So every śāstra will confirm Kṛṣṇa's position, and Kṛṣṇa also personally saying. And He is accepted by great authorities like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala, Asita. Formerly, five thousand years ago, and after that all the ācāryas—Madhvācārya, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka, later on Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—all of them accepted Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), especially our Gauḍīya-sampradāya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu sampradāya. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanaya (Viśvanātha Cakravartī). Our principle is to worship Kṛṣṇa. What kind of Kṛṣṇa? Vrajeśa-tanaya. Means the son of Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā—that Kṛṣṇa. There may be many other Kṛṣṇas. People may not misunderstand. Just like one may not . . . therefore father's, mother's name is given.
So therefore here it is said, vrajeśa-tanaya. This bhūmi, this Vṛndāvana-bhūmi, is called Vraja. So Nanda Mahārāja was the king of Vraja, Vrajeśvara; and his son, Kṛṣṇa, He is ārādhya. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy: ārādhya bhagavān vrajeṣa tanaya tad dhāma vṛndāvanam. And this Vṛndāvana-dhāma is also as good as Kṛṣṇa. Do not try to see Kṛṣṇa . . . er, Vṛndāvana-dhāma as ordinary place. That is called dhāma-aparādha. Then you will never be able to understand. And the Vaiṣṇava kavi said, jaya jaya vṛndāvana-vāsī yata jana (Śrī Vraja-dhāma-mahimāmṛta 7). Anyone who is living in Vṛndāvana, even cats and dogs, they are also glorious, because next birth they will be elevated; they will be liberated. That is Vṛndāvana-dhāma. So in this way try to understand the glories of Vṛndāvana-dhāma, the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa, according to śāstra. Even if we do not know śāstra, if you simply accept that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28), and His dhāma, Vṛndāvana, is as good as Kṛṣṇa, then we are far advanced in spiritual understanding.
So Kṛṣṇa is teaching personally:
- bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- viddhi pārtha sanātanam
- (BG 7.10)
And sanātanam, this word is very important. The process by which we can understand Kṛṣṇa, and by understanding Kṛṣṇa, when we are promoted in the Kṛṣṇa's dhāma and we meet Kṛṣṇa person to person, talk with Him—there is a process—that is called bhakti-yoga. And that process is called sanātana-dharma. Sanātana-dharma you have heard. sanātana-dharma means this bhakti-yoga. Sanātana-dharma does not mean some ritualistic ceremony. This is meant—sanātanam bījaṁ—everyone, every living entity is sanātanam. And Kṛṣṇa is sanātanam, and His abode is sanātanam. Sanātanam. Bhaktyā bhaktyā sanātanam. So if we want to be promoted to the sanātanam place and to see the sanātanam, supreme sanātanam, eye to eye, and talk with Him and dance with Him or play with Him—we are sanātanam—then we must accept this sanātana-dharma, eternal religious system. And what is that religion? Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). You cannot manufacture sanātana-dhāma. It is already done by Kṛṣṇa, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavān. And that is sanātana-dharma. What is that sanātana-dharma?
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja
- (BG 18.66)
You simply . . . Kṛṣṇa says this is sanātana-dharma that, "You simply surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection."