Prabhupāda: Only one path. God is one, and to realize Him, the path is one. There cannot be two paths. Just like suppose in India. So India is from here to the eastern side? Yes. This is an example. But you cannot find in the western side. Just like Columbus. He wanted to discover India. He did not go to the eastern side; he went to the western side. So he found America, that's all. (laughter) So if you want to find out God, then you have to take the right path. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). He never says, "By jñāna, karma, yoga one can achieve God." That is not possible. Only by bhakti. So if you want to have God, then you have to take these devotional activities, but if you want to have māyā, you can take different paths. (break)
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) . . .there's only one path straight. He was saying how Columbus also, if he would have kept going, he could have. . .
Prabhupāda: But he is going to the. . . Yes, you are right. If Columbus would have gone still farther, farther, western side, and he could have gained India. That means if you take other path, then you will achieve God after many, many lives, not immediately. So if you want to waste your time . . . (indistinct) . . . God, you can take different paths. But if you want immediately, take to bhakti path. Just like nowadays there are the lift-up. . ., lift, and the staircase. If you want to go to the topmost flat, you can go by the steps or you can go by the lift. But when the lift is there, why shall I take the steps? You take the advantage of the lift, within a second you go to the top flat. And if you go by step by step, it will take whole day. Therefore unintelligent persons take to other paths, and the intelligent persons take to bhakti-yoga. (break) He says son of God. We admit it.
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) . . ."God and I are one person," what does he mean by that?
Prabhupāda: Yes, because everyone is spirit soul, and Christ is also spirit soul; therefore they are one.
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He said, "In the beginning there was the word, and the word was God." What does this mean?
Prabhupāda: Means God was there; therefore He had His word. God is person; therefore He can speak. There are word, God's word. That means God is person. And because He's person, therefore He has His son, Christ. (break)
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) . . .God is light and that, within us, inside of us.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That everyone will say, one who is in knowledge. So if you follow Bible, you also get knowledge. That is knowledge. We are after seeing people that he has got knowledge of God. It is not a question of Bible or Bhagavad-gītā. We want that you become God conscious. That is our movement. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is no such mention as "Christian religion," "Hindu religion," "Muslim religion" or "Buddha religion." There are so many. . . No. Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6): "That is first-class religion which helps one to love God." So we are propagating, teaching people how to love God. That is our mission. We don't say that you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim or. . . No. You become a lover of God. So comparatively, the process which we are recommending, that is the easiest process. That is admitted by one priest in Boston. He said that "These boys and girls are our countrymen, or our boys. Before this movement, they did not come to the church, and now how they are mad after God." So therefore this is the easiest process, to become pure and go back to home, back to Godhead.