Category:Desiring Happiness
Theme Analysis
The category "Desiring Happiness" addresses the fundamental drive of all living entities: the search for pleasure and satisfaction. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while the desire for happiness is constitutional to the soul, the method of seeking it in the material world is fundamentally flawed. Material happiness is described as a mirage in the desert—it appears real but offers no water to quench the soul's thirst. Instead, the pursuit of material happiness often leads to distress, entanglement, and the "knot of false desires" in the heart.
The quotes clarify that true happiness is not achieved by manipulating matter but by re-establishing one's relationship with the Supreme Lord. A crucial distinction is drawn between the karmī (who desires material sense gratification), the jñānī (who desires liberation), and the bhakta (devotee). The pure devotee desires neither material pleasure nor liberation; he desires only the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Paradoxically, by abandoning the selfish pursuit of personal happiness and focusing solely on serving the Lord, the devotee attains a happiness that far exceeds that of the materialist or liberationist.
- The Mirage of Material Pleasure: Seeking happiness in the material world is futile. It is like a house built with great hope that is suddenly set on fire. The body is merely an instrument for suffering the pangs of birth and death under the guise of happiness.
- The Necessity of a Guide: To pivot from false happiness to real happiness, one must seek a bona fide spiritual master. Guidance is required to cut the knot of material attachment.
- The Standard of Pure Devotion: A pure devotee does not desire personal gain or even salvation (mokṣa). Their only ambition is to serve Kṛṣṇa.
- Automatic Fulfillment: The happiness one frantically searches for is automatically achieved by the devotee. Just as misery comes without invitation, spiritual happiness manifests naturally for one engaged in the Lord's service, without separate endeavor.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Desiring Happiness through God's Satisfaction.
Pages in category "Desiring Happiness"
The following 35 pages are in this category, out of 35 total.
A
- A brahmana who desires to achieve happiness by gaining wealth through professional priesthood must certainly have a very low mind. How shall I accept such priesthood?
- A liberated person no longer desires external material happiness. This state is called brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20), attaining which one is assured of going back to Godhead, back to home. BG 1972 purports
- A saintly person does not discriminate between that which is supposedly good and supposedly bad; rather, he desires for everyone to be happy in Krsna consciousness, which is the ultimate goal of life
- Alas, how strange it is that we (Arjuna and the Pandavas) are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen
- Any one person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation
- Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation
- Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation
B
- Being illusioned by maya, one thinks that material happiness is the only desirable object
- By rendering service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one becomes free from such false desires for happiness. May my (King Satyavrata) supreme spiritual master cut the knot of false desires from the core of my heart
D
- Desiring the happiness of His association and embraces, My dear friend, I disregarded even My superiors and relaxed My shyness and gravity before them
- Devotees are not desirous of any material happiness, including the happiness derived from liberation. This is called anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam - Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11
- Due to bad association, the living entity desires material happiness, liberation or merging into the impersonal aspect of the Lord, or he engages in mystic yoga for material power
H
- He (a pure devotee) desires only the happiness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and because of his ecstatic love for Krsna, he acts in various ways
- How will my economic problem be solved? The answer is that happiness one desires from economic development will come automatically in due course of time. Tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah - SB 1.5.18
I
- I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Krsna, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom, or happiness. BG 1.31 - 1972
- In the offensive stage (of chanting the holy name) one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material contamination
- In the offensive stage of chanting one may desire all kinds of material happiness, but in the second stage one becomes clear of all material contamination - CC Preface
- In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world?
- In this material world, every materialist desires to achieve happiness and diminish his distress, and therefore he acts accordingly. Actually, however, one is happy as long as one does not endeavor for happiness
K
- Kapiladeva said to Devahuti, "Although such people do not desire any kind of liberation or any kind of material happiness, still I give them a place amongst My associates in the supreme abode"
- Karmis desire material happiness, and jnanis desire liberation, but a devotee does not desire anything; he is simply satisfied by rendering transcendental loving service at the lotus feet of the Lord and glorifying Him everywhere by preaching
O
S
- Some way or other, one must try to reestablish one's forgotten relation with the Lord if one at all desires to gain real happiness in life, and to reclaim his natural unfettered condition
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that visiting a holy place like Vrndavana with so many people is simply disturbing. He would not find the happiness He desired by visiting such holy places in that way
T
- The body is just like an instrument by which the living entity moves according to false desires for happiness and thus suffers the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease in different standards of life
- The Lord, being full in Himself, has no attraction for so-called heavenly happiness. The heavenly demigods are only His engaged servants. The proprietor never desires the low-grade happiness such as the workers may desire. BG 1972 purports
- The material opulences a person obtains by offering prayers to the goddess Durga are temporary. As described in Bhagavad-gita, antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam: men of meager intelligence desire temporary happiness
- The ultimate goal of all ambitions is to become a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If an intelligent man serves the most dear Lord, who gives Himself to His devotees, how can he desire material happiness, which is available even in hell?
- There is a nice song in this connection: "Because of a great desire to have all happiness in life, I built this house. But unfortunately the whole scheme has turned to ashes because the house was unexpectedly set on fire." The law of nature is like that
- These temples, they are just like oasis in the desert for the conditioned souls to quench the thirst of their desire for real happiness