(Prabhupada's lecture - Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.51 - Los Angeles, December 28, 1973)
Those who are developing the modes of good qualities, they are gradually being promoted to the higher planetary system, heavenly planet-Satyaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka. In those planets the duration of life is very long, the possibilities of sense enjoyment is very nice. Everything thousands, thousands times better than this. This is not very difficult to understand. Just like in your country... Although within this planet the standard of living is far, far nice, better than some other countries, similarly there are hundreds and millions of planets, other planets, where the standard of living is far, far better. So we are, according to our work, we are sometimes promoted to those planets and sometimes to the lower-grade planets, adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ.
So this is going on. I do not know how long, since what time we have begun this wandering, changing. Lord Caitanya says that ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. He said that the living entities are wandering in such a way, in different species of life, in different planets, lower and higher. In this way, if he is fortunate enough, he comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master under the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That means if anyone is fortunate, he comes in contact with guru and Kṛṣṇa, a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. And what is the benefit? The benefit is guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. The benediction from the bona fide spiritual master and Lord is that his sense of devotional service is invoked. That is the gift. He does not give anything material opulence.
Of course, if one is advanced in spiritual consciousness, material happiness is not very rare for him. That is automatically there. But the gift of Kṛṣṇa and spiritual master is to inject him. Not inject him... The devotional service, love of Godhead is there, but to invoke it. This devotional service is not artificial. In every one of you there is dormant devotional service, as I have already explained, but they are exhibited in a different way. Instead of loving God, that devotional service is diverted in loving a dog. But the love is there. Love is there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. It is said that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not an artificial thing that we have manufactured something, ideal thing, concocted, and we are preaching to the world that "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious." No. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there. What is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness? To love God. That is there. We are simply helping that "You try to love God; then you'll be happy." That is our mission.