“Bhagavad-gita is coming in the same form as it was taught to Arjuna”

Prabhupada, May 9, 1975, Perth: But supposing Christ distributed fish, but did he say that we shall maintain regular slaughterhouse for killing animals?

Srutakirti: He was against that. He threw the men out of the temple, because they were selling lambs in the temple to be offered at the altar. So he kicked them out, saying this temple is not a place for selling animals for slaughter.

Paramahamsa: But in one place they say Christ encouraged fishermen. Because he came and the fishermen were fishing on one side of the boat, and Christ came along and said, “You are fishing on the wrong side of the boat.” He said, “Put your nets on the other side, and you will get more fish.” An they did that and they got huge amounts of fish. And so they were encouraged in their fish-eating in this way.

Ganesa: Jesus also said to the fisherman, “Give up you fishing and I will make you fishers of men.” He said this to his disciples.

Prabhupada: Then on the whole it comes that his instructions are sometimes contradictory.

Paramahamsa: Not only that but they say that… Usually when it comes right down to it, the Bible has gone through so many interpretations and so many changes in the last two thousand years that…

Prabhupada: Yes. It is very difficult.

Paramahamsa: People…, I’ve talked to professors who know the original Hebrew and the original tongues that the Bible was written in. They say that is has changed so much that you can hardly…

Prabhupada: Yes, they are changing. Just like he said, “Thou shall not kill.” They are now changing, “Thow shall not commit murder.” They are doing that.

Paramahamsa: Yes. They have a modern Bible, using all modern terminology.

Prabhupada: So, when you change, then the authority is lost. Just like in our society, sometimes they do something nonsense and they say, “Prabhupada said.” They are doing that. We know that. It is deteriorated like that. Therefore Krishna said, sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah kaunteya: “And in due course of time, this yoga was lost. Therefore I am repeating the same thing, old philosophy to you.” So it requires like that.

Paramahamsa: One thing about the Christian religion is that through the last two thousand years, Christ’s original teachings may have been good teachings, may have been potent preaching, but because there were no potent preachers to carry on the preaching, therefore the whole thing has been lost. But if there are potent preachers to continue reestablishing and establishing the principles,…

Prabhupada: So how you’ll find, if everything is now changed? Where you will get the right information?

Paramahamsa: That’s the problem. That’s why there are so many hundreds of branches of Christianity, literally hundreds. So many divisions of Christianity. Some people accept this, some people accept this.

Prabhupada: Therefore we should advocate that Bhagavad-gita is not like that. It is coming in the same form as it was taught to Arjuna. If you challenge that “How you know that it has not been changed?” the acaryas are there. The acaryas are there, and they are accepting. Therefore it is correct. We have to follow the acaryas. So when we see the acaryas have accepted, then we accept. All the acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, before that other acaryas also, they accept. They never say that “This was not in the original scripture. It has been changed.” You don’t find any such statement of the acaryas. The best thing, therefore, if you want a religious system, Bhagavad-gita is coming without any contradiction, change, for the last five thousand years. You accept it. Other scriptures are unclear, and there are so many doubts, so many interpretations. So, if you want real religious system, this is the scripture spoken directly by God, and accepted by all the acaryas, so take it. If you are really after God, so you take enlightenment from this perfect scripture. If you want truth, it doesn’t matter wherefrom it is coming. I must accept the truth. Full conversation