This is the version of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. Pada-pallavam, lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, yaśo murāreḥ. Murāri is Kṛṣṇa. One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet, which is compared with a boat, plavam, then he has nothing to fear from this material ocean of darkness. And this place, this material world, which is darkness, and where there is danger, step by step . . . Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām. Teṣām, for them, it is not for them. It is for the persons who want to remain in the darkness. And one who does not want to remain in darkness, for him, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). He has to take shelter of the bona fide guru.
If you are serious about not remaining in darkness, as it is said in the Vedas, tamasi mā jyotir gama. If you take this instruction of Vedas . . . Vedic instruction you have to take. Otherwise you'll suffer. That is Vedas. Why Veda is there? To give you intelligence. Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila (CC Madhya 20.117). These rascals, anādi-bahirmukha jīva, bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, jīva, they do not know when they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Anādi. Anādi means even before creation. Before creation. Long, long period. So anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa . . . What is the meaning of these Vedas and Purāṇas? To remind us about Kṛṣṇa. So how we'll understand Vedas and Purāṇas? Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). You have to go to the guru. Why? Jijñāsuḥ śreya . . . If you want to know the real life, then you have to go to guru. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Then what is the sign, what is the symptom of such guru where I shall get real information? That is also stated: jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam. One who is fully aware of the transcendental science or words, śabda, śabda-brahma . . . Śabda-brahma means Vedic literature. One is completely in awareness of Vedic knowledge, śābde pare ca niṣṇātam . . . Niṣṇātam means one has taken a dip in the ocean of this Vedic literature. Niṣṇātam. And what is the result? Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam (SB 11.3.21). The Supreme Brahman . . . Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahmaṇi, either of them. But Bhagavān is the best. Or, if you cannot approach Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Brahman is also. Because if one is in Brahman, he has a chance to make further progress.
But in Kali-yuga it is very difficult to go very slow. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the śāstras, they are giving directly in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Step by step, it is very difficult. So that is the special gift in this age. That is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in this age there is a special gift. What is that special gift? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. Kalau . . . In this age this world is full of faults, but there is one facility: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). One can become liberated and go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there to take kṛṣṇa-kīrtana very easily.