford Sanskritist, commented with enthusiasm that Srila Prabhupada tends to translate with the commentaries of Sridhara Swami and write the Purports with the commentary of Jiva Goswami.
So, Translations may be in context of the surrounding verses, maybe they include the comments of our Acharya's like Visvannatha, Bh. Vinode Th, Bh. Siddhanta Maharaja.
Maybe, maybe, maybe Srila Prabhupada's personal ecstatic visions.
That's what I know and how I go ahead with my study of our ISKCON Acharya. We listened to the dictation tapes for the KRSNA book and it was enlivening to see the editing to the first big KRSNA book. Now there are later changes.
Radhika-ramana Das has been on the like 10-man committee that is going through looking at each book and making final edits that then should be the official ISKCON version.
As he describes it, it is going too slow, yet expects good results.
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Changing the subject - You tweeted on 8th Nov: 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class dust? May I ask what you mean by that, in context of the pastime and / or generally? What comes to my mind is that different kinds (energy) of mercy is received from and by different devotees. But cannot connect that to the specific pastime.
HpS - Yes, that is what we were thinking. We can take the dust, offer our respects, listen submissively to devotees in terms of their advancement.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/3/#bb5869
Then NoI-5 gives how much each different level is authorized. Eg. at annual Rathayatra for our Temple we se Bhakta Beauford who we know is a very nice guy. Comes to temple, chants some rounds on his beads, but not 16, has some attachment to marijuana etc.
He asks, "Hey, Nama, what's this I hear about Krsna Das (temple president) getting to loose with the ladies".
Nama Swami answers: "There are problems everywhere and devotees are analyzing the situation in a pretty sober way. Hope there is some publich resolution about things for everyone's well being soon that you and I can hear".
If it is Madhyama Adhikari asking then we can discuss in more intimate detail judging their position.
If it is Srila Prabhupada asking then we tell him whatever we know without reservation.
You can bottle it and sell it: 1st, 2nd and 3rd class dust form the feet of Vaisnavas?
Thank you!
Your servant Namacarya Das
HpS - May all your cottages be rented!!! 🙂 More mercy as you can,