The article deals with the hermeneutic setting of the famous Vaishnava thinker A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, which was called ambivalent. In accordance with it, the majority of both Vaishnava and non-Vaishnava Indian philosophers are accepted in two ways. On the one hand, Prabhupada obviously uses their intellectual know-how, on the other hand, critically examines their heritage. As a characteristic example in this article, an analysis of the ambivalent attitude of Prabhupada to the personality and teachings of the great thinker of the early Indian Middle Ages - Shankara. The conclusions are confirmed by Prabhupada's rootedness in his own religious and philosophical tradition and his connection with such Vaishnava thinkers as Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Madhva.