Prabhupāda: As soon as one denies Kṛṣṇa is not God, then he comes within those categories: miscreant, rascal, lowest of the mankind, his knowledge is taken away by māyā, and he's a demon.
Prof. Hopkins: (laughs) That's a strong statement.
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is God. If he does not know, then he must be amongst these groups.
Prof. Hopkins: What if someone says: "Śiva is God"?
Prabhupāda: He may say, but śāstra does not say.
Prof. Hopkins: So you . . .
Prabhupāda: Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "Nobody or no principle is greater than Me." Then who can be God? God is great. Here the great says, "There is no more greater principle than Me." Then who can be God? People generally know God is great. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat. Not only He says, but it is confirmed by great authorities like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, all the big, big ācāryas, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Vyāsadeva, authorities. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). So how you can deny?
Prof. Hopkins: You refer to Rāmānujācārya as an important person. Where does he . . . where does he fit into your . . . the Caitanya tradition? He's accepted as an authority. His, the Śrī Bhāṣya is studied, accepted . . .
Prabhupāda: Rāmānujācārya has written comment on Bhagavad-gītā. You know that?
Prof. Hopkins: No.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Prof. Hopkins: No.
Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā Caitanya philosophy is discussed.
Prof. Hopkins: So you would see no basic difference between Rāmānuja's position and . . .
Prabhupāda: They cannot be different, because both of them are Vaiṣṇava. So this is the common point, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is preaching Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, Rāmānujācārya was preaching Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. So where is difference?
Prof. Hopkins: Well, I don't see a difference, but . . .
Prabhupāda: People know it. Things equal to the same thing are equal to one another.
Prof. Hopkins: What about certain other traditions—Ishnamadeva, Tukarama, some of the poet saints of Maharashtra. Where . . .
Prabhupāda: Yes, Tukarama accepted Viṣṇu as the Supreme. He accepted the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He accepted Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his guru, so there is no difference between Tukarama and Caitanya.
Prof. Hopkins: So Tukarama, you would say, is teaching the same thing as Caitanya?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, saṅkīrtana. And Kṛṣṇa is teaching the same thing. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). (aside:) Find out.
Prof. Hopkins: So by saying that the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism is . . . and Caitanya, are the central way of . . . you are not excluding . . .
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Prof. Hopkins: You would not . . .
Prabhupāda: No.
Prof. Hopkins: You are not excluding the Pandharpur tradition of Tukarama, Ramavithoba, Vithala; you are not excluding the Alavars and Ramancha, but you are saying all of these groups, all of these teachers.
Prabhupāda: Tukarama accepts Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his guru. Then where is the difference?
Prof. Hopkins: So that Lord Vithoba and Kṛṣṇa . . .
Prabhupāda: Is the same.
Prof. Hopkins: You see as the same.
Prabhupāda: Vithoba means Viṣṇu. They call Vithoba.
Prof. Hopkins: And the Alavars, do you . . .? The Alavars of Tamil Nadu.
Prabhupāda: Alavar.
Prof. Hopkins: Alavar.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is also Vaiṣṇava.
Prof. Hopkins: You would accept their teachings also?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.
Prof. Hopkins: So the real question, then, is Vaiṣṇavas and others.
Prabhupāda: Yes.