This is a "meditation" from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada's guru, from his Last Will and Testament: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is the only enjoyer, everyone, everything else is the object of His enjoyment."

"To learn to tolerate is one of the most important responsibilities of those who live in the Math."
-- from the will of HDG Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

The Bhagavad-gita verse Srila Prabhupada lectured most from was 7.1, in which Lord Krsna instructs us to become "free from doubt." In a lecture he once told us, "if you are advanced in Krsna consciousness, you must be free from all doubts. You must know perfectly well what is Krsna. So that is also possible by devotional service." (Los Angeles, 25 August 1972.)

The principle of the 'higher taste' holds that the greatest obstacle to spiritual life - sex desire - can be removed, or at least greatly reduced. Srila Prabhupada often commented on this, and in India in 1972, while lecturing in India on Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.31), he said, "if one takes to Krsna consciousness, then gradually that knot, sex desire... That is the test whether one's sex desire has diminished.

A certain type of World War II airplane bomber was called a "Liberator." In the name of liberation, we have found so many misnomers. For example, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (political), and the women's liberation movement (social) gained currency in the last century.

It was usual for Indian gurus of yesteryear to have only one or two disciples, and even many powerful preachers in our line followed this tradition. But in the wake of Lord Caitanya, and through the transcendental vision of Srila Prabhupada, in this age of globalization a worldwide society for Krishna consciousness has been able to flourish through the use of technology.

It is fashionable to think of God in quirky ways. In April of 2001, Lisa Miller wrote in The Wall Street Journal: "the number of those (Americans) who say no standard definition 'comes close' to their notion of the deity has more than doubled in the past 20 years, according to market-research firm Roper Starch Worldwide Inc."

Sometimes ISKCON people think of Srila Prabhupada as omniscient in the sense that he knows how many atoms are in a particular iron molecule or how many hairs are on your head. He is sometimes said to know exactly what thoughts are in your mind at any time. What Sruta kirti, Prabhupada's servant for over two years, has emphasized, is that Srila Prabhupada's 'omniscience' was that he knew everything his spiritual master wanted him to know and everything his disciples needed to know.

In more than one passage Srila Prabhupada refers to Arjuna's liberation as samipya: attaining personal association with the Lord.

Webster defines as incorrigible those who are "bad beyond correction or reform." But Krishna consciousness is so nice, that, in Srila Prabhupada's words, "even those who are incorrigible, they can be devotee." (Excerpted from a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.14, delivered on 17 August 1972 in Los Angeles.)

We in the West often lament how secular our schools have become. Teachers and administrators rigidly enforce this. In the United States an organization called 'Church and State' exists solely to keep religion from interfering with governmental functions. The irony of this is that the founders of the USA put the establishment clause (separation of church and state) in the new nation-state's constitution to keep the government from interfering with individual religious belief.

In a Vrindavana lecture on the twenty-second of October, 1972, Srila Prabhupada said this about acaryas: "Acaryas will never say, "I think." "It is in my opinion." No. Such things are not accepted. No personal opinion. It must be supported by Vedic evidences. That is called parampara system, genuine system of understanding. As Krsna says, 'evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg.

On many occasions Srila Prabhupada said that the word could easily feed its present population, even if it were ten times larger. For example: "My Guru Maharaja used to say that 'I don't find any scarcity within this world, except Krsna consciousness.'

In Vrindavana, in October of 1972 Srila Prabhupada said this: "They accuse us, these Krsna conscious people, that "They are escaping. They do not want to work." Not only us. Anyone... That is the allegation against the sadhus, that they are parasites, dependent on the society, eating at the cost of others. So many accusations. But actually, that is not the fact."

It was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Maharaja who made a distinction between those attached to rules, who act extremely humble, and those who are eager to hear. Srila Prabhupada cited his guru maharaja in this Srimad Bhagavatam lecture in Vrindavana on the 29th of October, 1972. He said, "My Guru Maharaja used to say... One who was not interested in hearing, he used to call him a dandavat-class. Dandavat-class of men. That means simply he knows how to make dandavats, that's all.

In the wake of phrases like 'Hindus, Shmindus,' and the ongoing controversy about Indian ethnicity versus host communities in the Hindu diaspora, Srila Prabhupada at least once called Indians seeking a would-be better life in the West, the 'new crows.' Yet he DID say this about Indian piety, "...through the veins of Indians, the spiritual fluid is flowing." (13th Nov, 1973, lecture in New Delhi.)

The male/female debate rages. Srila Prabhupada's perspective was based on flexibility, or what we might call a preaching perspective. Here are some of his words on the topic: "So a brahmacari is strictly prohibited not to see even one young woman. But what can be done? In the Western countries, the boys and girls, they mix very freely. And if I say, 'My dear boys, you cannot see even a young girl,' then finished. My business there is finished.

Once Srila Prabhupada was asked why Jesus manifested fish along with bread to starving peasants. Srila Prabhupada replied that Jesus Christ could eat the whole world, so why should we be concerned that he manifested and maybe even ate a few fish?

Srila Prabhupada informed us that real magic was to get the whole world to chant the Hare Krishna mantra and to 'convert' sensualists into Vaisnavas. But, as he told us, people prefer to see tricks, siddhis and inexplicable phenomenon rather than marvel at the infinite 'magic' performed by the Lord every day.

Sometimes people try to "copy" Srila Prabhupada. There's a fine line between following in the footsteps and copying. After a lecture in Edinburgh (July, 1972), Scotland, Srila Prabhupada asked his audience, "How political situation can be improved by KC?" Can anyone answer? Who will answer this question[s]?" Both Pradyumna prabhu and Revatinanda Swami replied.