There is a nice story. A man, a friend . . . was advised by his friend that "If you chew sugarcane, oh, it is very nice, sweet." The friend who was advised to chew sugarcane, he had no experience what is sugarcane. So he asked his friend, "Oh, what is the sugarcane?" The friend suggested, "It is just like a bamboo log." So the foolish man began to chew all kinds of bamboo log. Now, how he can get the sweetness of the sugarcane? Similarly, we, we are trying to have happiness and pleasure, but we are trying to derive happiness, pleasure, eschewing this material body.
So therefore there is no happiness; there is no pleasure. For the time being, there may be a little feeling of pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure. That is for temporary, just a slight focus of that lightning. In the sky you will find some lightning, but real lightning is beyond that. So vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ. Because persons, they do not know what is happiness, so sthitaś calati tattvataḥ. Real happiness . . . they are deviated from real happiness. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ (BG 6.22).
This real happiness . . . now, we are trying to be posted or to be situated in that position of real happiness by practice of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall gradually develop our intelligence, real intelligence. Then we shall naturally like to enjoy that spiritual happiness. And as we make progress and get taste of spiritual happiness, so proportionately we give up the taste of this material happiness. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42).
Now, here it is stated, yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. If somebody, somehow or other, achieves or is promoted to that stage, then what is the result? Result is yaṁ labdhvā, "By achieving such stage of transcendental stage," cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nā . . . "other achievements, they become insignificant." Here, we are trying to achieve so many things. We are trying to achieve so many riches or friends, fame, and beauty and knowledge. So many things we are trying, achievement.
But as soon as you become properly situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness achievement, then you will think, "Oh, no achievement is better than this achievement." Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābham. Aparam lābham means other kinds of achievement. They will be considered as figs. It is so big, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that one who understands and have a little taste . . . svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.
- yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
- manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
- yasmin sthito na duḥkhena
- guruṇāpi vicālyate
- (BG 6.22)
I am very glad to inform you a practical example. One of our student, he was put into very unfavorable condition, but he was not, I mean to say, at all disturbed, due to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Practical. Confident. And we are also not disturbed. We thought, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is there. He will not be put into difficulty.
He cannot be put into difficulty." You see? So here it is said, yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate. If one is situated firmly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the gravest type of danger cannot disturb him. It is such a nice thing. Yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi. Guru. Guru means very heavy. Very heavy. Guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate. He is not disturbed. He is not disturbed.