Bhaktivedanta Archives

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2011-12-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

We are looking for a volunteer who is willing and inspired to help us convert BTG PDF's to MS Word. This would include the diacritics and mending together broken-up articles. Please contact me for more details: eka108@gmail.com

Thank you!

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Update 2011.1

2011-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Announcement

Available on February 16^th, 2011
(Lord Nityananda’s Appearance Day)
The Bhaktivedanta VedaBase 2011.1 update

[FREE for All Folio-VedaBase Users]

This update, the first since version 2003.1, will be known as the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase 2011.1.

This is an update to the contents, not an upgrade to the software.

You can download this free update on the Internet, from one of these links: [Download Links] (378Mb zipped). Installation instructions are provided in the download.

What’s New?

Added in 2011.1

· New Letters,

245 New Prabhupada Letters

31 New Prabhupada Secretary Letters

· Compilations (from Srila Prabhupada's letters)

Siksamrta Complete - 3 Volumes
(Compiled by Ajamila [ACBSP] and Co)

· ITV Subtitles

ITV Subtitles - Acarya Series, etc.

· Books, Essays and Articles (pre-1967)

In Search of the Ultimate Goal of Life

A Wrong Civilization (The Harmonist - 1936)

· Back to Godhead Magazine

19 numbers of BTG (USA)

(Nov/Dec 2006 -- Nov/Dec 2009)

· Writings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Sri Bhaktivinoda Vani Vaibhava

· Writings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

Amrta Vani —Nectar of Instructions of Immortality

· Writings of Srila Rupa Gosvami

Sri Govinda-virudavali

Sri Astadasa-cchandah-stava

Sri Padyavali

· Writings of Srila Sanatana Gosvami

Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta - Volume 2

Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta - Volume 3

· Writings of Other Acaryas

Sri Caitanya-bhagavata - Madhya-khanda

Sri Caitanya-bhagavata - Antya-khanda

· Biographies and Glorification of Srila Prabhupada

A Transcendental Diary - Volume V

ISKCON Mumbai (Bombay) 25th Anniversary

Following Srila Prabhupada – Remembrances

· Other Books by ISKCON Devotees

Lessons in Spiritual Economics - Danesvara Dasa

Gopal Jiu Publications - His Holiness Gour Govinda Swami

The Embankment of Separation

Mathura Meets Vrindavan

Pariprasna -- the Process of Inquiry

Sri Guru-vandana, The Worship of Sri Guru

My Revered Spiritual Master

Gopal-Jiu - The Beloved Deity of Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Maharaja

Tattva Vicar Publications - His Holiness Gour Govinda Swami

Trnad Api Sunicena

Suddha-nama Bhajana

Lal Publications - His Holiness Sivarama Swami

Suddha-bhakti-cintamani

Na Paraye ham

Krsna-sangati

The Bhaktivedanta Purports

Venu-gita

· Sri Vyasa-puja - 1969 / 2010

7 Sri Vyasa-puja Editions (2004-2010)

No new transcriptions have been added. New transcriptions will appear in subsequent updates, starting with the next update later this year.

Removed from 2011.1

· Foreign-language books.

· Pre-1978 books, except Bhagavad-gita. (Removed due to vexing double hits.)

· Gayatri Mantra text and audio. (Srila Prabhupada did not intend this for general distribution.)

To access material removed from the updated VedaBase, you can still use your 2003.1 NFO data file.

Your Servants,
The Archives Staff

For further information contact:
Ekanatha dasa
ekanatha @ prabhupada.com

Audio / Transcription Update -- 12-01-2010

2010-12-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

Audio / Transcription Update -- 11-03-2010

2010-11-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

2010-10-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

Hare Krishna. This is the latest update on the ongoing Archival audio/transcription project. Thank you.

July update for audio / transcription progress

2010-07-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hare Krishna. Here is the latest update on the ongoing Archival audio/transcription project. Thank you.

2010-05-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

To all concerned. Here is the latest update on the ongoing Archival audio/transcription project. Thank you.

VedaBase diacritic fonts don't show

2010-04-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Regarding installing the diacritic fonts:
Here are 2 simple ways to go about it.

1) Select all the fonts in the Fonts directory on the VedaBase CD.
Right click and chose install. Restart the VedaBase.

2) Select all the fonts in the Fonts directory on the VedaBase CD.
Drag them to your 'fonts' window in your Control Panel.
Restart the VedaBase.

If you do not have the VedaBase CD on hand the fonts can be downloaded.

VedaBase issues with Vista & Win 7 -- 64 bit

2010-04-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Please follow the below instructions and you will be fine.

Changing the compatibility mode for the
VedaBase to run in Vista and Windows 7 - 64 bit.

1. After the installation hangs or freezes, reboot your PC with the CD removed.
2. Right click on the 'Views' icon in C:\Bhaktivedanta VedaBase 2003\. (Views.exe)
3. Click on 'Properties'.
4. Click on the 'Compatibility' tab.
5. Check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"
6. And then choose the appropriate operating system
(Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2)).
7. Click on Apply and then click OK.

Should you sign a petition? | Our response to misleading and disinformation

2010-03-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

“The Bhaktivedanta Archives have more than 500 unreleased recordings of His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. These recordings are not transcribed in the Vedabase or published in any other way.”

To read the above statement is grossly misleading. The fact is, the majority of these so-called “unreleased recordings” are already in the current 2003 VedaBase in full and can easily be read. As for the 500 recordings, let us be clear here, 500 refers to programs and not hours. These Programs, or fragments of programs in most cases, range from less than a minute to under an hour.

While we may seem a little slow to some, we are thorough and meticulous, a quality highly encouraged in an archival environment. We need to complete the archival process in a professional manner so that Srila Prabhupada’s teachings are accurate and will not leave questions as to the provenance of the collection as we have seen throughout history with other mainstream groups that are struggling with authenticity.

From 1977 until now the collection has been brought together and made safe by a small group of dedicated individuals for the benefit of all. If you look at that time frame you will see that devotees at large are utilizing the myriad of offerings brought forth from this small team at the Bhaktivedanta Archives in the form of the VedaBase, now ubiquitous in our movement, acid free books of the audio transcriptions, made to last generations, the new Bhaktivedanta Tape, CD and MP3 Ministries, along with Music.

There is an expression: “Why is there never enough time to do it Right but always enough time to do it OVER?” We at the Bhaktivedanta Archives are endeavoring to do it right and not have to go back, or ask future generations to go back and do it over because of speculation, misinterpretations, conspiracy theories, or demands for a rush to release the last recordings now! We all owe it to Srila Prabhupada and his legacy that we preserve and present it properly now and into the future.

“A large percentage of these unreleased original recordings are not even preserved in a digital, non-time sensitive format.

If nothing is done soon, the original reels will completely demagnetize due to the influence of time and the sound will become forever lost.”

The statement above is not based on facts but on motivated speculations. We have made it very clear that the transfer from analogue to digital is continuing and that we are currently transferring the last of these recordings from the fragmented, unmarked, and poor audio quality reel to reels.

To say that digital is a preservation medium and not time sensitive, is a little naive. While digital is an understood technology, the storage mediums it uses are not archival. Hard drives for example are magnetic and susceptible to mechanical failure. Recordable optical disks use a dye that can be prone to failure. Digital technology to an archive holds three main values. Quick access, duplication and distribution, but as a long-term storage medium digital in its current form is considered temporary until the next stable medium is found.

Having transcriptions however of the audio is a good long-term archival process and can be stored in both digital for easy access and on stable acid-free paper or microfiche for reading and therefore not heavily technology dependent.

As for audio tape becoming demagnetized due to time, this is also misleading. Tapes don’t become demagnetized unless introduced to a magnetic field. The tapes can however physically break down over the short term if mistreated, stored improperly or poorly manufactured. The Bhaktivedanta Archives has always kept strict control over handling and storage. As for manufacturing, luckily the 1960’s and early 1970’s were the hay day of reel to reel production so we have not seen any serious issues with the tape quality used to record His Divine Grace.

We are not depriving anyone from hearing or reading Srila Prabhupada. Remember, “everything is in my books”, hence we put all the books as well as audio transcriptions and correspondence in the VedaBase. Indeed we are working to allow everyone access to all the vani for millennia to come.

To sum up we are not of the mind set to keep stopping (delaying) work to argue every point brought up when the original premises that promulgated this “Petition” is from someone who miss-interpreted a conversation involving the term “controversial”. We are certainly not making anything controversial, we are not removing or hiding anything controversial, and we are certainly not under orders by anyone to withhold anything. On the contrary we are diligently preserving the teachings and life of Srila Prabhupada in a manner that will alleviate controversy into the future when scholars or those who may oppose Vaisnavism could point to sloppiness and dereliction of duty by this first generation for not presenting a clear and concise collection of the audio of His Divine Grace.

This call to release the audio immediately before it has gone through proper archival procedures is like the big bang theory. Just throw it all out there (bang) and from this chaos of unidentified; fragmented audio floating around cyber space, order will come. No, this is not a good theory when all we have to do is use common sense and spend a little constructive time to do it right.

Now we beg your understanding in this matter and ask that we be allowed to carry on working and not have to keep stopping to reply to this misinformation and scare tactics.

We are after all looking for the same result are we not? To preserve the vani of Srila Prabhupada in a scholarly manner… so let us do it!

Thank you

The Bhaktivedanta Archives Staff

Ekanatha dasa

Nitya-trpta devi dasi

Parama-rupa dasa

25 Years of Preserving Prabhupada's Legacy

2010-02-03T07:41:00.000-08:00

Published in BTG #37-04, 2003

Thanks to the efforts of many dedicated souls, the teachings of the founder of the Hare Krsna movement are being protected from the ravages of time.

By Parama-rupa dasa

THE AUDIO TAPE BOXES STOOD thirty high and ten stacks deep, leaving just enough room to squeeze though the labyrinth to sit at my small desk, my arms forced against my body. I had accomplished phase one of the mission, which started with an unannounced raid on the front room of the Golden Avatar Studio in Culver City, Los Angeles. Stored there, relatively open to the public and the environment, were hundreds of reel-to-reel tapes of Srila Prabhupada. Some were originals recorded during Srila Prabhupada's travels around the world, and some were Golden Avatar master tapes. The lack of security for these tapes had always bothered me, and now I had successfully moved them to a safer place near New Dwaraka, the Los Angeles ISKCON temple.

To complete the operation, I now needed the help of Radha-vallabha Dasa, production manager of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT). He controlled the apartment where I hoped the tapes could be safely housed.

My small studio, now waist high in audio tapes, was a converted kitchen in the apartment that housed some of the brahmacaris (celibate students) working with the BBT. The kitchen space was clearly too small to house the tapes and the tape-mastering operation for the Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry. I phoned Radha-vallabha, and on the pretext that a noisy water heater interfered with the mastering of the tapes, I invited him to come and look and listen for himself.

Radha-vallabha stood in the kitchen doorway and talked to me over the sea of boxes. While we discussed the malfunctioning heater, his face showed confusion and concern when he saw the huge stacks of tapes and heard my sheepish expressions of dismay at how difficult it would be to continue the work under these conditions. In his true take-charge fashion, he declared that the brahmacaris living in the apartment would have to "leave and go live in the Hilton Hotel," as the temple's brahmacari ashram building was affectionately named, so that the tapes could be housed in the bedroom of the apartment.

Thus, the first incarnation of the Archives was born in the kitchen of apartment #5, 9701 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, in May of 1977. The next year, in January of 1978, after the departure of Srila Prabhupada, an official archive was set up to collect and preserve all the recorded instructions, history, images, correspondence, and paraphernalia of His Divine Grace.

A Vision for the Future

Srila Prabhupada himself created the audio core of the Bhaktivedanta Archives. On February 2, 1966, before he had made any Western disciples, before he had founded his ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada bought a reel-to-reel tape recorder for $54.02. On February 19 and 20, he recorded his "Introduction to Geetopanisad." This is the earliest recording in the Bhaktivedanta Archives. When I listen to it, aware of his struggle to endure in a foreign land, I envision a solitary figure facing the microphone, seated in an almost bare office on New York's West 72nd Street. The reels turn slowly, moving a thin magnetic tape impregnated with the words of the pure devotee, words born from the collective past acaryas, indeed from Krsna Himself. These very words embrace us now and will enfold future generations in the world of Vaisnava history and tradition. Although those words were uttered to the four walls of a cold and sparse room, they have galvanized another solid link in the chain of the parampara, the line of disciplic succession that goes back to Krsna Himself. While Srila Prabhupada spent pennies on his bodily sustenance, he spent dollars on that tape recorder to carry his mission to those he was yet to meet. I marvel and feel invigorated to preserve those moments for all to share now and into the future.

Interacting with the Original

A working archive is dynamic and vibrant, far removed from a stuffy place of dust-covered boxes shoved away in a dark corner. The Bhaktivedanta Archives takes dusty boxes from dark corners around the world, and through conservation and preservation work injects them with new life and permanence, transforming them into offerings to the Vaisnava community. The Bhaktivedanta VedaBase, our most complete text-based digital presentation, offers a glimpse into the irreplaceable original items we work with. The visual, tactile, emotional, and intellectual experience of interacting with an original allows one to make a more solid connection with its provenance, the essence that gives a document, letter, or recording its life and authority.

Communist Twaddle

I remember when I first saw The Prayers of King Kulasekhara, written on the back of a Soviet propaganda leaflet glorifying the orbit of Sputnik, the first space satellite. The paper quality, while not of a high standard, was heavy and had stood up well to the rigors of being shuffled around.

At first I thought, "What a shame that such a wonderful document had to be spoiled by this communist twaddle." As time went on, however, I realized that from an archival perspective this element was an archivist's dream. For the most part, Srila Prabhupada's handwritings are not dated, and for archival cataloguing would fall into the broad category of "circa." But the Soviet propaganda gives this handwritten piece by Prabhupada a definite date: it covers issues instantly recognizable from the late 1950s and early 1960s. These documents give not only dates but a timeline of what His Divine Grace was thinking and writing in contrast to what the world was thinking and fighting about, albeit through the bizarre view of Soviet propaganda. We discover also the contrast of material communism and man- or state-centered propaganda on one side, and the spiritual communism of God-centered propaganda on the other. All this from a single piece of paper!

And there's more to be gleaned: Srila Prabhupada wrote on the back of the Soviet propaganda handouts because he had very little money to buy writing paper. He got this paper for free from a local printer, left over from print runs paid for by the Soviet government to propagandize to the Indian population. This enabled Prabhupada to keep writing in preparation for the ultimate mission to come, namely to follow his guru's order and preach in the English language to the Western World.

From Behind the Transcendental Curtain

During my travels around the world to collect items for the Archives, I've had many adventures and made many new friends. And my appreciation for the mercy of Srila Prabhupada has grown greatly. In early 1979, I was in Australia procuring items for the Archives. I was looking for someone, whom I will call Mr. X, who had moved away from the devotee community. He was reported to have many original photos and slides of Srila Prabhupada. At first I failed to meet up with him, so I enlisted the help of Amogha Dasa, who was living in Sydney, to help track him down.

Amogha took up the challenge and became an Archives detective. After a two-year enquiry, Amogha finally arranged a meeting with Mr. X in Melbourne, some four hundred miles away. In true clandestine fashion, on the first appointment the contact failed to show with the goods. A day later, after Amogha's frantic phone calls, Mr. X called late at night to say he was just up the street. He agreed to meet Amogha behind the temple, but he had a request: "Can you bring prasadam?"

Armed with a pile of curd pakoras (batter-dipped, deep-fried milk-curd), Amogha made the exchange. He assured Mr. X he would protect his identity and return the images once the Archives had made copies. Meanwhile, Mr. X devoured the curd cache. The combination of dogged persistence and prasadam yielded three hundred slides and two hundred photographs that could have been lost forever.

Amogha, as it turned out, was also a photographer and had a collection of many slides, photographs, and recordings. It was worth the trip just for his collection. Some of these images later appeared in the 1980 Vyasa-puja book.

Acquiring other collections may not have been quite as dramatic, but the collections were often no less significant, such as the tapes of philosophical discussions recorded by Hayagriva Dasa, and the tape collections of Govinda Dasi and Hamsaduta Dasa, early disciples of Srila Prabhupada. Govinda Dasi also donated her photo collection, and just recently Yamuna Devi and Dinatarine Dasi donated their collection of letters and photos, including black and white negatives of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples with George Harrison, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. Of special significance are the negatives of the recording sessions for "The Radha-Krishna Temple" album.

And then there is the BBT collection. In 1972 the BBT bought two reel-to-reel Uher tape recorders, one for India and one for the rest of the world, to accompany Srila Prabhupada on his travels. Srila Prabhupada's secretary and servant were given the task of doing the recordings. These efforts ensured the creation of hundreds of hours of classes and conversations.

At the same time, the BBT began to provide photographers with cameras and film to take pictures. Visakha Devi Dasi, Muralivadana Dasa, and Bhargava Dasa became the main photographers for the BBT. They were sent around the world to capture the activities of Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON society. By their efforts and the efforts of others who filled in from time to time, the collection contains over 100,000 slides.

The Fragility of the Personae

As a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, I am required to help with my guru's mission. My specific duty, and that of the other members of the Bhaktivedanta Archives, is to perpetuate Srila Prabhupada's transcendental words, both written and recorded, as well as his image for all to experience and embrace. We are so fortunate to have such a vast collection. The biographies and teachings of many great spiritual personalities are so fragmentary that their personae have lapsed into legend and mythology. We, on the other hand, have clear recordings of Prabhupada's public and private words, his formal and informal teachings, and movies and photographs. We can confidently say we know how he walked and talked. The Archives collection allows us to realize more fully the person behind the teachings and to preserve the Vedic knowledge and cultural heritage that such a great acarya brought to the Western world.

An archives faces six main causes of deterioration:

1. Climate, fluctuating or extreme temperatures and humidity

2. Abuse, from theft, vandalism, improper handling and storage

3. Biological damage, from molds, fungus, insects, and rodents

4. Light, causing chemical reactions and fading

5. Pollutants, from dust, gases, and particulates

6. Disasters, from fire, flood, and other natural disasters

We at the Bhaktivedanta Archives strive by all means to protect the collection. We continue to buy fireproof cabinets, acid-free containers, and conservation materials. We have built a room with controlled temperature and humidity and with fire detection and limited access. We have strict guidelines in place for security. As an adjunct for long-term storage, we use an underground room in Butler, Pennsylvania -- coincidentally the town where Srila Prabhupada first resided when he came to the United States back in 1965, before moving to New York.

Distribution

By distributing excerpts from the collection, the Archives helps spread Srila Prabhupada's teachings around the world, ensuring their perpetuation. The distribution has taken many forms, such as audio recordings from the Bhaktivedanta tape and CD ministries, books of transcribed recordings published on acid-free paper, and the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase computer program -- all available to the devotee community, scholars, and interested members of the public, who in turn become custodians for their own libraries of Vedic culture. This individual library program augments book distribution by the BBT.

While all these efforts combine to prevent any complete catastrophic loss, the priority of the Bhaktivedanta Archives is conservation and preservation of originals. The many documents, letters, photographs, and audio recordings all require their own unique conservation discipline and techniques.

Our Thanks to Many

The 25th Silver Jubilee of the Bhaktivedanta Archives is an opportunity to acknowledge the work and sacrifice of all who have helped so far to gather, donate, and bequeath their collections of Srila Prabhupada's paraphernalia over the years. While abundant work still needs to be done to ensure the preservation of the collection, many thanks go to those special souls who tirelessly transcribed, scanned, recorded, cataloged, and performed countless other vital services to build and maintain the Archives. Thanks to all who have bought Archives products, thanks to the brahmacaris forced to vacate their apartment, and thanks to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and its trustees, whose continual support throughout the years has helped make possible this wonderful service to Srila Prabhupada.

Parama-rupa Dasa, a recording engineer and archivist, joined ISKCON in 1976 in London. In February 1977, he and his wife, BBT artist Jagat Karana Devi Dasi, moved to Los Angeles, where he started the New Bhaktivedanta Tape Ministry and later the Bhaktivedanta Archives. He now lives in North Carolina near the small community of Prabhupada Village, home of the Archives. He is the director of preservation.

2009-12-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

We are looking for serious and dedicated volunteers to help
with transcribing and/or proofreading Srila Prabhupada’s
original audio. IT expertise is also needed.
Please contact: Ekanatha dasa [ eka108@gmail.com ] at the
Bhaktivedanta Archives, PO Box 255, Sandy Ridge, NC 27046.

Digital Transfer

2009-11-16T09:55:00.000-08:00

An archive is not always a static place especially now in modern society with its rapid changes in technology and methodology. The western world is reducing its need to create or access its collections through textual means due to the advent and prevalence of digital tools. The days of creating and viewing written documents and printed images are fading fast (pun intended).

Archives are finding the need to convert their collections to digital files for access and backup. This new kind of archive is both a blessing and a challenge. The blessing is that a digital file can be accessed without the need to further touch the original thus eliminating potential damage or loss. The challenge comes from the long and costly process of converting from analogue to digital and the updating of the relevant metadata.

We at the BA are in the midst of such a change. The audio collection is progressing with the majority of programs converted to WAV (bwf) and only those programs that are not clearly labeled, defined or of very poor audio quality from the reel-to-reel format remain. Once these are finished then comes the context as in “time and place” of these recordings into the audio collection. We have lessons from past archival situations in history that the addition of new materials can re-write the way we understand an event or circumstance. It is important therefore that care and due diligence be given to assuring that the audio is correctly assigned the proper and concise metadata so as to eliminate any future questions as to the provenance of a recording due to misinformation by a rush to publish listings or archival offerings.

As part of the transfer we once again had a chance to revisit the first audio recording we have of Srila Prabhupada in the BA. The introduction to the BG made in New York 1966. A recording it so happens made by Srila Prabhupada himself complete with his handwriting as you can see here…

Mission Statement

2009-11-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Mission Statement

The Bhaktivedanta Archives serves as the official repository for the historical records of and about His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Its primary purpose is to collect, preserve, protect and allow dissemination of his teachings, images and life’s work for his students, scholars, and other interested persons who seek cultural, and spiritual development.

2009-11-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Bhaktivedanta Archives blog!

This blog is meant to bring you information about the Bhaktivedanta Archives so you are more informed about what we do... what we have and why we have it. This is not a political blog nor a place to discuss opinions.

We just want to give you interesting information about what we do and why we do it. As this is a new way to communicate we expect that we will be updating this blog regularly. We do ask your indulgence however as time goes on that the initial enthusiasm will wear off so the updates many become less regular. Also, we have lots to do so writing is not a top priority for us. Having said that please feel free to check back here regularly and we are sure you will learn things you didn't know about archiving, archival procedures and why archiving is important now and into the future.