The Definitive English Edition of Bhagavad-gita
“The Definitive English Edition”
The 1972 Macmillan edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is was published with the subtitle “The Definitive English Edition.” This was not mere marketing — Prabhupada himself affirmed this designation.
In 1976, Prabhupada stated:
“That is a definite, not vague, speculative.”
He considered his Bhagavad-gita to be definitive because it presented Krishna’s words without speculation, mental concoction, or impersonal interpretation. The word “definitive” meant that this edition settled the matter — no further revision was needed or desired.
What the 1983 Revision Removed
When the revised edition was published in 1983, six years after Prabhupada’s departure, several significant elements were eliminated:
Professor Dimock’s Foreword
Professor Edward C. Dimock, Jr., of the University of Chicago, had written a scholarly foreword for the 1972 edition. This foreword lent academic credibility to the work and was part of the book as Prabhupada approved it. The 1983 revision deleted this foreword entirely, without explanation.
The “Definitive Edition” Designation
The subtitle “The Definitive English Edition” was removed. The revised edition could not honestly carry this designation, since it was no longer the edition the author had called definitive.
Back Cover Text
The original back cover contained endorsements and descriptions that Prabhupada had approved. These were altered in the revision.
Original Artwork
Multiple original paintings that Prabhupada had personally supervised were removed or replaced.
Over 5,000 Changes
The 1983 revision contains over 5,000 changes from the original. These span:
- Translations of Sanskrit verses
- Purports (commentaries)
- Synonyms (word-for-word meanings)
- Supplementary essays and introductions
The scale of revision makes it, in effect, a different book presented under the same title. Readers purchasing “Bhagavad-gita As It Is” after 1983 received a text substantially different from what Prabhupada published and called definitive.
The Core Problem
A definitive edition, by definition, is final. When the author himself declares his work definitive, posthumous revision is not correction — it is contradiction. The 1983 edition contradicts the author’s own stated intent for his book.
The original 1972 Macmillan edition remains the only Bhagavad-gita As It Is that Prabhupada personally reviewed, approved, and designated as definitive.