Prof. Hopkins: It's difficult for people outside the society of Krsna consciousness to see what the purpose is. How would you understand the purpose? Simply to make God known? How would you state...

Prabhupada: Our purpose is how to become happy. Everyone is struggling how to become happy. Somebody is thinking that 'If I can get money then I'll be happy.' Somebody is thinking that 'If we become one with the Supreme, then I'll be happy.' And somebody thinks that 'If I can get material power, then I'll be happy.' So those who are thinking in terms of money, they are karmis. And those who are thinking in terms of becoming one, they are jnanis. And those who are thinking in terms of getting material power, they are yogis. But the bhaktas, they don't want any such perfection. They, bhaktis, 'Let me worship the Supreme, that's all.' Therefore he has already (indistinct) and they are all in want. Bhakta is satisfied simply by worshiping the Lord. Svamin krtartho 'smi. And all others, karmis, jnanis, yogis, they want something so they cannot be happy. So if happiness is my aim, then I must become a bhakta, otherwise there is no happiness. You are always in want. Somebody is in want of money, somebody is in want to becoming one with the Supreme, and somebody wants to show some jugglery, mysticism. So they want something. And a devotee, he doesn't want all these things. He wants to serve Krsna, that's all. No demand. And he serves Krsna without any motive. Ahaituky apratihata. That is bhakta.

Prof. Hopkins: So what you are doing is simply showing people how to be happy.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Prof. Hopkins: I like that.

Prabhupada: Thank you. That is the real want, how to become happy.

Prof. Hopkins: It's remarkable how complicated simple things get.

Prabhupada: The example is also very simple. Just like a child is crying and somebody is offering some milk, somebody is offering something but he is still crying. Could not find any cause. Then when the child goes to the mother's lap, immediately (claps)--stops. He understands immediately, 'Now I am on the lap of my mother, then everything is all right.' Yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. Everyone is hankering after making some profit, this way, that way, this way, that way. But when one becomes, gets that supreme thing then he thinks, 'Oh, I don't want anything.' That is happiness. Unhappiness due to want. So the karmis, jnanis, yogis, they are all in want. They want something. Bhaktas are also sometimes in want. They want Krsna. And in absence of Krsna they are very unhappy, but that unhappiness ia greater than (material) happiness....

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SB 5.5.35 P Lord Rsabhadeva' s Teachings to His Sons 45868/530501

The word santa means completely peaceful. Unless all one's desires are fulfilled, one cannot be peaceful. Everyone is trying to fulfill his aspirations and desires, be they material or spiritual. Those in the material world are asanta (without peace) because they have so many desires to fulfill. The pure devotee, however, is without desire. Anyabhilasita-sunya: a pure devotee is completely free from all kinds of material desire. Karmis, on the other hand, are simply full of desires because they try to enjoy sense gratification. They are not peaceful in this life, nor the next, during the past, present or future. Similarly. jnanis are always aspiring after liberation and trying to become one with the Supreme. Yogis are aspiring after many siddhis (powers)--anima, laghima, prapti, etc. However, a devotee is not at all interested in these things because he is fully dependent on the mercy of Krsna. Krsna is yogesvara, the possessor of all mystic powers (siddhis), and He is atmarama, fully self-satisfied.

74-01-07.Mal Letter: Malati 296558/530501

You write that things are in a crises in England, with oil shortage and IRA bombing. Therefore, we have to take shelter of Krsna. If Krsna wants to kill us that is not wrong, if it is His desire. Our business should just to be to follow the regulative schedule, deity worship, distributing prasadam, chanting, book distribution and never mind the material danger. Krsna Consciousness means to be on the platform of deathlessness. Every sloka in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam is informing us of this. If you read these books carefully you will understand this platform of deathlessness as opposed to the material condition in which no one wants to die but no one can check death.

Conclusion-Any 'thinking' by a devotee or a demon, other than devotional service will never produce ultimate happiness-so better to figure out how to please Govinda if we really want to be happy... Consider this logic...

If you knew you had to die today, what would you do? You would seriously be chanting. If you knew you had to die in 6 months of cancer, what would you be doing? You would be seriously be chanting. So if knowing your future (ultimate bodily death) determines your present behavior , and nobody knows for sure exactly WHEN they will die, isnt it intelligent to just begin seriously chanting right now and not worry about tomorrow, knowing that death to this body can come at any moment?

This is called intelligence.
Prabhupada once told us the story of some sage who had a benediction to live for so many millions of years, and yet he didnt construct a small cottage to block the suns rays from his body. When asked why not, he replied 'why should I, life in this body is so short !!' And he knew he was to 'live' for thousands of years.

As Prabhupda says, one who is on the platform of deathlessness, has no wants for this body nor is in anxiety for maintaining this body. He or she just does not worry since he or she knows without any doubting, he or she is not this body but is the particle of consciousness within this body-temporarily.

So I am writing this for those devotees who are worried about the coming calamities in the world. As if only at this time there will be 'coming calamities'. No, Krsna tells us there are ALWAYS coming calamities. There will never be a time when there will be NO coming calamities in this material world.

Knowing this a devotee does not concern him or herself with these coming calamities knowing them to be temporary, and the nature of this place.. In the above letter to the woman devotee in England Prabhupada tells her that despite the crisis in England of oil shortages and bombings (almost exactly similar to whats going on right now), that our only business as devotees is to simply follow the regulative principles,worship our Deities, etc and in this way come to the platform of deathlessness.

If we think there is something else than this platform- then we have not heard from our spiritual master properly.

The first quote from Prabhupada in his conversation tells us all how to be HAPPY, which is really all we want. The letter, to the woman devotee, tells us how not to think. (and there are very many quotes to this same effect about not worrying about war, california falling into the ocean, etc)

He makes it so clear-everyone WANTS something but the devotee only wants Krsna to be happy, and as a result- the devotee himself becomes happy. Everyone else has some agenda for himself or herself to 'become' happy. Therefore he or she puts him or herself into anxiety by this 'Want'.

We are not for anybody nor are we against anybody, we are simply for the pleasure of Krsna. This mentality will keep or put us on the platform of deathlessness which also means fearlessness.

Hare Krsna-chant and be happy...
Damaghosa das

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