Images from the planet of the trees

“There is also a planet of trees presided over by Aryama, who represents Krsna.”
—Bhagavad-gita As It Is, first edition, purport to 10.29

Turning many heads at last year’s Ratha-yatra festival in Los Angeles was a colorful sight: a man on stilts and dressed as a tree, lushly adorned with leaves and branches. Apparently he is a well-known figure at Venice Beach. Spotting him, my godbrother Svavasa Prabhu, the president of the Los Angeles ISKCON temple, called out to me, “Look! The planet of the trees!”

I was too late to snap a picture of the tree-man. But I picked up pictures of him and other “tree people” from the internet.

Once, a few years before, in Long Island, I’d had a — well, I guess you could call it a chat — with a bold young fellow from Bangalore who proudly declared that since “the planet of the trees” was in the original edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the edition Srila Prabhupada had personally approved, at least he (that bold young fellow from Bangalore) had full faith that there really is such a place.

So for those who would accord a special sacred status to “planet of the trees” and other such editorial errors (and for anyone else who might find such curious matters interesting), here you have them: images from. . . . . . . The Planet of the Trees!

Please don’t get me wrong. The first edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is is a marvelous transcendental book, full of spiritual potency. So if that’s the edition you prefer, fine. In that case — if you’re sincere and honest about wanting to follow Srila Prabhupada’s instructions — please buy it from the BBT.

Hare Krishna.