Clarification on Prabhupada Tapes
BY: PRAHLADPRIYA DAS (ACBSP)
Oct 04, 2010 — USA (SUN) — Hare Krsna. My name is Prahladpriya das (ACBSP). I would like to offer some clarification regarding the article and story, "New Prabhupada Tapes Discovered!", recently posted by Madhudvisa das (whom I do not know personally) and circumstances under which I obtained and provided the new Srila Prabhupada recordings recently digitized and posted online. I am simply making a clarification. The story goes as follows.
After traveling on the Radha-Damodar bus (1975-1976), I landed at the New York temple on 340 W. 55th Street. I decided to remain and do my service there. One day I was asked to clear the clutter from a closet. When I asked what to do with the items in the closet, I was told that most of it was just odds and ends and should probably be thrown away.
There was a lot to be thrown away. There were also some photographs, Sunday Feast invitations, mantra cards, as well as a stack of reel to reel tapes. Once I discovered these, I asked if I could keep them. I was told that would be fine. It looked to me that these were items brought from Henry Street temple. I promptly stored the tapes in a box with many other reel-to-reel tapes from my college music performances.
On more than one occasion over the course of 34 years, I was tempted to get rid of some of these things. Fortunately I did not. Recently I handed the tapes over to a devotee who I have known for many years, with the understanding that the tapes would eventually be brought to the Archives in North Carolina. Soon afterwards I was notified that the tapes had been transferred and digitized. I was thrilled to hear that some of this material, spoken by my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, had never been heard before.
There are disagreements between the BBT Archives and those who feel that there exists tapes of Srila Prabhupada that have not been made available to devotees in general. I do not know one way or the other what the actual circumstances are. It was never my desire to become embroiled in this conflict. It is my understanding that these tapes will eventually be handed over to the Archives, and I trust that will happen.
I offer my heartfelt thanks to all of those devotees who have played a role in preserving Srila Prabhupada's words. I do believe that whatever Srila Prabhupada spoke and was recorded should be shared with anyone wanting to hear.
I beg forgiveness from anyone who has been offended by my actions. I feel it is important to clarify the facts and circumstances surrounding the tape given to me years ago.
"My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from His lotus mouth."
Das, das, anudas,
Prahladpriya das
