Choosing the perfect fruit without being obsessed 

"By shifting from French vocabulary to German or English vocabulary, I am somewhat freer than many others who are truly prisoners of their thought system as well as their words." —Raymond Aron, 

When translating a scripture, you are inherently switching to another language. The words are not identical. As disciples of Srila Prabhupada —a pure devotee of the highest rank— we do not question his translation of Sanskrit terms into English. He meticulously ensured we accept his authority and erudition without doubt, thus perpetuating the Vedic tradition that places the authentic guru on par with God. For instance, he titled his work 'Bhagavad-gita As It Is,' emphasizing that all other Bhagavad-gitas were interpretations and opinions regarding who Krishna is and what he said. In that tradition, only a pure devotee of Krishna can be his spokesperson.

However, translation is not a magical process; words in different languages are not always perfect synonyms and available, which is the case for idiomatic expressions. Editors had to review and correct his word choices and grammar, as English was not Srila Prabhupada's native language. Although he is God's representative, he has limits. Nothing surprising, after all, we have seen that Krishna and Mahaprabhu acted like human beings, displaying apparent weaknesses. For example, Krishna fled the battlefield before Jarasandha and went to Dwarka, as recorded in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and translated by Srila Prabhupada in the Krishna book.

We can view this pastime of Caitanya in the same light: just before taking sannyasa, he withdrew to his home, frustrated by the conduct of the students with whom he had quarreled. The episode was also translated by Prabhupada from Bengali into English in the Caitanya Caritamrita.² Similarly, he never fully mastered English. This challenge is amplified with his own disciples, particularly those unfamiliar with multiple languages. 

As we —devotees— consider Sanskrit the perfect language, translation will inherently be inferior to the original, given that humans are inferior to gods.¹ Some benefits are there, however. Since we cannot fully grasp the subtlety of Sanskrit grammar and of Vedic culture, Srila Prabhupada had brought down its essence to our level of understanding. He gave the example of the parrot; when it bites into a fruit, it becomes more tasteful.³

I have often asserted that individuals who lack proficiency in more than one language, or who show no interest in other civilisations and cultures, are more inclined to be confined to their own limited system of thoughts. They are akin to the prisoners in Plato's cave allegory, trapped within their own subreality. This is particularly true if they demonstrate a lack of openness or even exhibit racist tendencies.⁴  ■

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1. —"The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than Greek, more copious than Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either..." — William Jones (1746–1794)

–Max Müller asserted that Sanskrit literature was “the greatest treasure of spiritual wisdom”. 

—"Sanskrit  language, as has been universally recognized by those competent to form a judgment, is one of the most magnificent, the most perfect, the most prominent and wonderfully sufficient literary instrument developed by the human mind.” -Sri Aurobindo

—“If I was asked what is the greatest treasure which India possesses and what is her greatest heritage, I would answer unhesitatingly that it is the Sanskrit language and literature and all that it contains. This is a magnificent inheritance, and so long as this endures and influences the life of our people, so long will the basic genius of India continue.” — Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Quoted from ‘The Discovery of India’)

—“Sanskrit literature reveals a profound harmony between language and thought, unmatched in Western traditions.” Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829).

In near future NASA is going to use Sanskrit as a computer Language. NASA scientist Rick Briggs discussed why Sanskrit is one of the best language for use in computer long ago (in 1985) in his paper Knowledge Representation in Sanskrit and Artificial Intelligence. According to him, Sanskrit is the natural language in which a message can be sent by the computer in the least number of words. Three excerpts from that paper, I find particularly worth-mentioning.) To know more: Sanskrit as Computer Language.

2. Chaitanya, or Nimai, appeared to reform the Vaishnava tradition and to glorify Krishna’s devoted servants, particularly Radha, the most devoted of the gopis and his dear beloved, if one may say so.  

The following incident illustrates this “apparent weakness” in Chaitanya. When a student criticized the gopis, Nimai, overwhelmed with rage, attempted to strike the young man with a club. This reaction, perceived as violent and disproportionate, sparked outrage among student groups and ignited social tensions. Subsequently, Chaitanya withdrew to his home, refusing food and contact, immersed in profound sorrow.  

For Vaishnavas, Chaitanya —who is God himself— behaves like a human to illuminate the essence of bhakti: Radha’s love for Krishna, a love he embodies. His retreat reflects not human fear, but a divine resolve to refocus his mission amid the world’s misunderstanding.  

Finally, this episode —a transcendental pastime (lila)— precipitates his decision to embrace sannyasa, thereby strengthening his spiritual authority to fulfill his mission. Thus, these “apparent weaknesses” ultimately serve to embody profound teachings and evoke spiritual moods (rasa) that his intimate devotees can savor and cherish, aligning with the hidden, mystical purpose of his earthly descent.

We can view this pastime of Caitanya in the same light: just before taking sannyasa, he withdrew to his home, frustrated by the conduct of the students with whom he had quarreled. This episode was also translated by Srila Prabhupada from Bengali into English in the Caitanya Caritamrita.

3. "O expert and thoughtful men, relish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls." —SB 1.1.3

Purport. "In Sanskrit the parrot is also known as śuka. When a ripened fruit is cut by the red beaks of such birds, its sweet flavor is enhanced. The Vedic fruit which is mature and ripe in knowledge is spoken through the lips of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who is compared to the parrot not for his ability to recite the Bhāgavatam exactly as he heard it from his learned father, but for his ability to present the work in a manner that would appeal to all classes of men.

The subject matter is so presented through the lips of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī that any sincere listener that hears submissively can at once relish transcendental tastes which are distinct from the perverted tastes of the material world. The ripened fruit is not dropped all of a sudden from the highest planet of Kṛṣṇaloka. Rather, it has come down carefully through the chain of disciplic succession without change or disturbance." —Srila Prabhupada 

4. The text you have just read was inspired by the reflection of a French philosopher, Jewish, as he insisted on this point, and I reproduce the passage that motivated his writing: "And then, the third discovery is German thought, and I emphasize this point a bit, the learning of the German language. Now, I have always felt that the ability to speak freely in two different languages gives you a sort of freedom in relation to oneself that no other means can provide. When I speak English or German, I think somewhat differently than in French. As a result, I am not a prisoner of my own words. One of the qualities I attribute to myself, let's say with vanity, is the ability to understand others, and this ability to understand others' ways of thinking, I owe it in part to the possible detachment from my own thoughts, from my words, to the ability to change words. By shifting from French vocabulary to German or English vocabulary, I am somewhat freer than many others who are truly prisoners of their thought system as well as their words." —Raymond Aron, in "Le spectateur engagé," Julliard Edition.