Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ji says, “Siddhanta baliya chitte na kar alas.” That even on the path of devotion, one should not be lazy when it comes to understanding the correct philosophy. Practice is important, of course. But in order to have a stable progress on the path, in order to be able to deal with the ups and downs of sanskars, we need to have a solid base of knowledge as well.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ji also says, “Out of all the things to know, there's only three upon which you need to concentrate on the path of devotion.” Ved shastra kahe sambandha abhidheya prayojan. He says all the Vedas, all the shastras, although they say many, many things, really they only say three things. So know these three.
Number one, sambandh. To whom are you related? Number two, abhidheya. How can you meet with that individual to whom you're related? And prayojan, once you meet with him, what do you want from him? And the answer to these three? Krishna, krishna bhakti prema tinmahadhan. Who are you related to? Krishna. What is the path to reach Krishna? Bhakti. And what do you want from him once you reach him? Prem.
