We must follow the śāstras, the mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We are not perfect, therefore we have to follow the footprints of the perfect. And that is given in the śāstra, whom you have to follow:
- svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ
- kapilo kumāraḥ manuḥ
- prahlādo janako bhīṣmo
- balir vaiyāsakir vayam
- (SB 6.3.20)
Twelve mahājanas. We follow Lord Brahmā. Just like we belong to the Brahmā-sampradāya, Madhvācārya-sampradāya. Gauḍīya . . . Mādhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's spiritual master was Īśvara Purī. Īśvara Purī's spiritual master was Mādhavendra Purī. And Mādhavendra Purī belonged to the Madhvācārya-sampradāya.
Therefore we present ourself belonging to the Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. Similarly . . . from Brahmā, there is one sampradāya. Similarly, there is another sampradāya from Lord Śiva, Rudra-sampradāya. And there is another sampradāya, Kumāra-sampradāya. Kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ. That is Nimbārka-sampradāya. Similarly, there is another sampradāya from Lakṣmī, Śrī-sampradāya, Rāmānuja-sampradāya.
So we have to understand the philosophy through the sampradāya. Sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ (Padma Purāṇa). If you don't accept . . . in ordinary life also, in political field, to develop, one has to accept a party, this party or that Congress Party, or Jana Sanga Party or this party. So the aim is the same. Aim is the same, to serve the country, to develop your country but still, there are parties. Similarly, the aim is the same: to understand what is our relationship with God. But the development is made by different parties.
So the parties are . . . must be bona fide.