Bhagavad-gita As It Is And As It Isn't

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Please compare:

 

Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 1972 authorized Macmillan version

 

Chapter 8, Text 28 purport, final paragraph, first sentence:

 

"One should try to understand the Seventh and Eighth Chapters of the Gita not by scholarship or mental speculation, but by hearing them in association with pure devotees."

 

to

 

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1983 "Revised and Enlarged" version

 

Chapter 8, Text 28 purport, final paragraph, first sentence:

 

"One who has a little faith in Bhagavad-gita should learn Bhagavad-gita from a devotee, because in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter it is clearly stated that Bhagavad-gita can be understood only by devotees; no one else can perfectly understand the purpose of Bhagavad-gita."

 

Are these changes significant? If any aspiring sadhaka has been discouraged from or deprived of taking the direct shelter of pure devotees, I would think so.

 

Please send any comments or responses to Madan Mohan dasa at:

 

106650.1421@compuserve.com