This line of disciplic succession from Brahmā is spiritual, whereas the genealogical succession from Manu is material, but both are on the progressive march towards the same goal of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
(SB 3.13.8 purport)
The paramparā system means . . . just like we claim paramparā system from Kṛṣṇa. So whatever Kṛṣṇa says, or He said five thousand years ago, we are repeating the same thing. That is called paramparā system. Not that, “The world has changed. Scientific advancement is very great. Now we can interpret in this way and that way.” This is all nonsense. All nonsense. You cannot change a single alphabet. They are all unmistakable. They cannot be changed. So that is niścayam ātmanaḥ.
If you want to know positively what is God, then we should take lesson from a self-realized soul who has understood, who has seen. Jñānina tattva-darśinaḥ (BG 4.34). Just like here it is tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ. So tattvam, the truth, so one must have seen the truth, realized the truth. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is guru, means one who has seen the truth. How he has seen the truth? Through the paramparā system.
Kṛṣṇa said this, and then Brahmā said the same thing, then Nārada said the same thing, Vyāsadeva said the same thing, and then disciplic succession, Madhvācārya, Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura—in this way—Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Then we are speaking. The same thing.
Not that, “Because we are modernized . . . your modern science has changed.” Nothing has changed. It is all foolishness. That change is a scheduled change. Just like day after night, and again night after day, again day after night. This is not change; this is a system. So because our poor fund of knowledge . . . just like there are many insects, their birth, death, marriage and everything is finished within night. They never see the day.
So if they see day by chance, they will say: “Oh, it has changed.” Because their experience is they have never seen day. Their experience with night. So all of a sudden, if he sees that there is daylight, “Oh, what is this? Oh, the whole world has changed.” No. You have not seen. The so-called scientific discovery, they are seeing something, but the next stage they have no power to see, and they think, when they see the next item, “Oh, the world has changed.” There is no question of changing. It is on the process.
(720624 – Lecture SB 02.04.01 – Los Angeles)
This perfect knowledge comes from God, or Kṛṣṇa, and it is distributed by paramparā system, by disciplic succession. The example is just there, a mango tree. On the top of the mango tree there is a very ripened fruit, and that fruit has to be tasted. So if I drop the fruit from up, it will be lost. Therefore it is handed over, after one, after one, after . . . then it comes down. So all Vedic process of knowledge is taking from the authority. And it comes down through disciplic succession.
(720902 – Lecture Festival Sri Vyasa-puja – New Vrindaban, USA)
We have no new discovery. (laughter) We don’t manufacture. This is our process. We simply follow the predecessor’s instruction, that’s all. Our movement is very easy because we haven’t got to manufacture something. We simply repeat the words and the instruction given by the predecessor.
(750620 – Lecture Arrival – Los Angeles)
You have suggested that on every back cover there will be a picture of me in BTG, but I think a better proposal is that on page one or page three you may have a picture of me one month, then Guru Maharaja, then Gaura Kisora das Babaji, then Bhaktivinode Thakura, then Jagannatha das Babaji, then Lord Caitanya. This will be very nice, showing the Guru Parampara.
(690722 – Letter to Brahmananda written from Los Angeles)
In the case of Jagāi and Mādhāi, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so angry that He would have immediately killed them, but Nityānanda Prabhu was so kind that He not only saved them from death but elevated them to the transcendental position. Thus what was not possible for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was carried out by Nityānanda Prabhu. Similarly, if one is true to Gaura-Nitāi ‘s service in the disciplic succession, he can even excel Nityānanda Prabhu ‘s service. This is the process of disciplic succession. Nityānanda Prabhu delivered Jagāi and Mādhāi, but a servant of Nityānanda Prabhu, by His grace, can deliver many thousands of Jagāis and Mādhāis. That is the special benediction of the disciplic succession.
(CC Madhya 16.65 purport)