As soon as one is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious it is to be understood that one is in his pure, original constitutional position. This state of existence is called śuddha-sattva, which means that it is transcendental to the material qualities.
The living entity is constitutionally pure. Asaṅgo hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ. In the Vedic literature it is said that the soul is always pure and uncontaminated by material attachment. The identification of the body with the soul is due to misunderstanding. As soon as one is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious it is to be understood that one is in his pure, original constitutional position. This state of existence is called śuddha-sattva, which means that it is transcendental to the material qualities. Since this śuddha-sattva existence is under the direct action of the internal potency, in this state the activities of material consciousness stop. For example, when iron is put into a fire, it becomes warm, and when red-hot, although it is iron, it acts like fire. Similarly, when copper is surcharged with electricity, its action as copper stops; it acts as electricity. Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) also confirms that anyone who engages in unadulterated devotional service to the Lord is at once elevated to the position of pure Brahman:
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
(BG 14.26)
Therefore śuddha-sattva, as described in this verse, is the transcendental position, which is technically called vasudeva. Vasudeva is also the name of the person from whom Kṛṣṇa appears. This verse explains that the pure state is called vasudeva because in that state Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is revealed without any covering. To execute unadulterated devotional service, therefore, one must follow the rules and regulations of devotional service without desire to gain material profit by fruitive activities or mental speculation.
The word śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā means "situated on the transcendental platform of pure goodness."
The word śuddha-sattva-viśeṣātmā means "situated on the transcendental platform of pure goodness." In this way the soul is purified of all material contamination, and this position is called svarūpa-lakṣaṇa, the constitutional symptom of bhāva, emotion. By various tastes, one's heart is softened, and there is an awakening of one's loving propensity to render spontaneous service to the Lord. This is called taṭastha-lakṣaṇa, the marginal symptom of bhāva.
This material happiness is in ignorance. And spiritual happiness is śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means pure goodness.
Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:
So ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani. Cit, cit means that he's full of knowledge. That is not in ignorance. This material happiness is in ignorance. And spiritual happiness is śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means pure goodness. In the material world there are three stages: ignorance, passion and goodness. The goodness platform is very nice in the material world, but there is another platform, which is called śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. That is transcendental platform, and in that platform you can understand God. God is Vāsudeva, and in the vasudeva platform... So ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani. That is cid-ātmani. Cit means knowledge; ātmani means self. In that platform. Iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate (CC Madhya 9.29). This is the description, this is the meaning of the word rāma. Rāma, this word, comes from ramante, ram. Ram-dhātu. Ram means enjoyment. And rāma means the full of pleasure. If you contact with Rāma, or Kṛṣṇa, the absolute attractive, then you are placed in the absolute platform for eternal enjoyment.
Śuddha-sattva platform means devotional service. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Śuddha platform means... That is called vasudeva. As Vasudeva can beget a child whose name is Kṛṣṇa, similarly, if you keep yourself on the vasudeva platform, sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam, then Kṛṣṇa will take birth.
Lecture on SB 6.1.61 -- Vrndavana, August 28, 1975:
There are three platforms: sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. So if you keep yourself on the sattvic platform, there is also chance to falling down on the passion and ignorance. But if you keep yourself in the śuddha-sattva platform... Śuddha-sattva platform means devotional service. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Śuddha platform means... That is called vasudeva. As Vasudeva can beget a child whose name is Kṛṣṇa, similarly, if you keep yourself on the vasudeva platform, sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam, then Kṛṣṇa will take birth. Kṛṣṇa will take birth. So our these rules and regulation, restriction, means to keep one on the vasudeva platform. We should remember always that. And if you keep yourself on vasudeva platform, these things will not entice you. Otherwise we shall be enticed and fallen down.
Unless one is completely free from this contamination, nobody is allowed to enter in the spiritual kingdom. Śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means...
Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:
So amareśāḥ, they are the bhṛgv-ādaya-ṛṣis, great ṛṣis, or Indra, Candra, and so many demigods. They are looking after the management of this universe. Bhṛgv-ādayaḥ. But they are also attacked, contaminated, by these qualities of ignorance and passion and goodness. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them in ignorance. They are not free. The proportion may be... Because their duration of life is greater, far, far greater than ours, the proportion may be different, but they are not free. That is stated here. Nobody is free. Anye ca ye viśva-sṛjo 'mareśā bhṛgv-ādayo 'spṛṣṭa-rajas-tamaskāḥ. Spṛṣṭa, they are also contaminated. Nobody... Unless one is completely free from this contamination, nobody is allowed to enter in the spiritual kingdom. Śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means...Even one is situated in that sattva-guṇa, he is not completely pure. Sometimes the other two qualities, ignorance and passion, may attack.
We have to go far above even goodness, which is called śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means pure goodness.
Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 19, 1968:
If I think, "Oh, I am very learned man. I am very good man," that is also bondage. We have to go far above even goodness, which is called śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means pure goodness. Now here the sense of goodness, "I am very good," this is mixed with the quality of passion. I am feeling proud of my goodness; therefore as soon as there is pride, it is mixed up with the quality of passion. So therefore you'll find all the Vaiṣṇavas, they never think that he's very good. He thinks, "Oh, I am the lowest. I am the most fallen." Caitanya-caritāmṛta kar says, "If anyone recites my name, then all his pious activities immediately becomes vanquished." You see. This is the platform. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. Always thinking very humble and meek. That is above goodness. If I think that I am very good, that is also material. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). To think very poor or think very rich or think very bad or think very good, they are all material qualifications. Simply think, "I am the humble servant of the Supreme Lord." That is the, mean, unalloyed goodness. Janārdana? You can chant.
Śuddha-sattva means simply goodness, pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.255-281 -- New York, December 17, 1966:
Now, the description of the spiritual world is that there is no rajas-tamaḥ. These modes of passion and modes of ignorance is not there. Śuddha-sattva. Śuddha-sattva means simply goodness, pure goodness, without any tinge of passion and ignorance. So pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ. There is no mixed goodness; simply goodness. And na ca kāla-vikramaḥ: "And there is no influence of time." This is the description of the spiritual world: "There is no modes of passion, and there is no modes of ignorance, and there is no influence of time." That means there is simply pure goodness. And in pure goodness we can understand our constitutional position: we can understand what is God, what is creation, everything. These are... Goodness means prakāśa. Prakāśa means knowledge comes out. And so long we are in ignorance and passion, there is no knowledge. In ignorance there is no knowledge at all, in passion there is some glimpse of knowledge, and in goodness there is full knowledge. So the living entities there, they are full of knowledge. Therefore they do not come into this material world. And na yatra kāla-vikramaḥ: and because there is no influence of time, therefore there is no past, present and future. In this material world there is influence of time. Therefore we have got this past, present and future.