True happiness comes only through devotional service to the Supreme Lord, our real dharma.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6 — November 26, 1972, Hyderabad 721126SB-HYDERABAD [58:07 Minutes] SB-01.02.06_721126BG-HYDERABAD Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] sa vai puṁsām paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6] [break]
Prabhupāda: sa vai puṁsām paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6] Everyone is hankering after peace of mind. Ātmā suprasa. Ātma, ātma means this body, ātma means the mind and ātma means the soul. We are in three status of life. Actually, we are the spirit soul covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like you gentlemen, you are also covered by two kinds of dresses—underwear and coat, shirt and coat.
Similarly... Actually, "I am" means I am not this shirt and coat; I am within the shirt and coat. Similarly, I, the soul, I am covered by two kinds of layers—mind, intelligence and false ego. False ego means I am considering I am this American dress, I am this Indian dress, because I am identifying with this body.
If I ask somebody, "What you are, sir?" "I am American." "What you are, sir?" "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya." But these are the designations. This is not my real identification. The Vedic information is when I understand I am ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am Brahman, or the spirit soul. That is my beginning of identification.
Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the spirit. This human form of life is meant for advancing knowledge of brahma, brahma-jñāna. Brahmā jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who is advanced in knowledge of Brahman, he is called brāhmaṇa. So if we actually want peace...
Everyone is hankering; that is..., that is our prerogative. Every living entity must hanker after happiness. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]. Because by nature we are happy. By nature we are happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.
So as spirit soul we are naturally happy, blissful. But because we have been covered by the eight material elements—earth, water, fire, air, ether, these are gross elements—and within the gross elements, mind, intelligence and ego. So somebody is satisfied with the comfort of the outward gross elements, this body. They are called materialist.