17.24
’kevala’-sabde punarapi niscaya-karana
jnana-yoga-tapa-karma-adi nivarana
SYNONYMS
’kevala’-sabde—by the word kevala, or “only”; punarapi—again; niscaya-karana—final decision; jnana—cultivation of knowledge; yoga—practice of the mystic yoga system; tapa—austerity; karma—fruitive activities; adi—and so on; nivarana—prohibition "The use of the word ’kevala’ (’only’) prohibits all other processes, such as cultivation of knowledge, practice of mystic yoga, and performance of austerities and fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Our Krsna consciousness movement stresses the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra only, whereas those who do not know the secret of success for this Age of Kali unnecessarily indulge in the cultivation of knowledge, the practice of mystic yoga or the performance of fruitive activities or useless austerities.
They are simply wasting their time and misleading their followers.
When we point this out very plainly to an audience, members of opposing groups become angry at us.
But according to the injunctions of the sastras, we cannot make compromises with these so-called jnanis, yogis, karmis and tapasvis.
When they say they are as good as we are, we must say that only we are good and that they are not good.
This is not our obstinacy; it is the injunction of the sastras.
We must not deviate from the injunctions of the sastras.
This is confirmed in the next verse of Caitanya-caritamrta.