Prabhupāda: The gradual progress of yoga system: karma-yoga to jñāna-yoga. Karma-yoga means ordinary activities, fruitive activities. Ordinary activities means sinful activities also, but karma-yoga does not mean sinful activities—only good, pious activities or prescribed activities. That is called karma-yoga.
Then, by performing karma-yoga one comes to the platform of jñāna-yoga, knowledge. And from knowledge to this aṣṭāṅga-yoga, eightfold yoga system—dhyāna, dhāraṇā, prāṇāyāma, āsana—like that, those who are practicing the aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Then from aṣṭāṅga-yoga, concentrating the mind on Viṣṇu, come to the point of bhakti-yoga. And when one comes to the bhakti-yoga platform, that is the perfectional stage of yoga. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness means from the very beginning, directly, that bhakti-yoga.
Go on.
Revatīnandana: "Factually, bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal, but to analyze bhakti-yoga minutely, one has to understand these other minor yogas. The yogī who is progressive is therefore on the true path of eternal auspiciousness. One who sticks to a particular point and does not make further progress is called by that particular name."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, if somebody is practicing jñāna-yoga, if he thinks that this is finished, that is wrong. You have to make further progress. Just like we have given many times the example: there is a staircase, and you have to go to the highest floor, which is, say, hundredth floor. So somebody is on the fiftieth floor, somebody is on the thirtieth floor, somebody is on the eightieth floor.
So if by coming to the particular eightieth, fiftieth or eightieth floor one thinks, "This is finished," then he is not progressing. One has to go to the end. That is highest platform of yoga. The whole staircase can be called a yoga system, connecting, link. But don't be satisfied by keeping yourself on the fiftieth floor or eightieth floor. Go to the highest platform, the hundredth or hundred-fiftieth floor. That is bhakti-yoga.