Real happiness exists only in transcendent spiritual consciousness, attained through intelligent devotion to Krishna consciousness.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: sukham ātyantikaṃ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam vetti yatra na caivāyaṃ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ [Bg 6.21] [The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.] Now, every one of us is searching after happiness, but we do not know what is real happiness. The real happiness is, hint of real happiness, what is real happiness, that is being described by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. What is that real happiness?
Happiness we feel through our senses. Because material, dead stone, has no sense; therefore dead stone cannot feel happiness or distress. Now, this consciousness, the developed consciousness, feels happiness and distress more than undeveloped consciousness. Just like the trees. The trees, they have got also consciousness, but it is not developed consciousness.
Therefore the trees are standing on the road or anywhere, but they have no sense of feeling the misery. Now, suppose a human being is asked to stand like the tree, at least for three days. Oh, it will be impossible for him, because he cannot tolerate such kind of misery. So therefore conclusion is that every living entity feels the pleasure and happiness according to the developed consciousness of his being. Similarly, the happiness which we are feeling now in the material mixture, that is not real happiness.
That is not real happiness. If you ask the tree, "Are you feeling happy?" the tree will say, "Yes. I am feeling happy standing here the whole year, and the wind and snowfall I am enjoying very much." Oh. You see?
So that sort of happiness the tree may enjoy. But you are human being. You will say, "Oh, this is the standard of his enjoyment." So, similarly, there are different kinds and different grades of living entities. Their standard of feeling happiness and miseries are also different grades.
Animal. In the animal kingdom, they have no sense. One animal is being slaughtered; the other animal is seeing. Because he has no knowledge, the next turn is he is being turned..., being slaughtered, but he is chewing some grass.
He is happy. He is thinking that "I am happy." Next moment it will be slaughtered, but he does not know. So these are all different grades of happiness. But the highest standard of happiness is described here, sukham ātyantikaṃ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam. Buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam.