People are affected with three kinds of material qualities: goodness, passion and ignorance. Generally, they are affected by the lower two qualities—ignorance and passion, rajas-tamaḥ. How do we know that, "This man is in the modes of goodness and this man is in the modes of passion and this man is in the modes of ignorance"? How do we know? By the symptoms. By the symptoms. When one is affected by the lower qualities, rajas-tamaḥ, passion and ignorance, his symptoms are that he is very greedy and lusty. These are the symptom. As soon as we find a person is very greedy and lusty, he is to be understood under the control of the lower-grade qualities of this material nature. And sattva-guṇa means prakāśa, illumination.
When one is situated in the goodness, that is brahminical qualification. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā (BG 18.42). He's truthful, he's controlling the mind, controlling the senses, śama, dama; titikṣā, he's tolerant; titikṣā, ārjava, he's simple, simplicity. Śamo damas titikṣā śuci, he's cleansed; jñānam, he knows things what it is; vijñānam, he can apply the knowledge in practical life, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. Āstikyam means to have firm faith in God. He knows that God is there. God is there, and he knows that God is within, God is without. These are the symptoms of a person who is in goodness.
So these three classes of men are there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to bring persons from the wretched, low qualities, ignorance and passion, to bring him to the platform of goodness. And that goodness also has to be purified. In the material world the goodness is also attacked by the other, lower qualities. Big, big men, very good men, but there are so many defects. Because unless . . . first of all you have come to the platform of goodness, brahminical position. Then you have to purify that good sattvaṁ viśuddham, viśuddha-sattva, vasudeva-sattva, vasudeva platform. Then you will be able to understand what is God. It is not so cheap thing that one can understand God so easily while he is in the modes of material nature, especially the lower-grade modes.