No more moroseness – always jolly in any condition of life

So that brahma-bhutah position can be attained. If we strictly follow the rules and regulation of brahmacari or brahmana, then it is possible. Otherwise it will be simply formality. Practical life, brahma-bhutah. And how do I know that he has become brahma-bhutah? Prasannatma [Bg. 18.54], no more moroseness, always jolly in any condition of life. Not that “For want of this, one is suffering.” There is no want. That, that mentality, that attitude, should be increased. And when it is fully increased, then he’s fully satisfied, atmarama. That is called atmarama. Just like Dhruva Maharaja. He said, svamin krtartho ’smi, “Oh, I am fully satisfied.” Naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas tvad-virya-gayana-maha amrta-magna. As Prahlada Maharaja said, “Now I am in the ocean of nectarean. I have no suffering.” That is brahma-bhutah.
In Beverly Hills when I was walking in the morning I saw nice boy, there is car, he is coming from a very nice house, but he’s a hippie. I have seen it. Why he has become hippie? Prakrtijan gunan. He might have taken his birth in a very rich family, respectable family. Because the mode of nature is working, voluntarily he has become hippie. This is going on all over the world. Therefore we have to come to the platform of sattva-guna, brahmana platform. Brahmana platform.

So one endeavor is gradually to come to the brahmana platform. But if we take bhakti-yogam, immediately you become on the brahmana platform. This is the advantage. Kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva- parayanah, agham dhunvanti kartsnyena… [SB 6.1.15] What is that?
Bhaskarah means sun. So when there is mist, as soon as there is sunrise, immediately everything… Otherwise it is very difficult to drive away the fog. The railway train… I have seen it also. In the mid-ocean immediately there is fog, and the ship immediately stops because there is danger of collision with other ship. At least the ship in which I was going to your country, Jaladuta, so the captain, Mr. Pandia, he immediately used to stop in the mid-ocean and giving horn, “Gaw, gaw,” like that. So that was danger, very dangerous. When the sea is rough there is no fog. And as soon as the sea is not rough there is fog. So whether you will go this way or that way, there is misery. Therefore this world is called duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. You subdue something and another problem is there. And you solve that problem—another problem… Problematic. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15] Krsna is recommending that this is duhkhalayam asasvatam. How we’ll subside this duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]? And we are… Our struggle is… Krsna said, “This is duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. This place is for miseries,” and these rascals are trying to adjust things. Bahir-artha-maninah. These rascals, they are trying to bring peace by material arrangement, mudha. Therefore they are mudha. It is not possible. Krsna has made it suffering. How you can become happy here? But these rascals will not understand. Within the suffering they will try to become happy. That is not possible. The toilet room he wants to make a Deity room. How it is possible? That is not possible.
So it is duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15], and you have to practice tapasya if you want to get out of it. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattva. We are now accustomed to this miserable condition of life. If you want actual happiness, then you have to undergo austerity, tapasya. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet yasmad brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are hankering after happiness. That happiness, brahma-sukha, eternal happiness, you will get by practicing tapasya.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.6.3
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Vrndavana, November 25, 1976