Pradyumna: " 'Happiness In Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.' Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has analyzed the different sources of happiness. He has divided happiness into three categories, which are 1) happiness derived from material enjoyment, 2) happiness derived by identifying oneself with the Supreme Brahman, and 3) happiness derived from Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
"In the Tantra-śāstra, Lord Śiva speaks to his wife, Satī, in this way: 'My dear wife, a person who has surrendered himself to the lotus feet of Govinda and who has thus developed pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be very easily awarded all the perfections desired by the impersonalists; and beyond this, he can enjoy the happiness achieved by the pure devotees.' "
"Happiness derived from pure devotional service is the highest, because it is eternal. But the happiness derived from material perfection or understanding oneself to be Brahman is inferior, because it is temporary. There is no preventing one's falling down from material happiness, and there is even every chance of falling down from the spiritual happiness derived out of identifying oneself with the impersonal Brahman."
Prabhupāda: This we have explained last night, how the . . . a person enjoying happiness as Brahman realization . . . there are many examples, both in the East and the West, that . . . in our Eastern countries, the Māyāvādī philosophy is very prominent, and their basic principle is, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The world is false, and Brahman, that is truth."
But we have practically seen many sannyāsīs, they renounce this world as mithyā and take to Brahman realization path, but after some days, they come down to politics, sociology, philanthropy. Why? If Brahman is satya, jagat is mithyā, false, then why they, from the platform of satya, they fall down again in the mithyā? This is our question.
To open hospital or to open a school or similar philanthropic activities are generally being done by persons who are embarrassed with this mithyā world. Why the sannyāsīs, who left this world as mithyā and went to the platform of Brahman realization, and why they come to this platform again for opening school, hospitals? What is the answer? Is there any answer?
Acyutānanda: They can't remain there. There is no happiness . . .
Prabhupāda: Uh? That means they could not realize the happiness of Brahman. What is your opinion, gosāi? If they would have derived any happiness from that Brahman platform, then why they would come down to this platform which was rejected as mithyā?
So accepting that Brahman realization is real happiness, but they could not realize that happiness. Under the circumstances, they must come down to realize happiness in these varieties of material world. Because they found it better happiness by taking in politics and on political movements or opening school, hospitals. They found better happiness in these activities. Then why the . . . they say that this jagat mithyā? These are activities of the material world.