The Nectar of Devotion - 1970 ISKCON press edition ... - Prabhupada

Characteristics of Pure Devotional Service 9a high character. One develops the highest character by becoming apure devotee of Kr!la. The conclusion is that no one can truly haveany good qualities if he is lacking Kr!la consciousness.Happiness in Kr!la ConsciousnessSrila Riipa Gosvami has analyzed the different sources of happiness.He has divided happiness into three categories, which are: 1)happiness derived from material enjoyment, 2) happiness derived byidentifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and 3) happinessderived from Krsna consciousness.In the Tantra-·s.dStra Lord Siva speaks to his wife, Sati, in this way:"My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself at the lotusfeet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kr!la consciousnesscan be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by theimpersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achievedby the pure devotees."Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highestbecause it is eternal. But the happiness derived from materialperfectionor understanding oneself to be Brahman is inferiorbecause it is temporary. There is no preventing one's falling downfrom material happiness,· and there is even every chance of fallingdown from the spiritual happiness derived out of identifying oneselfwith the impersonal Brahman.It has been seen that great miiyiiviidi (impersonalist) sannyiisis-very highly educated and almost realized souls-may sometimestake to political activities or to social welfare activities.The reason is that they actually do not derive any ultimate transcendentalhappiness in the impersonal understanding and thereforemust come down to the material platform and take to suchmundane affairs. There are many instances, especially in India,where thesemiiyiiviidi sann yiisis descend to the material platformagain. But a person who is fully in Krwa consciousness will neverreturn to any sort of material platform. However alluring andattracting they may be, he always knows that no material welfare