See the behavior of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Because he was situated on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guṇa and śuddha-sattva-guṇa. If you keep yourself on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.
Lecture on SB 6.1.67 -- Vrndavana, September 3, 1975:
So this devotional service means to go above sattva-guṇa. Sa guṇṇ samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). You have to transcend all the material qualities, even sattva-guṇa. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is above sattva-guṇa. So his brahminical qualities is supposed to be included. A Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa. We give a Vaiṣṇava the sacred thread, the mark of becoming a brāhmaṇa, because without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can come to the platform of Vaiṣṇava. That is the idea. Nobody should come to the platform of śuddha-sattva without being elevated to the sattva-guṇa platform. So this man... Sattva-guṇa... He was already sattva-guṇa. He was son of a brāhmaṇa. He was being trained up very nicely. But because it was not śuddha-sattvata, therefore he fell down, even on the sattva-guṇa platform. But when one is on the śuddha-sattva... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. This man was brahminically qualified, but as soon as he saw that a śūdrāṇī and śūdra were engaged in lusty affairs, he fell down. But see the behavior of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Because he was situated on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guṇa and śuddha-sattva-guṇa. If you keep yourself on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.
Kṛṣṇa says,
māṁ cavyabhicāriṇi
bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
(BG 14.26)
This brahma-bhūyāya means śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva. That is also, in śuddha-sattva-guṇa, that is liberated stage. If you do not stick to devotional service, then there is chance of fall down also. So without taking to the devotional service, life is very, very risky. Risky means now we can dance and laugh because we have got this human form of life. But after death we do not know. We do not know unless we are very much cautious. That is... Here it is said aghāyuḥ. Aghāyuḥ. This Ajāmila lived for more than eighty-eight years, but what is the use of prolonged life? Aghāyuḥ. Just like trees, they are standing for thousands of years. Taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti (SB 2.3.18) . You are trying to prolong your life by scientific method, but what is the use of such life? This material life, there is suffering. Just like the tree. It does not do any harm to anyone. Rather, it is very hospitable. It gives shelter to the people. They are taking fruits, they are taking branches, leaves, sometimes cutting. They are very harmless, but still, there is harm, suffering. Must stand there for five thousand years and scorching heat and pinching winter, storm, and sometimes fall down. The suffering is there. Even we become a nonviolent... Even Gandhi. He was nonviolent, very moralist. Still he was killed. Just see. This is material world. He was killed by bullet. So the material world means suffering. So what is the use of making a prolonged life? Prolonged suffering. Therefore it is said, aghāyuḥ. If you live for a moment as a devotee, your life is successful. And if you live for many thousands of years without any Kṛṣṇa consciousness—aghāyuḥ, useless life, useless. Aghāyur aśucir malāt, because the desire is there, kāma and lobha, greediness and lusty desire.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important, scientific movement. Take to it. Stick to the principles. Don't live uselessly like a tree or cats and dogs. They have also sense pleasure. It is not that because in human life we have got full opportunity for sense pleasures... Well, sense pleasure is offered to the monkeys and pigs and dogs more leniently. So that is means that is life? No. That is not life. This has been discussed in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. Bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta, taravo kiṁ na jīvanti. They have been analyzed. No, the real life is Kṛṣṇa conscious life. That is success of life. So some way or other, you have come to this platform of Kṛṣṇa conscious life. Stick to the principle carefully. Don't fall down. Then try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then life is successful.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)