Since time immemorial or since the creation of the cosmic manifestation, conditioned souls have formed various parties of philosophical speculation, but this is not true of the devotees.

The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized acaryas. The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed. Under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified. Therefore, one must be in the chain of disciplic succession and learn the spiritual art of submissive hearing. In the case of Suka dev and Suta Gosvamis and the sages of Naimasaranya, all these conditions are fulfilled because Srila Suka dev and Srila Suta goswamis are in the line of Srila Vyasadeva, and the sages of  Naimasaranya are all sincere souls who are anxious to learn the truth.

Nondevotees have different ideas of creation, maintenance and annihilation, and therefore they are called vadis and prativadis—proponents and counterproponents. It is understood from a statement of Mahabharata that there are many munis, or philosophers and speculaters.

In India there are many parties of philosophers, such as the  advaita-vadis, dvaita-vadis, vaisesikas, mimasakas, Mayavadis and svabhava-vadis, and each of them opposes the others.

Glossery

Advaita vadis : The nondualistic philosophers, claim that there is no difference between God and the living entity and that the highest goal of life is to give up our personal existence, which is due to illusion, and merge into the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is devoid of name, form, paraphernalia and personality.

Dvaita-vadis : This world is meant for duality. So it is called dvaita. Dvaita means duality.

Mimasa-vadis :  Means one who takes work and the result of work and nothing else, you get the result. No god,  no good or bad Karma nothing.

Maya-vadis : Maya-vadis say Brahman is real but that the energy emanating from Brahman is false

Nirvisesa-vadis : Are impersonalists who accept an Absolute but deny that He has any qualities of His own.

Savisesa-vadi : Savisesa-vadis say that the spirit soul has got its form, and this body has got form. Just like clothing takes its shape because the body has a form.

Svabhava-vadis : Say that one’s own nature, is formed according to the association of the material qualities.

Vaisesikas : The Vaisesikas say that the visible universe is created from an original stock of atoms.Kanada and his followers also postulate eternality for other, nonatomic entities, including the souls who become embodied, and even a Supreme Soul. But in Vaisesika cosmology the souls and the Supersoul play only token roles in the atomic production of the universe.

Veda Vadis : The veda-vadis say that there is nothing more than the Vedas and the performances of sacrifice mentioned in the Vedas.

Transcendentalists are divided into two primary groups: the nirvesesa-vadis, or impersonalists, and the bhaktas, or devotees. The impersonalists do not accept spiritual varieties of life. They want to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord in His Brahman feature (the brahmajyoti). The devotees, however, desire to take part in the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord.