Krishna consciousness is the ancient, eternal truth now made accessible through Lord Caitanya's mercy to all sincere seekers.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Lecture — February 18, 1972, Visakhapatnam 720218LE-VISAKHAPATNAM [30:36 Minutes] Lecture-720218LE-VISAKHAPATNAM Prabhupāda: ...and participating in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a new movement. It is the oldest. From historical point of view, at least five thousand years old, when Kṛṣṇa introduced this consciousness, that is, in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, which took place at least five thousand years ago.
And if we believe śāstras, then it is not only four or five thousand years, but it is older than forty millions of years. Not forty; four hundred millions of years. Because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fourth Chapter, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. In the beginning, He told this yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god. And the sun-god transmitted this message to his son, vivasvān manave prāha, to his son, Manu, Vaivasvata Manu.
The age of Vaivasvata Manu calculating, it is about four hundred millions of years ago. Then manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt: Manu, he explained this yoga system to Mahārāja Ikṣvāku. Mahārāja Ikṣvāku happened to be the forefathers of the kṣatriya family in which Lord Rāmacandra appeared. So Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. The system of Bhagavad-gītā, the yoga system explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, was understood by the paramparā system. evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo [viduḥ] sa kāleneha [mahatā] yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa [Bg. 4.2] Lord Kṛṣṇa says that in course of time, this yoga system has been lost because the paramparā system became broken.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that "I am initiating you to begin that paramparā system again, because it is now, the link is broken. So I want to begin that system through you." So the question is why Kṛṣṇa selected Arjuna to explain this paramparā system. There were many learned scholars five thousand years ago, many Vedāntist, many great sages. But Kṛṣṇa selected Arjuna, a military man, a gṛhastha, and dealing with ordinary things, fighting for his own interest.
Why he was selected? That is also explained by Kṛṣṇa: bhakto 'si priyo 'si [Bg. 4.3]. This is the only reason. "Although you are not Vedāntist, you are not supposed to be a great scholar because you are a military man, you are gṛhastha, but still I have selected you, because you are My dear friend and bhakta." Without being bhakta, who can become Kṛṣṇa's dear friend? "So therefore, I am speaking to you this confidential." Rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam.
It is very mysterious. The first thing is that without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, bhakta, and dear friend... Kṛṣṇa, we can establish our relationship with Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. There are five rasas. They are called śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and mādhurya-rasa.
Of course, in this material world also we find these five rasas in a perverted reflection. Originally, it is between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee. So Arjuna was related with Kṛṣṇa in sakhya-rasa—as friend, a devotee as a friend. Anyone can become related with Kṛṣṇa.