Religion means love of Godhead. Now, that love of Godhead you may learn under certain process. I may learn under certain process. Just like love between boys and girls may be different from India to America. In India there is still. No young man can mix freely with a young girl, but still, there is love. So process may be different, but we have to accept the basic principle. Basic principle is love of God. That is religion. Don’t bother about the ritualistic process. Just try to see how much you are increasing your love of God. Then you are religious. That’s all.

That is bhagavata-dharma. Srimad-Bhagavata says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje: [SB 1.2.6] “That is first-class religion.” What is that? “Where love of God is enthused.” That is first- class religion. And if you follow ritualistic processes and your love of Godhead is gone to hell—your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing— that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God.

So here it is said, “Whenever and wherever there is decline in religious practice…” What is that religion practice? That religion practice is whenever there is decline of love of God. That’s all. When people become lover of mammon, matter, that means decline of religion. And when people increase love of Godhead, that means real religion. So Krsna comes, or Krsna’s servant or representative comes, to adjust things. When people forget love of Godhead, somebody, either Krsna, God Himself or His representative comes to adjust things.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is incarnation. They are teaching love of Godhead. We are not teaching some ritualistic process, that “You become Hindu. You become Christian. You become Muhammadan.” We are simply teaching, “You try to love God. You have forgotten God. You have declared, ‘God is dead.’ These are all nonsense. God is there. You are here. You are suffering because you have forgotten God. You try to love God. Your normal life will come back. You will be happy.” This is Krsna consciousness movement.

There is nothing, artificiality. So there is no question of sectarianism, that “In this temple the Christians will come” or “The Muhammadans will not come.” Anyone. Because we are teaching what? Teaching love of Godhead. Either you become Christian or Muhammadan, Hindu, how you can deny God? Those who are denying God, their case is different. But one who is accepting God as the central figure in religion, how they can deny this movement? Because we are teaching love of Godhead. That’s all.

Bhagavad-gita 4.7-10
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, January 6, 1969