Is the Krsna consciousness belief or philosophy compatible with the Hindu religion?

Expressions researched:
"Is the Krsna consciousness belief or philosophy compatible with the Hindu religion"

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

With any religion... Any religion. Because God is one. It is the science of God. The "two plus two equal to four," it is understood by everyone. It is not that it is to be understood by the Christian, not by the Hindus. "Two plus two equal to four" is a fact for everyone. Similarly God is fact for everyone. Now how to love God. This is the only process. That is.

Television Interview -- July 29, 1971, Gainesville:

Interviewer: In the United States of America we have many religions, and I think people in this country like to believe, in great majority, that they are religious people, people who believe in God, who devote themselves to some form of religious expression. And I wonder what your thinking was. What do you think that you could add to the already living religious expression in this country by coming here and adding your own philosophy to it?

Prabhupāda: Yes. When I first came to your country I was guest of an Indian friend at Butler.

Interviewer: In Pennsylvania.

Prabhupāda: Pennsylvania. Yes. So although it was a small county, I was very much engladdened there were so many churches.

Interviewer: So many churches. Yes. Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So many churches. And I spoke in many of the churches there. My host arranged for that. So it was not with that purpose, that I came here to defeat some religious process. That was not my purpose. Our mission is, Lord Caitanya's mission is, to teach everyone how to love God, that's all.

Interviewer: But in what way, sir, may I ask, in what way did you think, and do you think right now, that the teaching of the love of God which you are doing, is different and perhaps better than the teachings of the love of God which already were being conducted in this country and have been conducted in the Western world for centuries?

Prabhupāda: That is fact. Because we are following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. He is considered... He's accepted by us—according to the authority of Vedic literature—He is personally Kṛṣṇa.

Interviewer: Which Lord is that?

Prabhupāda: Lord Caitanya.

Interviewer: Oh yes. He is the one who came back five hundred years ago to India?

Prabhupāda: Yes. So he is Kṛṣṇa Himself, and He is teaching how to love Kṛṣṇa. Therfore His process is most authorized. Just like you are the expert in this establishment. If somebody is doing something, if you personally teach him, "Do like this," that is very authorized. So God consciousness, God Himself is teaching. Just like in Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is God. He is speaking about Himself. And at last He says, "Just surrender unto Me. I take charge of you." But people misunderstand. So Lord Caitanya—Kṛṣṇa again came as Lord Caitanya to teach people how to surrender. And because we are following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, the method is so sublime that even foreigners who never knew Kṛṣṇa, they are surrendering. The method is so potent. So that was my purpose. We don't say that "This religion is better than this religion," or, "My process is better." We want to see by the result. In the Sanskrit there is a word, phalena paricīyate. A thing is judged by the result.

Interviewer: A thing is just...?

Prabhupāda: By the result.

Interviewer: Oh yes.

Prabhupāda: You can say, I can say my method is very nice. You can say your method is very nice, but we have to judge by the result. That is... Bhāgavata says that that process of religion is very good following which one becomes a lover of God.

Interviewer: Yes. But of course, you know, your religion is not the only one which teaches this particular precept.

Prabhupāda: That I am explaining, that it is not the only one. There may be many. But it is practically effective.

Interviewer: Now let's say, in the part of the world where, if I'm understanding your philosophy and your history correctly, in the part of the world where this particular philosophy and this particular belief originated, which is in India, in the Eastern part of the world, at least as we look at it. Is it successful there? Do you have a large following over there?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Recently I was in India. I held two meetings continued for ten days everywhere, and 20 to 30 thousand people were attending daily. So India's position is that they are naturally Kṛṣṇa conscious, but at the present moment by the so-called leaders, they want to replace this Kṛṣṇa consciousness into material consciousness.

Interviewer: Is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness belief or philosophy compatible with the Hindu religion which...

Prabhupāda: With any religion.

Interviewer: Beg your pardon?

Prabhupāda: Any religion. Because God is one. It is the science of God. The "two plus two equal to four," it is understood by everyone. It is not that it is to be understood by the Christian, not by the Hindus. "Two plus two equal to four" is a fact for everyone. Similarly God is fact for everyone. Now how to love God. This is the only process.