Mahāṁsa: Can you tell us something about the philosophy of . . . is there any difference in the philosophies of the four sampradāyas?
Prabhupāda: Not very. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has summarised all the Vaiṣṇava philosophies in acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Simultaneously one and difference. Some of the philosophers they say māyā and Kṛṣṇa they are different. Some of them says māyā although different is attached with . . . is Kṛṣṇa's . . .
Māyā is Kṛṣṇa's energy therefore different and non-different. Śuddha-advaita, dvaita-advaita, viśiṣṭa-advaita, Madhvācārya dvaita-vāda. Then Rāmānujācārya viśiṣṭa-advaita, Nimbārka dvaita-advaita, in this way there are . . . practically all of them are worshippers of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. There is not very much difference but little distinction. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu has summarised all of them acintya-bhedābheda-tattva—inconceivable one and different simultaneously.
Māyā is different from Kṛṣṇa at the same time not different from Kṛṣṇa. Because māyā has no separate existence, therefore not different from Kṛṣṇa. But māyā when she plays differently . . . different from Kṛṣṇa. Just like jail department is the criminal department of the government. Therefore this department is not different from the government but that does not mean the government is criminal.
This is the way to understand it. Criminal department is not different from government but that does not mean government is criminal. Similarly māyā is not different from Kṛṣṇa, that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa is under māyā.