Material existence is temporary, illusory and full of miseries.
There is no happiness at all.
There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and t
...
Material existence is temporary, illusory and full of miseries.
There is no happiness at all.
There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessation of misery is falsely called happiness.
Therefore, the path of progressive material enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is inferior.
But devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which leads one to eternal, blissful and all-cognizant life, is called the superior quality of occupation.
This is sometimes polluted when mixed with the inferior quality.
For example, adoption of devotional service for material gain is certainly an obstruction to the progressive path of renunciation.
Renunciation or abnegation for ultimate good is certainly a better occupation than enjoyment in the diseased condition of life.
Such enjoyment only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases its duration.
Therefore devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material enjoyment.
One should, therefore, accept the superior quality of occupation in the form of the devotional service of the Lord without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action and philosophical speculation.
This alone can lead one to perpetual solace in His service.
Class on Srimad-Bhagavatam First Canto, Second Chapter, Text 6 by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhuapda, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness [ISKCON]