Hundreds of Unreleased Lectures by Srila Prabhupada!
BY: BHAKTA PHILLIP
Jan 28, USA (SUN) — Many years ago I was told by the Bhaktivedanta Archives that there are many recordings of Srila Prabhupada that are not yet released to the public. Recently I went to the Archives and asked about the unreleased audio of Srila Prabhupada that I had previously heard about.
I will briefly summarize the conversations that went on between me and the Archives. In this post, in order to not criticize any individual but instead to simply get the facts across, I will not mention the devotee's name who I talked with and who is in charge of the Archives, but I will simply say "he" or "the Archives".
I inquired as to how many unreleased recordings of Srila Prabhupada there are? The Archives replied, "A few". I asked, "What does ‘a few' mean? Three, four, ten, [and jokingly I added] one hundred, three hundred?" And the reply was, "More than three hundred."
I was stunned, speechless. I stood there looking at him in utter disbelief that there is so much audio of Srila Prabhupada locked up and kept secret by the Bhaktivedanta Archives, the very institution that I thought specifically exists to make the teachings of his Divine Grace available for all.
After the initial shock subsided I inquired why all this audio of Srila Prabhupada is not released, and the reply was equally astounding. I was told that if it is released at this time, it would be "too controversial" and also, it is "not processed". Now I was doubly stunned! According to him, "not processed" means that the audio "has not been verified".
Over the following conversations I got a few different answers to the question of what exactly does "processed" or "verified" mean, and why it can't be released in its present condition. The different answers I received are as follows:
"The date and place of the recording is unknown."
"Not true to its date or its place or even to its content."
"It will create confusion out there."
"We do not want to create any confusion out there in the masses."
"There's a system of check and balance."
"We are trying to establish an archives for the future, for the next many, many generations."
"Once the audio finds its way out it will create confusion out there."
"It doesn't help the cause to release it in the state it's in"
When I asked what "cause" he referred to, the reply was:
"The cause of distributing Prabhupada in the most cleanable fashion."
And finally,
"People will ask what the hell is going on."
In these conversations I begged the Archives to let me hear all Srila Prabhupada's transcendental words, not just the non-"controversial" ones or the "processed" ones. At first they said there is over a thousand hours of Srila Prabhupada that is released and they recommended that I first listen to all that. I humbly explained that I have listened to it all. Then he told me that some of the unreleased audio is "not good quality". I insisted, "I don't care if it's difficult to hear, it's Srila Prabhupada's words! It's transcendental!" He then said, "Ok, but it is going to cost you… Each CD is going to cost you ten dollars". I was ready to pay him whatever he wants. He told me he was going to consult with someone and I should call back in a few days.
After calling back he said, "No. I am sorry, at this time we can't release this audio." I begged and pleaded with him for some time, offering him the money he originally asked for and trying different angles to get him to give in. But it was no use, he wasn't going to budge, he simply said again and again, "I am sorry, we can't release the audio now."
Anyway, after some time he told me that there are a few devotees that are working on gradually trying to "verify" and "process" the audio and that it should be released "in the future". I said "Now is ‘in the future', it has been more than thirty years!" I asked, "When do you feel that you will be ready to release this?", and he replied, "At least a couple of years."
I humbly suggested that he could release the Prabhupada audio as it is now, and whenever the Archives processes and verifies it to their liking and standards, they can then release that verified version in the future. Again he refused.
How long will they go on bluffing that the check is in the mail? They have Srila Prabhupada and are keeping him locked up because he is "too controversial" and not "processed".
Eventually he told me, "It's time for you to leave, I am not going to discuss this any further."
As a last resort, I am posting this on the Internet. How can he deny everyone in the whole world but himself the right to hear Srila Prabhupada's transcendental words?
I have never before posted anything online, I don't believe in venting personal issues online. But this is not a personal issue, it is an issue of a select few devotees keeping Srila Prabhupada hostage, not letting him come out to preach freely and unrestrictedly. This is not tolerable.
I have nothing personal against the Archives or any individual there. I simply feel cheated out of my birthright as a servant of Srila Prabhupada and someone who has dedicated his whole life to Srila Prabhupada's service. Although I am not a senior devotee, I feel I (along with the rest of the world) am just as entitled to Srila Prabhupada's instructions and guidance as the devotees in the Archives are.
When we deny Srila Prabhupada's mercy to someone else, the natural reaction is that the mercy will also leave us. So let's become the loving society Srila Prabhupada envisioned, and stop hiding things from each other like little children that don't know how to share and appreciate each other. Srila Prabhupada said in 1971: "...'filled with love and truthfulness'. Such an atmosphere is so congenial for advancement in Krishna Consciousness and if the Prabhus there continue their devotional activities in such a spirit, so many people will be attracted."
Thank you for listening. Hopefully now that the world knows that there are more than three hundred tapes that have never before been released, maybe we can all come together as the family that we are, in the house Srila Prabhupada built for EVERYONE, and say: No hard feelings, we all make mistakes. Even after thirty years, it's still not too late to fix the situation and let all this hidden audio be released NOW!
Hare Krishna!
Your servant, Bhakta Philip
Related Article: Srila Prabhupada's Audio Legacy"
