Who can transcend these three guṇas? We have to go above goodness. Here in this material world goodness is supposed to be very nice quality, but here the goodness also, nice, temporary. There is chance of being affected, or infected with the other quality, sattva-rajas-tamo guṇa.
So we can . . . at least we have to transcend the rajas-tamo guṇa. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamo, the quality of passion and ignorance, these . . . the symptoms of these qualities is kāma and lobha, lust and greediness. So long there is lust and greediness . . . lust for sex, lust for opposite sex, this is called lust. And greediness—to eat more, more than we can digest. When these two things are there, lust and greediness, that means we are now being conducted by the ignorance and passion.
And when there is prominence of goodness, then we can understand what is what: what is God, what I am, what is this world. That is knowledge. And above this, transcendental, not only knowledge but practical application of knowledge in life. That is called śuddha-sattva, practical application. Only theoretically know, "Yes, there is God . . . there must be God, that is theoretical knowledge. Practical knowledge is . . ."
(break) . . . when you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, that is śuddha-sattva.
So here the question is that puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas tan naḥ śaṁsitum arhasi. "Now we are very much eager to hear from you, to listen from you. Kindly let us know what is the easiest method to achieve the highest goal of life." This is the question.