The Mahā-mantra
113
are not overestimations, nor are they stories. They are actual facts, but are true for certain devotees and do not necessarily apply to all. These descriptions, even if considered overestimations, must be taken as they are in order to divert our attention from the fleeting material beauty to the eternal beauty of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And for a person who is already in contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the described results are not unusual.
Some scholars argue that simply by following the principles of  vaṃa  and  āśrama  one can gradually rise up to the perfections reached by practicing devotional service, but this argument is not accepted by the great authorities. Lord Caitanya also condemned this idea while He was talking with Rāmānanda Rai about the gradual development of devotional service. He rejected the idea of the importance of  vaṃāśrama-dharma  when it was put forward by Rāmānanda Rai. He said that this advancement of  vaṃa  and  āśrama  is merely external. There is a higher principle. In the  Bhagavad-gītā  also the Lord says that one has to give up all other principles of elevation and take simply to the method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will help him in achieving the highest perfection of life.
In the Eleventh Canto, 20th Chapter, 8th verse, of the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  the Lord Himself says: “One should execute the prescribed duties of  varṇa  and  āśrama  as long as he has not developed spontaneous attachment for hearing about My pastimes and activities.” In other words, the prescribed forms of  varṇa  and  āśrama  are ritualistic ceremonies of religion intended for economic development, sense gratification or for salvation. All of these things are recommended for persons who have not developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness; in fact, all such activities are recommended in the revealed scriptures only to bring one to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But one who has already developed spontaneous attachment for Kṛṣṇa does not require to execute the duties prescribed in the scriptures.