Prabhupāda: What is the purpose of Vedas? To understand Kṛṣṇa. One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, his Vedānta philosophy is nonsense. However you may advertise that "I am Vedāntist," is a pakkā nonsense (chuckles), because he has not attained the perfection of Vedic knowledge.
The perfection of Vedic knowledge is to know Kṛṣṇa, and that is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19): after many, many births.
Jñānavān. Jñānavān means Vedāntist. Not . . . they have made it, that Vedāntist . . . Vedāntist . . . Vaiṣṇavas, they are also Vedāntist, but it has become a common sense, a common affair that the impersonalists, they are called Vedāntists. Because, due to Śaṅkarācārya's propaganda, they have made their position as Vedāntists. But common men, they do not know that the Vaiṣṇavas are the best Vedāntists.
We shall discuss Vedānta here also. Vedānta . . . in Rāmānuja-bhāṣya there is . . . perhaps you know, in your country, there is Rāmānuja-bhāṣya Vedānta. Madhvācārya, he has also written Vedānta-bhāṣya, not only Śaṅkarācārya. But because the Vaiṣṇavas, they know bhāṣyam brahma-sūtrāṇām: the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the actual explanation of Vedānta. So therefore they take more interest in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because that is the actual explanation of Vedānta.
Just like in the Vedānta-sūtra, the . . . what is Brahman, Absolute Truth, athāto brahma jijñāsā, the inquiry is, "What is Brahman, Absolute Truth?" The Vedānta-sūtra answers . . . the Vedānta-sūtra is made like that, questions and answers like that. So answer is janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)
"The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything is emanating." He is the ultimate fountainhead of everything. Just now we tried to explain that the state functions protecting the good citizen and punishing the criminals. That should be the state business. Wherefrom this idea came? The law and . . . what is called? Law and order department, or what is that?
Devotee: Law and order.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Wherefrom the idea came to the human society unless it is there in the Absolute? How the idea comes? Therefore that law and order is Viṣṇu. Janmādy asya yataḥ. The idea of law and order came from Viṣṇu. How nicely explained. Janmādy asya. In two words, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Janma means creation, and ādi, ādi means first janma, then sthiti. Sthiti means staying, maintenance. And then dissolution. So three things. Yataḥ, from where these three things are happening.