Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogam proktavān aham (BG 4.1): "This yoga system, Bhagavad-gītā yoga system, I first of all spoke to the sun-god." Vivasvān manave prāhuḥ: "And the sun-god, whose name is Vivasvān, he spoke to his son Manu." Manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt: "And Manu spoke to his son, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku." Mahārāja Ikṣvāku is coming from the dynasty of the sun-god Vivasvān. There are two kṣatriya families, one from the moon god, another, the sun-god. So Mahārāja Rāmacandra appeared in the family of the sūrya-vaṁśa, Ikṣvāku, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku.
So this is the paramparā system. And everything is described in the Brahma-sūtra by Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva happens to be the disciple of Nārada. Nārada happens to be disciple of Brahma. And from Vyāsadeva, Madhvācārya; then from Madhvācārya disciplic succession, Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī was the spiritual master of Īśvara Purī. Īśvara Purī was the spiritual master of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the spiritual master of the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana: rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa raghunāth, śrī jīva gopāla bhaṭṭa dāsa raghunāth. So from the Gosvāmīs, then Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravārtī Ṭhākura, then Jagannātha dās Bābājī, then Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Gaura-Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sārasvatī. And we are servant of Bhaktisiddhānta. So there is a disciplic succession.
That paramparā should be followed. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). If we want to understand really Vedic literature, then we must follow the paramparā system. There are four sampradāyas, paramparā: the Rāmanuja sampradāya, Madhvācārya sampradāya, Viṣṇu Svāmī sampradāya, Nimbārka sampradāya. So we belong to the Madhvācārya sampradāya. Fortunately, all these ācāryas, even Śaṅkarācārya, they appeared from South India. This sampradāya, ācārya-sampradāya, is going on all over India. So every sampradāya has got his commentary on the Brahma-sūtra. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says here, brahma sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). Unless a sampradāya, the four sampradāyas, they do not comment on the Brahma-sūtra, he'll not . . . that sampradāya is not accepted. And if you do not accept the sampradāya . . . sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ. If you do not take your initiation mantra from the sampradāya, then it is useless. Now there are so many apasampradāya. They do not come in disciplic succession, but becomes guru, teacher. Therefore everything is topsy-turvied. Nobody has got fixed idea what is God. Everyone has created his own philosophy. The whole thing is now confused.