Caitanya Mahāprabhu is quoting from Viṣṇu Purāṇa. As I have told you the other day, there are eighteen purāṇas: sattvika-purāṇa, rājasika-purāṇa, and tamasika-purāṇa. The whole scheme of Vedic culture is to reclaim all fallen conditioned souls to the platform of transcendental realization. That is the scheme. There are different status of human understanding according to the association of the qualities.
The living being is just like a spark of the complete fire. Brahman is the complete fire, and the living entities are just like sparks. The equality with Param Brahman and individual living entities on the qualitative basis. The quality is the same. Brahman, Param Brahman. Jivātmā, Brahman. Spiritual, and Paramātmā, or Parameśvara, He is supreme, complete.
So Viṣṇu Purāṇa is for the persons who are on the platform of sattva-guṇa, those who are associating with the modes of goodness. This is not correct that everyone is on the same platform. Generally, at the present moment, people are in the platform of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, mixed. So one has to rise to the platform of sattva-guṇa.
And then, after transcending the sattva-guṇa, also when one is situated in śuddha-sattva, or pure sattva-guṇa . . . in this material world, even sattva-guṇa is sometimes contacted with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa; therefore it is not completely pure. No guṇa is pure. It is mixed-up always. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So one has to transcend these guṇas; then God realization, or understanding of Kṛṣṇa, can be achieved. But the devotional service, vaidhi-bhakti, the process of rendering devotional service to the Lord according to the prescribed regulative principles in the śāstra, helps us to transcend all these qualities. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26).
Who? Māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. Anyone who is engaged in pure devotional service to the Lord, he is immediately on the transcendental position, I mean to . . . surpassing the three guṇas. Sa guṇān . . . guṇān, bāhu-vacanam, plural number. Immediately.
Therefore, we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If somehow or other one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he immediately becomes liberated. Immediately becomes liberated. Because Kṛṣṇa says that sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). And that is a practical application we are now experiencing while preaching in the Western world.