Once when Srila Prabhupada was lecturing, he demonstrated how Sanskrit is a superior language, by comparing it to the English language. He said the pronunciation in Sanskrit doesn’t vary, whereas English, a conglomerate of many tongues, is illogical in terms of pronunciation. He used the examples of “beauty,” “put,” and “but” to show how a seemingly similar word can be pronounced differently. To further his case, he pointed out that the vowel sound “u” in the words “few,” “foot,” and “cut,” is pronounced differently.

In the Vraj region, the night time loudspeakers (sometimes like lullabies) and the ubiquitous graffiti are tolerable, and even inspiring.

In his Srimad Bhagavatam rendering, Srila Prabhupada refers to a well-known Biblical proverb without giving the source. By doing this he indicates that certain Biblical sayings have been so seamlessly incorporated into the English language that they do not need attribution. The section appears in the Fourth Canto, Twenty-eighth Chapter, in the purport to Text 24: “When we say, ‘Dust thou art, and into dust though shall return,’ we refer to the body. When a city is attacked and bombarded by enemies, the citizens generally leave, and the city ceases to exist.”

Srutakirti tells the following story. He says he was massaging Srila Prabhupada when he noticed mosquitoes. He asked Srila Prabhupada if he could kill them. Srila Prabhupada said that according to him, if they are attacking, they can be killed.

We don’t have to turn to Rupa Goswami to find the principle of yukta vairghya. We can find it right in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is in many places. For example 3.9 reads, “Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.” And what did Arjuna do? He used his military expertise in devotional service-killing people.

Is Krnsa’s beauty superior to nature? In his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.26, Srila Prabhupada describes the beauty of nature like this: “What they call beautiful nature is but His smile.”

At least one dictionary defines “stunning” as “strikingly impressive or attractive in appearance.” Real estate agents and property developers often refer to houses that overlook a river, a lake or an ocean as having a “stunning” view. People are willing to spend millions on their homes just to be able to look at water. It helps us remember that Krishna is blue, that water is His perspiration and that “all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor” (10.41 from BGAII).

The Lord is visible only when He reveals himself. Even when he sometimes mentions who He really is, he is not taken seriously. When the itinerant preacher who worshipped Bala Gopalaji, entered Jagannath Misra’s home, the Lord, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, told the Brahmana that he was “desecrating” the Brahmana’s offerings by taking them and eating them (rice) because the Brahmana was calling Him. The Brahmana thought the young boy was simply talking nonsense. When He told Kolaveca Sridhara, He was the source of the Ganges, Sridhara didn’t believe Him because the Lord wasn’t ready to reveal to Sridhara yet His true identity.

Advaita Prabhu asserted that by offering the first dish to Haridasa Thakura, he was getting the result of feeding one hundred thousand brahmanas. The conclusion is that if one can feed a brahmana or Vaisnava, it is better than performing hundreds of thousands of sacrifices. (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.17.8/purport)

Srila Prabhupada took great risks to start ISKCON: two heart attacks, intensive global travel in his 70’s, icy New York winters, foolish disciples, scheming Godbrothers, taunting westerners. It’s said he “walked through fire” to establish his movement.