Caitanya Mahāprabhu begins where Kṛṣṇa ended. He said to Sanatāna Gosvāmī that jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109): the real identity of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is our real identity. But we are identifying in so many ways. Not only am I identifying that, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brahmin," "I am Christian," "I am Muhammadan," "I am so on, so on," at last, "I am God." At last . . . that is the last snare of māyā. These are all māyā, this false identification.
And the last false identification, when I falsely say that I am God. This is going on. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said: "You give up all these nonsense theories. You simply surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection. I will give you protection." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Because anything done without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is sinful. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yam-karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). So either you act piously or act sinfully, you become bound up by the reaction of such pious or impious activities. But if you act for Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is no such bondage.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a concocted thing. It is . . . we have got authority from the Vedas. We have authority from Kṛṣṇa. We have got authority from Bhagavad-gītā. We have got authority by the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, all of them, even Śaṅkarācārya, although we differ in some points with Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya has admitted Kṛṣṇa, bhagavān sa svayam kṛṣṇa, he has stated. Devakīnandana.
He has specifically mentioned Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī and Vasudeva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nārāyaṇa paraḥ avyaktāt. I think those who have read Śaṅkara's comment on Bhagavad-gītā, they know all these things. So Kṛṣṇa is admitted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the bona fide ācāryas. And all scholars up to date, everyone, and confirmed by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). And in the Brahma-saṁhitā, Vedas:
- īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇah
- sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
- anādir ādir govindaḥ
- sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
- (Bs. 5.1)
And Kṛṣṇa says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "My dear Dhanañjaya, there is no other superior being than Me."
- aham sarvasya prabhavo
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
Those who are devotees, they are not fools; they are actually a man in knowledge, budhā bhāva-samanvitaḥ. Bhāva-samanvitaḥ means that, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so great. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is bhāva. But this bhāva comes after many, many births. It is not so easy.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
Without knowing Kṛṣṇa in truth—not in false, but in truth—the bhāva is not possible. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- bahunam janmanam ante
- jñānavān mam prapadyante
- vasudevaḥ sarvam iti
- sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
- (BG 7.19)
That mahātmā which are . . . who has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, su-durlabhaḥ, it is very rare. To become kṛṣṇa-bhakta, koṭisyapi mahā-mune. Muktānām api siddhānām, koṭisyapi mahā-mune. That is the verdict of the śāstra. And Kṛṣṇa also said it is very, very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa.
But Kṛṣṇa Himself as Lord Śrī Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is distributing Kṛṣṇa. He is distributing Himself. Therefore, it has become so easy that these foreigners, these Europeans and American boys . . . they are not very advanced in age; all young men. All my students and followers in Europe and America, they are ninety-nine percent all young men, young girls. They are not old, rejected person. They are the flowers of the country.
They have joined this movement, and they have taken it seriously. Seriously in this sense, that whenever a body comes to me for becoming my disciple, my first principle is that, "You must give up illicit sex life. You must give up meat-eating, fish-eating, egg-eating, all this nonsense. You must give up gambling. You must give up all kinds of intoxication up to the point of drinking coffee, tea, and smoking." They give up. Therefore, they have taken seriously. Why seriously? These young boys, they have got so many desires in their heart; still they are taking to it. It is Lord Caitanya's mercy. It is Lord Caitanya's mercy, because they are following the principles of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.