SANSKRIT: The Language of the Gods

The following is an article from one of the previous editions of the Matchless Gift magazine.

The demigods all speak in Sanskrit

When one reads Shrila Prabhupada's books or our magazine he quickly notices that besides English, a mysterious ancient language is sometimes quoted as well. The language's name is Sanskrit, and Shrila Prabhupada or the devotees use it to supply various evidences from the Vedic scriptures to back up their statements. Just like a scientist in his study refers to previous scientists or previous scientific studies, devotees always back up their arguments by using Vedic verses (shlokas) that are mostly written in Sanskrit. In this way they honor the original vibration of the Vedas. Shrila Prabhupada says: "Of course, the language, Sanskrit, you may understand..., you may not understand, but the vibration will act."

(Song & Purport to Shri-Krishna-Caitanya Prabhu, Partially Recorded – July 17, 1968, Montreal)Shrila Prabhupada explains a similar point in connection with the maha-mantra:

"This chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra is enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness⎯namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation nor any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra."

(Purport to the Hare Krishna Mantra)

So even if one does not understand the Sanskrit language, the vibration is so powerful that it acts favorably on the consciousness. Simply by hearing the divine sound of Sanskrit language contained in such scriptures as the Bhagavad-gita or the Shrimad Bhagavatam, one automatically acquires heaps of piety. It is for this reason Shrila Prabhupada instructed the devotees to daily hear the Sanskrit shlokas in regular classes:"So read Bhagavatam. Pronounce the verses very nicely. Therefore we're repeating. You hear the records and try to repeat. Simply by chanting the mantra you'll be purified. Simply by chant... Even you do not understand a single word of it, simply if you chant, this vibration has got such power. Shrinvatam sva-kathah krishnah punya-shravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. 

[Shri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.]

If you simply chant and vibrate this verse... these verses, these shlokas, it is punya-sravana-kirtanah. 

There is no question of understanding. Punya-sravana-kirtanah. Punya means pious, and shravana means hearing, and kirtana means chanting. One who is chanting this verse and one who is hearing this verse, he is becoming pious automatically. Pious. To become pious one has to endeavor so much: do this, do that. But if you simply hear these verses of Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita...

Therefore, as a rigid principle, in every temple there should be class for hearing and chanting. "

(Shrimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.22 – April 14, 1973, Los Angeles)

Shrila Prabhupada himself often said that at the beginning of his relationship with his spiritual master His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, he could not understand much since Srila Bhaktisiddhanta spoke very sophisticated words, but because he was eager to hear, gradually he could understand everything and later became his sole successor in distributing Krishna consciousness philosophy founded on the Sanskrit shlokas present in Vaishnava scriptures to the whole world.  The transcribed Sanskrit alphabets are called devanagari. Nagara means city and the citizens are called nagari. In a gist, devanagari means that in the higher planetary system where demigods live, Sanskrit is spoken.  The Sanskrit language is not only a spoken language in the heavenly planets, but also in the Vaikunthas, and since every living entity is originally an inhabitant of the spiritual world, the Sanskrit language is the language of the soul. Even today, on this planet, the devanagari script, composed of 48 primary characters, including 14 vowels and 34 consonants, is the fourth most widely adopted writing system in the world, being used for over 120 languages Samskrtah means "purified", or  "most reformed, " because in Sanskrit literature every word has a particular meaning. It is not whimsical, just like in English language. Shrila Prabhupada points out:

"Not that like your English language, ‘Beauty but, peauty put.’ No, not like that. If you say ‘beauty but,’ you must say, ‘peauty put.’ [pronounces ‘put’ to rhyme with ‘but’] But no, you change: beauty but, peauty put. [now pronounces in the accepted way] Why? This kind of change cannot be allowed in Sanskrit language. If the ‘u’ means ‘uh,’ just like ‘beauty but,’ then it must always mean like that, no change." 

(Bhagavad-gita 1.2–3 – July 9, 1973, London)

The Sanskrit language is a very scholarly language, it is reformed. You cannot deviate even a line, even a letter in the sense, in the poetry, in the writing. There are all regulations, strict regulations, grammatical and metric and so many things. So nobody can surpass it. Just like nowadays we write poetry⎯one line is three hundred miles, one hundred, [chuckles], and only one mile. That sort of poetry will not be allowed in Sanskrit. [chuckles] You cannot adjust three hundred miles and one mile. No. It must be very symmetrical. That is Sanskrit language.

(Shri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 21.62–67 – January 6, 1967, New York)

This is the reason the Vedic books of knowledge have not changed for so many thousands of years. As soon as you change, the meter, the symmetry, the poetry; all collapse. The shlokas co-exist in a symbiotic interconnected whole. Just like taking out a card from a house of cards destroys the whole house, even a slight change in the Sanskrit shastra (scripture) would destroy the whole structure. Thus the complexity of the Sanskrit language protects the thoughts expressed in the shastras from adulteration.  

Sanskrit is more complex and rich than modern languages. For example, in Sanskrit the word "friend" has many sub-categories: Bandu, mitra, and suhrt all refer to a "friend", yet there are slight differences. Suhrt means a friend who sincerely wants us to be happy. On the other hand, mitra is more of a social friend, and bandhu is merely an official friend. In the 5th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is described as a suhrt. 

Shrila Prabhupada also explains that in order to become an expert grammarian, one has to learn Sanskrit grammar for at least 12 years. Sanskrit scholars in India study in the beginning for ten years continually, and they focus on study of grammar. When they are expert in grammatical rulings and formation⎯that is to say: sabda, dhatu, sandhi, samasa, prakaran, vidhan, pratyaya, adhikarana⎯they study nyaya. In this way, when one is expert in 10 to 12 years, that is by the age of 17, he becomes so qualified that he can master any departmental knowledge in 1 to 2 years. Sanskrit is not just another language. It is the origin of all the languages. For example, there is a similarity between the Sanskrit word "manusya" and the English word "man". Originally manusyam comes from the word Manu. Manu is the father of mankind, and Krishna mentions Manu in the 4th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita when He talks about the disciplic succession. Similarly, in Sanskrit language, the saintly persons are called santa. In Latin, there is a very similar word to designate saints: sanctus, because Latin is derived from Sanskrit. The first word that a child utters is mother and father. In Sanskrit, it is matri and pitri. We can find traces of Sanskrit all around the world. 

Frederick James Rowe (c. 1844 – 5 January 1909) was a Professor of English literature, and a Principal at the Presidency College in Calcutta, India. He edited and wrote introductions for numerous collections of the works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. William Trego Webb (24 August 1847 – 8 January 1934) was a British educationist and author who taught English Literature in various colleges in Bengal in India in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A prolific writer, he also produced a number of English language grammar books for Indian students with fellow-academic F. J. Rowe. These two gentlemen stated that Sanskrit is the mother of all languages. Shrila Prabhupada remembers this, because he used to study their grammar books when he was in school during colonial times in India:"Latin is from Sanskrit. Yes. Latin is from Sanskrit. Professor Rowe and Webb of Presidency College in Calcutta, they have got a book of grammar. They have said the Sanskrit language is mother of all languages. They were big English scholars, professors, Mr. Rowe and Webb. We had to read their grammar in our childhood. They have said that the Sanskrit language is the mother of all languages. And in the dictionary you'll find Indo-European language practically all from Sanskrit." 

(Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg –  May 12, 1969, Columbus)

Often times people mistakenly think that reading the shastra in the original Sanskrit language will somehow enlighten them more deeply about the intended original meaning of the scripture. They don't want to depend on the translator's "interpretation". Thus they think learning Sanskrit is a necessity. There is a conversation with Shrila Prabhupada and Professor Chenique in which such arguments are expressed:

Yogesvara: He says, Professor Chenique wishes to know, would it not be more valuable if our men spoke Sanskrit and could translate directly from the Sanskrit into French?

Prabhupada: There is not much difference. Sanskrit is there, and the Sanskrit translation is there. Where is the difference? We are giving the Sanskrit and then word-to-word translation.

Bhugarbha: He says that when one translates from Sanskrit into English and from English into French, that it's not exactly the same thing in French that it was in Sanskrit. He feels that it would be more...

Prabhupada: No, if from Sanskrit to French can be translated, I have no objection. But we have no such arrangement.

Yogesvara: We have no Sanskrit scholars in French yet, no.

Prabhupada: Not only scholar. Not only scholar; he must be a realized soul. Simply scholarship will not help. Simply scholarship will not help. There are many Sanskrit scholars in India. There are many Sanskrit scholars, original Sanskrit scholars in India; they cannot understand Bhagavata.

Yogesvara: Professor Chenique's point is that we are seeking to introduce these books on a university level, and there's a certain standard that must be met.

Prabhupada: What is that standard?

Bhugarbha: He's just saying that the style of French, he feels that it's too many words.

Prabhupada: French..., he must be French, expert in language, at the same time, a devotee. Then he can express. Otherwise not. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's secretary, Svarupa Damodara, he asked that brahmana, bhagavata pada giya bhagavata sthane: "Go and study Bhagavata from bhagavata." I have discussed this in the beginning of translation of Bhagavata. So Bhagavata, that is the limit of education. Vidya bhagavata vadhih. One has to study and take education up to Bhagavatam. That is, if one understands Bhagavatam, he's finished his education.

Bhugarbha: He agrees. He's just saying that he wishes⎯he's not criticizing in any way⎯but he wants that your books have a better audience, then more people will accept them. And he feels that if the French, the way that the French has been written, is changed, we'll have a better audience, it will reach higher.

Prabhupada: But that is from scholarship point of view. But our point is this Bhagavata must be presented by bhagavata. And there is not much scholarship required. Just like Bhagavata begins with the words janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. This Sanskrit word means the Absolute Truth is that from where everything emanates. Now, that Absolute Truth further explained: anvayad itaratas ca abhijnah svarat [SB 1.1.1]. That Absolute Truth is aware of everything, directly and indirectly, of all this creation. In this way, if you study step-by-step, it is not very difficult so far the word meanings are concerned, but it is a question of realization. Unless one is realized, he cannot explain properly. That is the secret. Therefore we have given the life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in our Bhagavatam because He's the living Bhagavatam.

(Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique – August 5, 1976, New Mayapur)

Shrila Prabhupada says here that a mere superficial knowledge of the Sanskrit language is not enough to translate the Shrimad-Bhagavatam. One must be a self-realized soul in order to explain properly. There is a reference we can derive from Lord Chaitanya's lila, when a certain brahmana was eagerly trying to get the Lord's audience with the desire to recite some of his own poetry he composed. Swarupa Damodara was serving the Lord as His private secretary, and his task was to "filter out" people who would bring various misconceptions and thus spoil the Lord's ecstasies of devotion. When it was found out that brahmana composed a poem that was deviating from the Vaishnava philosophy, Swarupa Damodara chastised the brahmana and instructed him to learn the Shrimad Bhagavatam from the person bhagavatam: one whose life is completely absorbed in Bhagavatam. Only then could he understand the real philopsophy of the Shrimad Bhagavatam. Bhagavatam is revealed knowledge. Being proficient in Sanskrit does not equal to receiving revelation. Shrila Prabhupada points out:"You cannot understand Krishna simply because you are a learned Sanskrit scholar. You are a rascal. Krishna is not so easy to be understood by scholarship or Sanskrit language. Don't commit this mistake. Krishna is understood by a person to whom Krishna reveals. That is understanding. Nayam atma. This is completely said: nayam atma, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya. Because you have got a fertile brain, therefore you'll be able to understand Krishna? No. Na bahuna srutena. Oh, because you are very good scholar, you have studied so much... No. If Krishna reveals to you, then you'll be able. That revelation is possible when you are a devotee. Otherwise, it is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyah."

(Shrimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.13–14 – September 12, 1976, Vrindavana)This is further confirmed in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (10.127), compiled by Sanatana Gosvami and quoted by Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami in the Chaitanya Caritamrta. It is stated there:"[Lord Krishna said:] 'Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literature, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. Even though a person is born in a family of dog-eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activities or mental speculation. Indeed, all respects should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am."'

There are more such conversations where certain individuals suggest that the direct reading of Sanskrit is comparatively better. Somehow this concept has gained some popularity. Dr. Patel, who is found on many of Shrila Prabhupada's morning walk recordings in Bombay, was one of these individuals, and Shrila Prabhupada used the opportunity to correct his flawed understanding:

Dr. Patel: I read it in Sanskrit, in directly. And there, in real, original Sanskrit it is wonderful. You get the real rasa of it.

Tamala Krsna: Do you... do you mean to say that I was reading it indirectly?

Dr. Patel: No, no. Indirectly. It is indirect. The real Sanskrit is different. He will tell you. Any other language than Sanskrit...

Prabhupada: No, no, no, there is no difference.

Dr. Patel: ...will not get that rasa.

Prabhupada: There is no difference.

(Morning Walk – February 23, 1974, Bombay)

Here Dr. Patel claims that if one reads directly from Sanskrit he will get "the real rasa (real taste)", but Shrila Prabhupada clearly corrects him and says that there is no difference. However, two years later in a different conversation, we can see that Dr. Patel still maintains the same idea about Sanskrit: 

Dr. Patel: One thing, you must have a Sanskrit school.

Prabhupada: That we can have. Sanskrit is already there in the books.

Dr. Patel: And then let them have a factual teaching of Bhagavad-gita and Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Sanskrit.

Prabhupada: Now every gentleman knows English, so we have explained everything in English. There is no difficulty.

Dr. Patel: That is right, sir. But when you see, I mean, study a thing in English and study in original language, you...

Prabhupada: Original language? Nobody can read Sanskrit nowadays. Even the Sanskrit panditas, they also cannot read. I have tried it. [break] It does not depend on understanding language.

Dr. Patel: That's right.

Prabhupada: Hearing. One who has heard, given aural reception nicely, he is perfect knowledge. Therefore our Vedas are known as sruti. You have to learn it by hearing, not by studying.

(Morning Walk – April 13, 1976, Bombay)

Shrila Prabhupada explains that his English purports are enough for one to understand the real meaning. Indirectly, Dr. Patel is subtly minimizing the value of Shrila Prabhupada's books. Following such flawed logic can bring us to a misguided conclusion that since one needs to read the original Sanskrit in order to assimilate the subject matter, reading Shrila Prabhupada's English translations is but a waste of time. Such an idea is very obstructive to spiritual advancement, because without accepting the shelter of a guru, one is simply accumulating mundane knowledge and so to speak licking the outside of the bottle of honey. In the Shvetashavatara Upanisad (6.23) it is clearly stated:"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed." 

A person who is not guided by a guru cannot understand the true meaning of the shastra, and what to speak of explaining it to others? At the same time, if the guru is not so proficient in language, if he is a devotee, his literary work will be appreciated by elevated Vaishnavas. This is the verdict of the Shrimad-Bhagavatam:

"On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literature, even though imperfectly composed, is heard, sung, and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."

Shrimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.11)

In the purport to this verse, Shrila Prabhupada uses the following analogy to illustrate the point: "When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out to get help from the neighbors, who may be foreigners, and yet without knowing their language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The same spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of the Shrimad-Bhagavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world. After all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success." (SB 1.5.11 purport)

God is not concerned with any language. He wants to see devotion. For this reason, it is not forbidden to offer Him prayers in one's own language as well. Shrila Prabhupada states:"Yes, you can sing prayers in Sanskrit, but prayers in English can be also pronounced because the Lord accepts the motive, not the pronunciation of the language. He wants to see spiritual motive. Even if some effectiveness is lost in translation, if the motive is there, it will make no difference".

 (Letter to: Madhusudana  --  Los Angeles 1 February, 1968)

On a different occasion, Shrila Prabhupada notes:

“Krishna never said that ‘One who offers Me with Sanskrit mantra.’ Yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Real thing is bhakti, feeling: ‘How to serve Krishna? How to please Him?’ That is wanted. Not to see that you are a very good scholar in speaking in Sanskrit or English or... That is not... Always feel that ‘I am worthless, but I have been, by the grace of my Guru Maharaja, I have been given the chance. So kindly accept whatever little service I can give. I am offensive. So kindly excuse me.’ In this way be humble, meek, and offer your feeling, and Krishna will be satisfied. Not that you have to show how you can speak in Sanskrit language.”

(Room Conversation – April 12, 1975, Hyderabad)

Krishna is known as bahudak, which means He can talk with any living entity. Since Krishna is declared to be the father of all living beings, it is not difficult to conclude that He can also speak to all living beings in their respective languages. Krishna is so expert that He can even speak with animals, what to speak of human beings? In the Nectar of Devotion, 64 qualities of Krishna are described, and the quality of talking to all living entites in their respective languages is mentioned as the 7th quality. It is stated there that an old woman in Vrindavana, present at the time of Krishna's pastimes, once stated in surprise, "How wonderful it is that Krsna, who owns the hearts of all the young girls of Vrajabhumi, can nicely speak the language of Vrajabhumi with the gopis, while in Sanskrit He speaks with the demigods, and in the language of the animals He can even speak with the cows and buffalo! Similarly, in the language of the Kashmir Province, and with the parrots and other birds, as well as in most common languages, Krishna is so expressive!" She inquired from the gopis as to how Krishna had become so expert in speaking so many different types of languages.

One may then question, why did Shrila Prabhupada put so much emphasis on Sanskrit transliterations and word foreword translations in his books then? Was it useless? Such a question may be answered in the following way: Shrila Prabhupada's books are appreciated by many Sanskrit scholars. For example, a chairman of a department of Sanskrit studies in one of biggest linguistic schools in the world, who's known all over the world for his studies in different kinds of languages, stated the following about Shrila Prabhupada's translation of the Shrimad-Bhagavatam:

"It is axiomatic that no book can be expected entirely to satisfy all its potential readers. Here is one, Shrimad-Bhagavatam, however, which can be said to come remarkably close to that ideal. Clearly this book is intended mainly for those who are interested in, or may become so, transcendental science and, more specifically, in Krishna consciousness. For them it could hardly be bettered, since the elaborate purports attached to each text explain elegantly and lucidly and in every possible detail the underlying meaning of the Sanskrit verses and their relevance to this increasingly popular philosophical outlook. The work is at the same time no less impressive to one who is a layman in the context of transcendental science. A student of Sanskrit or a general linguist with only a smattering of the language would gain much from going through this book and others in the set. That this is so is the result of the way the texts are presented. Each text in Devanagari is followed by an exact roman transliteration, this in turn followed by an English transliteration of each separate word. After this comes a translation in flowing English. The result is that with only a modest amount of effort one can succeed in reading and understanding the Sanskrit verses, and the experience is very rewarding. At the end of the book is appended a goodly amount of further helpful material. There is a glossary of important Sanskrit terms, a Sanskrit pronunciation guide, an index of Sanskrit verses in the whole of the First Canto of Shrimad-Bhagavatam, and a general index to the First Canto. In other words, we have here the ideal of what an edition of a Sanskrit text for a Western audience should be."

And he is not the only one. Many teachers use Shrila Prabhupada's books as their textbooks for Sanskrit classes at universities. They find it wonderful since each word is given synonyms in English. For a Sanskrit scholar, it is good opportunity to learn Sanskrit. At the same time, it is Shrila Prabhupada's secret tactic of making the Sanskrit scholars interested in the subject matter of his books, namely straight Krishna consciousness. When asked about Sanskrit language, Shrila Prabhupada responded:

"...it is not necessary. But those who are interested in studying Sanskrit literature, for them it is very good help. And at the same time they get sublime knowledge. 

(Room Conversation with Ambarisa and Catholic Priest – June 14, 1976, Detroit)

Although Shrila Prabhupada encouraged his disciples to learn Sanskrit a little more deeply in some rare instances, he always emphasized that it should not be their aim to become scholars. For example, Pradyumna Prabhu became so proficient in Sanskrit that Shrila Prabhupada made him his Sanskrit editor (this means he would be correcting the spelling of the Sanskrit words in the transcriptions of Shrila Prabhupada's dictations and correcting the English in the word to word translations) and gave him an affectionate nickname "Panditji", which paradoxically means "scholar." Perhaps it was Shrila Prabhupada's way of always reminding him not to get swayed into so-called Sanskrit scholarship. Simialrly, in the early stages of Pradyumna Prabhu's newly found interest in the intricacies of Sanskrit language, Shrila Prabhupada warned him not to become a scholar:

Your endeavors to learn Sanskrit is very encouraging. We want somebody in our society to know Sanskrit well enough for reading, not to be a great scholar, but just enough as needed.

(Letter to: Pradyumna⎯San Francisco 8 April, 1968)

Two years later, Shrila Prabhupada again reminds him the same point and explain the negative consequences of such an endeavor:  

...you need not become such a scholar. You require simply to understand Shastras Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad-Bhagavatam, etc. and chant Hare Krishna Mantra as much as possible. The thing is if you give more stress on scholarly line, other devotees will try to imitate you. Already your wife has expressed such an intention, and as soon as we try to be scholars, our devotional line will be slackened. These points are to be kept in view always.

(Letter to: Pradyumna⎯Los Angeles 5 April, 1970)

Later on, when Pradyumna indeed appeared to be temporarily influenced by what seems in retrospect to be a mood of "scholarship", Shrila Prabhupada mildly criticized him and called him a smarta: 

"If you cannot rise early in the morning, then how can you ask others to rise early in the morning? What is the effect? There is no effect. We have got business early in the morning to attend mangala arati. And if you sleep yourself and teach others, so who will take it? [japa] [break] ...thing we have introduced. Very, very simple thing. But still, if he cannot... [break] ...[indistinct] Maharaja. He is..., he imitating smarta pandita, but he cannot rise early in the morning. Never. And he is imitating the smarta pandita. You know that? Smarta, and so on pot, and this and that, and asana. [laughing] And "I had some..., consult with some smarta pandita," and the real business, to rise early in the morning, he will never do. He will never do. Brahmana. Brahmana means he must rise early in the morning. What kind of brahmana? [seeing Pradyumna approaching] Oh, he is coming. [laughs]"

(Morning Walk – April 23, 1974, Hyderabad)

Prabhupada: [about Pradyumna] He was smarta.

Ramesvara:  Smarta. Pandita. You used to call him pandita.

Tamala Krsna: Sometimes Prabhupada would tell him he was a smarta.

Ramesvara: He's always carrying an armful of books.

Prabhupada: Smarta is also counted amongst the sahajiyas.

Tamala Krsna: He was really... That's another problem, Prabhupada. All of these boys that take part in this Sanskrit-Bengali translation department, they all become like this, because they read these other books. As soon as they learn Bengali and Sanskrit, they start reading so many books.

Prabhupada: Aula, baula, kartabhaja, neda, daravesa, sani sahajiya, sakhibheki, smarta, jata-gosani. They are all counted in one group.

(Morning Walk – June 7, 1976, Los Angeles)

The smartas or smarta brahmanas are counted amongst the many apasampradaic communities who put unnecessarily emphasis on various intricacies of Vedic injunctions while missing that the point of all rules is to remember Krishna. 

From these exchanges, it seems that even Pradyumna ultimately became influenced by the desire to be a Sanskrit scholar, and Shrila Prabhupada was able to save him from that calamity. There were however other devotees in the Sanskrit department whom he could not. For example, the only disciple that Shrila Prabhupada ever rejected was Nitai Dasa. The history of Nitai Dasa is interesting. Just like Praduymna, Nitai was a Sanskrit editor who helped with publication of Shrila Prabhupada's various works. In fact, Srila Prabhupada at one point considered him to be as much of a Pandita as Pradyumna Prabhu. Gopala Krsna: He [Pradyumna] and Nitai are both considered the panditjis.

Prabhupada: Yes, they are pandita.

(Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping – August 21, 1976, Hyderabad)

You may hear him reciting the Sanskrit shlokas on many of Shrila Prabhupada's recorded classes. In 1976, Nitai began to associate with babajis in Radha-kunda, and that was the beginning of his downfall. By hearing from unauthorized sources and by trying to understand the shastra directly, he became doubtful about Shrila Prabhupada's explanations of the shastra, which ultimately led to asking Shrila Prabhupada's blessings to find another spiritual master, an act which is highly offensive. As a response, Shrila Prabhupada issued a two sentence letter to his leading disciples:  Please let it be known that Nitai has become a venomous serpent. Be careful of him.

(Letter to: ALL GBC MEMBERS⎯Vrindaban 15 September, 1976)

Sometimes an immature disciple becomes unnecessarily proud of his or her miniscule advancement and falsely thinks that they have become more than the spiritual master. There is a wonderful analogous story about such rascal behavior.

Once upon a time, there was a mouse who was in trouble. The mouse went to see a saintly person. "Sir, I am troubled. Give me some benediction." "What do you want?" "The cat always chases me." "All right, you become a cat so that you'll not be attacked." Then after some time he came again, "I am being chased by the dog now." "All right, you become a dog." From mouse to cat, and from cat to dog. After some time, however, he came back. "This time I am being chased by a fox." In this way, the saintly person was turning him into various animals and ultimately he was made to be a tiger. Then he started staring viciously at the saintly person "What do you mean by this?" "I shall eat you." "Oh? You have become such a rascal? Again become mouse!"  Shrila Prabhupada  mentions this story in connection with Nitai:

Prabhupada: He [Nitai] harassed. "He has not increased my..." Hearing and hearing, he wants to go. So why not, if he found some real disciplic succession, some babaji, why he did not remain there? He is criticizing that our is not in the proper succession. So why he did not remain where he found the proper succession? Why he's sometimes in Vrindavana, sometimes Delhi, sometimes here? Why he is loitering? Crazy. Unfortunate. Unnecessarily picking out some trouble.

Hari-sauri: Fault-finding.

Prabhupada: The babajis, they are against anything preaching. They are very, very much against preaching. So I am preaching. Babajis, the Mayavadi sannyasis, and all of them, their idea is that I am ruining this bhajana and Hindu dharma. This is the propaganda. What I am writing, they are all wrong, and they are making... And they try to poison my disciples as far as possible so that the whole institution may be poisoned and break. This is their propaganda.

Hari-sauri: That was one thing that Nitai put in his letter, that the teachings of ISKCON are completely opposite or contradictory to what is actually in the sastra.

Prabhupada: Now he has become tiger. He wants to kill that philosophy. When he did not know anything, he came to us. Now he has become learned, he wants to criticize. The same philosophy: "You have made me tiger, now I can see you are my eatable. [indistinct]" [laughs] He could not find out any other eatable. "I shall eat you." The rascal. What can be done? 

(Room Conversation – October 26, 1976, Vrindavana)

So learning Sanskrit can also lead to one becoming mad and rejecting his guru simply out of pride of one's knowledge. A serious devotee should be extra careful to avoid such pitfalls of maya.  

From various letters, we can see that Shrila Prabhupada's main purpose for instructing his disciples to learn Sanskrit was to teach them the proper pronunciation. This we can see from the following exchanges:

"Regarding Sanskrit class, it is very encouraging that Mr. Parikh is helping you in this connection, but the chief aim for learning Sanskrit would be how to pronounce the Sanskrit verses especially in our published books just like you have already chanted the Govinda verses in the record. Similarly, all the verses you have to chant combinedly and melodiously along with musical instruments, and it will be a great charm to the people of the world. When we shall lead our World Sankirtana Party at that time if we can demonstrate the chanting of the mantras as they are stated in Isopanisad, Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Brahma Samhita, that will be our unique position. Therefore the main aim of this Sanskrit class should be how you can learn this chanting in the proper accent. It is not our aim to become a Sanskrit scholar."

(Letter to: Gurudasa  --  Los Angeles 16 April, 1970)

He also states:

"About holding Sanskrit classes, the special stress should be given to chanting the mantras in our books. I have given specific instructions in this connection to your husband, and if Sanskrit class is to be held, it should be mainly for this purpose. We should simply expend our time for development of Krishna Consciousness. To become a scholar of Sanskrit is not our business. You say that 15 to 40 students are attending. Are they outsiders? My point is anyone who will attend the Sanskrit class must be interested for chanting the mantras (in our books Isopanisad, Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad-Bhagavatam) and not for any other purpose. And before and after the class there must be Mahamantra chanting."

(Letter to: Yamuna, Gurudasa  --  Los Angeles 16 April, 1970)

Please note that Shrila Prabhupada emphatically states that Sanskrit class should not be taught for any other purpose than to learn the proper way of chanting the various mantras. If one can recite the Sanskrit shlokas nicely, it creates an impression on the audience, which in turn awakens further interest in the subject of the Vedic literature. People automatically think, “if this person took all the trouble to learn the ancient Sanskrit language, there must be some deep meaning in these verses.” In this connection, one of the early devotees, Kulashekar Prabhu, tells a funny story about how Shrila Prabhupada used his disciples' basic knowledge of Sanskrit pronunciation to impress a guest:  

"I had studied the pronunciation for the Shri Isopanisad with Pradyumna in New York, but I only knew the first six verses. Now, it's said that the guru knows everything about the disciple, and he's expert in engaging the disciple and using anything the disciple has to offer. So when an impersonal mayavadi swami came to visit Prabhupada at Bury Place, Prabhupada gave him all respects and had me put a cushion down for him. Then Prabhupada said, "Please make up a plate of fruits." I ran down, made a fruit plate, returned and offered it to Prabhupada, who said, "No, offer it to our guest." I offered it to the swami, then offered it to Prabhupada and Prabhupada said, "Sit down." I sat down. Prabhupada looked at the swami and said, "My boys all know Sanskrit." I thought, "Oh, no, what is he up to now?" Prabhupada, beaming, looked at me and said, "Chant Shri Isopanisad." I started chanting, om purnam adah purnam idam, purnat purnam udacyate, purnasya purnam adaya...in perfect meter, as best I could. I got up to the fourth verse and thought, "Prabhupada, I only know six," but I kept going, I had faith. I got up to the fifth verse and I was sweating, but I kept going. When I started on the sixth verse, I felt like Draupadi about to come unraveled. Mentally I was saying to Prabhupada, "Prabhupada, I only know six, I only know six." On the second line in the sixth verse, Prabhupada looked at me and said, "That will be enough, you can go now." Even though I only had that little bit of knowledge, he used it perfectly and got the maximum value out of it. That was a nice experience."

(Remembrances)

What is most astonishing is that Shrila Prabhupada several times mentioned that even he himself is not a Sanskrit scholar:

"I know there are many Sanskrit scholars in Germany, but unfortunately I have no practice to speak in Sanskrit. I can read and write, but I cannot speak in Sanskrit. But I don't think my speaking in Sanskrit will be required, and if I read from Sanskrit literature like Bhagavad-gita, Shrimad-Bhagavatam, that will be sufficient. After all, I am not going to Germany as a Sanskrit scholar, but my attempt will be to deliver the message of Lord Chaitanya in the shape of Krishna Consciousness." 

(Letter to: Krsna dasa  --  Los Angeles 4 July, 1969)

Prabhupada: So far I am concerned, although people say I am Sanskrit scholar, but we are not educated as Sanskrit scholar. Whatever Sanskrit we have learned from the school, college, that's all. A Sanskrit scholar is different; he learns grammar for fourteen years.

(Room Conversation – November 4, 1973, Delhi)

If Shrila Prabhupada himself did not bother to become a Sanskrit scholar, why should we have such ambitions? It is the meaning of the Sanskrit shlokas we should be concerned with, and this should be the prime focus of our study. Shrila Prabhupada concludes: 

Prabhupada: Language doesn't matter. Suppose if I address your wife "mata" or if I call "mother". It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

Guest (1): No.

Prabhupada: One has to understand that a lady should be respectfully called as mother. You call it mata or mother, it doesn't matter. Yes, some rascals inquire from them that "Do you know Sanskrit?" Where is the condition that unless one knows Sanskrit he cannot be a devotee? Where is that condition?

Guest (1): In the same way you see the early Christians inquired, "Do you know Latin?" And that's why the whole of England, you see, revolted, and they said we will do only in English. Because by Latin...

Prabhupada: So one babaji... 

[aside:] I think that you were in Surat?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: You were Surat? He was asking, that babaji, that "Learn Sanskrit, then you'll understand Bhagavad-gita." So I immediately asked him that "You go away. You go away from this place."

(Room Conversation – November 4, 1973, Delhi)

Speak From your Heart. 

Sudama: On a morning walk Shrila Prabhupada told me, "If you think that you have become spiritually advanced and you start acting a role, you will become mad." He instructed other people to read his books because he is in his books. I know that he is. I was just never a big reader. In Hawaii I went to him in tears. I said, "They all criticize me because I don't chant enough Sanskrit. I don't quote slokas." Srila Prabhupada laughed. He said, "They sound like my God-brothers. Sudama, you speak from your heart. That's all that counts. Krishna doesn't care if you can't quote shlokas. You are a good preacher. You bring many people because of your heart." I said, "I have only read The Nectar of Devotion twice, Bhagavad-gita ten times, and that's it. I can't even finish the First Canto of Shrimad-Bhagavatam." He said, "So? You cook samosas. You chant beautifully, you have love for Krishna. What else is needed? Don't make things so complicated. It's very simple."

(Remembrances)

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