Knowledge and Happiness

(written on May 29, 2020)

(References: SB 1.2.19, BG 5. 24)

In SB, 1.2.6, Suta Goswami addresses the question of the sages of Naimisharanya, about the highest duty for all humanity. He explains that, “The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” Suta Goswami is teaching the sages that the highest dharma of the living entity is to perform devotional service. The object of all knowledge is to realize that we must perform devotional service.

After answering the question of the sages, Suta Goswami explains how devotional service is beneficial. He says, in SB 1.2.19, “As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.” In this verse, Suta Goswami establishes the relationship between knowledge and happiness.

This relationship is that when one realizes the most confidential knowledge through the help of the bonafide spiritual master, they begin to perform devotional service. This transcendental activity, when performed lovingly, eradicates all the effects of the lower modes such as lust, greed, desire, hankering and lamentation. After the last vestiges of such materialistic qualities are removed, the devotee is situated in the transcendental mode of goodness and they become completely happy.

One might derive material happiness, but that happiness is temporary. As said in BG 2.14, “O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” What we should learn is that half knowledge results in temporary happiness. If we are attached to our material position, and if we falsely identify with the material body, then the happiness that we experience is false and temporary. This is because the material world is temporary and therefore the material happiness ends with the death of the material body. This is what Krsna is explaining to Arjuna, when he compares the appearance of happiness to the changing of seasons.

Falsely identifying with the body causes us to become unhappy and always hanker for a permanent situation in a place which is temporary. The devotee, on the other hand, knows his position as the jiva, or the spirit soul, and thus knows the eternal position of the living entity. Srila Prabhupada explains the direct difference between the devotees and those who are not situated in transcendental knowledge, “A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he harms no one. But the non devotee, however educated he may be, is always harmful.” This point is important. The devotee is always engaged in transcendental activities and hence does not have any karmic reaction. Due to this, he achieves peace because he doesn't identify with material problems. The non-devotee, on the other hand is constantly engaged in activities which bind him to the cycle of birth and death and is obsessed with the material problems. The non-devotee cannot receive happiness because he always has to deal with the reactions of his past karma.

Here is a flow chart which explains the relationship between knowledge and happiness:

OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE FROM A BONAFIDE SPIRITUAL MASTER

(bona fide spiritual master sees through the eyes of shastra, shastra chakshu)

^

SINCERELY PRACTICE UNALLOYED DEVOTIONAL SERVICE

^

ATTAIN THE MODE OF TRANSCENDENTAL GOODNESS

^

ATTAIN BLISS

(this is eternal happiness opposed to the temporary happiness of the material world)

DRAFT NOTES:

• “As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.”

• The relationship between knowledge and bliss is that when on is situated in the full knowledge, then they achieve the highest happiness

• Half knowledge ends up in half happiness:when you are attached to the body and are not aware of your constitutional position, then your happiness is temporary

  • Because the material body is temporary, so the happiness of this material world ends with the end of the material body

• This verse however, is talking about real happiness, which is achieved after one had realized knowledge

• “A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he harms no one. But the non devotee, however educated he may be, is always harmful.”

• Real knowledge and application of education is to perform constant unalloyed devotional service

• When we do service, then we become situated in the transcendental mode of goodness

• When we are in such a state, we are qualified to “The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise to the position of vasudeva, or the state of unmixed sattva, or śuddha-sattva. Only in this śuddha-sattva state can one always see Kṛṣṇa face to face by dint of pure affection for the Lord.”

• This is the relationship between the happiness and knowledge