In describing the Kasira Mayavadis, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has explained that persons who are bewildered by empiric knowledge or direct sensual perception, and who thus consider that even this limited material world can be gauged by their material estimations, conclude that anything that one can discern by direct sense perception is but maya, or illusion. They maintain that although the Absolute Truth is beyond the range of sense perception, it includes no spiritual variety or enjoyment. According to the Kasira Mayavadis, the spiritual world is simply void. They do not believe in the Personality of the Absolute Truth or in His varieties of activities in the spiritual world. Although they have their own arguments, which are not very strong, they have no conception of the variegated activities of the Absolute Truth. These impersonalists, who are followers of Sankaracarya, are generally known as Kasira Mayavadis.

Near Varanasi there is another group of impersonalists, who are known as Saranatha Mayavadis. Outside the city of Varanasi is a place known as Saranatha, where there is a big Buddhist stupa. Many followers of Buddhist philosophy live there, and they are known as Saranatha Mayavadis. The impersonalists of Saranatha differ from those of Varanasi, for the Varanasi impersonalists propagate the idea that the impersonal Brahman is truth whereas material varieties are false, but the Saranatha impersonalists do not even believe that the Absolute Truth or Brahman can be understood as the opposite of maya, or illusion. According to their vision, materialism is the only manifestation of the Absolute Truth.

Factually both the Kasira and Saranatha Mayavadis, as well as any other philosophers who have no knowledge of the spirit soul, are advocates of utter materialism. None of them have clear knowledge regarding the Absolute or the spiritual world. Philosophers like the Saranatha Mayavadis who do not believe in the spiritual existence of the Absolute Truth but consider material varieties to be everything do not believe that there are two kinds of nature, inferior (material) and superior (spiritual), as described in the Bhagavad-gita. Actually, neither the Varanasi nor Saranatha Mayavadis accept the principles of the Bhagavad-gita, due to a poor fund of knowledge.

Since these impersonalists who do not have perfect spiritual knowledge cannot understand the principles of bhakti-yoga, they must be classified among the nondevotees who are against the Krsna consciousness movement. We sometimes feel inconvenienced by the hindrances offered by these impersonalists, but we do not care about their so-called philosophy, for we are propagating our own philosophy as presented in Bhagavad-gita As It Is and getting successful results. Theorizing as if devotional service were subject to their mental speculation, both kinds of Mayavadi impersonalists conclude that the subject matter of bhakti-yoga is a creation of maya and that Krsna, devotional service and the devotee are also maya. Therefore, as stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, mayavadi krsne aparadhi. "All the Mayavadis are offenders to Lord Krsna." (Cc. Madhya 17.129) It is not possible for them to understand the Krsna consciousness movement; therefore we do not value their philosophical conclusions. However expert such quarrelsome impersonalists are in putting forward their so-called logic, we defeat them in every respect and go forward with our Krsna consciousness movement. Their imaginative mental speculation cannot deter the progress of the Krsna consciousness movement, which is completely spiritual and is never under the control of such Mayavadis.